Leash...enemy of the foiler?

[grigorib]

freeride foiling?
go BRM style, no leash/integral leash, no stopper, no trim cleat, no dangling lines at all, no problem!
You can use a tiny kite foiling, so don't complain about needing a trim cleat etc.
Really not needed for freeride.

While I admire simplicity I still think it's easier to put a car into another gear than replacing tires to smaller/bigger

[bragnouff]

freeride foiling?
go BRM style, no leash/integral leash, no stopper, no trim cleat, no dangling lines at all, no problem!
You can use a tiny kite foiling, so don't complain about needing a trim cleat etc.
Really not needed for freeride.

If you use one bar on different kites and/or on different conditions, you will always need a trim cleat (or a strap). It's not about tapping into more depower, but about perfectly positioning the sweet spot. Not having a way of trimming means that you'll have to compensate any difference with your body position, outstretched arms and all. A little bit of trim goes a long way in putting you into a comfortable position, where you and your gear perform better, and with style, that's what freeride is about.

[BWD]

Hhmmm.
After a year on a diy BRM bar and 4 years of clouds that's news to me.
And I would have to say I'm mainly free-riding, because I don't get waves/wind to be in the surf nearly as much as I'd like.
You can adjust between kites easily by changing the distance between harness and the release balls.
With clouds I run the 17m as short/close to me as possible, and 7-12m about 3-4" farther.
After >10 years kiting there aren't a lot of times I really wish I was on too big a kite with a mile of trim dangling. Flying the right size kite is better. If you want to boost a lot, it's a bigger size etc. but I tend to favor unsent jumps, fast impulsive turns, surf, foiling, that kind of thing. So smaller/sweet spot feels better. Even more so foiling.

I used to think often about rigging a way to change the center length between harness and release of my BRM style bar on the fly, and toyed with on-the-fly back line trim adjusters, but just haven't needed it. still have some slingshot bars with lots of trim in case needed. They weigh a pound or two more and I haven't needed 'em lately...

There are plenty of good options and styles... if I end up flying an edge maybe I'll want the race bar!

[wingnut]

..not to take this thread even further sideways...

... if I end up flying an edge maybe I'll want the race bar!

And there essentially is the difference. If you use a higher performance kite, by that I mean higher aspect and flying further upwind, and therefore likely creating way more apparent wind than a Cloud, then a more liberal amount of trim is required. So really it is more a matter of style than anything.
btw, I look way more stylish with the bar at chest level. lol.
and I built my own BRM bar w/no leash