It is with utmost gratitude for the over-whelming generosity of Matt (aka WaterManFitness) that I now have a very nearly brand-new Epic Infinity V2 to play with for a while :o Thanks again Matt!
So this'll be an ongoing review type posting about the kite and how I get along with it. After all the hype we get on the forums, it's great to get my hands on the thing and get a closer look at it...
First the easy stuff to 'review'.
The Bag
... is large and easily handles a kite that is loosely folded and wasn't squeezed totally empty of air. I think if you strapped, vacuum-packed or spent some time on it, you travel with the Infinity and 1, maybe 2 smaller kites in the bag.
... is well designed. With a full length pocket for the bar with a draw-cord on the top, that secures the stuff from flapping around catching on things like the Cab bag & bar does. There's a loop/strap setup on the other side for the pump. The zip on the front of the bag is small 'gauge' which looks easy to break... I like big chunky ones. There's a large pocket on the top of the bag, probably big enough for a sweater or jacket to be stashed. Plenty of straps to carry boards and cinch up the contents tight.
... is graphically pleasing.
... includes a 'day' bag or lightweight bag to take to the beach. Made of the same kind of material as the Peter Lynn sand bags, it has a draw-cord top, shoulder strap and a zip at the bottom so you can carry the kite with the spars inflated.
The Bar
... has knurled grips like the Ozone bars; nice for the fingers.
... has an odd, bulky trim system but it works fine.
... has a stopper ball that should work nicely. It also keeps the safety line separate so that'll please some people.
... is acceptable overall but seriously—for a bar that costs the same as a North or Cabrinha bar and at least 1/3 as much again as the Switch bar, it's over-priced for what you get IMHO. Especially considering that it...
... has a QR. Read below :-/
The Kite
... is deep blue with minimal graphics; yellow struts with the Epic pattern thingy on it.
... has a simple bridle made of regular amsteel and... rings for the sliders. Rear pig tail is unfinished length of that stitched stuff FSer used for bar leader lines on the Speed2 etc. Hmm.
... has a small diameter LE and struts; remind me of my 13m Xbow I guess. The struts themselves have quite a severe dog-leg in them - I guess that adds to the canopy profile for effective apparent wind building. Interesting.
... is made of regular kite material, more like my 2011 Cabrinha's - whatever that is. Doesn't feel as heavy as the Cab stuff, and not as light as the 2012 Slingshot kites I've fondled.
... is made adequately - I'd like to see that seam on the LE taped; the rubber bumpers that cover the bridle attachment points should IMHO be ditched and the saved weight used to beef up the dacron on the contact bumpers on the spars.
... has regular valves. Yikes, seriously? OMFG after using Cab's Sprint system forever, going to these tiny little things is a real work-out. Do. Not. Like. Also, the little velcro strap has a bungy to keep the valve plugged. Eek.
... was probably under-inflated and was all floppy like I'm not used to a kite being. I blame the effort required to pump it up and just giving up on it. Will use a gauge next time. ALTHOUGH it occurs to me that if you want to increase strength with thin-wall tubing, you increase the diameter - which explains why the Crossbows are more rigid... and have a fatter LE. Will see notice how this affects relaunch.
How's it fly, Mister?
... quite nicely actually! Medium to light bar pressure, and it seems to fly off the rear lines - in fact, how it feels at the bar reminds me of an arc... hands need to be wider than the Xbows for easy one-handed turns.
... easy self-launch and -land, just grab the center line and down she comes. Nuff said.
... turns quick & smoothly and makes power through the turns easily - non-stop scuds down the beach! But it's still a big kite - I don't think the turn rate is anything like the claims of "turns like a 12m!" that I've heard :( certainly not quicker than my 13.
... good pull, a real tractor when it's on the boil - can't wait to get it on the water!
Do Not Like
... the QR that is a horror show :o (It's a Blade part too which puts me off even thinking about a Fat Lady!) The QR has a very inconsistent feel and release load, and even at it's 'easiest' to release, it's still a struggle to overcome the friction of the locking clip. Often, I can't release it with my left hand; the one with the wrist I broke a few years ago and still has a weaker grip than the right... I'd hate to be out in the cold with numb hands and have to bail! Total fail. One good thing to say about it - I buried it under the sand, jammed sand every where I could but it still released... about the same as normal. Which meant it nearly required 2 hands! Replace it with a Switch QR for $30.
... its rotor-head for unspinning the lines that sticks terribly when it's loaded. See the solution above if it bothers you.
... the tendency to fall out of the sky on a slack bar that is, IMHO, more pronounced that my 16m Xbow due to the fewer struts, enhanced turning speed and need for tension on the rear lines. 'course, I could be wrong ;) or just lazy about keeping it in the sky.
All with the usual caveats - IMHO, for me, at my level now, at this time and place ;)
Winds from 2 to 4pm were 11 to 14 knots with gusts to 21 (2:30pm). It was bloody cold - less than 4°C...
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Last one is a good one!
Last day in NZ and the forecast looked good on internet, but the estuary truly delivered an epic blow! I'd gone thinking I might be able to get out on the 13m Crossbow and MAYBE the Flyradical - but as it turned out, I was over-powered in the gusts :) good times! Anyway ...
Got to the estuary about 3pm, well before high-tide (5pm-ish) but people were out so I thought rather than sitting in the car waiting, I'd just get into it! Was a bit worried about using the 13 cos it was quite windy, but no major problems and it allowed me to get away from the shallow water cos I was able to go right upwind into the deeper water.
First move of the day - back-spin transition - resulted in a face-plant :D but I kept at it and got into my groove. Nice big jumps, easy rotations when the wind wasn't gusting and great riding to be had! Had some plays with toe-side riding but it's so tough with that seat harness! Did some silly 'slides' with the board - too much fun! Managed to do a kind-of pop from toe-side but that's tough too.
After a while I got a bit tired and started making mistakes, trying to over-do the jumps - I set up for a big jump and got a great boost but ... I've over-cooked the launch and whip around 360° on the way up :o sphincter goes epileptic but I've come right around to face downwind at the zenith of the jumps and do a full rotation on the way down again (somehow I've managed to control the kite so the jump is 'normal') and rather than wiping out badly, I narrowly miss riding away ... a small splash down. Phew! Check my shorts!
I take it a bit easier from then on and let the kite do the work ...
Got to get home for a BBQ with the family so I wrap it up feeling tired and fulfilled. Great end to the trip!
Moment of the Day is a tough call cos the whole session was pretty epic. There were a few front-spins that were pretty awesome though ...
Weather was epic. Survival mode in the worst gusts but mostly it was having fun then fighting hard to boost huge ;) in the gusts. The locals were on 8m kites, or maybe 10m at the end of the session. Wind was a bit punchy at the start but got a bit more consistent as the time passed.
What I learned today ...
• 13m Crossbow is a total Swiss Army knife of a kite ...
• Managed to make a propeller of the kite :-/ crashed it during a transition, got a bridle looped over the kite the wrong way ... I was worried it would take off as it started spinning but it spun into the water, then I succeeded in unwrapping and and kept flying - lucky!
• Don't try too hard on the jumps.
• It's amazing what you can get away with sometimes.
• It's amazing what small cock-ups can really hurt.
• Don't open your mouth to say OH crap when you crash - estuary water tastes real bad.
• Don't hold your breath on jumps ... can you believe it?
• 720-amour Sharks float very nicely :)
Got to the estuary about 3pm, well before high-tide (5pm-ish) but people were out so I thought rather than sitting in the car waiting, I'd just get into it! Was a bit worried about using the 13 cos it was quite windy, but no major problems and it allowed me to get away from the shallow water cos I was able to go right upwind into the deeper water.
First move of the day - back-spin transition - resulted in a face-plant :D but I kept at it and got into my groove. Nice big jumps, easy rotations when the wind wasn't gusting and great riding to be had! Had some plays with toe-side riding but it's so tough with that seat harness! Did some silly 'slides' with the board - too much fun! Managed to do a kind-of pop from toe-side but that's tough too.
After a while I got a bit tired and started making mistakes, trying to over-do the jumps - I set up for a big jump and got a great boost but ... I've over-cooked the launch and whip around 360° on the way up :o sphincter goes epileptic but I've come right around to face downwind at the zenith of the jumps and do a full rotation on the way down again (somehow I've managed to control the kite so the jump is 'normal') and rather than wiping out badly, I narrowly miss riding away ... a small splash down. Phew! Check my shorts!
I take it a bit easier from then on and let the kite do the work ...
Got to get home for a BBQ with the family so I wrap it up feeling tired and fulfilled. Great end to the trip!
Moment of the Day is a tough call cos the whole session was pretty epic. There were a few front-spins that were pretty awesome though ...
Weather was epic. Survival mode in the worst gusts but mostly it was having fun then fighting hard to boost huge ;) in the gusts. The locals were on 8m kites, or maybe 10m at the end of the session. Wind was a bit punchy at the start but got a bit more consistent as the time passed.
What I learned today ...
• 13m Crossbow is a total Swiss Army knife of a kite ...
• Managed to make a propeller of the kite :-/ crashed it during a transition, got a bridle looped over the kite the wrong way ... I was worried it would take off as it started spinning but it spun into the water, then I succeeded in unwrapping and and kept flying - lucky!
• Don't try too hard on the jumps.
• It's amazing what you can get away with sometimes.
• It's amazing what small cock-ups can really hurt.
• Don't open your mouth to say OH crap when you crash - estuary water tastes real bad.
• Don't hold your breath on jumps ... can you believe it?
• 720-amour Sharks float very nicely :)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Flysurfer saves the day again!
Forecast looked bearable and at 2pm, the wind looked nice out at the in-law's house so I hit the estuary for high-tide around 3:30pm ...
Looked fine to begin with - me and a german guy hit the water on 13m kites and I was on the Flyradical, but very soon I went to the Flydoor then gave up on the LEI all together - simply not enough wind for fun, even in the gusts. Was pretty amazing to be riding at all though - hoorah for flat water!
As I came in to land the Crossbow, Sam turned up and went out on his 14m Rise ... he was barely holding ground. I looked at the horizon, thought about the forecast (wind falling after 4pm) and decided to break out ol' Relentless.
Good decision! Oh yeah baby, nicely powered! Big jumps ... then bigger jumps then OMFG it went up. Then up again. Then up again and right at the top I looked down and went ... fuck ... what do I do now? So I just hung on and ended up splashing down. What fun!
Wind slowly dropped off so I was reduced to boosting in the gusts, then doing rotations in the gusts, then working the kite just to get back to the shore. I gave up and packed up. Must have got on the water about 2:45pm, got off about 5:45. Nice!
Moment of the Day was looking down from the zenith of that monster jump :D comes in only just ahead of actually clicking to how to do really good back rotation transitions!
Weather was lousy. Epic dropping to crappy but man when it was good it was really good!
What I learned today ...
• I need to learn what to do when the gusts lift me directly up on a jump and I've lost all forward momentum ... plop!
• When the kite is moving back over the zenith is the time to do the back-spin rotation so when it pops out in the new direction, it pulls you in the erm new direction.
• Same goes for back- and front-spins - do 'em lazy and use the redirect to yoink you out of it!
• It seems they work best when you aim for most of the rotation then use the kite to finish ... oh isn't that what I said just above?
• The new Flyboards binding is crap. So many times it went bung on me. What's wrong with velcro?
• Wide stance on the 'door is the shiznit.
Looked fine to begin with - me and a german guy hit the water on 13m kites and I was on the Flyradical, but very soon I went to the Flydoor then gave up on the LEI all together - simply not enough wind for fun, even in the gusts. Was pretty amazing to be riding at all though - hoorah for flat water!
As I came in to land the Crossbow, Sam turned up and went out on his 14m Rise ... he was barely holding ground. I looked at the horizon, thought about the forecast (wind falling after 4pm) and decided to break out ol' Relentless.
Good decision! Oh yeah baby, nicely powered! Big jumps ... then bigger jumps then OMFG it went up. Then up again. Then up again and right at the top I looked down and went ... fuck ... what do I do now? So I just hung on and ended up splashing down. What fun!
Wind slowly dropped off so I was reduced to boosting in the gusts, then doing rotations in the gusts, then working the kite just to get back to the shore. I gave up and packed up. Must have got on the water about 2:45pm, got off about 5:45. Nice!
Moment of the Day was looking down from the zenith of that monster jump :D comes in only just ahead of actually clicking to how to do really good back rotation transitions!
Weather was lousy. Epic dropping to crappy but man when it was good it was really good!
What I learned today ...
• I need to learn what to do when the gusts lift me directly up on a jump and I've lost all forward momentum ... plop!
• When the kite is moving back over the zenith is the time to do the back-spin rotation so when it pops out in the new direction, it pulls you in the erm new direction.
• Same goes for back- and front-spins - do 'em lazy and use the redirect to yoink you out of it!
• It seems they work best when you aim for most of the rotation then use the kite to finish ... oh isn't that what I said just above?
• The new Flyboards binding is crap. So many times it went bung on me. What's wrong with velcro?
• Wide stance on the 'door is the shiznit.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
That was AWESOME!
Wind looked good all the way out the other side of the city so I dutifully waited for about the right time for the tide then headed off ... looks like a 13m day! Out comes the mid-sized Crossbow but what board? Dunno, take both ...
For a while it's just me on the water and maybe a few other guys ... started out on the Flyradical but the wind dropped so I went back to the Flydoor. Picks up again and it's rocking on the Flyradical! So I stay out for as long as I can but the legs are giving out on me ... but it's too much fun - I don't want to stop!
Had a great time and really felt in 'the zone' busting out front- and back-spins, jump and spin rotations ... awesome! Also got some big ol' jumps too which is also fun :D getting much better at setting up, executing and - more importantly - landing them! Even when I have to disco dance to get my feet under me and facing the right way :D
Front-spins still require concentration and focus though ... got spanked a few times and it was trying to do them.
As I got off the water, I counted 20 kiters out there! Brendan had arrived too and he went upwind like a little rocket, miles away from the shore - good for him!
Moment of the Day is pretty hard to pick - lets just say the whole freakin' day! Getting really smooth with the back-spin transitions, getting a bit of air on them too ...
Weather was epic. Awesome wind and flat water I mean, what more could you ask for?
What I learned today ...
• Faster kite means things have to happen faster - or slower. I can't do a back-spin transition to a simple dive turn on the smaller kite - goes over the zenith too fast and shoots out to the edge of the window, so I have to loop it ...
• Jump transitions - I need to do more work on them ... I think the key is holding the kite at the zenith until you reach the peak of your jump then dive it hard on the way down ...
• Ok this is important ... foot straps and mounting positions aka stance width.
I used to have the Flyradical on the widest cos hey, that's how I like my Flydoor. Turns out I actually like the 'radical better with the normal stance - requires less squatting over the back foot, seems to rail better and jumps the same.
Now compare that with the Flydoor ... I liked the widest stance; the board was easy to ride, went upwind fine and didn't feel like a big board under my feet. Today, I went back to the normal width stance and OMFG why is there a log on my feet!?!? Horrid, totally different board - felt like it weighed a ton, wouldn't pop at all and just felt like a giant boat under me, no fun at all ... went upwind a little better though. Not enough to prevent me from going back to wide stance ...
• The Relationship Between Depower and Jumping
(Or how I learned not to get pulled off my edge when 'powered'.)
Once the wind picked up at the end of my part of the session, I was having problems keeping the board loaded until I wanted to jump. It wasn't until I talked to Sam that I realized that what I was doing when I was doing it correctly ( :D ) was sheeting out more as I sent the kite. When I kept the bar in, I couldn't hold the power and would pop off early ... so, when more is more, then less is more.
Now that's in the front of my mind, I should like, totally rock, dude! ;)
• Tide times on www.swellmap.com, which are for Lyttleton, are off by about an hour or so ...
For a while it's just me on the water and maybe a few other guys ... started out on the Flyradical but the wind dropped so I went back to the Flydoor. Picks up again and it's rocking on the Flyradical! So I stay out for as long as I can but the legs are giving out on me ... but it's too much fun - I don't want to stop!
Had a great time and really felt in 'the zone' busting out front- and back-spins, jump and spin rotations ... awesome! Also got some big ol' jumps too which is also fun :D getting much better at setting up, executing and - more importantly - landing them! Even when I have to disco dance to get my feet under me and facing the right way :D
Front-spins still require concentration and focus though ... got spanked a few times and it was trying to do them.
As I got off the water, I counted 20 kiters out there! Brendan had arrived too and he went upwind like a little rocket, miles away from the shore - good for him!
Moment of the Day is pretty hard to pick - lets just say the whole freakin' day! Getting really smooth with the back-spin transitions, getting a bit of air on them too ...
Weather was epic. Awesome wind and flat water I mean, what more could you ask for?
What I learned today ...
• Faster kite means things have to happen faster - or slower. I can't do a back-spin transition to a simple dive turn on the smaller kite - goes over the zenith too fast and shoots out to the edge of the window, so I have to loop it ...
• Jump transitions - I need to do more work on them ... I think the key is holding the kite at the zenith until you reach the peak of your jump then dive it hard on the way down ...
• Ok this is important ... foot straps and mounting positions aka stance width.
I used to have the Flyradical on the widest cos hey, that's how I like my Flydoor. Turns out I actually like the 'radical better with the normal stance - requires less squatting over the back foot, seems to rail better and jumps the same.
Now compare that with the Flydoor ... I liked the widest stance; the board was easy to ride, went upwind fine and didn't feel like a big board under my feet. Today, I went back to the normal width stance and OMFG why is there a log on my feet!?!? Horrid, totally different board - felt like it weighed a ton, wouldn't pop at all and just felt like a giant boat under me, no fun at all ... went upwind a little better though. Not enough to prevent me from going back to wide stance ...
• The Relationship Between Depower and Jumping
(Or how I learned not to get pulled off my edge when 'powered'.)
Once the wind picked up at the end of my part of the session, I was having problems keeping the board loaded until I wanted to jump. It wasn't until I talked to Sam that I realized that what I was doing when I was doing it correctly ( :D ) was sheeting out more as I sent the kite. When I kept the bar in, I couldn't hold the power and would pop off early ... so, when more is more, then less is more.
Now that's in the front of my mind, I should like, totally rock, dude! ;)
• Tide times on www.swellmap.com, which are for Lyttleton, are off by about an hour or so ...
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Light, gusty but fun
Sneaky session!
After the squash game fell through, went down the estuary to see what it was like - but the tide wasn't in :( went for a drive and when I came back, it looked much better. Nobody else here though ... hmm. Oh well why not ...
Out comes the very big guns. Just powered, holding ground ok and trying some jumps and rotations ... bit gusty but powered enough for some B-I-G jumps - mega-hang time! The kind that you go WOOHOO on the way up then land and remember there's only a foot of water under your fins ... oops. Had people in the carpark and on the side of the road going woohoo! too which was kind of cool :)
Rode about 2 hours then gave it up as my legs were getting tired. Sam said "Well you looked powered - I'll have a shot after I finish my lessons!" :) hope he had fun!
Moment of the Day was, for once, not landing the biggest jump I think I ever down nor even the feather-soft landings I get from the Flysurfer but was, in fact, the rather stylish back-roll transitions I can do now - get a bit of a loft in the middle and they feel real nice :D
Weather was pretty crappy ... powered in the gusts, where were often, and holding ground - just - in the interim. A couple of drop outs left me worried.
What I learned today ...
• More sunblock, jackass!
• A little more leg action and a slower kite across the zenith give for a nice big back-roll transition - whee!
• Refining the jumps ... don't try too hard. Don't over-edge the board. Don't use too much body-english. Don't redirect the kite too soon ...
• Don't land heavy with weight over your toes - hurts my ankle ... better to land heavy on the heel!
After the squash game fell through, went down the estuary to see what it was like - but the tide wasn't in :( went for a drive and when I came back, it looked much better. Nobody else here though ... hmm. Oh well why not ...
Out comes the very big guns. Just powered, holding ground ok and trying some jumps and rotations ... bit gusty but powered enough for some B-I-G jumps - mega-hang time! The kind that you go WOOHOO on the way up then land and remember there's only a foot of water under your fins ... oops. Had people in the carpark and on the side of the road going woohoo! too which was kind of cool :)
Rode about 2 hours then gave it up as my legs were getting tired. Sam said "Well you looked powered - I'll have a shot after I finish my lessons!" :) hope he had fun!
Moment of the Day was, for once, not landing the biggest jump I think I ever down nor even the feather-soft landings I get from the Flysurfer but was, in fact, the rather stylish back-roll transitions I can do now - get a bit of a loft in the middle and they feel real nice :D
Weather was pretty crappy ... powered in the gusts, where were often, and holding ground - just - in the interim. A couple of drop outs left me worried.
What I learned today ...
• More sunblock, jackass!
• A little more leg action and a slower kite across the zenith give for a nice big back-roll transition - whee!
• Refining the jumps ... don't try too hard. Don't over-edge the board. Don't use too much body-english. Don't redirect the kite too soon ...
• Don't land heavy with weight over your toes - hurts my ankle ... better to land heavy on the heel!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year light wind session
Wind looked ok but lacked any punch. Rode around for a while, making the most of the estuary's flat water but struggled to go upwind much at all - had to body-drag at one point just to make the beach! Which was a shame, because the wife's parents had come down to have a look ... "Ooh that looks like a nice peaceful hobby!" was the comment of the day!
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