Jump to content

Race Frame for REV II


johnesso

Recommended Posts

The REV II is high on my shopping list and the guys at Briskites (Brisbane, Australia) are sending off an order on Wednesday. I've had an SLE Standard and Vented (both sold) and am looking for something, other than the Supersonic or Shockwave, that will get around the air with a lot more zip than the 1.5 SLE's. It's now Monday night on the west coast of Australia and the kite shop is closed tomorrow. Therefore the question gets thrown to the forum.

There's an option available for a Race Frame for the REV II. Is the cost of this additional frame significant? - US Dollars will do.

Are there any lighter frame alternatives other than the Race Frame (just what is that precisely?) that would be strong and also give the REV II a lower wind capability?

I do have two L/E spars and the lower spreaders from an R-SKY Frenezy left over. The lower spreaders are Sky Shark II P200, each measuring 24"or 61cm. The L/E spars are Structil Hi Mod 1/4", or 6mm. Could these be put to good use?

If the Race Frame cost isn't significant then I'll go ahead and get one. But if what I have can give me a good alternative I'll save some money and modify those.

The shop have one B Series Vented (Purple). I think that one will be coming home to my place as well.

Any advice/information would be appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's an option available for a Race Frame for the REV II. Is the cost of this additional frame significant? - US Dollars will do.

About $90 US for the stand-alone frame. You could probably order the kite with just a race frame for significantly less.

Are there any lighter frame alternatives other than the Race Frame (just what is that precisely?) that would be strong and also give the REV II a lower wind capability?

The race frame is a reengineered version of the standard spars. It's lighter and stronger than the Rev SUL frameset (the two-wrap, which are labelled "Professional Use Only") and while the sticks might be a little bendier, their ability to bounce back to straight is much higher, so the kite will be more responsive.

I've been flying Rev IIs since '91 and can say that the only two frames you'd ever need in the kite are a race frame and a 3-wrap. At this point a race frame is the only one I'd use in a non-vented Rev II -- and I'd use them for both indoor and outdoor flying. I also fly a vented II and I use a 3-wrap frame in that kite.

It should probably be noted that I only fly Rev IIs without a bridle and typically on 5-10m lines.

I do have two L/E spars and the lower spreaders from an R-SKY Frenezy left over. The lower spreaders are Sky Shark II P200, each measuring 24"or 61cm. The L/E spars are Structil Hi Mod 1/4", or 6mm. Could these be put to good use?

The vertical spars on the II are 24" and your Sky Sharks could be used there. The leading edge spars used to be 2 x 37" but are now 3 x 24.75". You really do not want to use any type of pultruded rod in a Rev...the kites just really aren't designed for that type of spar, so I'd leave out the Structil.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About $90 US for the stand-alone frame. You could probably order the kite with just a race frame for significantly less.

The race frame is a reengineered version of the standard spars. It's lighter and stronger than the Rev SUL frameset (the two-wrap, which are labelled "Professional Use Only") and while the sticks might be a little bendier, their ability to bounce back to straight is much higher, so the kite will be more responsive.

I've been flying Rev IIs since '91 and can say that the only two frames you'd ever need in the kite are a race frame and a 3-wrap. At this point a race frame is the only one I'd use in a non-vented Rev II -- and I'd use them for both indoor and outdoor flying. I also fly a vented II and I use a 3-wrap frame in that kite.

It should probably be noted that I only fly Rev IIs without a bridle and typically on 5-10m lines.

The vertical spars on the II are 24" and your Sky Sharks could be used there. The leading edge spars used to be 2 x 37" but are now 3 x 24.75". You really do not want to use any type of pultruded rod in a Rev...the kites just really aren't designed for that type of spar, so I'd leave out the Structil.

Thanks very much for the reply.

The next chance I get to talk to the people at the kite shop is the day after tomorrow. I've just sold off most of my kites, including the standard and vented 1.5 SLE - along with a couple of dual line kites. I do miss the Revs the most however and this is what prompted a new purchase.

The choice for a REV II is a recent fancy. I like the idea of the speed factor, something lacking in the 1.5 SLE, without getting pulled all over the flying field. As these kites are flown when the wind is in the upper ranges anyway would the Vented REV II be the preferred choice. I know that in comparision I much preferred the Vented SLE to the Standard because of the smoother, less bumpy, handling.

Which do you feel gives the better enjoyment factor. I don't have the advantage of being able to try any of these kites out, or even look at them in the flesh before purchase. I live near Perth, Western Australia and the kite retailer is a minimum 4 hours flying on a modern jet on the east coast. I'm going to have to commit to one - and then there's the colour choice. An opinion from someone who has both is obviously worth something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still on the subject of alternate frames - I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has made up a lighter frame not using Race Rod components and are happy with the result - and what was used.

My Standard REV II order has been sent off and have been told it'll be available in two weeks. I had been considering buying the optional Race Frame but must admit that the quoted price left me a bit breathless ($170.00 Australian Dollars).

I can't recall where but I remember an article about another REV II owner using Sky Shark P200 for the frame. Factoring in all costs a Sky Shark rod frame comes in at $55.00, which is less than 1/3 the cost of the Race Frame. And as Sky Shark rods are available from P90 to P400 - is 90 or 100 too light for the REV II.

Would the Structil Hi Mod from my R-Sky Frenezy be alright to use for the lower spreaders?

For someone that enjoys flying Revs, but is basically just a hack, is the Race Frame that much better that it justifies the huge price difference?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

vented rev 2 = zero pull.......... but dive stops suffer

also the rev 2 non vented works just as well in upper 20+ winds w/o having the pull as you would from lets say the 1.5 ...stock sail and frame in as low as 4mph winds by swaping out line sets even less on a few custom ones I have but I haven't gotten indoors with it yet.

the p200 is not bad for LE and down tubes for a rev 2 and not as bad as I expected to be, I also went as far as 1/2oz sail and lighter LE material so I can,t give a honest response to how the affect will be on a stock sail...........

How ever the short time {3 hrs}I had with the race rods and one of my other revs2 before some stupid human and a dog{human, not the dog since I told Hu8 to harness the dog } put an end to my enjoyment and positive feel through the handles with the race rods by destroying the frame......

race rod felt better in the rev2

Watty

I'm curious on the results you'll get with the rev2 and race indoors ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

vented rev 2 = zero pull.......... but dive stops suffer

also the rev 2 non vented works just as well in upper 20+ winds w/o having the pull as you would from lets say the 1.5 ...stock sail and frame in as low as 4mph winds by swaping out line sets even less on a few custom ones I have but I haven't gotten indoors with it yet.

the p200 is not bad for LE and down tubes for a rev 2 and not as bad as I expected to be, I also went as far as 1/2oz sail and lighter LE material so I can,t give a honest response to how the affect will be on a stock sail...........

How ever the short time {3 hrs}I had with the race rods and one of my other revs2 before some stupid human and a dog{human, not the dog since I told Hu8 to harness the dog } put an end to my enjoyment and positive feel through the handles with the race rods by destroying the frame......

race rod felt better in the rev2

Watty

I'm curious on the results you'll get with the rev2 and race indoors ;)

I think I'll just have to wait until the rev2 arrives and see how it goes with the standard frame and lines. These economic times have forced me to consider where the dollars are going right now. I'd sold off all of my kites, except for to very large Premier delta's, and am slowly rebuilding the kite collection. I'm seriously considering getting a B Series Standard for lighter winds. $170 for a rev2 Race Frame equates to 1/3 the cost of the B Series, with lines, here in Australia ($522). If the Race Frame didn't cost so much I'd have it on the order now, but it does command a high price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The REV II is high on my shopping list and the guys at Briskites (Brisbane, Australia) are sending off an order on Wednesday. I've had an SLE Standard and Vented (both sold) and am looking for something, other than the Supersonic or Shockwave, that will get around the air with a lot more zip than the 1.5 SLE's. It's now Monday night on the west coast of Australia and the kite shop is closed tomorrow. Therefore the question gets thrown to the forum.

There's an option available for a Race Frame for the REV II. Is the cost of this additional frame significant? - US Dollars will do.

Are there any lighter frame alternatives other than the Race Frame (just what is that precisely?) that would be strong and also give the REV II a lower wind capability?

I do have two L/E spars and the lower spreaders from an R-SKY Frenezy left over. The lower spreaders are Sky Shark II P200, each measuring 24"or 61cm. The L/E spars are Structil Hi Mod 1/4", or 6mm. Could these be put to good use?

If the Race Frame cost isn't significant then I'll go ahead and get one. But if what I have can give me a good alternative I'll save some money and modify those.

The shop have one B Series Vented (Purple). I think that one will be coming home to my place as well.

Any advice/information would be appreciated.

Hi. Not sure about the performance in a Rev II, but I have been tinkering around with lots of different frame sets of late in a Rev 1.5. My current light wind favorite is a skyshark P300 center leading edge, with all the remaining outers P100s. Its a pretty nice, inexpensive alternative to the Race Rods. An all P200 or all P100 set works fairly well too, but all P100 is a bit too flexy as the winds crank up, and an all P200 (I really like that set) just doesn't flex enough as the winds get light. YMMV

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...