"New Technology"

[LetsFlyaKite]

Am I the only one here who thinks this "new technology" on kites is bull crap? Kites have been made since the 90s, and yes they have gotten better. I know this because of the 2008 Liquid force I used to own, and man, that thing was a piece of crap. But kites have improved dramaticly and I think from 2013 till now kites have reached their maximum potential. There is no space age technology that is going to make them fly any better than they already are. Why? Because it hasn't been invented yet.

So when a shop owner tells me "Yeah I got this sale going on, and you can buy the latest and the greatest for 1300 including bar" I just tell him "Sure thanks" but deep down, I know it's a bunch of hog wash. All this new technology crap that kite companies are feeding us is bull crap. They may change the design, or shorten a bridle, or use some different material, just so they can say, "We've added improvements this year!" But improvements for what? And why would a good flying kite need an improvement in the first place?

Because a kite is like a sea saw, if you add an improvement on one end, it takes away the performance on another. So if a kite company is telling me, "Yeah we got this stronger material this year, and it has better durability than all the others!" I just think to myself, "Ok now we're dealing with a heavier kite that won't fly as fast in lighter wind" It's all a bunch of bull crap.

What's your thoughts? Am I wrong? Am I right? Do you want to punch me in the face? Let me know.

[Laughingman]

You are basing your post on your understanding or what you think is understood... you think you know it all and you likely do not. Accepting this is what makes things interesting as more and more people "get up to speed" with current tech... they can evolve it and move outside the box, look at BMR, look at Ride Engine, look at Ocean Rodeo these guys are thinking in their own boxes for their own reasons. Companies like these will drive the tech forward....

[LetsFlyaKite]

Are they really now? Or are you believing what you think is "Technology?"

I will admit ride engine made a damn good Harness, and the clicker bar that ocean rodeo came out with looks solid. But i'm not talking about harnesses or bars, I'm talking about kites. What really has been done in the last few years to make them any more advanced than they already are? Nothing.

Sure some kite companies may add a pulley and say "We've improved the direct feel of the kite this year!"

PLEASE!

[Bille]

...
There is no space age technology that is going to make them fly any better than they already are. Why? Because it hasn't been invented yet.

...

What's your thoughts? Am I wrong? Am I right? Do you want to punch me in the face? Let me know.

Punch Ya ? No. I'd rather drink a cold one with Ya ; and explain how we wouldn't need new
technology to make kites fly more efficient. If a guy had a LOT of money , he could make
twice as many struts out of carbon, spectra and Nomex honeycomb, for the same amount
of weight as the struts on an Ozone Edge has now. It would pack up Bigger ; but fly better
than what you have now.
Kiters want Little packages to carry around, HG pilots only care about Efficiency ; Ya get
it Now ?

Bille

[LetsFlyaKite]

I hate to tell you this man, but carbon is no light weight material. Sure, it's what airplanes are made out of, but to put it on a kite and call it "better technology" is a bad idea. But you're thinking in the right direction.

Think about carbon fiber struts, it would weigh the kite down, make it laggy. Air struts are bigger, and weigh less. The bigger mass helps the kite fly straight. And helps the kite relaunch out of the water.

Lets face it, there is nothing anyone can invent that will make kites any better than they are now

[knotwindy]

Lets face it, there is nothing anyone can invent that will make kites any better than they are now

Really? They have been saying that about everything for 10,000 years now and always been wrong. You sure you want to go with that?

[windrider1]

I agree that we have reached somewhat of a plateau with kite design . But we definitely have room for lighter and more space age materials. I agree that Some kite companys are faking it with their claims of a newer and better kites each year. Like u said they just change things around and not really create any thing unique even sometimes making a great kite worse. . Some companys however wait a few years to really work their product and bring out something better than the old. i know flysurfer does this.

[mr_daruman]

A lot of profit comes with expensive spare parts and product failure/replacement...The sweet spot, say less than a 1 year for pros and around 2 years for regular riders seems to be the norm for kite companies. So no chance for new technology to get super strong long lasting kites. Most claims on kite "strengh" and "bomb proof!" is BS. Riding in Okinawa we have wind most of the year, hot temperatures in summer, and warm in winter, kite failures are completely random and equal for all brands. Including Cabr., Slings, Switchs, Fone, Naish, Ozone....

What would be nice is technology of one size for all conditions. Or just have the smaller sizes go from 5 to 9 and bigger sizes 10 to 15.
Electro-active polymermaybe? Its an ultra-lightweight, flexible material with the ability to change shape without the need for mechanical actuators. Make this into a cloth could be possible. You basically have all your kites into one size and change size via electric impulses from the bar or set it up before riding using your car's battery etc...

Having a double safety kill switch would be nice, this would completely deflate de kite, except for the struts, from the bar.

"TUBE" bladder tech havent changed in decades..... Any other solutions to these weak condom structures (aprt from foils...)?

[windmaker]

For surer progress on kites is now slower than what it used to be a few years ago and some kite companies are only making changes for the sake of it. But, kites are getting better all the time.
Perhaps kite (and board) manufacturers should consider whether it is necessary to release new models systematically every year.

[iriejohn]

Having aerodynamic leading edges instead of the current circular tubes would hugely improve the lift to drag ratios of kites.