peel wrote:Confused.com
It seems that there is quite a few people out there that have the new fuels but no one has written any real reviews yet ? why There is normally ... Can any one spill the beans for the poor bastards that have not had the chance yet
I've had a couple runs on my 9 2009 Fuel. First time earlier this week was a bit on the lame side (still recovering from a rib injury), yesterday could push it a bit harder.
I'm 75kg and ride a 130 misfit, 2006 bar with 4x20M lines (basically, the Len10 bar).
Went from a 2006 Fuel 9 to this model. Key points and differences:
*Sweet-spot seems pretty much spot on as per Shy's graph - although I haven't tried the high-end yet.
*Kiteloops are much smoother and continuous, with full power all the way round (tried both hooked and unhooked). The 06 had a big power spike in the first half of the loop, but then lost a bit of power on the upstroke. Wider tips on the 09 probably help a lot. Kite loops quicker and with no jelly-fishing, all the way up.
*Flies pretty fast and powerful. For example, on one transition, I did the standard "crank the bar in the opposite direction" right before switching rails to tack; suddenly the kite was already on the other side of the window - wasn't expecting it so quickly
. I think this is due to muscle-memory with the 06 which was a tad bit slower, so now am getting used to the 09's quicker speed (and perhaps more responsive bar input).
*Kite sits a bit more forward in the window on the 09 than the 06. Maybe due to higher aspect ratio (?). More similar to 07/08 Fuels than prior year(s).
*Unhooking very predictable, no surprises, doesn't move.
*Relaunch is pretty easy, although I haven't tested the whole "pull on one line" bow-style launch, since apparently it's feasible with the 09.
*Build quality - no complaints, looks solid. Nice addition of stopper plug for the input nipple.
Coming from a four-line Fuel background, this kite required absolutely no guess-work: just set-up, and ride. Overall I would say the kite has some very nice performance enhancements/refinements, there is no "re-inventing of the wheel", no steps backwards. This is what keeps me on Fuels year after year.