FarNorthWest said..
Can someone explain why, according to Ocean Rodeo's own wind range chart, the 4 and 5m have almost the triple wind range compared to the 6 and 7m? It is the same chart for both Glide models. This doesn't square with my experience from different wing sizes, albeit different brands.

It does fit with my experience.
I think for average height guys (i am 175cm) there is marginal gain in sizes bigger than 5m.
You gain in horsepower but you also loose a lot in pumping ability, and once on foil apparent wind makes you overpowered very soon.

The bottom end of the 3 seems a bit high to me,25k is a lot of wind!.
But smallest i have ridden is 3.5m so i cannot compare.

[repost from kiteforum]

I got to demo a 5m a-series yesterday, full aluula leading edge and strut. Excellent wing, being hyper critical and looking at pros/cons, I really can't think of anything negative. Wind was 14-20kt ish.

-- Rigid frame: no bending or deformation when riding or pumping; canopy never flapped
-- good handles. I thought they looked a little droopy on land, but on the water felt really good. The transition from powered to front handle was easy and natural
-- at 20kt it was nicely powered, easy starts, perfect juice on demand. Felt nice and light in luffed riding.
-- at low end, it required some pumping but got up fine (full disclosure: I didn't have any OMG moments where it was miraculously getting up when others couldn't)
-- I was quite surprised on first reach in getting upwind further/faster than ever before at this spot...either wind angle was a few degrees different than normal, or this has the angles optimized to get upwind
-- my max speed was 30.5kmh, which is fastest yet on my GPS (only used last 5 sessions or so), though only by 1-2kmh.

Overall, it is as good as anything I've used. But mostly right in the middle of its range. More testing needed to understand capabilities at the upper and lower end particularly, as that should tell the tale. The hope is that light wind potential may be upped by a kt or 2 with the lightness.
***
Bonus addition: short kooky video of my stoke :-) www.instagram.com/p/CTbhP6AHy8g/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Tucker posted 3 videos on them today - his stoke was palpable - i might need to start saving (again)
My only slight negative (ive never seen one in flesh) is the cosmetic / graphic design looks pretty crappy IMHO

ibid said..
First day on water review ...
Received a call on Saturday from KitePower (thanks Peace) that my order was ready to pickup ... of course it blew strong enough all weekend that I was fully powered on my PPC 2.8 so waited patiently for Monday's NE to pickup to pretty steady (for east coast) 15-18 knots

Too much weed along the surf side, so took the 5m out on flat water for its first outing at Kurnell

Had tried the Hybrid in 20-25 a month ago and was impressed enough to commit to the A version (5m & 3m)
Happy to say the weight of 5m @ 1.8kg means that it just floats above you during gybes - pump was excellent - stability of the wing is outstanding. Power comes on smoothly with zero effort required - I expect that at my weight 72Kg I will be comfortable in 12-25 with this 5m

There was enough wind chop to test that it drifts well, gybes were stress free as the wing just floats in the right place above you ready to grab on exit - felt I had way more time and handles are very comfortable and well placed. Being so light it was effortless, but felt fast and shot upwind and didn't have to think about it during gybes

Was riding my 90l Amos & Hs1550v2 and flying V

Could not be happier with the feel of the wing - truly a next level piece of equipment, there has been a lot of attention to the stitching - see the detail on strut - no one has that many rows of stitches, handles feel great and are replaceable

My previous wings include Duotone V1, Duotone Echo, Duotone Unit, Smik and current PPC
The Ocean Rodeo 5m is a little smaller than my PPC 4.8m which was the same size as my Smik 6m
Because of the range of the OR I will only use 2 wings (5m & 3m) to cover range of 3 wings (2.8, 3.8, 4.8)
Could not be more satisfied with new wing

Thanks for the review I want one but how much ?

Sold my Units last year - loved the soft handles, the 6m had huge power down low and didn't need much pumping, but 5m not so much power, pump was less effective (I was less experienced then too) - PPC 4.8 is quite powerful (really a 5.2), but has a bit of an on off nature which means first couple of pumps to get canopy fully powered, then it gets effective lift - whereas the Ocean Rodeo has power from first pump and therefore feels like it will get me up in a couple of knots less wind - I took a bunch of pics comparing the PPC 4.8 and the OR HL and the canopy collapses on the PPC whereas the OR is taut - this I think is why the early lift happens.

The OR has more dihedral , is 20cm shorter in the strut but same wingspan. I am fairly light so as long as there is 12 knots the 5m OR is going to work for me. The lighter weight of the OR A 5m (1.8Kg) versus PPC 4.8 (2.6kg) makes it way easier to pump - PPC is fairly stiff but OR is next level.

Labskaus said..

I got a compare with Ensis V2 6M , 4,5 M .The 6m Allula is 2.1 Kg ,sadly i got no Board now ,and i can do a first test next week ,times can become long

That's impressive! The F-One Strike 6M, one of the lightest wings, is 2.6KG. Too bad about the board.

ninjatuna said..
I would be really curious how the 6m would do in light winds (less than 10knots) compared to the 7 or 8 F1 CWC's. I am leaning towards an 8 CWC but if a 6m Allula could match it, I would prefer it.

Based on reviews 5M F1 offers better light wind performance than 5M OR.
I'm thinking about adding a 5M OR Hybrid to my F1 6M. With my 185-190 and a 130L board I have success getting on foil
in 10Knots with the F1 even with my poor technic. Once on a foil I have more issues handling the power.

With the separate inflation for leading edge and strut I'm thinking the OR can handle more range up until the very low end.
It was also said that the OR has much better upwind performance. With their handle system and the super stiff strut I can see
some benefits over the F1 as well, both in pumping and single hand handling. Hopefully I'll be able to demo soon.

dejavu said..
Looking forward to the full carbon boom version next spring (2022):

First time it registered to me what he was talking about regarding lift power vs forward power.

Light wind session today 10-15knots max. F1 Strike 6M. This wing lifts like a crane! on the inside 10knots, 3 pumps
and I'm up getting to the outside and wind picks up, really have to stay focused and dump power not to breach.
Had to go back and dump 2psi to maintain control but big trade off in upwind performance.

Makes me wonder how it would feel with the forward power of the OR Glide 5M HL

I had another go on the 5m Aluula Glide on my HA925 recently in 12-20 knots. I'm used to the tractor-like pull of my Takuma wings getting up onto foil. The Glide requires more finesse to get going on the extreme bottom end but the frame feels "whippy" in the way a carbon mast has a liveliness to it. Once up and flying it rips upwind without fuss and feels super smooth, fast and slippery. I've read that the Aluula material can feel punishing in gusts but that's not my experience at all. It still has some flex at the tips to take any harshness out. The Takumas at the high end become a handful requiring you to size down earlier compared to the Glide. Where the absolute magic happens is when you flag the Glide out. The 5m feels lighter and more balanced in the hand flagged out than my 2.5 Armstrong V2 A-Wing. I was able to run straight down swell and the strut happily hovered parallel to the water and the pronounced dihedral shape keeps the wing very steady in neutral. Every time I get the chance to ride an Aluula Glide I giggle a little to myself when I'm swell riding as its handling is so crazy light and smooth relative to other wings. There is so little mass trying to move you around while swell riding. The windows are small but very well placed; no complaints at all as they're all you need. The handles feel super comfy but I like a direct feel that comes from a firm handle like the Takuma or the new Unit handles. Personal preference for sure and OR will have other options available I believe.

Final thoughts; its interesting laying different companies' similar sized wings on top of each other to compare. I'd say OR's sizing may be closer to "actual" sizing while some other companies' may be fudging the measurements a little smaller, ie calling a 5.5 a 5m. So you may want to size up a little with the OR relative to the gruntiest wings to get the lowest end possible. There's no penalty in handling as the wing is so damn light.

Really nice piece of kit!

At the 20 minute mark of this interview there is a discussion of the OR Aluula wing -- only 8 psi in leading edge strut might be problematic. Also cost -- is it worth it?

The 5m a series says 12psi strut and 8psi leading edge. Its the rigid leading edge I've yet experienced.

Velocicraptor said..

dejavu said..
At the 20 minute mark of this interview there is a discussion of the OR Aluula wing -- only 8 psi in leading edge strut might be problematic. Also cost -- is it worth it?

Im pretty sure each size has its own LE psi recommendation. For those that have these wings, I'm curious what psi is for each size.

8psi does seem pretty low. Its a balance between weight (its a smaller diameter LE) and stiffness. Perhaps the material allows a smaller leading edge to be similar stiffness to a conventional leading edge, but significantly lighter.

From the Ocean Rodeo wing manual -

WING INFLATION PRESSURE - GETTING IT RIGHT!
Air frame inflation pressure (PSI) greatly affects the performance of your wing. The materials and seams used to build your wing have been designed to withstand considerable inflation pressures. Please read below to maximize this performance.

Next to each inflate/deflate valve is marked a recommended mid range PSI. Depending on wind strength, body weight and other factors you can tune your inflation pressure slightly below or above this number.

When is high PSI a benefit?
- Pumping up onto the foil, for example in lighter winds or when using smaller hydrofoil front wings, add one or two psi to the recommended pressure to provide more pump power.
- Using a wing in top end of its wind range, higher PSI resists air frame distortion.
- A higher PSI is recommended for heavier riders.

northy1 said..
ibid can you compare the A series vs Unit?
i was wondering to replace my 1.5 yr old unit 6m with a Aluula A series glide 6m....or wait for the new handled 2022 version of the Unit...or even their Aluula DLab version. Any thoughts on what i would lose or gain? 90kg intermediate

I sold 6m Unit about a year ago, it was great low end for getting up on foil but a handful when wind above 20knots - haven't use 6m OR but have found OR A 5m stable with gusts nearly 30knots so expect the 6m OR would be great top end

Alright Dwight, what are your thoughts??