Loveablesurfer

I have a 4.9 Blade IV, fantastic lift, good float, adjustable bridal and not as scary as its predecessors. I'm tempted to buy a 6.5m but i've spent so much time and effort tweaking my Bego 600 to near perfection it would be a bit of a shame to drop it so soon. The 6.5 Blade is alot easier to board with though!

Have you checked the trucks for holes or just looked at the deck? Are the trucks anything like Scrub Channels? My Trampa downhill board came with Scrub Channel trucks but no holes on the deck to move the springs around. In this case it would just be a matter of removing the trucks and drilling the deck.

Was out for a bit this evening with Nicksubishi. He managed to board with my Bego 600 in around 2 - 3 mph!!! Even got up wind, he weighs 15.5 stone and was on a downhill freeride board weighing over 9 kilo. No land speed records were broken, but still, what more do you want with a low wind kite?

From what I've picked: Mk I is the classic that redefined fixed bridal kiting Mk II had the most lift out of all the variations and earned the 4.9 the nickname "Widow Maker" Mk III took out some of the lift to increase the horizontal drag and make the kite fly faster through the sky, making it better for crusing around with as well as being a lift machine. Mk IV made it quicker turning, a bit more stable (for a Blade!!!) and introduced the AAA bridal allowing users to adjust the kites natural trade off between vertical lift and horizontal drag. Its also less of a beast and more forgiving than its predecessors. I use a IV for boarding, not sure I'm brave enough for any of the others!

A mate of mine raves about Black Rock Sands near Porthmadog, that's about 40 min or so from Caernarfon.

I weigh 11.5 stone and 13ply works fine for me. Good flex but doesn't bottom out. Mine has scrub skates, 5 spoke hubs and velcro bindings and pro alpha 8 inch tyres. Weighs just over 5kg, absolutely love it. Bought some GI Talon bindings from Sky Monster for £19, RRP is about £45, but since they've been replaced by Talon 2, they dirt cheap. Great binding, I use it with my Trampa downhill board with Trampa's ratchet heel straps - keeps me glued to the board!

Sounds like good advice! I've been considering the Turbo handle for my Bego 600 but wouldn't even dream about putting it anywhere near my 4.9m Blade IV!

Gee, with my 11.5 stone frame, I could use it as a paraglyder!

Primo Alphas are available in blue, you can certainly get them from Trampa. They weigh a tiny bit more but are 2 ply rubber (T1 is 1 ply) and IMO have better treads.

Blades are awesome for jumping, if you find your 8.5m too slow (and assuming you've adjusted the cross bridals to speed it's turning rate as much as possible) perhaps you should try the 6.5m Blade. Especially at your weight! I weigh 11.5 stone and am really happy with my 4.9m Blade IV and 6m Bego for most of my boarding. Both kites have more than enough lift to get me off the ground with little effort.

NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm 30 the week after next!!! I don't have a buggy though, only a board, will that improve my survival rate?

Insane amoutns of bubble wrap and duct tape! For both your and the buggy, just in case you fall back into it!

lol... might want to find the twat that 'welds' f2 bindings and give him a slap while you're there. And perhaps beef up the T1 puncture prone tyes out of 2 ply rubber instead of 1 ply!

Have never used the racekites forum so no sorry? Ah shucks - he was raw entertainment! Full of mad stories about jumping insane heights on a Beamer and a Twister! Dangerous ideas but great entertainment value - regularly had me in stitches!