Griffin TRX Questions

Has anyone been flying a 9m TRX that would like to give a bit of a review?

Im thinking of selling my 10m rebel to get one of these. Reason being i stuffed up my ankle and now have to go strapless on my surfie. I'm finding it a little tricky to switch off the power of the kite when dropping down a wave, it feels like the more speed i get the more power the kite genrerates and then im out of control. Is this poor board skills or is the kite just pulling harder as it gets quicker?
The TRX seems to be very under review'd from what i can find on the google machine. What size could a 80kg bloke on a strapless surfie get going in? I usually go out once it gets to about 16knts on the 10m Rebel, after about 20knts i'll pump up the 8m. Could i get away with an 9m TRX as a one kite quiver?

Cheers,

Andrew.

I picked up a 10.5 yesterday and am hoping to go out today or tomorrow on it so will write up some details on it after that - I am 90 odd kegs so the difference in my weight to your will likely make up for the 10 v 9 size difference, lets see how the weekend goes.

Can't comment on the 9m yet, keen to try it.

I've got the new 12m, I'm about 85k and ride a sb. Compared to my old 11m rev2 the TRX has heaps more range. I've gotten out in 11-14knts and could throw it around in the surf and was surprisingly good upwind. Yesterday had some spots of 25ktns which it handled smoothly – I had pulled on the trim but had plenty in reserve, and the kite was handling the gusts with ease. One comment is I find the trim rope (above bar) a little beyond my reach so had to grab a couple of times to get it- maybe I'm a short-arm runt.

If your after 16knts to 20+, I'm guessing the 9m should do it.

yeah, i also self land and need to fully depower, took a couple of jumps to grab the trim rope, which could be sketchy in big winds.... i'm just going to add an extension which should sort it

no complaints about it's flight performance though

Hi everyone,
I have not been kiting for a few years and started up again this season as the wind has been soo consistant.

I have a fleet of the original Griffens and started using them again in August 2012 to get back into it.

The local crew, who have changed considerably, were wondering why I was riding such big kites. The early Griffens are very High Aspect, long and narrow with 7 struts. They looked huge in the sky but still flew really nicely.

Fast turning, plenty of range and once I got my timing right, huge jumps. Really nice for wave riding.

Pumping up 7 struts individually is hard work. Pumping up the leading edge was easy as the early Griffens had a narrow LE tube.

All that change when I borrowed an 11.5m 2011 Argo of one of the boys.
The difference was chalk and cheese.

The Argo did every thing that the older Griffens did but with more ease, smoother, faster turning with a lighter feeling in the air. A much much more mature design and with a one pump design.

So I gave Chris a call, when can I have a new kite please?

They were not available just yet, still on the ship, the 2013 will be arriving soon.

Here try this 12m 2012 TRX demo till they turn up, the 2013 will be better than this. I'm 95kg an still fit enough for a good hard 2 hour session.

I think thr TRX suit my style a bit better than the Argo, they also have a bit better top end. Up here Coffs harbour a better top end means you can stay on the water longer with out changing down.

The 2013 TRX is a very nice kite to use. It has all the best attributes of an easy handling kite, fast turning, big jumping with lots of float if you want.

It goes great in the surf or in our little bit of flat water at the creek. The top end is around 27kts, probably a bit more on the gusts.

I got there early one day and by the time the crew arrived the just rigged up their 9m. I kept flying the 12m with a bit more depower than normal. The TRX did get that heavy fealing at times but not uncontrolable.

Stoked.

I have ordered the 2013 TRX 9m it will be here tomorrow by Fastway and its looking good for NE for by end of the week. I know this kite is going to be the best 9m I've owned.


Chris has sent me the latest bridle design for the 2013 kites. I'm going to use this on the 12m TRX as I know how this kite flies. He reckons that the 12m will turn even faster than it does now. That will be good for the wind shadow spots and will give the 12m even more bottom end.

I'll report back in a while after I get to know the 9m better. we are heading into our southerly wind period and that means right hand wave sailing, perfect for the 9m.

What do I reckon?

Just go and buy the best, most mature, Australian designed kite on the world market.

The new factory where they are now being made, is arguably the best sail loft in the world. So quality is no problem.

Boardbumps

Let me get this right, you are selling your rebel for the griffin? Fair enough. Let us know how that goes.

Eppo, I have been on Rebels and would take a TRX over it any day of the week. For surfing there is no comparison. That is not to say that this kite is for everyone, but have you ridden this years kite yet? I know how much you like to try and fly different kites and review them, perhaps maybe you should take one for a spin. I think you would give a fair and honest evaluation. It might not be for you, but at least you would have ridden it and can compare with other kites you like, or have flown.

I wasn't really taking any point of view...and I hand't read his post properly... I was also interested in what he finds...and yes I would love to have a go on the TRX, always have wanted to.

And as I said, I agree the rebel is ok at best in the waves...(shhh even my edges are better for what I do), strapless...forget it.

Hey Gordknot,
How did you find the 2013 bridle on the 12m....some good improvement there or not so....
Cheers

Andrew,

I have spent a bit of time on the fuse (still own three) and the rebels, but currently ride a quiver of BWS Noise kites. 90% of all of my riding is strapless surfboard. I am 93kg.

Recently, I have had the chance to test the TRX extensively( thanks to dafish), both the 17m and the 12m. Due to conditions, I have spent the most time on the 12m.

As a surf kite they do the following really well.

Loop without too much pull, which allows easy repositioning of the kite.
They turn with a pivot and very tight arc. I was genuinely surprised at the speed of turning for a 12m.
Bar pressure is light to medium with good feel, but most turning is with one hand and the twist of the wrist that is typical in the surf.
Bar depower feels progressive, rather than jerky.
Great upper range depower. I was out on the 12m when many were on 9's and 10's and I had no real urge to swap down a size, but I did pull on a little depower.

So in general terms, it's a very good kite, that behaves itself without any nasty surprises. The only outstanding question I have is the bottom end range. I have not had a the chance to try back to back in light wind with my Noise to give any real world feedback.

Also, I have not had the right conditions to test out drift stability, but have no indication of any hang ups there.

It seemed to be a kite you can throw around with confidence in a very short time. I do prefer the bws bar for simplicity and being able to untwist while riding.

So in short, I rate the TRX as an impressive surf kite.

Cheers.

Ps. I did jump it and loop it on a twin tip for bit and it was a lot of fun, but that wasn't the question that was asked.

Pps. To answer your question about continually building speed. Sometimes if the angle is wrong (ie you are heading downwind at about 45 degrees to line up with the wave), it can be kind of hard to kill the speed. The kites depower does matter in this situation. Sometimes I will ride upwind on more power and then depower the kite before take off if the angle is not too good. It does get easier with practice and sometimes a well placed cutback or roundhouse will solve it.

hmm. I don't want to overstate things here.

I rode the Fuse in the surf for a year and to be fair, I was more than happy, but here is what I reckon now.

The fuse is a top jumping kite. One of the best (I said one of, there are a few similar jumping kites about).

I have always found that it even turns OK on slack-ish lines (but only OK). I too often found myself looking for more de-power on the 7m.

From a surf point of view the biggest downside of the fuse is that it pulls like a truck through the loop and it tends to hunt toward the water (so you are more aware of flying the kite on the wave).

Now to the Griffin TRX (disclaimer - this is based on three days of testing only, I don't own one - yet, also it had the new bridle and apparently that makes quite a bit of difference). It turns quicker and doesn't pull very hard through the loop. It also means that it doesn't tend to pull you off your edge when transitioning and you want to tighten your arc (ie. Bottom turn into a more vertical re-entry).

Look, without all the hype and rambling. The TRX is a better wave kite than the Fuse. But the Fuse never claimed to be a wave kite.

Remember, you can ride any kite in the surf, but some are just better for very practical reasons like de-power range, turning speed and pull.

As an aside, I went back to back with my 7m Fuse and the 7m Argo on a grubby day with horrid gusts up around 35knots and the Argo was much better behaved and absorbed the gust in a much kinder way.

Hope this helps.

ps. Sorry about the slight derailment of the original question.
PPS . Never drop the surfboard for a Twinny when you have side shore wind and swell. It's just wrong

hey pattiecannon

have only just got the 9m, and Chris said there's a new bridle on the way that will improve it's performance - he reckons by about 40%. Have only had a chance to take it out in way under optimal wind, coz i had to get a taste, so haven't had a chance to give it a run, so have nothing to compare too.

was really impressed with the 12m. Great low end, and at 25knts was handling it smoothly with plenty of range left at the high end.

just went out my the 6m reo in 30knts plus - Chris has said the 9m is fun in that, but i was not going to make that my first test run.

I am hoping to get a Demo 9m coming to Perth, I'll let every everyone on here know - of course once I have tried it myself!

Cheers
Rich

Have had my 9m 2013 out in 35 knots so far and it felt great (rider weight 93 kg), tons of power on tap yet easy to dump it when needed,also had the 14 out yesterday,wind started off at 10-14 then ramped up to 24 knots pulled on a good handful of depower contemplated heading in and grabbing the 10.5 but was still having a ripper ride with big floaty boosts,kite still reacted fast ,was nice toe siding smashing the wave faces fully tapped out, the new TRX seems to have a great range ,my kites have the original bridles so can't wait to try the improved ones.

I have had the the 9 and 12 2013 TRX for about two months now and have ridden them in just about every condition. Yesterday I had the 12 out in 10 to 12 knots on an Alaia board. I went out to get wet and test my board, was going to put up the 17 but thought I would see how low the 12 would go. I was marching up wind in those conditions, but this was due mainly because of the board. I would not have been able to on my quad, (83 kilos). This was merely a fun test.
Same kite I have had out comfortably in 25 knots trimmed down about half way. Never felt out of control. At 14 knots this kite comes alive and jumping can begin.

Last sunday we had a nice bit of swell to go with a 25 to 30 knot southerly and I rode the 9. I have been riding that kite as low as 16 knots on a surfboard. I can't find all the right words to describe how dynamic this kite is, the way it turns so quick without pulling you off the board, the smoothness of the turning speed, or the way it loops down the line. I loaned it to a friend who has been on C kites forever and he said it was the first kite he had flown in his search for a new kite that is really exciting to fly, and I guess that is how I feel about them.
So last week ramped up to about 30 knots, and for me for me I reached what I would call it's peak, where I knew it would be more fun on a 7 so I switched with someone who had a 7 TRX. He is bigger than me, and more skilled so he didn't mind the swap.
While riding the 7 I found it a little too quick, so after an hour or so I came in and moved the rear lines to the next setting up the kite and found this to be the sweet spot for this kite. Nice bar pressure which lets you know where the kite is without being heavy, super fast predictable turning, and as mentioned many times, superb looping. This kite has that same on and off switch like the 9 and 12, and it really gives you the opportunity to surf the wave when you want to.
I hope to post up a clip of one of the riders pulling off some amazing backroll transition loops on the lefts, which he then would land going right on the same wave at mega speed. Very impressive and he made it look so easy. I can say I am not game enough to try that, very high price to pay when it goes wrong, but for the uber skilled this kite makes it easy.
I know there are loads and loads of really great kites out there, each with their own little specialty that we either love or hate. This kite is definitely one that should be tried along with others in pursuit of that golden ride.
Hopefully I can get a hold of a short clip of these kiteloops, they are wickedly good! I ordered a 7 for winter, I think I will be needing it.