Handles, what make one type better than the other?
popeyethewelder.com/facebook questions
2012
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Carlos Fandango – Lets talk about handles, there are quite a few types out there including a few new ones recently, but the question is, what make one type better than the other, when on first glance they all look like a bent tube?
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Andrew AutoBuddy Jones – There’s a difference ? Lol used to like the neoprene ozone ones but its just I liked the comfort of them
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Joshua Walsh – Liked the oz ones as well, the sleeve on the power leaders is nice. Flying more brake input now and training myself to hold down at or below the bend. All pl handles now; inexpensive and they work. Seems like adjustability is being built in now (pkd has had handles with cleats on the brake leaders for awhile.) I prefer simple, though.
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Mark Sherlock – I still use flexi handles on all my vapors, apart from the 16m. I’ve added cleats to the brakes and will be changing to continues leader and strop very soon. It’s all about what feels comfy to you personally cuz at the end of the day they’re just bent tubes :o)
- Matt Cook – pkd for me,cleats on the bottom and continuous strop/leaders
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Chris Shubotham – I prefer the Ozones for comfort, but have just bought a set of libre handles which I quite like.
- Jeroen Potters – xxgrips for real !
- Carlos Fandango – Ozzy, tell us about the XXgrips, I know on your site it says made by racers for racers, but what is the advantages of the XXgrips
- Also…what are the advantages of continuous leader and strops?
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Jeroen Potters – as mentioned it on our site, the strop is in one lenght, with a contrictor knot, one adjustment, and it will never come loose again. Also the knot is totaly at the end of the grips, wich means it will never conflict with each other. During races you do not have time to look at your kite or grips, just looking forward and around you, so that you can determine your tactics etc.. I am a racer, I want to take part of races as much as possible, so then these are the things that disturb you when using “normal” handles. We make them all by hand, the “boulders”are CNC turned and machined. pipe is aluminium, and foam around it. For me I am using them now 3 -4 years without any replacement of rope or foam. …just test them, next weekend we are at Les Hemmes ( 12th only) we always have some sets to try out. I do not want to do a sales story, but it is how it is,…cheers, Ozzy
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Mark Sherlock – advantage of continuous leader & strop is you dont have any knots to get trapped in the pulley, and can run the strop through the pulley right up to the handle which means you can run shorter strops :o)
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David Lees –I have pair of Elliot alu. handles (bent pipe with good rubber grips) that aren’t bad. I use Flexi handles; first the black ones & then the grey ones. They would break far too often. Flexi introduced the Prolink handles that are good in so much that they don’t break. They are somewhat heavier than most handles, not that it bothered me. The fixation for the strop is good i.e. no more pigtails & larks head knots. I found the rubber falling off at the tops of the Prolinks that I have fixed up with electrical tape. I prefer the rubber grips of the former flexi handles. I have used the Ozone handles , which are very good.
- Martin Smith – I like the Ozone ones, but I’v just had to replace the power leaders and strop on a set mind that is after 2 years use
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Robin Cook – Extremely partial to my Pro-Links. Like the extra weight and solid feel and how my hand sits on them. Watch the bolts for the strops though, something other than a slotted bolt would have been better as the heads chew easily if there tough to undo.
Also using a set of ozone composite handles, much lighter than the pro-links but extremely comfortable. Not had much time flying with these yet. -
Alan Vidow – I like the Pkd as all rounders for the all in one leader/strop & adjustable brakes (great for us as we like different amount of brake) but the ozone pro’s & pL handlers are nice.
- John Jones – i like my ozone handles, but only because they have the strop built in, i also use quite regularly the handles that came with my flux from pansh, they are ok, but like you say its a bent tube, with leaders top and bottom, whats the thing with the pro-links, are they really that special
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Robin Cook – First kite was a flexi rage and I got the prolinks with it. Guess I got used to em but most other handles feel too light now.
It’s all personal preference I suppose. I’d rather swap me handles than fly someone else’s kite on hollow tubes lol -
Nick TheTog Horler – Thats easy!!! it has to be the Wind welders handles be using them for over a decade now…
- Pete Stinson – Xxgrips are top quality but I miss the cleats for adjusting the brakes. Especially with the combats as to much brake and ur going sideways. I always try to get a lap in to see if the brake needs adjusting before racing. But that could just be my inexperience
- Stephen Berry – I too like the pkd handles as favoured by AV i think i am getting to adjust them better now it has taken me some time to adapt to them though.
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Al Noblet – fingers more to work with) but the main reason i make handles is because i can tune them to the kite, some kites kile lots if brake pull, others not as much, i find factory handles are almost always to long for the kite…my 2.2m needs only 250mm of handle leverage….it also means you wrist has the most mechanical advantage it can get and your kites never invert and reverse lauch when parked due to to much brakeline pullup.fingers more to work with) but the main reason i make handles is because i can tune them to the kite, some kites kile lots if brake pull, others not as much, i find factory handles are almost always to long for the kite…my 2.2m needs only 250mm of handle leverage….it also means you wrist has the most mechanical advantage it can get and your kites never invert and reverse lauch when parked due to to much brakeline pullup.
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Marcus Edwards – what do you use to make your handles? plastic or ali ?
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Al Noblet – always aluminum….
- Robin Cook – Any chance of a pic of a set Al. Need handles for all my kites and making my own would be a cheaper option and made to suit each kite too.
- Al Noblet – ill take some photos, a mountainbike handle is a great shape as when you pull the break your still pulling against a “flat” surface nline with your arm so to speak…..so you can handle the breaks with your arm muscles rather than trying to rotate with your wrists…its a lot less work and much better in hugh winds i have found.
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Robin Cook – Cheers mate. Do you mean this style of handlebar? LINK
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Al Noblet – thats the one…..iv just taken a few pics…follow soon.
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Al Noblet – distance between mainline and brake is 200mm for a 2.2mm peterlynn N-GEN…..kite will sit all day parked with brakes pinned, as will any kite with tuned handles…the allowance for thumb room ontop of the mainline is important, this is massive
- Maarten de Graauw – why the second bending in it? no use for it, just visual….?
- Al Noblet – far from visual, if it was about visuals would be rocking carbon handles, not second hand mountainbike handlbars cut in half….its about your wrist joint and fingers having the best positoon on the bar without getting tired …look at how my hand is holding te bar compared to if it wasnt bent and imagine how it would feel.
- Brian Holgate – These totally make since in my head. Would love to try a pair. I bet it would make freestle with handles a lot easier.