panthro1600949554

OK, more info for the knowledge base, less of a review more guide for people who find themselves in a position like I did. Background. My landboard is an MBS Core8 which is now in it's 3rd summer with the only maintenance being a new set of bearings. I like my board, I have reviewed it already though. I like my tires pumped up to a high pressure... I noticed one day that the MBS rockstar hubs were starting to bend. The stick I was giving them with my weight and the pressure was making these 5 spoke hubs looks more pentagonal than circular. I was assured by a kite buddy of mine that one day they would break, most likely at speed. And with Wallop coming up I didn't want to take any chances. So I thought I would upgrade hubs and possbly tyres too to 9". And so I stepped into the minefield. The minefield - What hubs will fit my ATS axles? - Which 9" tires will fit which hubs, and which are best? - Will I need new bearings? - Will i need new spacers? - Should I bother? - Can I justify £90 for some rockstar pro alloys? So my first port of call was to phone ExtremeKiteShop, where I have returning customer discount. The general advice was "I don't know the answers, I don't have a Core8 or primo hubs in stock, so just buy the hubs and if they don't work, send them back". Not very confidence inspiring. So I rang ATBShop and the convo went like this. "I want new hubs for my Core8" "You want to put Primo comps on and primo 9 inchers on don't you?" "Yes" "Don't!" To expand on this it transpires that yes, you can put primo comps on, but you need new narrow spacers as they are wider, and putting these on with a view to fitting 9's is a waste of time. He correctly assumed that I was also having trouble with my trainers rubbing on the tyres from time to time. the guy went on to say that he did this to his Core 8 and he changed it back because 9" wheels change the handling of the core8 to the point it rides weird and there's no room for your feet if you have big (size 10/11) feet like me. So I was advised to stay with my MBS tyres for now and use primo light hubs. These are the same design as the comps but are lighter and can't take 9" tyres, which does not matter anyway. I toyed with a nice set of Rockstar pros but could not justify the £60 premium (or 2 more full sets of primo hubs {!}). So I plumped for the primo lights, at a reasonable £30 for a set of 4. Arrival and fitting So yay they arrived, expertly wrapped in a black bin liner. He he worked OK though. They seriously didn't look much when I opened them but once I got them home and compared them to the rockstars I could see the quality hike. The plastic is a much stronger feel for a start they look very nice. Once the rockstars were off and dismantled I discovered that the primos were a direct swap. The bearings from the rockstars fit the hubs perfect and there was no need for new spacers, direct swap as far as i'm concerned. I did notice that the primos are held together by three fat stainless bolts held in place with nylock nuts, much sturdier than the 5 mild steel pieces of scrap that the rocksatrs are held together with. Which incidentally only screw into the plastic of the hub as far as I can tel and not a nut. The primos nut and bolt was much more confidence inspiring. In use Honestly, I can't feel a performance difference between the hubs. They make a different sound going over bumps but that's not a problem. They are heavier than rockstars and noticibly so, but not by a huge margin and they are stronger in feel which inspires confidence so you pays your money I suppose. They have a nice 3 spoke look and the fat bolts look nice and chunky so there is the aesthetic appeal. The main reason I changed them was I had lost faith in my rockstars and as these look better and feel stronger it was worthwhile and not exactly an expensive upgrade. So for others in my position - If your Rockstars are starting to look geometric think about changing them - There's no point putting 9" inchers on a Core8 - Good advice is invaluable - Primo lights are a direct swap for roackstrs without any mods needed Hope this helps By : panthro

OK here we go, a fairly low key review of a bit of gear I have, not as glam as a kite or board review but I want to add as much to the knowledge base as possible. I discovered a need for a harness after purchasing a depower kite then realising I would need a Harness! Here's how it unfolded.... Choosing type of harness. I obviously had to first decide which basic type of harness I wanted. I primarily landboard but I'm also 15+ stone. i had a waist harness but it didn't really fit too well, but I could make it comfortable. I rode up horribly though and it put me off. From then on I've never relished the thought of my bulk basically being lifted by my ribs so having also having tried a few seat harnesses, decided on that. Choosing the actual harness. My choice was fairly simple - budget! Although obviously I could have gone super budget and got a Radsail harness I have heard bad things about them. The Scrub Harness sat nicely in the next band up and I was advised by a fellow Racekites member that his has been very good and the sales patter mentions the fact it is a land board specific harness, that was all enough for me...SOLD. First impressions and comfort. I recieved the harness, and was a little surprised not to see any instructions, not that I needewd any but you would have thought there would have been a warning sheet... The harness is made out of extremely strong rucksack material, mainly black with a blue and grey flash next to the Scrub logo. It has planty of padding for the crotch and neoprene padding in all the right places, namely the leg straps. It has 4 buckles in total. First of all is a four inch wide, sturdy velroc belt that keeps the waist of the harness snug to your body. One this is done tighten up the main spreader bar buckles, identical either side. the webbing goes from the waist, near where your belt on your trouser is, through the spreader bar and is anchored at the back of your legs. The legs straps are independant and sit horizontally across your thighs. They are 2inch wide and thickly padded with neoprene as I mentioned. This design prevents any embarrasing Y-front riding up like on the scary Quadrifoil harness! The overall design is very comfortable and is padded in all the right places, which also offers a bit of protection against coccyx bounces etc although not as much as crash shorts. The design of the main buckle concentrates the lift forces on your buttocks and back of legs. Obviously this is away from the crotch area which is nice! In use Obviously this is a seat harness and for a landboarder with freestyle pretentions this is an issue. I sometimes find it difficult to bend in the middle because of the belt but I haven't it too much of a problem. The harness is very padded and warm, and does not uffer from hook lift whatsoever (keep the part of the strap from the spreader down to the bottom anchor as short as possible, and the whole thing tight). It's lovely to sit back in and is strongly built. One 'feature' of it is that you have to totally undo it to get out of it. It does encourage you to spend a little time getting the straps right but it never takes more than a minute and it does make it easy to share because you can't preset it, if you are sharing the harness. Conclusion I like the harness. It is easy to use and is comfortable. It does'nt have the visual appeal of some harnesses in that it does not have flames or camo on but it is scrub who are a respectable label and it does not scream budget! It has a snug fit and does not trap your gonads in the air and does not suffer hooklift. It may take a while to get comfortable but not as long as some and has nice secure buckles that have spikes, to stop alippage. And best of all it does not cost the Earth! 8/10 By : panthro

This is my review of my Radsail Pro 2006 6m kite. I'm writing this not only as a review of the kite but also the observations I have made in the transition from my Beamer2 3.6 metre kite up to this mid aspect monster! This is to aid other people in the upgrade process. Background I'll review the VFM for this kite based on the cost of a new one, but I bought my example off the dreaded Ebay. I paid less than £100 for this kite, which came with Flexifoil handles & Kite Killers. The Kite is the 2006 version and is still crispy. I know these kites take a lot of 'flying in', and I think the previous owner did this for me as the kite flies very sweetly. This has actually taken a lot of the pain of buying this kite new as I have not got to fly it in, or buy decent handles etc. My only worries were the kite came to me quite dirty (dirtier than my year old Beamer), but this has disappered a bit as the wind has blown the dust off. Secondly and more worryingly, I found a 4 inch rip in the back skin of the kite which I did not notice when I inspected the kite (it was a pick-up only auction). The rip was easily repaired with flexifoil clear tape, and considering I flew the quite about 4 hours without noticing it I don't think it is serious. I'll be keeping an eye on it though... The Kite OK so I did the respectful thing and unpacked it in my flat as soon as I got home. This kite is HUGE compared to the Beamer. The colours (red white and black) and the general design are very imposing. The bridals are in luminous colours and somehow look less complicated than the ones on the Beamer. The bag, as always on budget kites is cheap and crap, but frankly this doesn't matter at all to me. It works. The kite came with it's original handles and the aforementioned Flexifoil items. We all know how good Flexifoil control gear is and they are very comfortable with good padding and nice and thick. Nuff said really. The Radsail ones looked EXACTLY the same as my Beamer ones to be honest, I would say they are the same items. The end winders probably work well but I've never used them, I always parapack. The lines are acceptable but are already showing signs of wear. They are the original items but they don't stretch and feel solid. The vendor had lost the manual and sticker etc so I didn't get these, but he gave me the CD and that's quite good. I've watched it once through, and has not taught me anything new. The package I personally got was outstanding because of the FF merchandise, and the handles have made a massive difference to my flying experience. I think considering that these kites are circa £200 new and don't come with a ground stake, I'm not entirely sure the new package is very brilliant, but that's nitpicking. Flying, first impressions Even in light winds there is a sense of trepidation when you get this out. It looks pretty big to my eyes. Anyway, grab the handles give it a tug and WHOOSH up it goes. The power in the wind window is huge, this is a serious kite. It absolutely domintes the window and everything about it, the shape, colour and size is intimidating. I've had a quick fly on a 6m Samurai and was expecting an absolute Barge, but this kite is fast, smooth and turns on a six pence. It is appreciably slower than the beamer but much quicker than I was expecting. The kite luffs a lot less than the Beamer and when it does it does not Bang open in the power zone in the same way. It has very smooth power delivery, it's not snatchy and the kite lets you know when the serious power is coming. The best thing is the turning. I fly with pretty tight brakes and the kite loves to brake steer. I would say that by watching the wing tip you can see it spin on the tip, but it can actually spin around the flying lines, thats how tight it can turn. It's an absolute joy to fly statically. Flying, light wind Ok this is the real test for any kite larger than 5m, and the main reason why I bought it, more power in summer! The thing you have to concentrate on is keeping the kite flying forwrd. It will just fall out of the sky if you let it stop moving, it needs the momentum of the wind over the wing. In fact it's in these winds that the main drawback of the kite comes to the fore. The kite material is very heavy. You can feel the weight on the lines. having said that I have had it flying (and pulling and lifting) in a gnats fart of wind as long as you can keep it moving. Another thing is this kite likes to crab. It can fly sideways if you fly it to the edge of the window and then don't concentrate on getting the forward momentum agin. It will fall back into the window sideways and sit there until you tip it on its wingtip and get it moving. Flying, medium wind This is the ideal windspeed I found, obviously. The kite has power but it's controllable as long as you have reasonably strong. I find the lift very predictable, you can feel when it's coming and when it does it's considerable. It also has a decent amount of float, meaning that this kite is very nice to jump with, although you don't find yourself in the air as much as with say a blade 4.9. The pull is huge and any sort of foray into the power and you're off downwind at a rate of knots. I found that the kite is tolerent of gusty winds, although it doesn't like them much all the same. It sits at the edge obediently and doesn't luff anywhere as much as the Beamer I also have. My other half prefers to fly this as even though it's a far more physical fly it is actually much easier to fly. It turns well, not snatchy, doesn't luff and is not too slow. Flying, Heavy wind Never taken it out in anything over 20mph. I have the Beamer for this. I like an adrenalin rush but I doubt I could land it in this wind. I also like my limbs and skin and minor stuff like that and I don't bounce. So it stays in the bag. One for the Brave(er than me). Boarding. OK now we're talking. THIS KITE IS AWESOME ON A LANDBOARD. It has lift once you get it moving. It get's you going seriously fast. I think the key is the lift. You can really lean back on this because of the large canopy above you. Keep the kite high and you can go where you want, the upwind ability is incredible. In anything over a knats fart you can park the kite very nicely and it yanks you upwind brilliantly. Have I mentioned the speed? I think the only problem is that if you let the kite kite get low and you don't brake turn it is very easy to dump the kite on the ground due to it's size. Conclusion. You may have guessed that I'm finiding it hard to fault this kite. Remember that I got mine at an incredible price for this kite (even if slightly used) so I'm still buzzing off the back of the bargain I suppose. I also wanted something that I can fly in very little wind, but not kill me (Blade). It ticks all the right boxes for me I suppose. Some may want even more lift, buy a Blade or Riot. THis is a great half-way house for me until I get a Blade myself. Some might want more speed, buy a race kite. Some may may want a high-end brand, buy a Flexi or Ozone or similar. The kite looks great, is easy to fly and has loads of power. It lacks in build quality, some stitches arn't straight and the handles are cheap and nasty, like a Beamer's. They are the main bad points. It handles brilliantly and is a Blast on my Landboard. It's easy to get it up (stop sniggering at the back). It does everything I want it to, and the other half likes my new muscle bound arms! By : panthro

Firstly, I love this board! It looks cool and works. Here's why... I bought this board in a package with my Beamer 3.6 from Tradewind kites, Reading. I tried a few boards in the shop, but this one stood out due to its price and lightness. It is very very light. I am glad I bought a light board as I tend to walk to my flying site and it's a lot easier with a light board. The board seems very good quality. i understand that MBS are a big player in the board world and mine has been faultless. I have flung it around, ridden over rough ground, fallen off and generally abused it. It also has to deal with my bulk. There are no marks or scratches whatsoever the finish is very hard wearing. This board has skate truks, which I may upgrade but they work fine. The do however look flimsy, a source of apprehension when I first got it. It has a slightly cheesy four colour graphic on it, a wolverine or wolf type thing against a moon. Hmmm. However the colour palette is in my favourite dark blue purple so it's pleasing on the eye and contrast is good. If it had not worn so well I would have covered it with stickers but there are no scratches so the graphics stay. I primarily use this board with my kite. I have been downhill with it a couple of times but did not neccesarrily enjoy it. It comes with a 'light' setup, meaning that the deck tilts very easily under your feet. this caused me problems early on, but tighten it up with the supplied spanner and it sorts it out. The bindings are very comfortable and adjustable. I found that this board performs very well. It steers easily, absorbs bumps well, but not so well you cant feel what is going on. It has a lot of pop in the deck, so much that it did not look right when new, but it supports my 15 stone + bulk very well, never bottoming out. I have experienced speed wobble with this kite, but all you have to do is relax and ride through it. Tightening the nuts on the trucks helps with this a bit. All in all I am very happy with this borad. It is functional, and looks cool (to my eyes). It has proven very robust too. Excellant By : panthro

OK decided that I should finally contribute! I bought my gear in May last year so am writing this from the point of view of somebody who has used it a bit. A bit about me first. I got into kiting when I was very young with the obligatory single line kites, moving through delta stunt kites in my teens. I flirted with the idea of kite surfing but after visiting some kite stores was shocked at the prices of starter kit and not living near the sea made it hard to justify. That was until I discovered Kite landboarding! Any I did my research, and went to speak to my local kiteshop Tradewind in Reading. My modest budget of £300 was fairly tight but for that I got a 3.6 Beamer, helmet and MBS Core 8 board. this review is about the kite though so I will concentrate on that. I do remember vividly seeing the kite for the first time when the guy opened it out for me in the shop. Errrr GULP! It's huge! Well it was to me bearing in mind I had only seen delta wings close up before this. Fast forward to later that evening and it's time for first flight and proper investigation of what I had bought. I've heard so much bad stuff about the bag, but I carried it around Reading for 3 hours after I bought the kite (dragging the board too!) and it was comfortable and did not fall apart. It has loads of storage and I think it looks cool. The bag also contained a groundstake in holder, that can be attached to your belt. I find this extremely useful as a boarder, and the stake is strong and very quick to deploy. Again I have heard so much bad rep about the handles, but i have never had a problem. Admittedly I have not flown with anything other than HQ handles, but I find that the wind is either so light that you don't notice the quality of the handles, or blowing a gale and you have other things on your mind. the kite also come with good documentation, although mine did not have the DVD. Anyway, I setup the kite as per instructions, attached lines, donned kite killers, gave the kite a tug and up it went. There was not much wind but i could fly it, and I could tell that it was going to pull a lot when the wind filled in. So good first impression, a lot of pull..Awesome! I flew the kite just about every time I could over the coming months, living only 5 minutes walk from Upton Court in Slough, meant that I could get out flying on every nice evening. The kite is powerful! I know it's a beginner kite but it has enough grunt to heft me around and I weigh over 15 stone. I have had air once or twice but only ever a foot or so and never intentionally. great for scudding though! It is fast through the air, faster than I was expecting and responds well to brake input at the edges of the wind window. It is quite easy to overfly it if you have slack brakes in high wind but I fly with quite a lot of brake anyway so I don't personally have a problem. As stated I use the kite for traction on my landboard. It works very well once you get the hang of it. it can get you going fairly fast, much faster than running speed and definitely fast enough to scare me! I found that the kite does not like lumpy winds much, and not the most stable in the sky. I said before that it is a beginners kite, but any kite with this much Oomph must be treated with respect. I've had my fair share of face plants, and the kite killers work very well! I even broke my hand on one, so that illustrates how much respect you must show this kite. Main Good points: Good pullResonable build quality, and robust (this kite has been crashed, me being a beginner, but there is not a mark on it)Good package, all you need to get flying, except helmet and padsExcellant value for money. In terms of fun per pound this has easily been my best purchase, ever! Main Bad points: Can be twitchy in lumpy wind I can't think of too many more major points. There are things to be improved, but this is not a top-of-the-range kite (even for HQ) but for the money represents amazing value for money. I would even say that if you rated a kite on the amount of fun it gave you against finacial outlay, then this would beat many kites from high end manufacturs hands down. Of course you can spend a lot more on a beginners kite, but can you justify the significant extra outlay when this does the job? I couldn't which is why I am buying another HQ kite this year, which says it all really. By : panthro