Rev bridles - what does what?

[imarche]

Hi,

I'm looking for an explanation of the various legs of the Rev bridle. For example:

1) Why is the outer line to the endcap of the leading edge kept loose? Will to become tight in flight?

2) What differences will there be if the position of the brake line relative to the endcap of the downspars changes?

3) Is the purpose of the center line for frame support when under load?

4) Do you tune the bridles somewhat for your own taste?

Thanks in advance from a curious soul

Cheers

Clin

[Morrunya]

1) I believe that it would tighten the bridal, and just end up adding unused weight.

2) This will adjust the amount of brake the kite has. One direction will give less brake, the other will give more break.

3) I think so. It may also be to add a little more structure to the bridal.

4) I guess you can, but if you were to try it, I would suggest keeping the origional bridal, and just making a new one out of some bridal line, this way if you don't like it, you can easily change it back.

I am not extremely knowlagable when it comes to the bridal system, so someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[steveb]

1. The outer bridle legs are slightly slack but do tighten up as the leading edge spar bends back due to wind pressure.

The bending back gives the kite a better aerodynamic shape. If the kite stayed dead flat, it would fly like a sheet of plywood, losing a lot of performance and handling.

2. Moving the position of the brake line relative to the end cap has quite an effect. At one extreme: no bridle/connected to the end cap, there is a lot of bending force applied to the vertical spars, making a no bridle option limited to very light wind conditions.

You can get an idea by taking a spar at each end and bending it carefully. You'll find that is easier to bend the spar with your hands at each end and it gets more difficult as you bring your hand together. The bridle legs help reduce the stress on the spar, but also affect the amount of turning.

If you shorten the 'down lines' that connect the upper bridle to the bottom, you start to reduce the leverage you have on the bridle, reducing the effect of your controls. At the extreme: having the 'down lines' too short will cause you to lose quad line control and your Rev is basically a dual line.

You could make a new bridle and use pigtails and sliding Prusik knots, like a dual line bridle if you want to experiment with finding your own 'sweet spot', but IMO, the Rev bridle is a very good bridle.

3. The centre bridle point is an important support for the frame, otherwise you'd either need a stiffer and heavier spar or risk it breaking in wind gusts.

4. I have done some experimenting with Rev bridles, but I found that I got more satisfaction and improved my skills more just by flying more and watching better fliers than tinkering with string & knots.

Note: I am by no means an expert, just a guy that like kites and flies them a lot.

I'm sure the real experts will post the definitive answers soon.

[johnnmitchell]

1. The outer bridle legs are slightly slack but do tighten up as the leading edge spar bends back due to wind pressure.

The bending back gives the kite a better aerodynamic shape. If the kite stayed dead flat, it would fly like a sheet of plywood, losing a lot of performance and handling.

2. Moving the position of the brake line relative to the end cap has quite an effect. At one extreme: no bridle/connected to the end cap, there is a lot of bending force applied to the vertical spars, making a no bridle option limited to very light wind conditions.

You can get an idea by taking a spar at each end and bending it carefully. You'll find that is easier to bend the spar with your hands at each end and it gets more difficult as you bring your hand together. The bridle legs help reduce the stress on the spar, but also affect the amount of turning.

If you shorten the 'down lines' that connect the upper bridle to the bottom, you start to reduce the leverage you have on the bridle, reducing the effect of your controls. At the extreme: having the 'down lines' too short will cause you to lose quad line control and your Rev is basically a dual line.

You could make a new bridle and use pigtails and sliding Prusik knots, like a dual line bridle if you want to experiment with finding your own 'sweet spot', but IMO, the Rev bridle is a very good bridle.

3. The centre bridle point is an important support for the frame, otherwise you'd either need a stiffer and heavier spar or risk it breaking in wind gusts.

4. I have done some experimenting with Rev bridles, but I found that I got more satisfaction and improved my skills more just by flying more and watching better fliers than tinkering with string & knots.

Note: I am by no means an expert, just a guy that like kites and flies them a lot.

I'm sure the real experts will post the definitive answers soon.

Excellent explanation. I would say Steve has wrapped it up in a nutshell.

[KiteLife]

I have done some experimenting with Rev bridles, but I found that I got more satisfaction and improved my skills more just by flying more and watching better fliers than tinkering with string & knots.

That's it for me, right there... Well said Steve.

Practice, practice, practice.

[imarche]

Thanks Steve! You cleared my doubts

Cheers

Clin

[big bri]

What a great explination Steve B,

Jobs a goodn

BRIAN...