Above or below

wannabekiter · Since 14 May 2015 269 Posts Hood river Obsessed

Ok I searched hard and came up empty.. What's easier to pull, a above bar or below bar depower? I find it takes a pretty hard yank to get the depower line loose.
Most of the time I end up putting my kite down on the water.
My GF can not depower her kite even with the kite on the water. We are both using 2014 sling shot bars. Her is only 20 days old. Bought it on a close out.
About to buy myself a new ss bar. Which one? above or below.?

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

I have both above & below bar depower SS bars, all other things being equal, the above bar depower is way easier provided you don't have trouble reaching it.

cpc219 · Since 12 Jun 2014 297 Posts The Dalles Obsessed

It's totally preference. My Naish bars have a choice to come with either above or below and I prefer the below. If you are really lit and the wind is rough it's nice not to have to try and reach up and try to grab that thing while everything is bouncing around. Also when you are depowered you don't have that extra bit of line getting in the way of the bar when it's fully out.

HRnico · Since 22 Mar 2008 261 Posts Da Hood Obsessed

I prefer above, but I use a seat harness. The below becomes so low it hard to deal with. Waist harness moves everything up alot.

wylieflyote · Wed Aug 24, 16 5:01 am

Once you become familiar with the ease of a below the bar de-power you will be free to make this choice.
Pulling the below the bar de-power isn't any more difficult than above once you learn this technique:
Push away the bar (your back lines) as you pull in your de-power (your front lines). This makes the pull super light and easy.

I personally dislike above the bar when I borrow other people's stuff. Messy, gets wrapped up and trapped. This is especially true when you've go a ton of de-power with a foot of spare line hanging.

wannabekiter · Since 14 May 2015 269 Posts Hood river Obsessed

It's not pulling of the depower line, it's getting it loose from the cleat. I have strong hands but maybe I am just getting old. Very Happy

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

Maybe the new North Clicker bar will solve the problems related to the conventional power line adjuster problems... the reaching, tugging, tangling of loose ends, etc...

You can follow the discussion by the North Rep Dan on Kiteforum.

I have found that a bar system with a longer "throw" allows me to dispense with any power line adjustment device.

In the old days, I always preferred an "above-the-bar" Pull-Pull web adjuster... like the old Wipika One... because you could just grab it and "hang" on it to get the depower you desperately needed at times, with the old kites. Times have changed though.

It will be fun to see the results of real world testing on the new North bar system... kind of pricey, but it may be justified.

Kitesurfing North Click Bar how to videos:

http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2393636&p=942852

Sella · Wed Aug 24, 16 7:07 am **Re: Thanks**

Nak · Wed Aug 24, 16 7:14 am **Re: Thanks**

voy-tech · Wed Aug 24, 16 7:21 am

With all the cleat systems (vs pull-pull of some of the older designs) you always need to first pull in the depower to unlock the line and then release it - pulling perpendicular to release the line from the cleat won't work.
And as far as depowering the kite what wylieflyote said is gold - when you want to depower just sheet in (pull the bar in) then as you sheet out (pushing the bar out) you pull in the depower - I found it the easiest way to depower with Slinghshot kites.
Personally I have both bars from Slingshot with above and below the bar trim, and while I learned to love the below the bar trim, my wife prefers the above the bar - simply because she can use her body weight more effectively to depower the above the bar trim and therefore need less arm strength.

blancoh2o · Since 15 Mar 2005 1154 Posts Oregon Phishy

west · Since 09 Oct 2008 136 Posts Lake Michigan Stoked

If you're writing several paragraphs on how to use a depower system...something is drastically wrong.....a lot of the bars are just too dam complicated. How else can a manufacturer justify $500 for a bar and lines....like Sella said on another post, KISS!!

bigjohn · Since 13 Mar 2012 663 Posts Addicted

There are a lot of bars on the market these days. Most I have not tried.

In my opinion there are two categories when picking a bar:
1) Safety
2) Preference

1) In the safety category I want a bar that I can grab any single line and flag my kite out. If things go bad and I am wrapped up in lines I do not want to have to figure out if I have grabbed the correct line that can flag my kite. I want to simply be able to grab a line (any line) and start climbing. This is a personal requirement for me (which unfortunately eliminates some very cool bars on the market today).

In the preference category there seems to be a lot of give and take. If you like one feature you will likely have to give up on another.

Preferences might include:

- Amount of throw (if you have short arms vs long arms). More throw provides for a kite to have more range in gusty conditions but is a challenge for people with shorter arms as they can not reach the bar.

- How much force does it take to pull your depower? This is a big one for many people. I have learned to live with a bar that requires considerable strength to depower, however my wife complains about this.... Which may require our future purchases to change.

- Where does the depower rope slack reside? Personally I like the slack to be out of sight (below the bar depower) such that it is not flapping around in my field of view. But this comes at a cost in terms of how much force is required to pull it.

- Can a kite be self beach landed by grabbing the upper front line (while walking towards the kite)? This usually coincides with the safety question... but perhaps not always. If your front lines do not go all the way straight to your kite (perhaps there are rings between the bar and kite) then it makes self beach landing much more difficult.

knotwindy · Since 25 Sep 2011 614 Posts Addicted

wannabekiter · Since 14 May 2015 269 Posts Hood river Obsessed

Yes mine is the older black one. Just some back ground here. I have been kiting 2 season in the gorge. About 80 days so far.
I have been kiting a place east of hood river lately. My GF has been kiting since the middle of july. So we spend a lot week nights there after work. I find putting about 5 inches or more depower makes walking the 30 yards into the wind easier. I like to get out to waist deep water when using my directional. Its just hard to pull the depower line out of the cleat once u reach deep water. No I do not let the stopper hit the cleat. So maybe the new red box is easier to use. I might just go check.

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1487 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1527 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

I have heard in person not rumor from Tony L. that when you pull more than 2" of depower with slingshot kites that you lose the maximum upwind performance. Ride powered up or switch to a smaller kite maybe??????