Greenturtle wrote: ↑Sat Nov 24, 2018 8:58 pm
Any feedback from those of you riding Roams would be appreciated.
Im thinking about replacing my Solos (9 & 6.5) with Roams in order to gain some flutter free top end, keeping good drift..
I adore my 12m Flite and am leaning towards Ocean Rodeo for my surf oriented kites as well because of that, but I have never used any of thier kites other than Flite.
I have read/viewed the marketing and what reviews are available, but would appreciate hearing some real world experience from regular people.
I welcome any and all comments, but specifically:
-How does the kite behave in strong gusty conditions?
-How is it for foiling in medium to light wind?
-How is the upwind performance? (I assume the downwind performance is great)
And please:
-What is the weight of Gen 2 Roam (in any size)?
Thank you
I have a full quiver of the Roams 7/9.5/12m - ride probably 90% of the time strapless surfboard, 10% twintip (no foiling yet, so I can't comment on that). I'm 170 lbs for reference.
-How does the kite behave in strong gusty conditions? Excellent, the 7m Roam is a blast to fly and has pretty good low end, it handles gusts extremely well. I've had OR Razors, Flites and Prodigies in the past, and the Roam is more akin to the Prodigy in terms of handling gusts, smooth and no stall.
-Foiling - no comment, maybe in the Spring.
-Upwind: It's pretty good, I would say the Razor/Flite excels in this category, especially the Flite. Whereas the Roam is hands-down the winner on drift, it really opened up my surfing as it drifts far superior to anything else I've flown. It's a joy on a wave, even a bit underpowered it drifts and stays with you as you work down a wave. I love it for surfing.
-Weight: not sure.
All in all, I'll say that between the Flite you are sacrificing power/upwind for drift. I'm a big fan of tailoring your quiver to what you do in each particular wind range. So......I would if you want to lightwind foil, keep the Flite for your largest size, and use the Roam for your lower/mid range for when the waves are on. You will really enjoy the improved drift over the Flite. My next quiver of kites will probably go 12 or 14.5 m Flite, 9.5/7 Roam.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.