Through stupidly leaving my bar on St Kilda beach (please if you found it get in touch - reward is up to 2 slabs), I've had to use my old 7m bar (42 cm) on my 10m kite (48 cm).

Although I'm still missing my original bar, there is some upside to using a smaller bar. I do a lot of rotations, and the kite definitely moves less in the air, but will still power through a loop when I need it.

Does anybody know of any downside to using a smaller bar on a kite ?

harry potter said..

Only slower response to turning imput Not bad if you want to park and ride wake style not so good if you want to boost and loop freestyle

i use a small bar on all my kites (36cm) from 6m to 16m

There doesnt seem to be any delay or slower response time, it still turns pretty much as fast as I throw kiteloops on this size bar all the time, actually much better as its a nicer size in hand, plus i never put my hands on the out side of the bar anyway (i know thats not what necessarily makes the kite go faster). I would suggest a bar like this for anything except maybe racing, and anyone who has a golf club for a bar should probably cut it down, you wont regret it

ewan kite said..

harry potter said..

Only slower response to turning imput Not bad if you want to park and ride wake style not so good if you want to boost and loop freestyle

i use a small bar on all my kites (36cm) from 6m to 16m

There doesnt seem to be any delay or slower response time, it still turns pretty much as fast

Physics would argue otherwise.......

For the same imput at the middle of the bar (say 25degrees of movement). The outside of the bar travels a greater distance

Eg:



Imagine the small bar is represented as C to B and the larger bar represented as C to A You can see by the same input ie: angle the larger bar at the outside point ( being where your lines attach ) travels a much larger distance for the same input angle.......Which in turn pulls much more of your steering line.

In order for the smaller bar to gain the same amount of distance as the larger bar the angle ( ie. input degree ) has to be greater..

As I mentioned in the earlier post if you want to park and ride wake style a smaller bar is more forgiving and more comfortable if you want faster turning a longer bar is better.
What suits you or your style is a personal preference.

But the physics remains

harry potter said..

ewan kite said..

harry potter said..

Only slower response to turning imput Not bad if you want to park and ride wake style not so good if you want to boost and loop freestyle

i use a small bar on all my kites (36cm) from 6m to 16m

There doesnt seem to be any delay or slower response time, it still turns pretty much as fast

Physics would argue otherwise.......

For the same imput at the middle of the bar (say 25degrees of movement). The outside of the bar travels a greater distance

Eg:

Imagine the small bar is represented as C to B and the larger bar represented as C to A You can see by the same input ie: angle the larger bar at the outside point ( being where your lines attach ) travels a much larger distance for the same input angle.......Which in turn pulls much more of your steering line.

In order for the smaller bar to gain the same amount of distance as the larger bar the angle ( ie. input degree ) has to be greater..

As I mentioned in the earlier post if you want to park and ride wake style a smaller bar is more forgiving and more comfortable if you want faster turning a longer bar is better.
What suits you or your style is a personal preference.

But the physics remains

I am with Potter, bigger bar initiates faster turns. yes a 55cm is a dog and most of the time my grip is in the middle of the bar but if I want to turn my 12m quickly then the bigger bar makes all the difference. Why would Cabrinha come up with an adjustable width bar if it had no use?

Ewan might be a pro but for us "Muggles" trying to turn a 16m with 36cm bar would be like: "put the kettle on darling while I turn my 16m kite around"

Using my 10m bar on my 13m here... it sucks. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad on a more C-shaped kite, but the Crossbows are really noticeable... Think it's 48cm versus the 55 I usually use. The kite is definitely slower to initiate the turn, you need to use more power and pull it further to get the same response at the kite... and it just feels sluggish.

Advantage of using a bigger bar is you don't have to move your hands from the center and you can still work it good ;)