quick review: The 11m Turbo Diesel 2 is *the* kite

[Tighe]

Yeah, but I'm sure guys go to these big demo days that are planned weeks in advance and say "wish you guys were here last week when that NEster came in we had those sick down the line tubes setting up, then we really could have put the gear to the test. Too bad today is 10-20, I usually play golf in this stuff".

Grass is always greener. While the big demo days give back to back testing in similar conditions, here you can test kites in differing conditions; gusty, steady, choppy, high winds, low winds, etc etc. The chance of choosing one day for a demo day that is a classic Minnesota day is pretty low.

Our conditions here vary here a lot more than most places. Which brings up the point that if you start narrowing down your seach you may want to try the kite on a couple of different days to see how well it handles gusts or what the range is of the kite, how well does it fit into your quiver, or will it be your quiver.

I agree with Steve. Take advantage of the great opportunity out there. Just ask.

[Rookie Renstrom]

Im new to this sport, along with many others. It would be great to have some contact info to these sponsored riders, listed on this web sight somewhere. And possibly what equipment we can try.

I would like to try out a TD2 (production model) 17m?

Thanks,
Gary ~

[Tighe]

Will put up that info this afternoon.

Try the 14m, I think you won't want the 17m T2. The 14m is the biggest kite I'll ever need. The 17m I think would only make sense in places that have steady 8-12mph winds. I've had the 14m out in 10-12mph no problem.

[Rookie Renstrom]

I have 12m right now, I thought the 14m would be to close to the 12m. I plan on right now having a two kite quiver.

And maybe some other info from the sponsered riders; Is where they do there riding.

Thanks!!!!!

[Tighe]

Sizing from one company to another varies quite a bit, as well as type of kite, bow, hybrid, high aspect C, lower aspect C. You really need to fly them back to back. Or I usually recommend riders build a quiver of similar kites from one brand, that way you know the spread is good.

Starting with a 12 is a bit tough. You could ad a 16 of the same kite, though this year the Waroos went to the odd sizes. Spose the 07 15m and the 06 12m would be a pretty good quiver. Still might want a 9m too though. Kurt?

My advice would be to buy a 14m T2, and later buy the 9m and be done with it. You'ld be able to ride in all winds with two kites. My 2 cents.

slicing hairs.

[steveb]

My e mail is listed with all my postings. sblain@frontiernet.net
Home phone is 715 248 7643.
From Ozone I have the Instinct Sports 15/13/and 11m for water kites and Frenzies 14/10/7.5m for the snow.
If you wanted to try and Edge or Light I could get my hands on them for you. I have the sports as I felt they were the best water kite in the instinct range ( sport, edge,light) for our mn winds and most of the riders around here. I'm pleased to say that after ridng them here I think I made the right choice as the Sport has the pedigree for a good Mn kite. Stable, well behaved, huge depower, nice relaunch and it's fun.
Unfortunatly I have to work for a living so I'm a weekend warrior, but if there's a forcast for wind and you want to try a kite, drop me a line or a post on Lakawa and I'll try to get you on a kite.
Tighe Brings up a good point about kite sizing and quivers, one of the things most of us decided quite a while ago is it pays to use the same kite brand for all your kite sizes. It stops overlaps and the difficulty deciding what fits for your quiver, one brands 12m will pull like a 14 of another brand.Some kites size small, the octane was a good example of that, if you mix and match you can buy a kite thinking it will be your big one and find it's not too different to the next kite down in your quiver.It is nice to experiment and I had a period where I had 3 different brands in my quiver, but it did cause overlaps and in the end I just chose the kite I liked the best and bought a whole quiver in that type of kite.
So try your buddies kites, ask questions at the beach, look at kites and look for features you think you'll like. If you don't know your regional riders ask people at the beach to point them out to you, most of the regional guys have been doing this long enough, been in the scene long enough that people will know who they are and can point them out for you, then come and say Hi!.

[drknap]

Starting with a 12 is a bit tough. .

Taking out of context this might be misleading as I know Tighe that your 2006 12m TD was your bread and butter -near one kite quiver kite. I understand what your saying though..I can't say the same for the 12m waroo.

I agree that a 2006 12m waroo and a 2007 15m waroo would be a good combo-if you already have the 12m waroo.

I'm currently only flying a 2007 13m waroo pro and a 2006 9m waroo. I no longer have a 15m waroo. The 2007 13m pro is definitely my bread and butter kite, and with 2 boards I can cover 95% of the conditions here. Rarely, do I need to think about the needing a different kite. I think you still need 2-3 kites if your flying the regular waroos though

I'm really coming to appreciate what a good wide board will do for you. I believe Mike W can vouch for his success with his new "Winter" line of skim boards.

[RobH]

The 14 T2 might not be a bad fit with a 12 waroo as it had allot more grunt than my 14 warroo - I would expect for low end power it would have close to the 2007 15m but I really cant say as I havnt flown that kite. I know I was suprised by how much low end the kite did have.

Tighe made a good point earlier on the bar pressure giving you a more direct(connected) feeling of where the kite is at in the sky without looking at it, Im sure that added to why I felt the kite was so predictable.

I was in Gary R's position last year trying to figure out what kite I would like and what the heck does bar pressure or turning speed have to do with anything. As everyone suggests the best thing to do is demo, but at the same time we have all seen a number of kites fail with bladder issues or tears so it can be a bit scary to demo someone elses kite. So question to the team riders, what are the expectations if someone demo's a kite ?

[steveb]

Lot's of beer.
Accidents happen , most the regional guys have to buy our kites so what would you do if you trashed a buddies kite, I guess at least pay for the repair. It hasn't happened yet so I haven't had to worry about it and I haven't really decided what my expectations would be.
I think if people are realistic about their skills, don't take on something they wouldn't do on their own gear. 99% of the time things should be OK.

[Tighe]

Kurt, sorry if I was misleading there, not intended..

By saying that starting with the 12 is tough, I meant that adding a kite above that and trying to get by with a two kite quiver, probably won't get you all the full range. Most bows and hybrids are so efficient that the bigger sizes give you only slight increases in light wind performance. My 12 was my one kite quiver last year. I think most people who are looking at 2 kite quivers are looking at 13-14m bows or hybrids and 8-10m bows or hybrids. The 12m falls in the middle, that is why I indicated that it was a tough starting position. Nothing about that brand or type, just the size. I know a lot of people had the 16-12-9 quiver last year and did great. You could make the argument that having more kites early on, will work out better because until you are dialed, you may not be able to get the full range out of a kite.

Sorry for that confusion.

[Dean Rizer]

This discussion is getting to the heart and wallet of this kiter. This year I thought with a 59 Door, Session 41 and Rip 38 for boards and CB2 9 & 12s I'd be set. Worked great in Padre....but here I I need a touch more kite for the variable lower winds. Kurt, last weekend I tried a 07 15 Waroo, but in the low winds I wanted to ride in, I couldn't get it off the water. When the wind came up no problem but I could have and did ride my 12. Once in the air ithe 15 was great but I don't think I could have re-launched it in light air. The CB2 jumps off the water in those conditions, but I'm not as efficient as Jerry in the lite air so I couldn't ride. Does the 13 Pro relaunch any better? Has anyone ridden the Cabrinha Omega? Haven't heard much about them.

[Dave Z]

Hey Dean - ping Bob @ http://www.kiteridersllc.com Sounds like the Mad-town crew has been getting some time in on the Omegas. Love the 16 Crossbow - it's been great when I need that little bit extra

[steveb]

Dean ...14 m Contra. Pulls a hair less than the 16m xbow but relaunches easily. Good boost and glide kite.Or...
15m Sport if you want to try lighter bar preassure, but for cab riders it takes a little time to get used to. Nancy hates it, say's she doesn't know where the kite is from bar feedback.( got to get a new wife) I now wish they would make them even lighter on the bar as I'm used to it. When I use pulley kites now my first response is somethings broken, it's all too stiff.
Both kites fly faster than a 16m xbow . The 14m Contra turns a hair faster than the 16m the sport turns much faster, about the same as a 12m xbow.The sport relaunches in about 10 mph, not quite as fast as the contra but it gets off the water well, just a little different technique. Easily learned by a old kite hand like yourself.
We have both and would set you up with a demo if you want, Nancys now the cab rider so I guess we'll have to get her permission, but she always thought you were kind of cute ( for an old guy) so I guess we'll get away with it.

[Rookie Renstrom]

Thanks for all the input! Its helping me a lot. I don’t plan on staying with the Warroos, My 12m is in getting fixed up right now. Before I sent it in to get fixed, I called the factory to see what they recommended to fix it. They replied that they were unaware of any leading edge problems on the 06. and didn’t have a recommendation to fix it. Because of the integrity of the kite, and the integrity of the company, I plan on staying away from the best products. So Im leaning toward a TD2 if I can find one to demo (hint hint ). So listening to all the chat, a 14m and a 9m would fill out my quiver??

So It would be great to demo a TD2 or they call it the T2. If I could find one………….

[steveb]

Funny they haven't heard of it, I know of 6 blown leading edges just with our local riders. Can you say mmmmmmmm.

[Tighe]

Gary I have a preproduction 14m T2 that you are more than welcome to demo anytime. I should have a production unit within a week. I think the only difference is the bar pressure may be a bit lighter on the production units. I don't mind the bar pressure on the one I have at all.

BTW...Coach was skying higher than anyone I have seen on his T211 today. Stroh you have competition. Easily 40ft. maybe more. Very smooth.

[Dean Rizer]

Dave, Steve thanks for the tips. I would really like to demo some of these newer kites. I also think taking the time to tune my kites for light wind conditions might improve performance. That means I must vow to spend more time on the water.

[RobH]

Has anyone local had the chance to demo the 2007 GK sonic line ?

[steveb]

Rob, I rode one of the older models it was nice, it's center line adjuster was impossible to move on the fly, but they are supposed to have fixed that.
I think it's up there with the other solid performers.

[Tighe]

I got word at the end of last week that my production T2s are on the way. So those who had called/emailed to demo the production version, I'll have it available by midweek.

I've had a hard time getting mine cause all the shipments that have come in have gone out to existing orders. They can't make enough. I guess the whole industry is struggling with production volume.

Midwest Mountaineering has some of the T2s in stock and are getting more this week. I've seen some cool colors come in...finally they figured that one out.

ride on