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Rally vs. RPM

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Northwest Kiteboarding -> Gorge / Portland / Oregon Coast
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skipjack

Since 19 Sep 2014
5 Posts

Kook



PostWed Oct 15, 14 2:54 am    Rally vs. RPM Reply with quote

I need to replace my 6m RPM and are considering a switch to a 6m Rally. I currently have 8, 10,and 12 Rally's. I have always had faith in the RPM in high winds because it doesn't do anything radical. It is very predictable and not darty. I ride in the surf most of the time and want opinions on why I would like the change to a Rally. I hope there are a few people out there that have had a lot of time on both kites for a experienced recommendation.

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Windance Crew

Since 18 Apr 2008
473 Posts
Hood River Kite Shop
Obsessed



PostWed Oct 15, 14 7:58 am     Reply with quote

Skipjack,

I am a biased as a Slingshot dealer and love both of these kites, but here is my 2 cents.

Here in the Gorge the almost c-shaped canopy of the RPM handles gusts incredibly well, it doesn't jellyfish at all and that's why it has that non-Darty feel you mentioned.
As well here our waves are pretty close together compared to the coast and so you want a kite that's always in the ready-to-jump position. The RPM tends to sit more forward in the wind window and therefore is already there and waiting.

The Rally is the better surf kite. It sits deeper in the window and therefore is more likely to stay in the air with tight lines when you head downwind suddenly on your bottom turn. Basically it means you can pay less attention to the kite while surfing and more attention to the waves you came there to ride.
The Rally also has a much more swept leading edge which gives it a bigger de-power range , plus this makes it easier to rollover when you've crashed it.

The last time I went to Maui though I took the RPMs just cause I like them. Both work well in a variety of conditions.

Anyone is welcome to dispute/debate these comments. Bring it on!

_________________
Windance Boardshop- Hood River
www.windance.com

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jeremy

Since 18 Aug 2006
273 Posts
Manzo & HR
Obsessed



PostWed Oct 15, 14 8:07 am     Reply with quote

Just buy Dave's 6m Rally/bar ($400) and sell it next summer if you don't like it.

http://www.nwkite.com/forums/post-198364.html

I have an old 6m rpm myself, love it.

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Sella

Since 21 Apr 2007
1794 Posts
Doin' The Dalles
FLY'IN HIGH PIE GUY



PostWed Oct 15, 14 10:09 am     Reply with quote

You could probably dump the 8m and 6m and go with a 7M Rally / 3 kite quiver. What I like about the Rally's is they have ridiculous wind range and always fly smoothly in any condition so at the smaller size the Rally is the safer call with better relaunch when it's nuking IMO. If you need a little more power for the conditions try your larger bar from your other kites (23m or 25m lines) to get a little more throw to help close the gap between your 10.

RPM's pack more power so your 6 rpm is probably pretty close to your 8 Rally in feel already....and faster. I've started acquiring RPM's again because I cannot get my Rallys to snap fast enough to get me in and out of certain scenarios like my RPM's so I have to lead the Rally more. Note, my turning speed dilemma is based on my larger kites (10M+) so down in the smaller 6-8M range it's a completely different world as your power curve is easier to find, but the RPM is faster, so I am loving my RPM's again after I drank the Rally kool-aid a few years back. It depends how you want to tune for your session based on the conditions; do you ride deep pow or destroy the lip down the line etc. Always a good time either way. Very Happy

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