What's the best bar on the market?

It's interesting to me how specific the bar is for its application. Some guys are talking bells and whistles and 650kg lines. This is a pic of Florian Trittel, hydrofoil pro tour racer who is using a custom setup consisting of a carbon bar, shackle instead of chicken loop and lightweight lines (typically 250kg breaking stain only). No quick release in slight, although there does appear to be a leash. I know a few guys who don't bother. I've personally been playing with the BRM Clouds and Greg's CCS setup which is pretty minimalistic. Horses for courses I guess.

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Youngbreezy said..

waveslave said...

Gorgo said..
It seems to me there are only 3 kinds of LEI bars:

Actually there's a fourth. ^^^

A custom bar like my very own.

But I like how you attempted to categorize them anyway.

My bar is so simple it hardly even exists.

There's no trimmer, no swivel, no big-arse-chickenloop-with-dick ...

phew,,,

no stupid double chicken ropes, no long leader ropes, no big-arse-golfclub-bar-ends,

phew,,,

no rubbery floaties, no bungie line managers, no 'safety' leash attachment, or mini-fifth or whatever they call it now.

phew,,,

cause there's no 'safety'. hahaha

But I just restrung it with brand new lines so my well-used kite(s) now feel quite newish and twangy.

How many times have you boasted about your custom bar on this forum? No literally how many times I'm sure you must remember the exact number ?

How can you have had the time to mention your bar so many times but still haven't managed to disclose your age or shoe size?

Hey Youngbreezy,

Is that you RPM ?

(But I already knew that) lol.

I've been facebooking your Missus lately so you can ask her about me.

She knows my shoe size.

alright, alright I'll bite. it really depends on how you are riding. I need a proper stopper, use it all the time...and a microhook, but that's by the by. If I was only wave riding. foiling...man make it as simple and clutter free as possible. If I hooked in all the time surfing wouldn't even use a damn chicken loop, hence not even a harness hook. It all depends on functionality and for what purpose. Like kites, they need their own place along the spectrum of styles.

Line wise...ozone lines (epic use the same lines) are the best I've used. Apparently Q power pro are even better. North lines, while much better on the latest incarnations, really let the damn bar down. Not sure why they've never sorted that one out completely. Fluff up real soon and nearly every session I'm swearing my box off trying to run the damn things out!!!..grrrrrrrrr

I don't have a c4 anymore. Used to have a 10m . It did great loops but I prefer the stupid lift and glide and upwind of the edge

Yes many have heard 'fckin north lines!!' Randomly shouted out Down our local Spots....

Hey plums my chicken loop on my ozone bar is about half the size of that one in the photo. You have a massive donkey dick as well! Maybe they're just bigger in NZ!
I hate the corroding magnets on the ozone, (could just be Velcro) but otherwise they are are a simple dependable set up. If I was really picky..... Since they went to soft ends they have grown longer and a size in between the 40 & 45cm would be perfect. The crazy fly 2016 sick bar (bar only) looks great, but I have heard they have a few issues.

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shi thouse said..
Gorgo...the Cabrinha X1 also runs both lines down the 1 tube

In the Spare Parts section of the Cabrinha web site they call it "Black multi-bore PU tubing w/4mm Dynema mainline...". That could be a cut/paste error. They don't mention multi-bore on the product pages.

As long as all the lines are enclosed I would be happy. I guess the modern system of having the leash rind inside the chicken loop allows a single bore tube to make sense.

Multi-bore is mentioned here but you can't actually see the anything in the graphics.

?t=4m30s

My only complaint with these plastic enclosed systems is that it is extremely difficult to replace the chicken loop line. It's integrated into the tube and the end bits. You have to buy a $100 assembly instead of simply splicing up a $3 length of dyneema.

Depending on the design the dyneema emerges from the tube and then simply loops around a shackle. Over time random strands of dyneem break and it looks a bit shabby.

It would be very easy to design them so that the dyneema is either totally protected and never needs replacement, or so that the dyneema can be easily replaced (ie have a wide collar at each end so the dyneema can be easily looped around it.) I am guessing liability issues (and spare part sales) are a good reason not to encourage homemade structural replacements.

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djdojo said..
Plummett, you have a C4 bar hence the big CL - for ease of hooking back in. Pretty sure you can buy and fit a regular (smaller) loop from Ozone. I like that the flagging line on Ozone doesn't run through a tube - less places for sand and crud to get stuck and I can see at a glance if it is twisted or wearing. Simple simple simple.

No. I have the normal bar and chicken loop. That pick is something I dragged of the interweb. Its still too big and bulky. As is the safety.

Compstick is ok.

However you need to really keep on top of maintenance as the swivel doesn't take much to jam with a little sand. Once it is jammed its a pain to fix.

Trim ropes now cost $49 each. I'll use between 2 to 3 a year.

Sand back the hole in the bar as the edges become rather sharp.

Does you misses let you use the sewing machine?

Thanks all for the tips! On the splice. I'll give it a crack this week.

Thanks

This is a great topic, and something I have been thinking about for a while, from feedback about bars. let me know if you agree:

1) Soft Bar Ends ( adjustable ones are weaker, more to go wrong, very stabby if hit in the head board etc )

2) No above bar swiveling mace ( Above bar swivels dont work well, king of the air a swivel wrapped around the lines and the guy went to hospital, so swivels dont work great and are a danger )

3) Below bar swivel, above bar cleat depower with velcro to stop depower strap flapping

4) PU covered main line and saftey line ( some people dont like the feel of a pu covered line, having the saftey and main line covered makes the line last a year, or a month or 2 without )

5) thicker inside kite lines for extra strenght

So I was thinking of having a website where you can order and customize this bar, with or without PU tube, and 20m 25m 27m line lengths for about 260 USD. I wonder if people would be interested, parts brand name ronstan, cousins etc, and are from the same factories that make the other bars. Up to $700 for a bar of similar features seems a bit over the top. Ok bring on the flamers...

Final bar would be similar to the ozone bar but PU covered center line, short push away swivel velcro for depower strap

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KiteDesigner said..
This is a great topic, and something I have been thinking about for a while, from feedback about bars. let me know if you agree:

1) Soft Bar Ends ( adjustable ones are weaker, more to go wrong, very stabby if hit in the head board etc )

2) No above bar swiveling mace ( Above bar swivels dont work well, king of the air a swivel wrapped around the lines and the guy went to hospital, so swivels dont work great and are a danger )

3) Below bar swivel, above bar cleat depower with velcro to stop depower strap flapping

4) PU covered main line and saftey line ( some people dont like the feel of a pu covered line, having the saftey and main line covered makes the line last a year, or a month or 2 without )

5) thicker inside kite lines for extra strenght

So I was thinking of having a website where you can order and customize this bar, with or without PU tube, and 20m 25m 27m line lengths for about 260 USD. I wonder if people would be interested, parts brand name ronstan, cousins etc, and are from the same factories that make the other bars. Up to $700 for a bar of similar features seems a bit over the top. Ok bring on the flamers...

Final bar would be similar to the ozone bar but PU covered center line, short push away swivel velcro for depower strap

Yer, agree with everything you said except for the PU covered centre line....

As djdojo said,,, keep it simple

Although, what u are describing without the PU is the Ozone setup as u mentioned

For me, the latest Ozone bar (with soft ends) is the best.......Clean and Simple!

cross between the crazy fly and ozone. The crazy fly bar itself is simple. Doesn't need giant cow horns just soft ends. Outside lines need some cushioning or stiffness to prevent wrap. Colour coded bar and lines. Adjustable stopper is difficult with PU covered but would be great. Single line flag out like ozone. All those that require a knot to slide through a small opening can be unreliable. I could name a few. Some have far too many parts in their quick release with pins that can rust and fall out. The chicken loop may become obsolete, so a system that can be connected straight to shackle may be cost effective and a seller to sliding wave riders + what you already have said.

The best bar without a doubt is the Cloud bar by Board Riding Maui. It is simple, light and huge amount of depower. I would guess it is less than half the weight of the next lightest bar. He also fits it with an amazing connection system that is far superior to anything on the market. The only thing you can't do with the bar is unhooked tricks.. After a couple of years using this bar anything else seems like it is from the last century. The owner of the company operates a small business out of Maui, so it may require a call to him to get a bar, but it is worth it.