Tear-Aid A only good for very small pin-holes or tears. Anything more than 2cm long, and time to patch with ... TearAid and with an inner layer of thin ( 40 micron ) bladder film behind the cut-out. Have done many TearAid repairs this way, some quite large. https://i.imgur.com/LOWNaDG.jpg LE bladde...

Or loop it.

ShaveTheWhales wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:57 pm

OMG - kite surfers unknowingly develop a new product...

No, double-braid line has been around a lot longer than kiting, used in high-performance sailing, on paragliders, & more.

Kamikuza wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 07, 2018 2:38 pm

sheathed stuff

AKA " double braid " - inner braid is Dyneema for strength and stiffness, outer braid is polyester for abrasion resistance.

Been doing doing kite repair full-time for the past 6 years, and have seen what happens when salt water is left inside LE or strut bladders, for example here's the wingtip of a kite that's had a a few wet pack-downs without draining out the saltwater that got in, or flushing with fresh water : https...

Wasaga so fresh water ? No problems then it will evaporate next time you are pumped up if it's a dry day.

Salt water, bad news because the salt water after evaporating will leave behind large salt crystals which can cause minute pinholes in the bladder.

Place a magnet on your SS part ; if it sticks to the part, it is indeed a cheap metal alloy, and probably made in China ! ..... because a magnet should Not stick to Real SS. Bille Not entirely true, the martensitic grades of stainless steel ( 410 grade and higher ) are magnetic - see http://www.spi...

Yep, loving my Stickshift and having as much bar throw as I want. No problems with it at all, adjustable bar stopper works great, and best front line swivel I've ever owned, that still works perfectly ( manually, you have to twist it, but it moves easily ).

The culprit in valve delamination is the plasticizer added to the PVC valves to make them softer and flexible. It's like a molecular-level lubricant that allows the long molecular chains of the PVC to move slightly, allowing a fairly stiff and somewhat brittle plastic to bend and flex easily. Over t...

To keep the 80-micron bladders durable, some kite co's will put doubled-up covers on the front and backs of struts, and wingtips of LE bladders.