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The Flysurfer Speed I was untangling my new Speeds the other day over at Epsom Downs and a guy who was struggling to fly one of those things Argos thinks is a kite came over to chat. We had a long conversation regarding our shared pastime and unfortunately he walked off in a bit of a huff when I explained that my underpants would have a better chance of flying in the current conditions than his new kite. I even offered to donate them to him for testing, however I don't think he truly appreciated the gift. Something that would have flown well in that wind, if I could get them untangled before the sun set, would be my new Flysurfer Speeds. Introduction Patience is a virtue. Or at least that's what we have always been led to believe. After waiting several weeks for delivery of a few production Speeds they are finally here. I purchased mine from Sven at oceanside.co.uk, I've always had great service and support from Sven and this purchase was no different. I decided to go for a 10m, probably the most popular size, and the 17m which is just huge. I've been a big fan of Flysurfer for some time now so it will be interesting to see how the new kite performs in the real world. The Speeds are designed to be powerful kites, a 10m Speed is said to be equivalent to the 13m PSYCHO2, which in turn is equivalent to a 16-17m LEI. The 17m Speed is roughly equivalent to the 21m PSYCHO2, or in other words, a 25m LEI, so we are talking about a big powerful kite here. Imagine the power of a 17m Blade 3 and you'll be pretty close. The big Speeds create so much power that those crazy Flysurfer guys have actually tried paragliding with them. Please don't even begin to try this with your kites, however it gives a good indication of what these kites can do. Background These latest kites top Flysurfer's current production range. They are de-powerable offering versatility, high performance with superb stability, cover a huge wind range and can be steered very close to the edge of the window. The Speeds use the new XD-14 profile, developed and modelled on computer and then refined in the wind tunnel, these are pretty impressive bits of kit. With an aspect ratio (A/R) of a mind boggling 5.9 across the range, these kites look like they mean business. The Blade3 4.9m for example has an A/R of just 5.0. The graphics and colours of these new kites fit with the evolving Flysurfer tradition and in my opinion look pretty cool. Colours follow the PSYCHO2 scheme, 5 and 13m are blue, 10m is yellow and the 7 and 17m being red. These kites look outstanding. Flysurfer also offer a free 6 month repair deal on all the Speeds they sell in the UK, this to be honest, is an amazing offer and other manufacturers should take note. The Bag The kite comes ready to go as do all new Flysurfers. The way they are packed still astounds me, you can be flying within minutes, no lines to attach, nothing to setup (unless you want to). The bag itself is new and looks like a redesign of the previous blue bags. Good strong material, new colours and a larger rear pocket for carrying boards. Included are also an instruction manual (which I still have yet to read), repair kit and a cheap looking lanyard for putting your keys on. The construction of the bag is very good. No issues at all. The rear pocket is now even bigger and can fit 2 boards quite easily. Bar and Lines As with all Flysurfers, you get top quality products. The bar is very solid and is wrapped in colour coded neoprene allowing you to quickly see which way around the bar needs to go. Very simple, however very effective. Bar length is 50cm on the 10m and a lengthy 63cm on the 17m, the setup and safety is very similar to the PSYCHO2 bar, so if you have flown PS2s then you'll be in familiar territory. Kite setup is on four lines rather than the usual three. Pullies are used to balance the kite and can get clogged with sand and twigs. They need to be kept clean and free running at all times. Line length is adjustable, however as standard is 21m across the range. The MML (Serial Multi-Line-Length) allows you however to adjust the line length in 3m sections. Great for adapting the kite to suit your conditions and riding style, however is something that I'll probably not need to play with. The trim line runs through the center of the bar and attaches to the auto rotor leash. I still seem to experience a similar problem as I did with the PSYCHO2s, the auto restart line gets twisted around the center line. This can be very annoying and potentially a serious issue if you don't keep your eye on it. It's a shame it hasn't been fixed yet. The trimmer has a good solid feel, its easy to operate and the depower available is just huge. The 17m Speed for instance can be depowered to something similar to a 20m LEI, however when fully powered is approaching a 30m LEI. The power available is just huge. The forces on the bar can be adjusted via the WAC system. Five stages from Hard to Soft Steering are available. Kiters looking to cruise will typically go for a soft feedback. Riders coming from LEIs and those looking to ride unhooked will likely go more towards the Hard feedback. I like something in between. How you have it is entirely up to you. Not many kites offer this kind of personalisation. The Kite The first thing you notice when you see a Speed is the Aspect Ratio. At 5.9 across the range, its simply huge. The kites look so big in the sky. When flying the 17m, someone once asked if I was on very short lines as the kite seemed so close. Nope, they are the standard 21m, it's just that the kite is so big!! Each Speed has 35 cells, a 90% surface ratio and a very large projected area. Performance is just outstanding. All Flysurfers are up there at the top of the list when it comes to construction and materials. I've had a good look at every seam, every point where the line connects and I just can't find anything that looks dodgey. These kites are just perfectly made, its really true craftsmanship, Flysurfer are expensive, however you really do get what you pay for. As with previous kites, the Speeds have inlet valves, jet flaps, zipped deflation openings, and pressure release or "over pressure" valves on the trailing edge. The inlets are located along the leading edge and in a steady breeze, the kites fill easily and quickly. Once filled and up to pressure, the kite remains inflated for a very long time. In a very light wind, a bit of leading edge flapping is required, but this is only in winds of less than 3 knots. The jet flaps, as with the PSYCHO2s add to the stability of the kite and also to the lift. All kites are designed with a compromise between performance (reactivity, lift, upwind ability) and stability (no over flying, easy relaunch, constant power). A high performance kite, requires a high aspect ratio and thin profile, however this can make a kite unstable. Balancing performance and stability is where these Speeds really excel. Performance is breath taking and stability is amazing. The jet flaps enable the kite to follow a design which pass beyond the limitations implied by traditional kite aerodynamics. They auto regulate the air pressure system around the kite and give two significant performance features. Max power with no stalling : For a normal kite (foil or LEI ), the lift produced is limited by the stalling point, in other words, when the angle-of-attack becomes too large a kite would not create more lift but stall or even start to fly backwards. The Jet Flaps help to overcome this, since the excess air pressure can be dumped through the flaps. This means that the angle-of attack and consequently the vertical boost and hangtime can be increased beyond anything seen with a traditional kite. Max stability : Jet Flaps balance uneven aerodynamics forces (for example, when the kite is close to leaving the wind window or a gust forces the kite to fly far overhead or a rider under jumps the kite). Therefore, when changing wind conditions or bad steering cause the kite's air flow to break off, the Jet Flaps compensate for lack of pressure on either side of the sail and cause the kite to find its optimum position in the wind window. Setting Up Getting the kite ready to fly is relatively straightforward. If you are used to foils then its easy. If you come from a LEI background then the extra bridle lines may be a little strange but you'll soon get used to them. I've had a few major tangles and had to take the lines off a few times to get it sorted. When the Speeds get tangled then they really do get tangled. The problems I have had probably come from me not packing the kite away properly. Maybe if I read the manual it might be easier. Take the bar from the bag and unwind the lines down wind. Then remove the kite. A simple shake will sort everything out then sufficiently weigh down the upwind tip. Make sure that there are no tangles, hook up the bar and your ready to fly. Easy. And of course there's nothing to pump up !! Launching and Landing In light winds, the Speeds need to be well inflated for an easy side launch. This is relatively easy to do by "pumping" via the center lines, or just move side ways until the kite is more down wind of you then once you're ready walk to one side. Pre-inflation is made easier by keeping the zips on the leading edge open, however make sure you remember to close them before you launch. Launching with the Speeds is like all modern Flysurfers, its just so easy, no help is required. A gentle tug and the kite takes to the air, it takes a few more seconds until it is completely inflated at the tips then your ready to go. I've never yet experienced any issues such as power surges or a lack of control. The kite raises relatively slowly, you still have full control, with a steady progressive power up, the kite is flying above your head. Landing is equally as easy, there are a number of options here, however the easiest way is to have the kite directly over your head at the top of the wind window and to then pull on the lines at either side of the bar. By doing this you are effectively putting on the brakes. The kite will begin to reverse and by keeping hold of these out lines you can control both the speed and direction of descent. A little more skill or care is required when trying to launch and land in breezy or gusty conditions; however it really is all very easy. Flying The Speeds have been flown in a wide variety of locations and weather conditions. They've been used by a number of different people so I could get some feedback from kiters who aren't used to Flysurfers and also feedback from LEI flyers. They've been used for kite surfing, mountain boarding and buggying, so I feel that I'm being fair when I say they've been properly tested. Everyone who has flown them have been impressed. Some are seriously thinking about buying some for themselves. These truly are impressive kites, Flysurfer's just keep getting better and better. The kites fly fast and have direct control, they really feel good in the air. The 10m is probably the most popular, power wise its equivalent to a 16m LEI. It will happily fly in around 5 knots, however will be underpowered. When the wind hits 9 knots then you really start to have fun and as with all of the Speeds, get the kite moving and the power is incredible. Top wind speed is around 27 knots, here the kite is depowered however still manageable. We are talking about a pretty huge wind range here. The 17m will comfortably fly in about 5 knots. 5 - 6 knots and you're underpowered. 7 knots and the power and performance really start to kick in. If you're looking at using these for surfing, nothing will get you going sooner. While everyone else is sat waiting for the wind you'll be out on the water. Its as simple as that. The 17m max's out at around 15knots, however its still manageable and doesn't feel scary. If you like to fly over powered then you can easily go up to around 25 knots. However that is scary. Turning Turning is sharp and quick. The 17m does take time however is probably similar to that of a 20m LEI, however given that its producing so much more power, the turning speed is pretty good. The 10m is much quicker and snappier. Handling is quick and responsive. The pilot will get so much more out of the kites if they have a little experience with high performance kites. If the pilot can feel the kite then the experience is so much better. Both kites can be easily turned around their central axis by pulling the bar and powering up a little as you start the turn. I've had the kites pretty much stalled in the air as they turn. If you get the hang of it you can stall turn without losing the fluidity of the kites motion. Fluidity is probably a good word to describe how to fly these kites. Stability The Speeds are high performance kites. If you haven't flown anything like them its hard to understand what they are capable of. If you think that the Blade3 are high performance then think again, they don't even some close to the Speeds. These kites are in a category all on their own. Stability of high performance kites has always been something that has been lacking. Well, not lacking as such, just something that has to be learnt through experience. The Speeds are very stable, and you feel totally at easy flying these on both land and on the water. I've not yet managed to ditch the kite, not even managed to crash it once. The options to set the kite to your own preference goes a long way in terms of stability, by changing the WAC settings you can tune the kite and either eliminate or add back stall or over flying, or a setting between the two. Precise stability is up to you. On the Hard setting the kites feel like LEIs with no back stall at all, even in light winds. In soft steering mode, the kite has a little back stall however, turns and responds much quicker than before. Jumping To say that these kites are lifty, is an understatement. The Flysurfer guys have used these kites to paraglide with. The lift is enormous, jumping is just second nature when flying the Speeds. Even in relatively sedate winds, big jumps are easy, if not part of the experience. Hang time is again huge, floaty jumps with lots of air time is easy. Adjustments Hard/Soft Steering : The steering forces can be adjusted individually on the bridal adjustments. You can adapt the kite for unhooked kiting, cruising and everything in between. You can decide how you want the kite to fly. APC (Automatic Profile Camber) : The optimized WAC-Line-System allows the kite to automatically change the camber of the profile. The kite will adjust itself to the wind conditions automatically, so whether you're riding at maximum speed with high stability (flat profile) or riding with high lift and power (arched profile), you never have to adjust the kite by hand. MLL (Serial Multi-Line-Length) : Allows you to easily reduce the flying-line length of 21 meters in 3 meter intervals. That way, you can quickly change the kite to a wave rider or adjust it for use in narrow launch locations. LCL (Little Connection Lines) : Predetermined breaking points at the connections of the wing to the bridle lines prevent damage to the kite and the lines. The LCL can be replaced very quickly so you can kite again in no time, e.g. after getting caught in an obstacle. Conclusion I've had Flysurfers for a few years now and something pretty revolutionary would need to come out to make me swap. These Speeds only backup this statement. They are fantastic kites. Designed for experienced kiters, there is nothing these kites can't do. Land, snow and water, these kites really excel. Upwind performance is very impressive, jumping and hang time is impressive. Its really hard to find any bad points with these kites, if I really had to find something then it would have to be the tangling rotor leash and the constant tangles with the lines, but this is probably more my fault than the kite's. If you are experienced, and I mean experienced, having a Bullet for 3 months just isn't going to cut it with these kites, then you really need to try them. Every top of the range kite Flysurfer release is so much better than the one before. Everything has been thought about, everything has been tweaked, everything comes together to give you probably the best foil kite ever made. If you have never flown a Flysurfer then you really are missing out. If you have never owned a Flysurfer then you are missing out. These Flysurfer Speeds redefine kiting. The measure used to define extreme has been redefined. Armin... You get 10/10 for this one !! Author : racekites admin