Toby wrote: ↑Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:29 am
Are you on that level that you know what it takes to land such tricks for the riders you mentioned?
I personally know what it takes to land what are considered advanced tricks and they are easier on tubes. If advanced rider choose foil over tube he may then have more trouble doing trick to the same level. That is because tube kites are easier.
If your average driver tried to drive a F1 to the shops he would have a hell of a time. Most likely wreck the thing on the first speed bump. An F1 driver could do it. Both F1 and average driver would do better in an average sedan driving to the shops. F1 driver could probably drive the whole way on 2 wheels. Does the fact the F1 driver can do fancy tricks with sedan make the F1 car inferior? or just hard to do said tricks?
It's a funny thing brands push that their Pros are on their gear or certain models or types of kites because they need them. Reality is pros can do well on anything. This is well known to many, except new users and the inexperienced. Certain styles for instance wakestyle, are just fine on foil kites particularly in lightwind. The complications of foils getting tangled etc are where just some of the problems exist. Most other things suffer from the poor response, slow turn, vague feel and inertia of a foil.
The line is not clear cut. Foil is superior to tube in so many ways, particularly if you learn to handle their difficulties they are I feel a much more fun experience. Being able to get on the water quickly with little hassle I think is their main benefit. Having little difference in setup between a 6m and 18m is amazing. Durability and versatility are also outstanding. No bladders of valve problems. Hot cars not an issue. Self launching and landing in any wind no issue. Deathloops? What are those? Safety is outstanding, kite stays down very easy, especially if wet. Float, jump height, low end all the best. No hindenberging, an amazing ability to float on slack lines. You can actually surf with no line tension and do proper cut backs.
There is plenty of tube kites these days I think are great and I love riding with them. The whole experience of owning them is another matter. Just having to pump the kite is well frustrating. Enter any bladder issues and it doesn't surprise me this is a niche sport, especially with the stupid prices the big brands put on things.
tmcfarla wrote:
Foil kites need large, clean beaches. Sure, you can land them in the water, but then you have to deal with draining and drying the kite, and it sucks. Inflatable is infinitely more convenient on small beach- tether launch or drift launch, land it dry on a pile of sticks, go home. Foil kites are great and wonderful, but saying they work for small beaches is like saying that unicycles work for commuting- it is technically true, but there are better options.
Sorry but you are just wrong. Clean large space is ideal but not needed. You can launch from bag on the water, standing or swimming. You can not really pump a tube on the water. You do not need to dry salt wet kites immediately or even for many weeks. You can actually land and pack foil kites mostly in the air. I would imagine tubes have more issues with sticks than foils. Yes you can tangle bridles but a hole in the tube is a bigger pain.