My experience with the Chrono 15m for Oldschool

[Zkatez]

PS I agree 12 would be too fast for complex airstyle.

any 12 is

My Crossbow 11m (2012 I think) is really slow. Does not have very good high end. Does not get you very high (for me). But it does give me a change to do tricks. Feels reliable.
Hangtime is in no comparison with Chrono. I quess thats why Crossbow might be slow enough.

[Zkatez]

Ok, so the one on the back.
Once I crashed and it got tangled in the lines...wasn't fun with onshore wind...

Low surface tricks with rotations can be tricky, since the thorn would hit water.

Thanx. Have to be carefull then.

[Westozzy]

Great conversation gentlemen. Skatez if you get the chance it would be worth your while to test the 15m dyno 2015. I fly them, the rebel 18 and I also have a 16m 2011 dyno (used to also have the 18m 2011). Speaking dyno talk this new kite with the tow points brought together through the strut bridal connection makes this kite very different to the 2011 and indeed very different to the dynos after the 2011. It creates superb feedback, static grunt when needed and yet can be pointed relatively high. The throw useage creates very different feels, to the point you can almost send this kite aka C kite like. This kite is so direct you wonder how it does it with bridals and pulleys. It's the voodoo bridalling...a kite that has a really unique feel, unlike anything I've tried.

The only problem I'm having is how damn fast it is. I can honestly loop the 13m and I'm not talking about a pussy downloop either on soft bar settings and 24m lines. The 10m gives you almost fully powered loop potential if ya game.

Countered this through inner bar settings, hard bar settings on the kite and so far 27m lines seems to be the magical number on the 13m. Unreal for water level tricks, Jesus walks and the like.

Just thought I'd add this into the mix of conversation as I'm yet to try a chrono, but would love to obviously. You've made some great observations and thanks.

It's the best wing I've ever tried so far.

I reckon the 15 would be unreal.

[Zkatez]

Great conversation gentlemen. Skatez if you get the chance it would be worth your while to test the 15m dyno 2015. I fly them, the rebel 18 and I also have a 16m 2011 dyno (used to also have the 18m 2011). Speaking dyno talk this new kite with the tow points brought together through the strut bridal connection makes this kite very different to the 2011 and indeed very different to the dynos after the 2011. It creates superb feedback, static grunt when needed and yet can be pointed relatively high. The throw useage creates very different feels, to the point you can almost send this kite aka C kite like. This kite is so direct you wonder how it does it with bridals and pulleys. It's the voodoo bridalling...a kite that has a really unique feel, unlike anything I've tried.

The only problem I'm having is how damn fast it is. I can honestly loop the 13m and I'm not talking about a pussy downloop either on soft bar settings and 24m lines. The 10m gives you almost fully powered loop potential if ya game.

Countered this through inner bar settings, hard bar settings on the kite and so far 27m lines seems to be the magical number on the 13m. Unreal for water level tricks, Jesus walks and the like.

Just thought I'd add this into the mix of conversation as I'm yet to try a chrono, but would love to obviously. You've made some great observations and thanks.

It's the best wing I've ever tried so far.

I reckon the 15 would be unreal.

Thanx.
How do you compare the Rebel 18 to the dyno 16 and 15/13. How about windrange and hangtime. Is the dyno 15/13 not to quick for comfort for multiple rotations with b-off?

[Westozzy]

Never ridden the 15 2015 dyno, it's not like demos grow on trees around here for these race kites. Only reason I got to try the 13 was because the shop guy is sponsored by North and got one. We still maintain its the best kite we've flown for us and both of us have been around since the early days. I'm a good rider, he's unreal, even on a raceboard and that spider monkey stuff (although he rarely does it much anymore finds it boring as bat shit).

The 13 slowed down it's doable for multiple board of rotations, but it asks something of your technique. It is a 13 after all and its a damn fast one at that. But that shop dude has it on fast settings (both using 27m) lines and he has it on the outside bar setting and still pulls off inverted rotational board off stuff, but he's just one of those freaks so I wouldn't go basing my kite choice on that. (Which always makes me laugh when they show the promo vids...useless as shit on a stick for most mortals to get an idea of whether it suites them or not).

So the 15 would be much easier to do what you said, but it's not a no brainer kite, you'd have to have your technique at least somewhat sorted.

The rebel one the other hand is very forgiving, gives far more hangtime than say the 16m dyno and has a better bottom end. I should know, we have three 16 2011 dynos between us so have ridden it with the rebel on the water enough times to know. Thing is they probably have similar top ends, for some reason the 16 hits it's top end fairly quickly and observation toby made a long time ago and the reason why his smaller kite has been a 16m rebel.

I agree with toby on this. What I don't agree with is the rebel 18 is a good light persons airstyle kite. Infact I'd say that's total bullshit from my experience. Their is so much static grunt in the 18m rebel I just found I did not have enough Kg, even on a small board on flat water to convert enough of that grunt into vertical height and hang. I'm only 74kg but always hold down bigger kites than most 90kg guys around me, so it's not technique. It's just fkcn physics. Toby's just a freak, in a class of his own in this arena.

So I still maintain the rebel is a great weapon for the average l(I mean average rider like most of us) larger guy trying to do Airstyle...especially trying to really advance quickly. It's so damn stable, so forgiving, gives perfect feedback in the air during rotations, and if you have enough weight can be a weapon from 15 knots and up. Rotations...just go nuts, so you have so much time to adjust, it gives you the freedom to try all sorts of crap you wouldn't normally try.

I'm not convinced it suites a smaller guy like me at all. I've tried and tried and tried. Changed nose line lengths, tuned bars differently, you name it I tried it. Had some mind bowling sessions though, but overall it's just too damn big and grunty for me. Hence why I'm selling mine. Right now I've accepted less hangtime and height actually (you get this rebel right and man she gives you some scary height in 20 knots) on the 16m dyno. Being light isn't always the holy grail for kiting....most of the time it is though .

[Toby]

So you would say the Rebel 18 has more grunt than the Dyno 2011 16 ?

[Westozzy]

Oh Fck Yeh. And much much much more direct. Super direct. 2011 feels like a spongy wet fish after being on the rebel. But it's not relative to a Lot of kites. I can see how you extrapolated the rebel to suite a lighter rider, I'm not having a go at you at all. If I was 90 plus kilos and was used to the power you ride with I reckon I might have said the same. But the power you hold down is well beyond the average rider, average meaning still pretty darn good relatively. Don't get me wrong, anyone below this I still put in the kook class in a non demeaning sense. You've pushed this style above and beyond everyone else and maybe you forget what us mere mortals are capable of.. . Which by the way is why I just shake my head at those that mock you, because relative to those who push the style they choose, they are hopeless kooks. Kooks without a clue mostly, but a big keyboard mouth, banging on about the virtues of their style and their heroes and yet themselves are useless as shit on a stick, relatively.

[Zkatez]

I am your weight ,78 kg. I could hold the rebel longer then the dyno. Problem is, IMO, that the Rebel wants to go faster. More difficult to keep speed down. Make short tacks. Faster is more wind/more power. But I was able to hold edge to pop with good flat water. Dyno slower and yes less direct. I llike it. Feels save.
How is that white/blue one of yours Toby? Compared to Rebel 18/Dyno 18.
I had the rebel 14m 2011, You can hold it extremely long and make big jumps. So big I didn,t dare much. To fast to. I swaped it for crossbow 11m , which is slower! really. But less hight.

[Toby]

I think you should play with the trims of the Dyno, sounds strange to me!
Rebel flies for me with way less force, some knots above the Dyno low end.
I have some friends with less kilo and they love the Rebel 18.
I had them test a kite with more low end and they had problems to hold it.

If you give up height for a slower kite, you will advance more.
The higher the less tricks you will do. The slower and longer in the air the more you will land.
Once you limit the risk of hard crashes, you will be able to push further.
Only with crashing you advance, so the less hard, the more confidence for new tricks you will have.
I am not afraid of trying new tricks, since I know my kite will not kill me, but rather lets me crash easier.
Therefore 18 with not too strong winds...my risk is very limited!

[Toby]

and thx for the compliment Westozzy.
I wonder too what makes people trying to bash me for what I do.
It's my passion and it is just an amazing experience to push a discipline that far.
And no one knows what I am going thru...lots of stoke involved, as well as frustration, when you had an amazing session and then problems with the camera, or F***** Murphy crossed my way and an amazing trick didn't get filmed (like yesterday...landed a very stylish Frontroll Darkslide Backroll...exactly in the middle the file got split into two...). And I have to lookout for so many other people in my way. Specially Cabarete...tons of people around, and in the way. A session is about 50% waiting, and 50% tricks

True, I am on another planet with what I do...always amazed what is possible once you have all the parts and put them together in different ways relatively quickly. I still keep having so many new ideas...currently always more than I can land...having a list with about 260 new tricks.

And still need to land some already landed and filmed tricks, where the camera had problems , the style or landing wasn't perfect...but every session became so powerful, that I need rest. Here in Cabarete we normally have some days with wind, then some without. You have no idea how my body feels right now...and again wind forecasted today But the stoke keeps me going.

More to come