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Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

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Exal
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Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Exal » Sat Feb 23, 2019 9:32 pm

75 to 80kg, will most likely change my twintip to a jaime textreme 136/41. Skill wise jumping has almost clicked and I can do little jumps (2 to 3m) and transition jumps. I am looking for a kite that will make my jumping/powered loops progression faster, has a good windrange and is good in gusty conditions. I don't think I'll ever unhook, all I am interested in is jumping high and riding medium sized waves.

Since I have NKB (6,8,10 neo + click bar) gear I would like to stay with duotone, Core I really like and can probably get a good deal but am terrified of the bar and I would use a north/duotone click bar and send it to ethan for adjustment.

(Everything that comes now can be very wrong so please correct me)

My thoughts on the choices
  • Evo: good hangtime and is also good for looping
    Dice: probably makes the progression harder but might be more fun than the Evo
    Rebel: good for jumping/big air but would most likely kill myself trying to learn powered loops on that
    Core GTS: for some reason I really like this kite, never flown it but it looks really interesting. Maybe the worst choice!?
    Core XR: same as Rebel
Cheat sheet
  • Hangtime: Rebel>Evo/XR>Dice/GTS
    Looping: Dice/GTS>Evo>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rebel/XR
    Windrange: no idea probably the Rebel has the best
    Difficulty (easy to hard): Rebel/XR/Evo>>Dice>GTS
Regarding kite size/combination my thinking was something like the following. Just adding one 8 meter kite is also something I am considering but I definitely want a 12 since I hated missing/not enjoying those nice 15ish knot days.
  • 8 dice 12 evo/rebel
    8 dice 12 dice
    8 evo 12 evo/rebel
    8 gts 12 xr
If someone with some spare time and experience could share his thoughts, I'd appreciate it.

Gobigorfoil
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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Gobigorfoil » Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:11 pm

I would also consider the core nexus, softer loops than gts but still recovers great. A bit better hangtime and good upwind.
I rode gts4,5 and xr5 and the nexus all in 9m, same weight as you. The xr5 is easiest boost and ok loops, nexus loops great but softet than gts. Gts is explosive but easy to predict.
Gts 5 goes upwind bettet than older versions
I would go gts or nexus, and would recommend 9m, but i like power :)

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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Macster » Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:16 pm

You'll never get a definitive answer, it's all personal preference. IMHO when looking for the perfect jumping kite you need to decide between height, hang time and looping ability. Kites that have awesome boost and hang time are usually weak in their kite loops like the Pivot, Slash, Bandit and XR.

I've tried most of the North range. Sorry but I hate the Rebel. The Evo is a good alrounder and better at jumping than the Dice but I think the Dice is better at looping than the Evo. The Vegas is awesome at looping but loses hang time against the others. Etc etc.

If you are only just starting to jump then save megalooping for a year or two when you have normal jumping dialed in.

I can't rave enough about the Ozone Enduro. For me it is the clear winner of the crossover kites (FX, Dice, and GTS5).

Anyway good luck. As long as you don't but a Rebel you will be fine with any of those choices!

Barryg101
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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Barryg101 » Sun Feb 24, 2019 3:08 pm

Cabrinha FX would be my choice, absolutley solid kite with good comfortable bar and lines.

I'm now into looping and big air and love how the FX flies.
I also use the Enduro V2 which is nice and loops beautifully.

Previous kite was a bandit X .

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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Sun » Sun Feb 24, 2019 3:12 pm

I just spent three weeks in Cape Town, spent time riding Best TS, North Evo, and North Dice. Evo is the one you are looking for. You will progress faster on the Evo during general riding, and it loops nice and soft. I love the Dice personally, it felt like a refined version of the Best TS.

Gobigorfoil might be right in suggesting the Nexus though. From what I gather, Nexus is like a hybrid between a Neo and a Dice. In my eye the choice between Evo and Nexus is if you prefer wave riding, go Nexus, if you prefer Old School hangtime, go Evo.
Barryg101 wrote:
Sun Feb 24, 2019 3:08 pm
Cabrinha FX would be my choice, absolutley solid kite with good comfortable bar and lines.

I'm now into looping and big air and love how the FX flies.
I also use the Enduro V2 which is nice and loops beautifully.

Previous kite was a bandit X .
Barry, how do you like Enduro V2 versus FX? I flew the FX a while ago in 14m and was VERY happy with it. Never tried Enduro yet, but want to. Ever flown the Dice? If all you can supply is a comparison of FX and Enduro, please do so and with copious detail! :naughty:

Not to highjack the OP, but Barry's response may tell us a lot. Enduro V2 should also work beautifully for OP.

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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Teabageppo » Sun Feb 24, 2019 11:36 pm

I’d only buy a nexus is you also want to wave ride as well.

The 2019 evo a is a strong all rounder, loops quickly and progressively but not a huge amount of pull (unless you send it real early). That would be the kite to progress on in my mind. If you become a true kiteloop junkie then go progressively more C, say A dice. But to progress from here, evo three strut. 2019 was much better than the 2018 (first gen).

Enduro is another great option but then it come down to a feel thing. You should ride both kites and see what kite feel you enjoy. Both will do the trick.

I loop a 10m 2017 rebel in 25 knots so don’t be afraid to loop those kites. There is a technique to it. They also give you some serious hangtime after the loop and even the downloop can be fun. You get big, high, slow and long loops on the rebel but yeh it wouldn’t be your first choice if this was your focus.

I’d prefer to loop the evo and dice of course but I like
My old school board offs.

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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Barryg101 » Mon Feb 25, 2019 12:33 am

So I have the 9m Fx honestly love the kite its slightly more technical than the bandit and requires a bit more skill when landing bigger jumps but after a few sessions you get the feel of it and the boosting abilities are awesome especially with loops the kite makes it around to catch you nicely on the landings . The Enduro V2 is from the kiteschool I work and is 12m . Also very nice kite and loops fast for a 12 lovely bar with really easy chickenloop reset system and great for big air .

Comparing the two canopies though I feel like the enduro is much lighter and less durable , the fx feels much tougher but neither kite has had any damage or signs or wear yet. Also I'm not super technical when it comes to kite design so I'm sure more experienced kiters can give their opinion on the canopy. There is a guy with a 10m enduro and sends it real big with some lovely megaloops , I think all these kites are similar in performance such as Fx, Dice , Enduro , GTS, Eleveight FS

If I was choosing a kite for big air and some loops I would pretty much choose FX , Enduro , Dice ? Depends on the deals you can find and also what bar set up you like.

Eleveight seem to be getting huge respect from the instructors and the FS is meant to be solid as a rock with the 5 struts and freestyle freeride crossover. I have yet to test the FS but will be giving it a go first time I get the chance.


Hope this advice is helpful

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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Macster » Mon Feb 25, 2019 2:32 am

I owned FX (2017 and 2018 models) for 2 years and now Enduro v2. I didn't find the FX recovered as quickly to 12 after looping like the enduro does but it did generate more line slack on the load and pop when unhooking.

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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Macster » Mon Feb 25, 2019 2:33 am

Looping the 10m enduro on 20m or 23m lines 8s is my preference. Dont use the standard 25m lines on the enduro though for looping. FX comes std with 22m lines for comparison

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Re: Big Air/Kiteloop Progression Kites

Postby Lazy kiter » Mon Feb 25, 2019 6:07 am

I gained a huge amount of progression on the eleveight fs. It’s a great kite for the characteristics your seeking.


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