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New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby McLovin » Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:50 am

Gestalt wrote:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:09 pm
knotwindy wrote:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:51 pm
How many of these folks offering their opinion about the top end have actually tried the kites?
WAG don’t count for much. :jump:
I personally have the 8m,10m Aluula Roam, and the 17m Aluula F-lite. I have personally also flown the 12m and 14.5m Aluula Flite's several times each.

The 17m A-Flite starts becoming unmanageable past 15 knots, where a 17m Juice can go to 20 knots.

The 12m Aluula Flite as per experience and the website starts getting overpowered at about 17-18 knots. For a 12m that's crazy.

My Core xr6 12m can do rated 24 knots easy, and I can hold it down to 26 knots.

The 8m A-Roam, which has amazing power dump capability, flies solid all the way to 28knots. It's quite fun in the 25-28 knot range, but I wouldn't jump with it. I also would not dare take it past 28 knots. Where a Neo 8-m will go up to 32 knots in comparison.

These kites are very stable right up until you hit their threshold, but that threshold is comparatively low at the top end. At the low end it's a different story.
So my experience having over 35 sessions on my 14.5m Aluula Flite is that too many people are spending lots of time talking about the LOW END - gotta love the videos of guys reverse "snow kite style" launching in NO WIND...YES it's my biggest kite and YES I do fly it in lighter winds which for me is like 13-14 knots but it's WAY more fun in it's sweet spot of 17-19 knots - but there is 100% a performance advantage of the rigid ALUULA frame / struts vs. dacron kite and YES I used to have the same flite in a 14.5m in dacron so I can tell -

THE TOP END on the ALUULA is much higher than the Dacron. Does that mean you should get a 7m kite for Rooster - NO - It just means if you can pick up a 14.5m Aluula it will be the best 14.5m kite you have ever flown hands down. I few times I over-rigged by mistake and ended up flying my 14.5 in up to about 23-24 knots maybe a bit more even, as they say I was LIT AF - probably borderline dangerous for all you little guys but at 275lbs dry out of the shower and with some edging skills it did work - full disclosure that day I did go in for my 11m XR6 which was much more appropriate, but the big kite has a LOT OF TOP END if you want it - had the biggest boost with a hella drift on the way in...

Just my .02 of direct experience - a BIG Aluula kite from Ocean Rodeo or the new Juice if you prefer Duotone is a fantastic toy - do you need it? Depends... matched with the right board it can be a dream - I do find the bar / line recco from OR to be suspect, after getting some great help from another experienced kiter switched to the SS 23 inch bar with the 27m lines and the kite opened up and now flies like a dream - best for 16-20 knots IMHO...

Mc

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby Havre » Thu Aug 19, 2021 8:07 am

And now I'm confused again :lol:

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby nothing2seehere » Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:11 am

Gestalt wrote: The 12m A-Flite is claimed to go down to about 11-12 knots as per the website. You probably would need a lightwind board and work the kite like crazy. I haven't tried it to see....Maybe on my next trip. Low end is pretty amazing on these kites.
Gestalt wrote:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:09 pm

The 12m Aluula Flite as per experience and the website starts getting overpowered at about 17-18 knots. For a 12m that's crazy.
These wind ranges are crazy compared to the old dacron Flite. I could ride my Gen 4 12m flite in 11-12 knots with a Jester (small directional) and 17-18 knots was the sweet spot for a twin tip. I'm a medium weight rider (was about 78kg at the time of owning it) but even dropping the extra pulleys shouldn't have made that level of difference. The profile must have really changed since then as I had expected the opposite based on the the Roam A series which seems to have great top end.

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby Pierrot » Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:35 pm

StellaBlu wrote:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 2:11 pm
Gestalt wrote:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:45 pm

The other major concern is the range, and here i mean the top end range. AT the top of THEIR range A-flites and A-roams handle very well, but their top end is 4 or 5 knots lower than comparable non Aluula kites for a given size. The efficiency of the Aluula design almost makes them too good so they get overpowered much easier given their size. Not exactly a great characteristic for a Big Air kite you want to push to the limit.....Having a small super rigid structure in 30-50knot winds could make the kite extremely twitchy, I think having a little flex is likely a good thing.
This is interesting and Im trying to find consensus around the top end for Aluula wings and kites. I have heard opinions consistent with yours - the kites and wings are too stiff and become unmanageable at the top end of their range, or in gusty conditions. I have also heard others say that the rigidity helps the kites at the top end of their range and actually extends the top end. Very divergent opinions on the matter.

P.S. Im mixing and matching feedback between the kites and wings, which may differ with respect to range.
It’s a forum… you will not get consensus :lol:

I own a roam A 10m for 12 months now. Got one of the first one last year. And added a roam A 7m a few months ago.
The 10 is my light wind kite on a foil. And the low end when you work the kite properly is excellent. Way below 10knt. (I’m 80kg).

And the top end in my view is even better. But…
I mainly foil so top end on foil and top end on TT are 2 different things.
On a foil I have used the 10m in 20knt+ and the 7m in over 30knt (unintentional… i got caught by a squall) and always in control. These kites are way more manageable and fun in big winds on foil that their Dacron equivalent (still have a 10m and 7m neo).
On a TT i have used the 10m in max 20~25knt. Pretty loaded but not yet overpowered, and the kite jumps really well in these conditions. Also flies always very smooth even in high wind and gust handling is superb.
I have not used the 7 on TT yet.

So for my usage, the top-end is really good and better/easier/smoother than my old Neo quiver.

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby Havre » Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:58 pm

In terms of wind range you would think it should be possible to find some consensus. One might not have the same opinion as to when a kite tops out, but you would think most at least would agree if one type of kite works in higher winds or not.

Unfortunately, I'm clueless as to what makes a kite better at the top end vs. another kite - so I'm also clueless as to how different materials might influence that.

You would think some of these magazines etc. would know, but most reviews are completely worthless in my opinion so.... I wish that one YouTube-channel from the Netherlands could get hold of some Aluula-kites. They might actually do a proper comparison.

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby McLovin » Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:06 pm

Havre wrote:
Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:58 pm
In terms of wind range you would think it should be possible to find some consensus. One might not have the same opinion as to when a kite tops out, but you would think most at least would agree if one type of kite works in higher winds or not.

Unfortunately, I'm clueless as to what makes a kite better at the top end vs. another kite - so I'm also clueless as to how different materials might influence that.

You would think some of these magazines etc. would know, but most reviews are completely worthless in my opinion so.... I wish that one YouTube-channel from the Netherlands could get hold of some Aluula-kites. They might actually do a proper comparison.
Hey Havre,

YES - I'd love to have the Kite-finder boys do their thing - wind range is a function of rider weight / etc. etc.

to your question on the top end - the point is that the Aluula frame is better simply because it holds it's shape like a BOSS - which means even as winds pick up the kite flies well and you don't get the heavy center pull that can happen with the dacron kites - also notable the kites stiff frame makes for a smooth up power stroke. I could try to describe the feeling but my better suggestion is to find a shop with a demo - in 10 mins you will get it and then you will have some tough decisions to make about the fact that you now NEED to have one. LOL

Mc

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby Havre » Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:09 pm

For a clueless person that seems to make sense. The unfortunate thing is that clueless people might just as easily be convinced by arguments for for opposite. We'll see :lol:
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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby GregK » Fri Aug 20, 2021 12:37 am

+1 for trying BEFORE you buy - you know best what you like, not some frequent poster here !

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby Havre » Fri Aug 20, 2021 11:05 am

Obviously I would like to try a kite first, but I do think it is exaggerated how much you can take from testing it. If I have been on my 12m for ages (which is typically the case kiting in Norway) - even going to my 9m feels strange for the first at least 15 if not 30mins. And even if I have borrowed my friend's Rebel many times I am under no illusion as to me getting the best out of that kite (based on my abilities - I will never be able to get the absolute best out of it).

I would argue I would need 3-4 hours under different conditions on a kite to really have an opinion on if I like it or not. Even then what I might not like initially could also be something I later like if I just adjust the way I ride etc.

There are flaws I would like to avoid of course, but I also got to be realistic as to my ability to find those. The Orbit 2020 apparently has a tendency to stall. Would I be able to pick that up if North didn't? And even if I thought it would stall to easily would I trust my opinion on it?

Practically also very difficult to test kites in the Oslo-area. Good wind is rare and I am not even sure the shop selling Ocean Rodeo got demo days.

So I just got to trust reviews I don't like :lol: and hopefully some posters on here will get hold of the Rise before I can even buy it. Then I will make an educated guess before I decide to buy or not.

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Re: New 5 Strut Aluula: should Ocean Rodeo make a big air kite for boosting, old-school, airstyle?

Postby Gestalt » Fri Aug 20, 2021 12:44 pm

I was just listening to the new episode with Giel Vlugt who has been riding the Aluula Rise recently and joined Ocean Rodeo as a team member.
To switch from Core for a Big Air rider is quite something, but he wants to beat his no.1 ex-teammate and competitor Janek.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2410842

Apparently the kite is really fast. The thing he liked about it is that in bigger sizes such as 12m he could loop it quite easily because of this. Comparing to an XR it seemed it could catch him better. Being a heavier rider he felt it could help him better compete against lighter riders in less strong winds for BAKL events.

When asked about pure boost height, he believes ambiguously it can go "quite high". He is still trying to get it dialed in. We will see here shortly how well it does. Very Curious! Between this and the Rebel SLS, Core could perhaps have some old school big air boost height competition!

It appears to be in this video, and looks pretty damn amazing!


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