327 replies to this topic

[Love2fly]

Have to be patient there Rich, want to get response from you guys first before we go into printing for centers and all that production stuff.
John has come up with a really cool logo.
Hopefully will have something for you all at WSIKF if I get these orders done in good time.
I'll say no more on that. Your just have to wait.
It's going to be a fun time.
So excited to hear what you all think.

Bazzer

Hi Bazzer-
Four days and counting....
Can I'll call "first dibs" on it....
WSIKF, here we come!!!

[Bazzer]

I want to see this thing fly in next to nothing wind so if you guys end up picking sticks ideal for something like 3 or 4 mph then stop it! I'm looking for the .5 mph range and usable in that range without all the leg work. If I'm going to invest in one come January it needs to be very, VERY low wind worthy. That will almost guarantee that we will never see the light wind and I can fly my regular B series for a change.

If that ends up being the case then consider a frame option for the extreme low end as well.

Oh what a wonderful west wind we have right now. Too bad I'm stuck indoors for another 7 hours. Sure to be gone before I get out. But there might be .5 mph winds by that time. Hmmm, wonder what I might be able to get for .5 mph winds??

I wish I could give this a try in my conditions. I'm really curious what it would do in the messed up stuff here.

Bart

Hi Bart,
0.5MPH ! stood still! maybe if your name is John, Steve, or Simon!
For the rest of us mere mortals without that level of indoor/ ridiculous low wind rev control we will still need some leg work.
Like I said before low wind flying with any Rev requires skill. It isn't like a two line kite which is constantly in forward. You adjust everything in flight. Adjustments in low wind are all about feel and pressure and also creating the same. The Zen will give us more sail pressure and feel but we still must have the knowledge and experience to know what to do with it.
One thing for certain is that The Zen will give you a much happier day of flying in the lower winds and the messed up low stuff in your home town.
Bazzer

[bartman]

Hi Bart,
0.5MPH ! stood still! maybe if your name is John, Steve, or Simon!
For the rest of us mere mortals without that level of indoor/ ridiculous low wind rev control we will still need some leg work.
Like I said before low wind flying with any Rev requires skill. It isn't like a two line kite which is constantly in forward. You adjust everything in flight. Adjustments in low wind are all about feel and pressure and also creating the same. The Zen will give us more sail pressure and feel but we still must have the knowledge and experience to know what to do with it.
One thing for certain is that The Zen will give you a much happier day of flying in the lower winds and the messed up low stuff in your home town.
Bazzer

Well, perhaps not "planted", but I think you get what I mean. Right now I am getting about 1 day in 7 with wind I can use. There are many days when the B with the 2 wrap will not work for me due to the wind being just too low. There is wind, just not enough. So, if I can make use of this lower wind I might get another 2 or 3 days/evenings to be out there. Maybe not the .5 mph stuff, but it would be nice to be able to something.

Based on my assumption of what this will cost for a custom it has to be totally usable to me in the "Zen" conditions that are spoke off and I'm thinking for me that means more than up/down/left/right while walking forwards and backwards. I do a lot of that now as I improve my low wind work so I am getting comfortable with gaining more control by moving.

Not just talk. I am planning for an order in January or February so I can have it for spring, providing it is the very low wind god that it sounds like.

Bart

Edited by bartman, 12 August 2009 - 01:14 PM.

[Steve de Rooy]

Hello Bart....

Great to hear that you are thinking about getting the Zen... Ive got to say these are amazing Kites and made our job as a team a lot easier to fly in the lower winds... for sure..

And talking about really low flying... from my experience of low wind flying make a kite as light as possible is not always the best thing to do... Weight being placed in the right area of the kite will help produce forward momentum and lift during flight. Also being in the right frame of mind of I have the best equipment now .. it has to work... Its more the frame of mind of Im going to make it work .. and these kite is not hitting the ground if its the last drop of wind left. Hope that makes sense....because Im confused.. hahahahah Just joking..... Just give it all you got....and one of my favorite saying the more you put into something the more you will get out of it..

and Laura and the rest that are coming from the east coast..... Cant wait to see you all and welcome to the west coast... This is going Awesome week of flying an trying the new Zens out... I cant wait....to see what you all think.

I think the hardest decision about these ZENs for most is what colors to put in which spot on the kite... heehee

[Love2fly]

and Laura and the rest that are coming from the east coast..... Cant wait to see you all and welcome to the west coast... This is going Awesome week of flying an trying the new Zens out... I cant wait....to see what you all think.

I think the hardest decision about these ZENs for most is what colors to put in which spot on the kite... heehee

Hi Steve-
I can't wait to see you guys, meet some new peeps, and put faces to the guys who post here. I totally agree.... it is going to be a great week.
As far as the Zen... I'm hooked... just like I was when I first saw a rev and knew I had to own one... well... two...or three or.... ....
I have some ideas for colors... !!!

See you in four days....

xoxo

edited for spelling

Edited by Love2fly, 12 August 2009 - 02:00 PM.

[bartman]

Hello Bart....

Great to hear that you are thinking about getting the Zen... Ive got to say these are amazing Kites and made our job as a team a lot easier to fly in the lower winds... for sure..

And talking about really low flying... from my experience of low wind flying make a kite as light as possible is not always the best thing to do... Weight being placed in the right area of the kite will help produce forward momentum and lift during flight. Also being in the right frame of mind of I have the best equipment now .. it has to work... Its more the frame of mind of Im going to make it work .. and these kite is not hitting the ground if its the last drop of wind left. Hope that makes sense....because Im confused.. hahahahah Just joking..... Just give it all you got....and one of my favorite saying the more you put into something the more you will get out of it..

and Laura and the rest that are coming from the east coast..... Cant wait to see you all and welcome to the west coast... This is going Awesome week of flying an trying the new Zens out... I cant wait....to see what you all think.

I think the hardest decision about these ZENs for most is what colors to put in which spot on the kite... heehee

Well, I trust you guys to give these a good shake down and set them up to perform the best possible in the most diverse conditions possible. If, in the end, it is not the kite for everyone then I'd like to know that. If, though, it can fly where I can't make the std B fly now and with less effort then I am interested.

I have been flying in wind this year that a year ago I wouldn't have bothered going outside for so I am improving on that end of the scale. I just would prefer not having to work as hard if I don't have too! Okay, lazy, I know. We're just into this "summer" this year that sees days with such low wind I cannot make it work regardless of what I try. It is still outside of what I can do and still high on the frustration side trying to force it. Maybe even iQuad would give up so why am I trying? In that regard Zen would seem too good to be true if not for the .5 mph, but for that range where I can barely feel it, but know the wind is there.

Evening wind here is not really that normal. At least for a good breeze. There are some evenings a Std B with the two wrap is so smooth i can't help but wonder if it is like you guys get on the coast. There are other evenings where there is not enough, but there is something. Possibly usable something. I do find the evening is the best time for me for so many reasons so a kite option to make use of that really light evening wind when it comes... well, you can see the appeal for me.

Bart

[terry w]

ahhhh.... i love the buzz being generated by the birth of the"ZEN"
i have had a chance to fly the newest prototype at the point this summer.. even with steve still making adjustments to the final bridle settings , it flew so very sweetly in the light wind that day
i must say even in lite wind you know you got a big one on the lines .... because of it size it does have some different flying characteristics nothing huge mind you
i agree will steve d and bazz it still requires input and some technique but oh man it cuts down on of the oh my god where is my lift and the insuing panic and frustration and the kite falls out of the air
i can really see its value especially in a team flying and purchasing one is on my list
excellent job boys ... see you in long beach soon !!!!
terry
island quad

[Jynx]

Anyone ~

Any ideas when the kite will be posted on the Rev site and/or become available for purchase?

Details... We need details!!!!!

[JD]

It will be released exactly when it's ready for sale.

[Kitelife]

Simply, there will be no further infor eleased upon request.

Just have to sit tight and speculate.

[Jynx]

Simply, there will be no further info released upon request.

Just have to sit tight and speculate.

OK... I'll be a mushroom!

[mdilucca]

OK... I'll be a mushroom!

And Zen out when you wait....

Cheers
Mario

[Kitelife]

Team Zen... Oooooommmm NOW!

[FortFlyer]

Sounds like a lot of hype for a kite with such a limited wind rage (unless I haven't read all this correctly) even the SUL at least goes from 0-10 mph and to be honest the standard B to me seems to fly better in ultralight conditions than the SUL.

So what is the estimated wind range for this kite, will there be different frame options, will it be available in midvent and full vent ?

From the sounds so far this may be the perfect midvent sparred with race rods.

Another question why would this be sparred with a 2 wrap middle and race outs ? that thing must roll up like a funnel

I wonder how a Silver Bullet type LE tapering to a race towards the outside would be for this sail, That would keep more air in the targeted place by curling the edges instead of rolling and funneling out at the middle.

OK just babbling I don't get the whole limp noodle middle rod thing that always seems to make them fly like crap but that could be my flying style.

Has anyone from iQuad tried flying this thing indoors yet ?? with the wind range being as low as posted seems it may be something to look at a little closer that would make buying this more appealing because so far it sounds like a indoor kite you can fly in very low winds safely.

[Kitelife]

I think at this point, we'll wait until after WSIKF and let those who are able to test it come back here with their own unbiased reports as to it's value in the line up... At this time, only a full sail version is in the works, but it does take the Rev I frame universally, so that puts 2, 3 and 4 wraps on the menu.

I'd estimate the wind range as roughly comparable to the Rev one, with each frame's range shunted down (high and low) by 2 to 6 mph, suggested framing options are still being evaluated. .

As for indoor use, I'm hoping to give it a test this next week as well.

[FortFlyer]

I think at this point, we'll wait until after WSIKF and let those who are able to test it come back here with their own unbiased reports as to it's value in the line up... At this time, only a full sail version is in the works, but it does take the Rev I frame universally, so that puts 2, 3 and 4 wraps on the menu.

I'd estimate the wind range as roughly comparable to the Rev one, with each frame's range shunted down (high and low) by 2 to 6 mph, suggested framing options are still being evaluated. .

As for indoor use, I'm hoping to give it a test this next week as well.

Thanks John, That sheds a lot more light on it the fact alone that it can use Rev 1 frames upped the versatility big time and after trying the pro 1.5's and seeing what it did for that size sail This will be interesting to see the outcome.

To bad I can't come out to try it and I don't know of any east coast events coming that someone will have one to bring

[Dean750]

Dean,

It doesn't need to be aggressive. In light winds pull the moves slowly anticipating where the handles need to be at the conclusion of the move. 'Holding the pose' can actually [Edit] 'be' part of 'feeling the kite'.

Sometimes the lines can 'go slack' but it is still possible to 'feel the kite'. Understanding the visual 'feedback' obviously helps a lot! <grins>

Felix

Your right, it doesn't have to be aggressive. But occasionally I get a kick outta spankin the kite a little.
Where I'd normally fly with a ton of break (palms down of course) I end up moving back and forth a little.
So I got a wild hair and folded my top leaders in half and tied on. 2 to 5 mph worth of wind, I didn't have to move around as much and I found I could fly fast and hard. I'm just a different bird. I like to push it everyonce in a while. I love the feeling of pulling something that shouldn't be possible given the wind or kite set up. It's just cool.
I know how a Rev 1 axles, and I work on the full axle type cascade with my pro, and because of the way I'm sure the Zen axles I'm curious what a double axling cascade would look like

Dean

Sorry for the edit.
For those not familiar with me, I fly in 3 mph or less of wind on a faily regular basis. Street flying has still got me a bit grumpy, but I'd imagine thats because I spend the majority of my flying time on 120s.
By no means a Pro, but at least somewhat compitent when it comes to flying.

Edited by Dean750, 13 August 2009 - 02:13 AM.

[JD]

To bad I can't come out to try it and I don't know of any east coast events coming that someone will have one to bring

*cough* Mots *cough* *cough*


Ok not exactly east coast, but more east than WSIKF.... iQuad will be there, I'm sure we can let you thrown one around if you ask.

Edited by JD, 13 August 2009 - 08:33 AM.

[Jeff]

*cough* Mots *cough* *cough*


Ok not exactly east coast, but more east than WSIKF.... iQuad will be there, I'm sure we can let you thrown one around if you ask.

Saturday, August 12 at approximately 10:30 AM you will have a Rev flyer with big puppy dog eyes hanging around you begging to fly your Zen.

Please be kind to me, er, I mean him, whomever it might be and let him try it out.

[JD]

Sorry, our 10:30 appointment is already taken.


Can you do 10:00?