Hmmmm. Bottom Feeder alert.. Stay interested Steve, but don't do anything rash, until my kite budget recharges a little..
Yeah..... no. Not happening. My LS2s and NS3s are going to grow right where they are planted thank you very much.
Gee - I just noticed you did not mention your Streetstar.......
Aren't we perceptive Randy!
I really haven't used it yet. I got it a while back and then sent it to Sean (ssayre) to test drive as he is proficient on his landboard. Steffen
then let me know that he had upgraded the line with some cross bracing in the bridles and he offered to upgrade my bridling if I were to send it back
to Germany. Sean actually sent it back to Steffen. It's been sitting there quite a while and is said to make its third journey across the Atlantic
with the two StreetStars later this month. I hope to try the SS with skis on a local soccer field and maybe from a board at IBX (with plenty of
plastic courage!).
Are you saying you want first dibs if I do decide to move it on down the kite line?
So, needless to say, at long last I got my shipment of kites from Germany today. Yes, the box was opened with extreme care. The RSs are very nicely
constructed as I believe are all of Steffen's kites. I've only taken one out of their bags so far to inspect it and snap a picture. They will get a
proper flying in a couple of weeks at IBX2018.
The leading edge of the RSs have a half loop of that plastic sort of wire that you use with a hedge trimmer about every six inches or so. I've got a
picture below that hopefully shows that. Can't wait to get these beauties up in the air!!!
I love the look of the new kite, but I wonder if the lack of ribs is a good or a bad thing. With ribs, sure, it creates more drag, but it also creates
laminar air flow. I wonder if this kite struggles to keep a line with the nose pointed parallel to the ground, or if it is no more issue than with
regular closed/open cell foils. I have noticed that sometimes a high aspect kite can slip through the window like a snake through water and just fall
out of the air if it doesn't have enough forward speed to keep laminar flow across the wing.
NAPKA US8008
Kites:
Ozone R1 V3 7m
Flysurfer Sonic v3 15m
Flysurfer Speed 3 Deluxe 19m
Peter Lynn Charger 2 12m
Ozone Access Reride 6m
Peter Lynn 2013 Reactor 5.5m
Peter Lynn 2013 Reactor 8.6m
Prism Tensor 5.0m
I love the look of the new kite, but I wonder if the lack of ribs is a good or a bad thing. With ribs, sure, it creates more drag, but it also creates
laminar air flow. I wonder if this kite struggles to keep a line with the nose pointed parallel to the ground, or if it is no more issue than with
regular closed/open cell foils. I have noticed that sometimes a high aspect kite can slip through the window like a snake through water and just fall
out of the air if it doesn't have enough forward speed to keep laminar flow across the wing.
That is a most interesting idea! I know Steffen did this on purpose and makes some noise about the lack of ribs being purpose-built. I've personally
never flown a high aspect kite so this is completely virgin territory for me. Hopefully the conditions at IBX will be good for some back to back in
the buggy comparisons of similarly sized (5.0 vs 5.5 and 9.0 vs 9.5m) RSs and LS2s. I'll write about what I find out.
I love the look of the new kite, but I wonder if the lack of ribs is a good or a bad thing. With ribs, sure, it creates more drag, but it also creates
laminar air flow. I wonder if this kite struggles to keep a line with the nose pointed parallel to the ground, or if it is no more issue than with
regular closed/open cell foils. I have noticed that sometimes a high aspect kite can slip through the window like a snake through water and just fall
out of the air if it doesn't have enough forward speed to keep laminar flow across the wing.
That is a most interesting idea! I know Steffen did this on purpose and makes some noise about the lack of ribs being purpose-built. I've personally
never flown a high aspect kite so this is completely virgin territory for me. Hopefully the conditions at IBX will be good for some back to back in
the buggy comparisons of similarly sized (5.0 vs 5.5 and 9.0 vs 9.5m) RSs and LS2s. I'll write about what I find out.
It is something I have seen with my Speed 3 in light winds. If there isn't enough air moving over it, sometimes it can slip down. It looks like if you
have a tie on a hanger that isn't even and it slips off the hanger.
NAPKA US8008
Kites:
Ozone R1 V3 7m
Flysurfer Sonic v3 15m
Flysurfer Speed 3 Deluxe 19m
Peter Lynn Charger 2 12m
Ozone Access Reride 6m
Peter Lynn 2013 Reactor 5.5m
Peter Lynn 2013 Reactor 8.6m
Prism Tensor 5.0m
I had several long sessions with the RSs on the Ivanpah dry lake bed this week during IBX 2018. These are beautifully designed kites, purpose built
for racing around the sky, pulling really hard and going to the front edge of wind window, and performing admirably in upwind propulsion. I don't
have any experience with other similarly dimensioned 6:1 AR kites, but can compare them to their cousins the LS2s. Compared to the LS2s, the 5.0m RS
feels like you have more kite in the air than the 5.5m LS2 (same for the 9.0m RS versus 9.5m LS2) and the RSs have a lot more personality, and that
personality is aggressive. I'd say Steffen scored very high marks in designing a highly responsive, aggressive, single skin depower kite.
Choice between similarly sized LS2s and RSs likely come down to personal preference. To give it a vehicular comparison, I'd liken the RS kites to
sports cars and the LS2 kites to SUVs. They handle very differently and in the case of the RSs take keeping close attention to. I am able to fly my
LS2s in most conditions without really looking at them, or maybe just sort of see them out of the corner of my eye, but I found I had to keep quite
close continuous attention to the RSs.
Speaking only for myself, I prefer the LS2s over the RSs. I'm a long straight park-and-ride buggy pilot and the LS2s suit me just right. My style is
to park a kite and cruise for several kilometers. Friends of mine I watched on the playa this week were constantly looping, diving, and redirecting
their kites. I suspect that such people would vastly prefer the responsiveness of the RSs over the comparative slow motion action of the LS2s. If
anything, flying the RSs this week made me appreciate my LS2s even more. That takes nothing from the RSs; they are purpose built. For my purposes
the LS2s are just right.
For anyone looking for a single skin powerful high performance kite I'd suggest taking a strong look at the RSs.
Nice review - any pics of you in action? Did you compare yourself to any similar race kites? Are other folks there trying them as well?
Oh yeah - sounds like you're having a good time out there!
Nice review - any pics of you in action? Did you compare yourself to any similar race kites? Are other folks there trying them as well?
Oh yeah - sounds like you're having a good time out there!
No pics per say but I did capture some helmet cam videos that will make it into an IBX video I plan to put together.
I totally get what you describe about folks like you and I who like to " park and ride " . I am far more happy with my kite being predictable over
being aggressive. I am not sure what percentage of the market we are but we exist!
We need to get this kite into a whipper looper's hands and get a review from one of them.
It sounds like Stephan is making big strides in performance. It will hopefully start to get him some more attention. A tough job when he is trying to
compete with the name brands trying to get attention.
I got my 9.0 and 11.0m RaceStars in hand! Beauties. I unpacked the 11m to check it out and snapped a quick pic. The kite is endless, measuring over
25 feet long with fully 40 ribs in the nose to form the air scoop. The ribs are supported with stout flexible nylon "wires" akin to thick material
used in trimmers. The bridling is of a new and much improved material than found in the NS3s or LS2s. Should Steffen upgrade his LS2s to LS3s with
this new bridle material I will likely upgrade my 3.5, 5.0, and 7.5m LongStars, so stay tuned for a fire sale when that happens!
And not just because I am a hot coal waiting to start up your fire sale by snatching up that 3.5. I mean how on earth can you put up with those sticky
old bridles knowing there is a better option.
I think windstrucks second hobby is burning $100 bills with how often he has fire sales.
You may not be the person to ask, being you primarily buggy, but are the race stars very lifty? It seems like most single skins are lacking in lift,
with the exception of the peak 2 and 3, but those aren't exactly what it would call a lifty kite. You say they are highly responsive and aggressive
which leads me to believe that they could take you up if you wanted.
Arcs - Charger I 8m, 10m, 12m, Venom I 13m - F-Arc 1200, 1600
Single Skin - Born-Kite LongStar2
Fixed Bridles - Pansh Legend 4.5m - Peter Lynn Voltage 3m
... are the race stars very lifty? It seems like most single skins are lacking in lift, with the exception of the peak 2 and 3, but those aren't
exactly what it would call a lifty kite. You say they are highly responsive and aggressive which leads me to believe that they could take you up if
you wanted.
Snake - hard to say since I do everything I can to avoid getting lifted these days. Ever since my freak gasoline fight accident that has been Job One
around here. That being said, the RaceStars have a 6:1 AR that I believe is relevant in the lift department. I suspect the RSs would be more lifty
than P2s, P3s, or LS2s but that is pure speculation on my part. They can be made to move quite quickly in the sky and I bet it would be possible to
slingshot fairly readily if that was your intention. The issue of course is only partly "lift". The ability to gracefully "lower" is equally (I'd
argue far more) important. I simply have insufficient time under the RSs at this point to speculate on that. I'd sure hate to be up in the air and
have one of these guys collapse a bit, for example, something they might be more prone to do than a double skin kite with a lot more natural
structure.
Maybe you could buy a few, jump a bit, and get back with us.
And not just because I am a hot coal waiting to start up your fire sale by snatching up that 3.5. I mean how on earth can you put up with those sticky
old bridles knowing there is a better option.
Ken, I know you're itchin for that 3.5.
I do so love my Born kites, but their bridling can be a pain in the seat meat at times and an upgrade in that area would be welcome. They are
completely flight (read worship) worthy but I'd take bridling less prone to tangling if I could get it.
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