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Core XR7

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SMJ
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Re: Core XR7

Postby SMJ » Wed Dec 29, 2021 1:32 pm

kitesurfer007 wrote:
Wed Dec 29, 2021 5:05 am
10M XR6 vs 10M XR7, would it be a noticeable replacement?
It's going to be a wee bit more refined / smoother flying and jump a wee bit higher.

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Re: Core XR7

Postby alford » Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:40 pm

Several years ago I demoed a 13.5m XR5. I thought the bar pressure was light to medium compared to my Rally. Several here have mentioned the high bar pressure on the XR7. Was my impression of the XR5 wrong or has the b.p. increased over the subsequent iterations? I know it's a somewhat subjective question but I'd love to hear some opinions. Thanks

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Re: Core XR7

Postby JMF » Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:03 pm

alford wrote:
Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:40 pm
Several years ago I demoed a 13.5m XR5. I thought the bar pressure was light to medium compared to my Rally. Several here have mentioned the high bar pressure on the XR7. Was my impression of the XR5 wrong or has the b.p. increased over the subsequent iterations? I know it's a somewhat subjective question but I'd love to hear some opinions. Thanks
Coming off my GTS4's I was curious about bar pressure. Having ridden both my 9 and 12 XR7's bar pressure in my view is slightly more on default settings. Not even worth mentioning in my view.

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Re: Core XR7

Postby SMJ » Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:25 am

alford wrote:
Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:40 pm
Several years ago I demoed a 13.5m XR5. I thought the bar pressure was light to medium compared to my Rally. Several here have mentioned the high bar pressure on the XR7. Was my impression of the XR5 wrong or has the b.p. increased over the subsequent iterations? I know it's a somewhat subjective question but I'd love to hear some opinions. Thanks
You have to compare apples to apples. By that I mean the XR is a big-boosting, higher aspect, delta bow shaped kite. Most manufactures have a kite like this in their lineup, so the XR should be compared to those kites. As far as big air kites go, the XR has medium to light bar pressure (depending on how you set it on the wingtip) and is quite fast turning for this style kite.

For example (on factory out-of-the-box settings), the XR has lighter bar pressure than the Duotone Rebel and much much lighter bar pressure than the Cabrinha AV8. It also turns faster than both of these kites.

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Re: Core XR7

Postby lizards » Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:32 pm

I’ve had 2 sessions on my 7m xr6 now and am not completely loving it. I am 65 kilos, the first session was in 30 kts gusting 50, which is the maximum conditions I will go out in, the second time started at 20kts so I would say the minimum needed for me on a 7m but it picked up to 25 so really ideal for my weight at this size.

Both of these sessions were gustier than average but my number one complaint is that the xr does not seems to eat gusts like my switchblades do and instead get transmitted right through to me. I’m not a heavy guy so expected to get knocked around when overpowered still felt like I was getting unusually knocked around even when I was properly powered and even underpowered.

I think this has to do with the kites exceptional jumping and how gusts really make it surge forward. I’ve never before had the feeling of accelerating even faster through the second half of your jump ascension than you did the first half since a gust hit you on the way up.

My old 7m was an old cabrinha velocity which is also high aspect. I never loved that kite either because it was so quick I felt like it was easy to make mistakes, especially in terms of keeping it perfectly positioned above you on bigger jumps (for me over 20ft/7m but rarely 30ft/10m). I have these same too-quick problems with the new xr as I did With the old velocity.

This leaves me having to kite more conservatively because I’m not as comfortable with it as I am with the switchblades. I fully appreciate this has to do with my own skill shortcomings and not the kite’s.
When I can jump so high with so little effort it leaves me in a place where I feel like I’m not working on my technique at all and also it’s a challenge to keep such a small kite positioned perfectly above you through the entire duration of the jump and I have a lot more hot and imperfect landings than normal.

There is a good chance I will never find a 7m kite I will like because they will always feel too quick to me, however I went with the xr because I felt like 5 struts and high aspect would be the slowest option.

That being said I would still consider getting a different 7m that’s eats the gusts a bit better, just thought the xr was supposed to have that reputation. Maybe I’m better off with a jumping oriented all arounder like the switchblades or the other Evo I have. Interested to hear others thoughts.

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Re: Core XR7

Postby Matty V » Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:17 am

30-50kts On a 7m at 65kg? And you found it uncomfortable? Yup..

In that wind I use a 6m xr6 at 100kg set on the freestyle setting to firm it all up and keep some power in the Lulls

At your weight pushing 50kts on a 7 is a big ask

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Re: Core XR7

Postby nothing2seehere » Tue Jan 11, 2022 11:31 am

lizards wrote:
Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:32 pm
I’ve had 2 sessions on my 7m xr6 now and am not completely loving it. I am 65 kilos, the first session was in 30 kts gusting 50, which is the maximum conditions I will go out in, the second time started at 20kts so I would say the minimum needed for me on a 7m but it picked up to 25 so really ideal for my weight at this size.

Both of these sessions were gustier than average but my number one complaint is that the xr does not seems to eat gusts like my switchblades do and instead get transmitted right through to me. I’m not a heavy guy so expected to get knocked around when overpowered still felt like I was getting unusually knocked around even when I was properly powered and even underpowered.

I think this has to do with the kites exceptional jumping and how gusts really make it surge forward. I’ve never before had the feeling of accelerating even faster through the second half of your jump ascension than you did the first half since a gust hit you on the way up.

My old 7m was an old cabrinha velocity which is also high aspect. I never loved that kite either because it was so quick I felt like it was easy to make mistakes, especially in terms of keeping it perfectly positioned above you on bigger jumps (for me over 20ft/7m but rarely 30ft/10m). I have these same too-quick problems with the new xr as I did With the old velocity.

This leaves me having to kite more conservatively because I’m not as comfortable with it as I am with the switchblades. I fully appreciate this has to do with my own skill shortcomings and not the kite’s.
When I can jump so high with so little effort it leaves me in a place where I feel like I’m not working on my technique at all and also it’s a challenge to keep such a small kite positioned perfectly above you through the entire duration of the jump and I have a lot more hot and imperfect landings than normal.

There is a good chance I will never find a 7m kite I will like because they will always feel too quick to me, however I went with the xr because I felt like 5 struts and high aspect would be the slowest option.

That being said I would still consider getting a different 7m that’s eats the gusts a bit better, just thought the xr was supposed to have that reputation. Maybe I’m better off with a jumping oriented all arounder like the switchblades or the other Evo I have. Interested to hear others thoughts.
I'm a little heavier than you at 70kg but have kited in similar conditions (according to the weather station it was gusting 50 but on the water it felt more like high 30s). I like the 7m XR6. Its slow enough that it doesn't feel like a buzzy wasp (I kited one day on a 10m foil kite and then the next on the 7m and it didn't feel like it took me long to get in tune with it).

Gusty conditions are just rubbish and there aren't really any magic bullets. The real downside is that the difference between 25 and 35 knots it significantly more than 15 and 25 knots in terms of power that you feel. Your smallest kite is always going to be the one you notice being worst in the gusts. The main strategy for dealing with it is only going out with good water conditions. Chose the flattest water so you can control the kite using the boards edge. If that means going out at 7am to catch the tide so you have big flat sections between the waves and not chop - then you have to do that.

You could also try changing the settings. Shorter lines will help with the power but won't help with the kite moving in the gusts (you need to use edge control to pin the kite to the edge of the window). I'm running 24m lines as I have the cheap ( :lol: ) bar but if you have the 3s or pro bar you could drop down to 19 or 22m lines. I have been trying the wave setting and I think that helps with the gusty strong winds a little too as it theoretically flattens the kite a little to increase the amount of depower throw you get.

For me its definitely the best 7m I have ever ridden with none of the downsides of the previous kites I have ridden. Fast enough to loop for a bit of fun but plenty of float to cover up the inadequacies of technique.

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Re: Core XR7

Postby SMJ » Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:02 pm

lizards wrote:
Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:32 pm
I’ve had 2 sessions on my 7m xr6 now and am not completely loving it. I am 65 kilos, the first session was in 30 kts gusting 50, which is the maximum conditions I will go out in, the second time started at 20kts so I would say the minimum needed for me on a 7m but it picked up to 25 so really ideal for my weight at this size.

Both of these sessions were gustier than average but my number one complaint is that the xr does not seems to eat gusts like my switchblades do and instead get transmitted right through to me. I’m not a heavy guy so expected to get knocked around when overpowered still felt like I was getting unusually knocked around even when I was properly powered and even underpowered.
I have a quiver of XR's and a quiver of Switchblades, and I have to agree with you that the Switchblades eat up the gusts better, although the XR is no slouch in this area. It's hard to beat the Switchblade's stability in the sky - which is one reason that kite is so very good for beginner kiters.

That being said...the XR wins out in just about every other category - lighter bar pressure, faster, better hang-time, and jumps higher.

But the question you have to ask yourself is...do you really want to be out kiting in gusty conditions to begin with??? Is your ultimate goal to have a kite that performs the best in gusty conditions or have a kite that performs best in more desirable conditions? Maybe your local is is always gusty?

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Re: Core XR7

Postby SolarSet » Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:24 pm

lizards wrote:
Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:32 pm
I’ve had 2 sessions on my 7m xr6 now and am not completely loving it. I am 65 kilos, the first session was in 30 kts gusting 50,
you probably flow XR with maximum depower at your weight and this kite flies shit when depower to max (probably like every other kite) steering lines are slack, kite has problem to maintain its shape.
as other mentioned too big kite for your weight and wind condition. I'm 92kg and use 8m from 25-45kts. I never use depower unless wind conditions are way too risky and sometime when landing in very strong wind.
I moved from sb to XR as well but I has sb 10/14m and got XR6 in 8/11m so I wouldn't even try to compare their characteristics, sb 10m was definitely slower than 11m XR

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Re: Core XR7

Postby dracop » Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:39 pm

30+ kts you want to start moving away from the passive Big Air kites and look at softer pulling kites with good high end (eg, Open C kites). You should only go out in 30+ kts if you have at least an Advanced skill level though. In the Duotone lineup, start moving to the Dice or Evo. The North Orbit will start to shine here as will the Reedin Supermodel.

In terms of depower, the Rebel LOVES to fly heavily depowered on the trim. Makes it super smooth provided you can handle the power. If its dragging you around while fully depowered you need a smaller kite. I used an overpowered Rebel fully depowered to learn board offs (2020 13m Rebel in 27 mph winds). Much easier to take the board on and off with 10+ seconds of hang time and a smooth jump arc :D She love you long time!

I have had very good experiences with the Rebel, Dice, and XR6 in 50-55 kts. The Dice would be my fav followed by the Rebel. The XR6 starts to warp on me at 225 lbs once the wind is stronger than 45 kts. Lower than 45 kts the XR6 was awesome and had an advantage over the Rebel in terms of doing loops. The GTS was junky in these winds - the bridle is over engineered and keeps trying to do too much. In strong megaloop winds the kite surges back and forth within the wind window making it very unstable. The XR6 did not do that and neither do the Duotone kites. The effect can be visually seen in alot of megaloop videos from Core's pro rider, Steve Akkersdik. The Orbit and Supermodel do well in these winds, giving you great command over high end wind ranges while being softer pulling the rest of the time - good for jumping when you have alot of power.

I repeat though, you should only be out in 30+ kts if you have some skill. Get comfy with larger kites in lighter winds then try the smaller kite/big wind approach. In 30+ kts, you no longer need the crutch that the Rebel/XR/Rally/Edge offer - in 30+ kts, ANY kite can send you up provided its correct size. For this reason, I have never been much of a fan of the smaller sizes of the Rebel/XR. As you get to the 9-12m range these can be great kites. Past 13-14m kite size, a different design concept is needed for such light winds (eg, Juice/Flite/Fat Lady).


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