Mailman

Echo what everyone else has said. Sick stuff. Get that camera closer to you though (well - tell the person filming). The fisheye loses its fisheye-ness at distance, and well, becomes pointless. Maxximum fisheye=close up.

Ive been using one the whole of last season. Took some major impacts to it and come out fine! I choose to ride them, local store dose not stock them, but when i saw them i had to try one on. They are very comfy and are very solid. Biggest baiul was a 720 that had a final lofting as came in at about 6ft came down backwards fully powered and smashed into ground. Broke a wheel and bolt but was fine, ok slightly knocked but helmet was fine! Mailman see you are norwich based, where abouts? Good to hear a firsthand experience. Yep am from Norwich - just down the end of Magdalen street. You? Would've popped it in a PM but can't seem to send you one.

I got a little Onza years ago. Those 20" wheels suck up your will to live over any sort of distance. As said before, easy to pick up the basics but years to master. Just like the keyboard you want to learn too ;-) Don't have to fit it all in at once mate. Man someone mentioned Rocket frames. I really haven't seen one for years! They were the badgers nadgers. One of the first jump dedicated/ dual slalom frames ever. And the pashley trials frames - I never got on with those.

Has anyone crash tested the Bern's? They look pretty cool, but never heard of them before. Are they a fairly new brand? Couldn't find out how long they've been running on their website. Also something to remember - If you knock it, buy a new one. Don't skimp.

My preferred manufacturer is TSG. They're ridiculously comfortable on my head I forget I'm wearing one. Protec are what Delta and other hardcore types in the US Military wear. I didn't get on well with the Protec I wore for a bit. Can't comment on the various actual 'kite related' helmets. For a full face, 661 (Six Six One) do a couple of middle-weight, strong and 'cheap' helmets, about £60. Wander around some shops and try helmets on. Get one that suits you, which is comfortable and you like the look of when on your head - that way you're more likely to wear it!

Wearing a helmet, and especially if you're then wearing body armour too, can give you a false sense of confidence. I've been knocked out and bashed around and had more trips home in an ambulance than I could tell you guys - mainly from falling off BMXes, road bikes and jump bikes. It's all about measured risk and knowing what you can get away with (clearly something I;m not good at). Some people who don't wear helmets can measure risk better than some of us wear helmets. Some are just plain idiots. That said, I'm a helmet wearer (static flying 7.2m Blade I) but I ain't gonna judge people for not wearing one - it's their choice. People harking on about bans etc are overeacting, jumping on buzzword bandwagons. I used to wear a full face helmet, but they're too bloody constrictive. The way I look at this whole thread (and I've read every post) is that if everybody wore a skate helmet (or whatever your preference), certain beyond-the-call-of-duty-types would hark on that everyone should be wearing body armour and wrist guards..... To each their own but just keep aware and use common sense. Most people on here seem to have a good degree of it, it's the solo beginners with no idea which have to be careful. It's much better to have a chat with them on the beach than preach on here about a helmet (hmm does that make me a hypocrite?).

Haha! If only you knew mate... Most people don't have a camera that can shoot high frame rates. Most people only have standard definition cameras. You think the transcode between 1080i and 720p will be better that slowing down framerates in a consumer editing package? I guess I'll go back to Movie Maker now. ;-)

Ignore 1080i. It's a joke. 720p is far better, and higher bandwidth. Sounds proper nasty! Just slow the framerate down in a video editing package dude.

Exactly the same mate. Ended up working in film. Would like to work for Peter Jackson's s****y facility, even though I don't much care for his films. I enjoy colour grading. As a secondary out-of-work alias my ambition is to become a well known music producer with a few singles under my belt. Getting booked to DJ my own tunes on a weekend. Ideally I'll still have little real concern for money in the future and continue to just 'get by' somehow whilst still affording the stuff I want.

Cheers for all the replies guys. Sorry I've not been able to reply sooner. Slide - your second post has confused me somewhat! What Is It - cheers for the link. Cheap as. Might have to order a fair few meters. As you say MatJ - have a supply for next time it breaks. http://www.thehighwaymen.co.uk/acatalog/BridleLine100W.jpg 150lbs Dyneema Bridle Line (black). Priced per metre (from the highwaymen). Will I then need to order sleeving for it? Sorry for the numptyness. First time I'll be doing it (yet probably not the last).

Hey guys, I broke a bridle line on the aforementioned at the weekend. Don't really fancy sending it to Flexi for a repair, sooo... does anyone know the breaking strain of the bridle lines? Is there anything I ought to be aware of? The only problem I foresee is getting the bloody thing out in a terrace house. That and sourcing a bit of similar string... Any thoughts appreciated.

Kind of on topic - Facebook has a similar licensing agreement with your photos. Upload them to your gallery on FB, and they can do what the hell they like with them. Always read the small print On the plus side, you could get a bit of exposure out of it. Contact the TV station/web site that broadcasted it, and they might want to follow it up with an interview, bit more footage etc (which you could well charge for). Could be a way of making a quick bit of cash - if you can flog em a bit more video...

Gotcha.

So what you're saying Dave, is to make sure the lines are tied to the handles on the furthest knot away, then adjust the bridle with a knot as Steve suggests? I have no real problem with the 3 metre, it's just the 7. I've been putting that down to the sheer amount of pull it generates though. Basically, if the rear lines are too slack, it reduces your braking ability and also means your killers aren't going to function enough (depending on the amount of slack). I suppose it's quite easy really - they can only pull the brakes the distance of the length of your handle, and if your lines are slack, the killers would need to pull them further.

They were never strong enough on BMX's that's for sure, but then in a buggy you've got an extra wheel to take the strain. Just backing up these guys - I reckon you'd be fine. The only times I had problems with them was trying to land 360's - the wheels would flex almost a full 90 degrees before flicking back. I've never known anyone to shatter them of crack them. Wierd wheels. Only ever brought out as a cheap alternative to SPINs. Now they would look SWEET on a buggy... http://bigshark.com/merchant/190/images/large/spin_wheels.jpg

Awesome idea. Can't believe I didn't think of that. Cheers Steve. Might make flying it a bit easier...

On the 3m they're nice and tight, but on my 7 the lines are slack. I thought it was to do with the extra weight of 40m extreme lines, but now I'm not so sure. Thanks for the constructive reply. How the hell would one go about shortening brake lines though?

But with only one brake line tensioned, surely it WON'T power. That's the point. I could just about understand it if the brake and power lines on one handle tension - that could give power, but that's not what I'm questioning.

Ok, so I've been told that my kite killers aren't set up correctly. I've searched Google and come up with a 'how to set kite killers up correctly' page on Racekites.com. Image is below: http://www.racekites.com/images/reviews/kitekillers03.jpg This is exactly how mine are set up on the 3.3 Blade.

Ahhh but they didn't reverse the kite in to the ground. I flew it down through the power window, when gusting. Fact: A kite can be rolled over into a powerable state by the wind. Also, the killers were left as stock from Flexifoil. I've not look at the way others have them set up however. So what's wrong with sticking the kite into a spin? It ain't gonna power - it should just crumple like before. the only thing to do will be untwist your line. You do still have the problem of a 'pinging' handle, but that shouldn't be a problem if you've been sensible and made sure your flying area is safe. Never a true'r word said.

My 2 Ha'penny worth: I've been flying kites since 1990. Stacker 6's and dual Super 10's. I've only just got into 4 liners though -specifically Blades. First and foremost I think everyone's situation is different. I don't think you can say, without knowing and understanding all aspects of peoples personal experiences that they are right or wrong for using kite killers. Personally, I'm sitting on the fence. I never needed them when flying Super 10's.... no one had them. Are those that now insist we use them hypocrites for not using them themselves years ago? I used to use killers when flying a 3.3m Blade 3. That was until I flew it in a slightly-too-gusty day in a field surrounded by trees. Yanked off my feet, totally unprepared, onto my face, etc etc. I had let go of the killers. Unfortunately (and it looks like this is one in a million as I haven't seen in mentioned ANYWHERE on the forums), the kite landed itself upsidedown. We all know kites lift again when upside down on the brakes. Hence a nice drag across the field, clambouring for the handles which were totally out of reach. I always wear a helmet when flying Blades, even though I only static fly. I keep massive distance between other kite fliers, and make sure I know what's going on on the ground around me. I think that's a fairly responsible way to fly.... I'm actually experimenting with just using one kite killer at the moment on my 7.2m Blade. Kill the kite, but potentially no reason why it would power upside down as you've only got one line that could be powered AAAND you're still attached to the kite.

No matter what you buy, you'll always want another kite anyway. Just go fly with some people and try out their kites.

Let me know when you head up there Ewanofotter. I normally go with a mate. Between us we can generally fly in any windspeed. Bugger boarding though, we only static fly. May head up this weekend (Saturday) if the weather isn't too chilly.

I got hold of a MK1 7.2m Blade off here a few weeks ago. Flown it twice now. They do pack more punch than the newer Blades, at least subjectively - I think they just aren't as stable as the newer ones. Bloody dangerous in gusts - it's a mission to pull on the brake lines. I've ended up in the sea with it... Still flew afterwards, even though it had half of Brancaster in it. Let us know how you get on. The only Blades I've only flown mine and one other (a 3.3m Mk3). I could easily ride gusts with that on the brakes, but no such luck on the 7.2.

Bought 7.2m Blade off R3d Nemesis. Top chap - kite arrived within just over 50 hours of winning the eBay auction. Haven't flown it yet but I've had it laid out in the corridor here at work for a good check over (my house isn't big enough to look at it properly!) and it's exactly as described - mint. All the best for the future. Pete