My experience with the Chrono 15m for Oldschool

[Zkatez]

I had the opportunity to test the Chrono 15m for 7 or 8 times. Since I am always reading up here. let me share my experience with you.

I had the FS Speed 4 15m to compare and also my own Dyno 18, 2011. Tested on flat water with winds from 10/12 to about 20 with gust up to about 23 kn. I am 78 kg, ride oldschool. I rode the Dyno for last 2 years (up to 22 kn), FS Speed3 15m the year before that. And before that lots of tubes and foils. Biggest twintip 128. I am used to sailing with a lot of pressure from the kite. I write this experience exclusively from the Oldschool point of view. Not light wind, race or freeride.

Chrono has less static pressure than Speed4 and Dyno. Goes far to the edge of windwindow. At first you think, where is the wind gone. Light barpressure, but also light on the trapeze. But right from start with light winds under 20, jumping was a big surprise. Lift and hangtime is in different category. I did not use the depowerstrap on the Chrono. So I don't know it's high end. The light barpressure was never a problem for me. In jumps with multiple rotations and board-off, one hand on bar, the kite was always there were I expected.
Chrono feels lighter, faster and more playfull than Speed4. Chrono accelerate faster. Gets you going quicker. Kiting in small lagoons is no problem. I did have trouble getting out of transitions with speed. Kite turns faster than S4 but slower than Dyno.

I was concerned, hearing the stories of the kite being instable. But I find that not the case. It can lose shape after jumps that go wrong with no pressure on the lines. Pulling on the front lines made it come back to shape. I found it hard to reach for the break line quickly, so I pulled the front lines as quick as possible. It worked so far. I do find it very difficult to launch the kite of the beach in 20+ kn.
FS Speed4 is stable and easier to get in the air. It gives you more power, not as much as Dyno, but lift and airtime was a lot less. Dyno has less hangtime. Dyno, with 18m2 and higher windspeeds, gives more pressure, physically more demanding, shorter turn cycle. In low wind I could squeeze out a Jezuswalk, not with the Chrono. Which has a bigger turn cycle with even pull true the cycle. The Dyno with smaller loop gives the pop to get board back on your feet. Chrono is pretty fast though, I guess with better technique would be all right.
Chrono's upwind capability is of course super too.

The Chrono for me is an magical kite for the lift, hangtime and easy handling (feels reliably with tricks). I never thought the kite would be so much better in lift and hang, than all other kites I have tried. I have never been so high on a big kite. In conditions, I would normally be content with a floaty 720 board-off (or maybe 1080) this kite made me think of what to do with my board during 1080 b-off. Also because of it's reliable nature. Always there where you want it. Not having a micro loop and stopper can be solved by using a north bar.
Some people seems to have problems (collapsing) sailing the kite also in steady winds. Maybe experience or feel for foils is a necessity.

And now I finally have the airstyl 18m for testing. (:

[airsurfer]

Good review. I had Chrono 15 and I agree that the hang time and speed/acceleration are unbelievable and in a league of their own. Unfortunately, that's where the benefits of this pure race kite ended for me. If you can you should give the Edge 19m in the conditions that you were riding you would have some amazing hang time and stability with good enough turn speed/radius to loop out of rotations and ride away. I weigh more than you and in 15+ knots the Edge 19 is a hangtime beast but at least 30% faster turning than the Chrono despite being larger it's much more direct feel and forgiving with decent acceleration and hangtime and a lot less hassles, it's also faster turning than a Dyno 15 on 25m lines I've flown them back to back many times with my friends. I have been kiting 15 years and own and ride foils and LEI kites so not biased either way just my experience. I think Ozone will undoubtedly refine the Chrono a lot in the next few years like Flysurfer has with the Speed.

[Toby]

Awesome review, thx a lot!

In percentage, how much higher and longer than the Dyno?

Please also write a review about the Rebel 18, very curious how you compare it to the Dyno 2011 given you have less weight than me.

Thx!

[Westozzy]

Fantastic reviews mate.

So you had no problem with the lack of bar pressure for feedback on the chrono during rotations with board offs at all?

[plummet]

I agree Z. Chrono gives unsurpassed lift and glide size for size for against any other kite I've flown. It really is a different level. But its a kite that needs to flown constantly to get the best out of it. It likes to pivot turn when the bar is fishpoled, which gives a good tight turn for racing. In the air though if you yank too hard on the bar at the wrong time it will start pivoting loose power and drop you fast.

So for that reason I think it would make for a difficult airstyle kite. Its certainly not a kite you can punt into the air and then not think about for a very seconds until you land. You need to be constantly flying it. When you do that its freakin insane.

In saying that the process to do a sweet jump is similar to most foils. bar in out the way up, set a slow redirect going, bar out on the way down until just before touch down then bar in all the way for a pillowy soft landing.

[Westozzy]

That's what I would expect actually...

[Do-it]

Just curious..... How the hell do you guys get to try all these different kites??? Are you store owners? Whats the secret?? I've always wanted to try a ram air due to my canopy piloting background, but have never found the opportunity.

[dwaynej]

Just curious..... How the hell do you guys get to try all these different kites??? Are you store owners? Whats the secret?? I've always wanted to try a ram air due to my canopy piloting background, but have never found the opportunity.

Popular kiteboarding locations have stores or just frequent visits by various company representatives. I have seen North, Litewave, Blade, Flysurfer, Switch, and a few others this year. CIS (Channel Islands Surfboards) turned up with a truck full of boards at one of our beaches recently... Lots of fun!

Pretty much, all kites, boards/foil boards, and harnesses are represented on the beach by riders... Kites by Ozone, Nash, Slingshot, Cabrinha, Flysurfer, Best, Core, BRM, Switch. The one kite that I don't see any of is Epic... But now that I have said that, probably will spot one this week.

[plummet]

Just curious..... How the hell do you guys get to try all these different kites??? Are you store owners? Whats the secret?? I've always wanted to try a ram air due to my canopy piloting background, but have never found the opportunity.

Yeah its all about location. I'm not in one of those locations. But happened to be at an event a couple of weeks back that had a 12 chrono and 12 speed 4 demo kites. I made damn sure I had a spin on them.

In general I don't get to try out anything other than ozone and the odd North.

Maybe you should consider some road trips to known demo days. Or alternatively seek out the kite brands you are interested in and request a demo. Many companies are prepared to freight demo kites to customers who don't have local dealers.

[Zkatez]

Hi, Being back from the winter and having some more sessions on the chrono, I feel I have to correct some statements I made before winter.
After some doubt whetter to buy Chrono or Rebel Airstyle or just stay with the kites I have (Dyno 18, Rebel 16, Crossbow 11 and Draft 9) I decided to go for the Chrono. I just could not forget the incredible extra lift and hang it gave me. But it turned out, that the one I had tried out before, had something wrong with it, what made it unstable in those circumstances (that I spoke off). So I toke that bit out of my review. I do not have any unstability now with my new Chrono, unless I screw up a jump. Such as hard landings with slack on lines. The kite will float and lose shape. So far, pulling the frontlines made it come back to shape. I have rebuild a North bar (to 4 lines) and the brake line, on those moments, seem to far a way to pull. But pulling the frontlines se seem to work really well. Do others have the same experience?

Now I have some more experience with the Chrono, I will respond to some comments that have been made.
Airsurfer wrote about the Edge19 ( I would love to try it) and about the Chrono being slower in turning then the Edge. With my North bar (Ozone also sells 60 cm bars) this is even more true. With less wind you will feel the urge to do a lot of work with the bar, to make the most out the jump. And then the comment of Plummet becomes relevant. When you do that. You have to make sure that the kite gets flown constantly. Or it can drop you. For me it means, that I either take my Dyno in less wind and be satisfied with less hang, but more power on demand and playfullnes or just let the Chrono go up slower and don’t over stir it. The kite will give you more hang then any other kite, anyway. Or better, it will give you hang when others just will not. And when the wind picks up, this problem of over stirring is no longer an issue for me. Same as with the Dyno (or my Crossbow) I don’t want to spent anymore thoughts to the kite then nesessary. I mean, A small redirect to get it up and time your pop. I see Toby doing the same on his videos. Is that not so Toby? And because Airstyle is best done with some wind, I find this an excellent Airstyle kite, but not as versatile as for instance the Dyno. And to Airsurfer: when the wind picks up (20+) and the fun really starts. It still is true. It does stay slow. But with the extra hight/hang and extra rotations, it also gives me a save feeling. For now my concern is to get it back in front (pulling the bar in time) for landings on speed. Because when it starts picking up speed there is no easy way back. You will have to sit out the ride to the edge of the window and that is to me more intimidating then with the Dyno. (When you get your timing good, you find yourself with an extra rotation.)To Westozzy; I still say I can feel enough on the bar. And a bove 20 it is no more light barpressure. I can still feel my arm from yesterday.
To Toby: I better not put percentages on the extra hight and hang, because I fear you will not take it seriousy anyhow. Besides I find it difficult to say. It is probably very individual anyhow, since I don’t get the same out of the Dyno as you are. But with the Chrono I can now practise tricks in less challenging conditions and them execute them on the Dyno later. Chrono is not for beginners, but for novice to board-offs this must be the nummer 1 kite on the list IMO.
I can not (yet) properly judge hight and hang that I will have in a jump. Sometimes I am so surpriced of the extra meters, I don’t know where it is coming from. This is maybe due to the race genes of the kite. But I had the same with the R18m Airstyle. I find the Dyno more predictable. Have not figured it out yet. Any ideas?
I do have some notes laying around of the few times I rode the Rebel Airstyle 18m,( but still in doubt of my experiences). I think of putting it on a post, because I find it strange that there is so little written about the R18. The first kite specially made for us. Are there so few of us? Toby? You must have heard something from the lighter kiters.