I'm planning on getting a PL divine harness (read some really good reviews) some time soon, and am wondering which spreader bar to get. My primary use (at least to start) will be with a strop on all my FB kites. But I would eventually like to get into the ARCology.

I know you can use a standard spreader bar with a strop but would it be better to get the bullet spreader spreader? Then will I have to get a standard bar with whatever depower I end up with?

Standard or bullet? Thoughts?

Bought one of those babies for myself for Christmas and WOW...you are going to love it...especially in the buggy. I have a Dakine fusion that I could hardly get my butt in the seat and bend at the waist...with this harness on I can sit at a chair in front of my computer with it on and still be comfortable...
I can't tell you much about the bar....I purchased a pulley from Claude (there is a post in here on it somewhere) and attached it to a spreader bar...very nice but...if I had not purchased the pulley I would totally go for the set up with the safety (wichard) release system with the pulley....it will do double duty of a nice pulley system through the strop and a quick release of kite just in case....

Bullet, less friction=more control. YMMV

What is this bullet system...and pics....

Quote:

Originally posted by ChrisH Bullet, less friction=more control. YMMV

Bullet spreader bar is just a bar with a pulley instead of a hook for the chicken loop. There is no QR but its an open system with a pulley wheel.

http://peterlynn.com/products/accessories/spreader-bars/bull...

I prefer a standard hook spreader with a wichard qr.

Benefits of a pulley with added safety!

pretty sure my budget won't allow for the wichard and QR. Would it work to just get a standard bar and use it with a strop then later add the wichard set up later as budget allows? Also then having the ability to use it with depower when the time comes?

Can someone post a pic of their wichard on the standard bar set up so I can see?... I saw the post where PTW showed his made after BigKid's plans, but I haven't seen one hooked to the standard bar's hook.

you can not use a pulley / bullet spreader with a depower kite. Just get a hook spreader and use a strop on your handles - works totally fine and offers a more universal solution for any kiting setup.

thats what I was thinking,... plus its less expensive.

though it may be a while before I can get a depower kite and/or a QR wichard and pulley set up... i just looked and the QR wichards run as much as divine harness itself!!

that's whats appealing about the bullet spreader bar, the whole pulley thing making it nicer.

Quote:

Originally posted by BEC I can't tell you much about the bar....I purchased a pulley from Claude (there is a post in here on it somewhere) and attached it to a spreader bar...very nice

The thread for Claude's aluminum pulley is here:

Group buy opportunity for an aluminum pulley with bearings

Not sure if there are any left over, but I believe that any pulleys that weren't sold were left with Rich. Not sure if he still have them.

If you need a contact email for Claude, shoot me an email to the id in my profile.

ATB,
Sam

Quote:

Originally posted by soliver pretty sure my budget won't allow for the wichard and QR. Would it work to just get a standard bar and use it with a strop then later add the wichard set up later as budget allows? Also then having the ability to use it with depower when the time comes? Can someone post a pic of their wichard on the standard bar set up so I can see?... I saw the post where PTW showed his made after BigKid's plans, but I haven't seen one hooked to the standard bar's hook.

No photo but I can try and describe and remember to take a picture tomorrow. Mine is now on a bullet bar with the pulley removed but I ran it on a standard hook bar for quite a while. I use a c. 1.5" "U" shackle from your favorite Home Project Warehouse [the kind with a crossbar that screws in] and then a small "breakaway" link [like a miniature locking carabeener] from the same section of the hardware store to keep the "U" bolt from slipping off of the hook.
I have loved the Winchard QR and Holt pulley setup but similar to you tried the cheaper options first. I tried the cheaper QR's with the sliding pin & hole rather than the bale & post style but had issues with the pin sticking and the strop hanging up on the mechanism :wow: A cheaper option for the pulley is a climbing one but they do not secure to the strop so it goes flying [and gets lost in the grass/ sand] when you pull your QR.
Following the discussion a couple of months ago regarding "dead man" rigs to pull your QR if the kite gets behind you or starts to llift you out of your bug I made one as well which I have been quite happy with including a long week of Gonzo flying on Red Lake and Ivanpah. I put a c. 1" long loop on the Winchard release which I can put a 'beener through. The 'beener is attached to a "calibrated" length of webbing that is attached to the tail of the downtube. The webbing has a loop on each end which allow you to adjust its length.

Yea, I'm starting to think I'll just get the bullet spreader for the ease of use then upgrade to a wichard and pulley setup when I can afford the wichard,... The cheapest one I saw was $90

The standard spreader bar is only $30 anyway if I end up in depower land

There is another option and that it to not use any spreader bar.
Below is a picture of the setup I use in the buggy (its a libre harness, but the PL harness will work the same).
There is an 8mm stainless steel triangle rings on each side strap. I can either attach a pulley and quick release to the loops or run the chicken loop of my depowers through the loops. Best of both worlds and a fraction of the price.


Ignore the blue strap. That's the leg loops from a climbing harness that I added for comfort.

Hi,

Ive gone pretty much the same route as you. Bought a pl devine & bullet spreader at christmas with a view to conterting to a wichard set up further down the road.
Loving it so far. As you'll hear mentioned, the strop does occassionally drop off the roller, particualrly when turning and this in itself can create some hairy situations. That said, it is definately worth putting up with this to have the luxury of hooking in and out on the fly. Though my confidence on the harness is building, I really wouldnt like to be fully captive until I've got some more time on it under my belt (harness).

I would not consider the use of a conventional hook with a strop any more than hanging on my arms with no harness at all. It is not only the roller bar’s convenience factor of friction free, comfortable steering with one (downwind) hand but also a safety factor. A proper pulley allows quick, single handed release under tension. Unfortunately the groove in the pulley in PL bar is way too deep. 5 mm deep groove is perfectly sufficient and at the same time easy to get out of. A cheaper alternative to PL is a Reactor bar The groove on it is about right but the diameter is too small so there would be more rolling friction than needs to be and therefore I replace the stock pulleys with a larger diameter ones with proper bearings.

I want to rain on your parade......:P
how much is it going to cost if you cant unhook from the same spreader bar I was using when I was hurt?
OK enough of that. You can put together a QR system and a spreader bar for 100.00 or less. I will have a couple of them at WW and Jibe if anyone is interested.

Well I decided to go ahead with the bullet spreader, as I'm sure most of what I'll be doing is using it with a strop, and I can always buy a standard hook bar when I get into DePower... and hopefully, in the not too far future I'll add the QR wichard and snap pulley block.

So,... does the New Kite Curse apply to harnesses too?

"I want to rain on your parade......
how much is it going to cost if you cant unhook from the same spreader bar I was using when I was hurt? ..."

It is simple. Either you don't know how to do it or you had a wrong pulley. There is no more reliable and quicker QR system than an appropriate pulley combined with know-how.

Prtussik,
ouch, my feelings have been hurt. I should go ask my mommy if she would give me a hug until everyone forgets how much it hurt me.............

I challenge you to a duel superman. bring it on, you and your army, and I will prove behind closed doors to spare you any embarrassment, that you my fine misled friend, are wrong.

No this is the opposite effect....The day harnesses arrive it's gusting out 30 to 50 and you keep saying to yourself...crap I wish I could go out and harness in but that would be crazy right now.

Quote:

Originally posted by soliver So,... does the New Kite Curse apply to harnesses too?

this is the setup that Libre sells, and is close to the same set up I have.

and this part has a ball to pull, I replaced the ball with the strap to the buggy down tube under my butt.
I also turned the snap shackle around and it stays with the spreader bar, which lets go of the pulley/strop/kite.

Big Kid, one of the first thing you will learn when you take a beginners course (recommended) is not to go out without knowing how to quickly release in case of emergency. Furthermore you will be advised to periodically check your QR and practice the release to ensure that it is operational mechanically and you have the skill to use it. Obviously, by your own account, you failed to do so. Countless cases of scares, injuries and fatalities overwhelmingly involve kites with QR's. Contrary to the logic you use, neither those cases nor your own failure to release disqualify the release system used. You simply failed to ensure that you have the right equipment and skill to use it. The important advantage of QR off a pulley is that the release device is always in your hand avoiding the need to look for something else to pull. Now, Big Kid, if and when you grow up a bit, avoid the urge to produce childish nonsense, stick to the facts instead of trying too hard to be cute and ask me, I'll explain to you what pulley to use and how to use it to make all the other stuff superfluous.

Thanks for the laugh.

What I have are two of the harness pads, one with a hook and one with a roller. It doesn't take long to undo the webbing and swap out pads with different bars (much quicker than attaching a different bar to the same pad). A standard hook is cheap and a pad is cheap.

Prussik you are talking big about this. How about some pictures instead of posturing?

I've used a strop on a bare hook and it is workable. High friction and can be hard to get out of in duress. I've used the Prodigy bar, and while the ability to spin is nice, it is difficult to get into without a free hand which is hard to come by when flying a kite. It isn't too hard to release just by pulling a handle to the pulley and pulling it down and out.

I have a Wichard and holt pulley I always use now on my hook spreader when using fb kites with a strop.

I know that Big Kid could learn a thing or three from Prussik, it's just being humble enough to know that you might not know what might be best for your situation. You are not a European racer. If I look up your nose on your avatar one more time I might suggest a good nose hair trimmer available on amazon...

wait a minute i have my own finger up my own nose! Sorry to make suggestions...

Lighten up

With all due respect to you Prussik, given you minimal number of posts, I can tell that you haven't been on this forum enough to recognize who you are talking to.

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=21899&p...

I am in full appreciation of the fact that you probably know WAY more than I do, and you may be a European racer, but truth be told Jeff is one of the most respected members of this forum, not only because of the difficulties he has faced due to his accident, but also for for his staunch advocacy for safety practices in our sport and for the sport itself. He has spent countless hours developing a more reliable QR system, and has had a great deal of success with it.

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=22495&p...

Yes, he is brash, brusk, and sometimes terse. But he is also (in my experience) one of the most knowledgeable members of this forum. Not to mention he is exceptionally giving and likewise very kind.

EDIT (added) http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=23071&p...

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=22982&p...

I am honestly not intending to be rude to you or even tell you that you don't know what your talking about, like I said I'm certain you have more experience and knowledge than I. But please have the decency to recognize who you are talking to before you recommend something like a beginners course. Accidents happen to the most well prepared and experienced of us all, that's why they're called accidents.

We have all seen Jeff's shortness, but it's usually for a good reason. But we all have also seen his big heart and his willingness to help, which far outweighs anything else.

We appreciate you being here Prussik, and welcome your opinions, but please let's not put on aires.

So Well spoken Soliver. I'm not sure I could have composed myself as well.

Jeff has probably forgotten more about quick releases than most of us will ever know.

Where did these condescending butt wipes come from?

Ooops; see what I mean? I just can't compose myself as well.