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davekermito1600949558

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Everything posted by davekermito1600949558

  1. davekermito1600949558
    MatJ - may I congratulate on an excellent body of work there sir. Although you have used your own experiences of kiting to discuss characteristics of flight, it remains impartial (ie potential subjective issues have been avoided) and even though the formulae bring back memories of when I did my physics A-level - it was still an enjoyable read! Aeronautical engineering degree next, Matt?
  2. davekermito1600949558
    BTW the above comment is me - mate had been logged on at this computer and I didn't realise!
  3. davekermito1600949558
    Rix, you've made a fair point, but as it was no secret that Ozone tried to develop a kite to rival the Blade, and it failed miserably. I love Ozone kites and that's why I'm doubly disappointed.
  4. davekermito1600949558
    Wattene - get a mountain board. Buggies are for kids (the under-50s). In all seriousness fair play to you chap!
  5. davekermito1600949558
    For a change, I'm doing a review after many flights and the subsequent selling of a kite! As a current owner of three Ozone kites (Samurai, Access and Frenzy), I'm choosing to review the flight characteristics of the Haka, against it's peers, rather than the obvious good quality build. The Haka arrived with the usual overblown Ozone press releases and quickly comparisons were made with an other famous high aspect lifting maching, the Flexifoil Blade. I've owned older Blades in the past so was very much looking forward to flying the new competitor. As well as Blade-beater, the Haka was supposed to be an improvement of the outgoing Riot, which was a decent enough kite but slow on the turn and abysmal in the gusts. At £100 less than a Blade IV, I parted with my cash safe in the knowledge that I was buying a fantastic kite. So first few flights... As a 'performance' kite, I first took it out in clean coastal winds around the 8-12mph to be safe. Now I'd love to comment about the performance, but the kite required so much effort to get it airborne, it was quickly packed away! When it did stay in the air and flown across the window, the power delivery was fairly comparable to a Blade but it was slow on the turn and would not go to the zenith. I have read reviews about how the kite should be flown to get the most out of it, but IMO that's not what this kite should be about. To put it into perspective, when the Haka was put away after the frustration of it's poor performance, a Blade IV 4.9 was brought out, which of course behaved impeccably. Next flights... OK, so it's not a sub 12mph kite then. So let's try (gusty) 18mph winds. The Haka still had a flaw in it's inflation but still managed to approach the zenith after aggressively flying it (which was quite nerve-racking in inland conditions). The performance and lift were good, not quite Blade standards, but still acceptable. However, the fact that it stalls when not being actively flown and it's relatively slow on the turn (regardless of what Ozone say), meant I found this kite to be a big mistake. Again for the purpose of the review, similar kites were flown and no problems can be reported apart from the usual gusty inland flying issues. I attempted numerous tweaks to improve the flying but they only made marginal improvements. Overall, I would rate the Haka as the worst kiting purchase I've ever made. And as a hardened Ozone fan (nay, pimp) this is hard for me to say! If you are thinking about getting one, definitely try one out first, preferably along side another lifty kite (the Blade bing the obvious choice). By : davekermito
  6. davekermito1600949558
    Only had the chance to fly a 14m Frenzy the once - ridiculously good lift and float. Went for a small pendulum jump and managed to clear some sand-dunes and landed on a car park (a good 30m downwind)! Terrifying on the board when overpowered though
  7. davekermito1600949558
    Apart from the sexy new moulded chicken loop, is there much of a difference in the actual kite? I bet you can fly a 4m Access in ridiculous winds!!
  8. davekermito1600949558
    I've pm'ed you about this rix-ZGW. I cannot get my airborne unless the winds are 15mph+ - not ideal for testing a lifty kite in gusty conditions. The alterations on the brakes have not helped and I'm slowly getting very frustrated with it.
  9. davekermito1600949558
    In the right conditions (ie clean winds 8-18mph), I don't think there is a better kite. Stable, easy predictable lift, plenty of hang time, great quality and an awesome board engine. Just a shame it's a tad scary in the old inland gusts, but hey, that's when the equally good (but not for the same reasons) Access has it use as well!
  10. davekermito1600949558
    Trampa deck + Matrix trucks + F3 bindings = Heaven. The short board turns fantastically (although too much for me - I have the long deck!). I cannot understand why anyone would go for anything but Trampa now.
  11. davekermito1600949558
    erm... http://www.atbshop.co.uk/productdetails.php?id=301&cat=kte Looks like a Pro III to me? Oh and there's another link on Miky17's comment.
  12. davekermito1600949558
    I am reviewing my newish Trampa deck with the perspective of a keen mountain boarder (off-track) rather than a fairly novice kite boarder - so bear that in mine with the review. Most boarders now will be familiar with the Trampa brand, the company that (according to their own hype) revolutionised materials used in their decks to create the ultimate everlasting board! After trying a kiteboarder friends short 15ply deck, I wasn't initially convinced due to the extreme flex and the short wheelbase led to instabilities at speed. However I continued to believe the hype and decided that I would give Trampa Ted a call to sort me out with a long (980mm) 35 degree 17 ply deck. Now for kiting purposes, a 17 ply deck is massive overkill and is considerably heavier than the majority of boards on the market. It will mainly be used for speeding through forest and down hill sides where strength and semi-rigidity is required over freestyle ability! So the review: My order was deck only, with Trampa Tread, drillage and s/s bolt set for around £150 delivered. I have fixed my MBS Matrix channel trucks with Rockstar Pros to it. The finish and workmanship: Like many others I am not overly impressed with the finish to the board. After spending over a hundred quid on a piece of shaped polycarb, I would expect the edges to be rounded smoothly! It has the usual black and grey weave pattern design (which I vastly prefer over the garish graphics on the majority of board) and drilled ready for the trucks and bindings. The board came complete with Trampa Tread, which is an improvement to normal grip tape I used on my old MBS deck - really grippy and it doesn't clog up with sand, mud, etc. The test: Once all the fittings were fixed on (drillage thankfully perfect) it was off to a hill to test it's performance over bumpy ground at speed. With the trucks tightened to promote straight line speed rather than quick carve ability it's maiden voyage was a successful one, the weight and strength gave it a very forgiving nature over tree roots and ruts. Fantastic! At the bottom of the hill is a small natural kicker that I've always used to pop a little move from - so after scrubbing a little speed off I attempted a basic 180 - and landed a perfect 90 with the usual 'hilarious' flying dismount. The additional weight of the board is considerable and will take some time and effort getting used to. Loosening the trucks, I found that carving through the woods (which needs tight fast turns) required a bit more planning. The additional weight causes more slide on turns, but once I got used to it the board, it behaved impeccably well (far better than my old Core 16). Since the initial runs, I have taken the board on some seriously punishing tracks as well as using my kites with it. Overall I cannot fault the strength and feel of the board (IMO feels far better than a Comp 16 Pro) but the weight of the 17 ply would put off most kite boarders. By : davekermito
  13. davekermito1600949558
    Good review of a good kite. I find it couples well with a 10m Frenzy to cover a substantial wind range + I greatly prefer it to the Frenzy when flying inland. Every boarder should have an Access in their quiver!
  14. davekermito1600949558
    Hehe...be careful with it! Spanked me many a time! Glad you're enjoying it.
  15. davekermito1600949558
    As a fellow downhiller, I was wondering when you were going to write up the 'intermediate' ride guide, as the beginners one helped me loads! I'm happy with riding fast, carving, hop starts, powerslides, stopping and bailing (!) but stuggling with any progression from there!
  16. davekermito1600949558
    Finally got round to using it on my board (and yes the finger is still broken!) and it worked fine - but had to keep my wits about me as the little thing is mentally fast around the sky!
  17. davekermito1600949558
    Introduction After a recent kiting accident that saw me having a broken finger and requiring stiches, I decided a couple of weeks ago my small but perfectly formed quiver required something a little smaller than 5m for boarding on those slightly windier days. Now I've always tried to be a little different to the rest and avoided Blades (because wherever there are other kiters, you can quite easily borrow a Blade) but after seeing a Blade III 3m for sale for £120 I couldn't resist. The Gear Kite (really?), 25m colour coded lines, handles, killers, stickers, bag - wouldn't really hurt FF to put a stake in but nevermind! All of the usually good quality. My only gripe is the bag, which IMO is too small, too fiddly and has far too much zip to catch the kite in. The kite when unfurled looked comically small after what I'm used to, but again of great quality, excellent 'crispy' material and has the little features you wouldn't normally get on a 'budget' kite - dirt outs, velcro clips - not essential but useful. The First Flight Bear in mind this was with a broken finger! Wind no more than 12 mph (massively under the target wind range I bought it for) but was still hopping round like a naughty puppy ready to launch. Gentle tug on the handles and up she goes. Now with a high AR and it's dimunitive size I was expecting it to be fast turning, but in reality found it a bit twitchy. But once I got used to it's speed of turn had some fantastic static fun! I was not expecting any real pull so was surprised when it pulled me over (slightly embarrassing when you compare it with the other kites I fly!!) I'd imagine that when it's blowing 20mph+ it will really come in to it's own. Conclusion For the price I paid I can't be happier but time will tell if it serves it's purpose as a board engine in strong winds. Fun for 'stunting' though!! By : davekermito
  18. davekermito1600949558
    I borrowed one before I had my recent accident and was amazed at the downhill speed potential but wouldn't use it for boarder-cross as the turn (even with the trucks as loose as possible) is too laboured. I found the board didn't wobble at my 'down hill' topspeed whereas my Core 16 starts to snake at about 20-25mph.
  19. davekermito1600949558
    Good review - especially for me weighing up whether to add to my arcs with an LEI!
  20. davekermito1600949558
    Nige, I'm 15st and 6' (the ideal weight/height ratio!!) and find the skate trucks on the core 8 a bit wobbly for my size! Personally I think spending a few extra quid and getting the core 16 with it's channel trucks a worthy investment if you plan on going fast. If it's a lighter weight freestyle board your after the Core 8 is good though.
  21. davekermito1600949558
    Going from a shoddy Exit board to an MBS is great isn't it?! I upgraded to a Core 16 (being a bit heavier I don't cope well with skate trucks!) and was amazed at the stability of them. Not sure whether the Core 8 doesn't wobble until 30mph though, when I've used them in the past I was getting serious SW at about 18-20mph (estimated)
  22. davekermito1600949558
    Dear Santa I've been a good lad this year (well occasionally have been!). Any chance of an Ozone Manta and a trip to a big snowy playground for Christmas? Dave
  23. davekermito1600949558
    Interested at what you said about the Regolith - I thought it was poor for downhilling if you are of a 'large frame' like by badself. I must have 'ground out' into double figures in one session and although on decent trucks it wobbled terribly!
  24. davekermito1600949558
    After wasting £80 on a shoddy Exit board (wish I did more research first!), I decided that now I'm officially into mountain boarding (not necessarily with kites) I should upgrade and get a better board. At first I tried out a friend's Scrub Regolith and decided it simply wasn't suitable for someone of my size - far too much flex and I was grounding out on the hills. It seems all of the Scrubs were fairly similar. Then I tried another friends' short Trampa deck on Scrub channel trucks. Much better but too short for 'the hills'. Then on eBay, I managed to secure an almost mint MBS Core 16 for £120. It's the perfect length to combine downhill stability with manouvability. It's features: - fairly light stiff deck, not ideal for freestyle but perfect for my needs - cool graphics (wolf/moon) - F2 bindings, which are my favourite. F3 bindings don't cope well with my flat feet! - matrix channel trucks, with yellow shocks - rockstar hubs with lightweight T1 tread tyres So all in all a pretty damn good package for what I paid! Took it to the top of Waseley Hills near Brum for it's maiden use. Padded up and gave it the straight downhill test. Almost no wobble whatsoever (estimated speed 25mph?) - very stable so gave me the confidence to try out a few more technical routes. Once I got used to the fact the trucks were stiffer than what I was used to (a few understeered turns and a lot of bramble cuts later) I was carving the hill with ease. My personal opinion is that MBS Core series boards lead their price range field. Just want a Comp Pro now! By : davekermito
  25. davekermito1600949558
    I am also one of the select few that prefer the Riot to the Blade. The power is not Blade level but is delivered in a more 'gentlemanly' way! Flying it inland/in gusty conditions is still a bitch though - standing there with it at the zenith - wind picked up, launched me then luffed. Mucho cursing at the kite!
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