Hi guys,

I've been kiting for about 8months now & loving it. I have a Catalyst 12 & 8. I'm edging really well but now want to make my 12 much more responsive while cruising along at speed . The steering lines are set at the factory settings. I've only ever moved them down to minus at the bar pressure setting on leading edge. Does the bar pressure setting make a huge difference to kite performance? I understand the main adjustments should be made under the left/right foam covers where the lines are attached to the bar. If I make the steering lines shorter what should the bar pressure be set at?

Any information would be greatly appreciated .

Cheers

When you change the attachment point on the leading edge to the point closest to the wing tip (extremities) of the kite you will feel the kite turning faster, but also a little less stable. The difference in bar pressure isn't the aspect that will affect the performance, it's more about personal preference and feel.

As far as adjusting the length of the back lines underneath the floaters, this has to be done always in relation to the length of the front lines. After riding for a couple of months you will inevitably find that your front lines have stretched and that they are therefore longer than the back lines. If you shorten the back lines too much or have the front lines stretched too much, you will find the kite will perform strangely as it will be overpowered when you pull the bar in too far. This will cause the kite to stall (fall forward in the wind window) and will give overall poor performance regardless of the wind strength.

It's generally OK to have the front lines a little longer (5 to 8cm max) than the back lines but any more than that and you'll start to feel a decreasing in flying performance.

Thanks for the information guys. Much appreciated. Gives me a better understanding of line adjustment. I'll pull the rear lines in one increment & see how she goes. It's hard to believe such a small adjustment can make a great kite feel even better. Will test it out tomorrow.