BWalnut said..
Few more sessions on the Orbit. Here's some running pros and cons:
Pros
-The upwind is extremely good, very fast with great angles.
- The cleat works, it's great at increasing power. I don't have as much trouble with backstalling as some people do, I think it's pretty easy to manage with water starts. Dramatic low end improvements with it.
- It's a monumental double skin breakthrough for ease of water start vs something like a Paia. It launches very easily.
- Draining the water out of it when swamped is easy and fast. Nothing to be intimidated about here.
Cons
- It's not very playful. This seems like an upwind machine that you should really pack away for long runs.
- The lines are psycho sharp. When the wind increases it's incredibly difficult to retract because of this. My first sessions came to an end because I couldn't retract it. I have to wear gloves when using it, which solves the issue. I have been told the newest shipments of these have updated lines, but they may need yet another update. (my order shows up soon and I'll report back on it then).
- So far, it doesn't feel like a top end specialist.
I've been riding in horribly gusty winds for most of this testing and I'd say that in those conditions, it might not be the best choice. However, when the wind is steady and you can trim it to the right spot, the performance gains are very obvious. After 4-5 sessions I think I would say I want 4-5 more sessions in good wind to fully evaluate it. So, if you're buying, give it at least 10 sessions before you start making up your mind on it. I'm starting to think that ordering the 3.5m was possibly the wrong size for me. I'm going to be a 2.7m Orbit guy.
I thought one of the major benefits of double skins was increased range to handle gusty conditions. Surprised that the Orbit is not the ideal use case
