Rev Bridle Wear Modification Solution

[TGunn]

If you've been flying revs very long, and you fly a lot on hard ground, grass, etc..., like me, you've probably experienced bridle wear, where the bridle tips are larks headed thru and around the plastic end caps, especially the horizontal wing tips of the kite and at the top vertical cap bridle points. I have came up with a bridle attachment modification (new to me) that seems to have solved the bridle tip wear problem, and is working very well!

What I have done is drill a very small hole thru the center of each end cap, about the same size as the bridle line diameter, or even a bit smaller, then I thread the brilde line thru the drilled hole of the end cap, and then tie a knot to secure the bridle from sliding back out thru the hole. The hole is drilled from the inside spar end of the plastic end cap thru the plastic, into the hole that the bungee shock cord usually slides thru. Don't drill thru the very end of the end cap, instead stop when you reach the cap's bungee attachment hole. Basically, you'll be drilling thru one layer of plastic, and not all the way thru the very end tip of plastic.

Important, It is necessary to remove the bridle and bungee from the end caps first before drilling the hole, so that you don't damage the bungee shock cord or bridle.

IMPORTANT, remove and work on one end cap at a time so that you don't become confused at which way to reattach the bridle!

You will need a line sleeving wire to pull the bridle line thru each end cap drilled hole. If you don't have one, go to any music store and buy some guitar wire and make your own sleeving wire. Craft stores also sell jewelry wire that is about the same diameter and works excellent for making sleeving wires.

From the open end of the plastic end cap (the end the spar slides into), push the sleeving wire thru the drilled hole and then out the side hole that the bungee normally slides thru, then attach the very end of the bridle thru the very end of the sleeving wire, and then pull the wire back thru the hole. This will pull your bridle thru the drilled hole.

Remove the wire, then tie a knot as close to the end of the bridle line as possible, then pull the bridle line tight so that the knot is pulled and resting next to the hole, inside the end cap.

When drillng the hole, drill dead center thru the end cap, so that when the spar is inserted inside the cap, the knot on the end of the bridle line that you tied, will rest inside the spar and won't be cut by the spar's sharp edge. When inserting your spars into the end caps, make sure the brilde is pulled tight inside the drilled hole before sliding the spar inside, so that the spar hole surrounds the brilde knot (easy to do).

Your bridle line should be coming out of the drilled hole, then out the side of the caps bungee attachment hole. You want to make sure that when you reattach the bungee thru the cap, that your bridle line is coming out the side of the end cap that is facing the front of the kite, this way you'll have the maximum bridle wear protection, so when you do tip stabs, tip drags, on hard surfaces, the bridle won't be coming in contact with the ground, and the very end of the end cap will be protecting the bridle from ground contact.

I've been using this bridle/end cap modification for a few months now, and have no brilde wear from kite contact with the ground! ; )

[TGunn]

Here is a link to two pics of the mofifications:

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex...32563640&f=

[Morrunya]

Isn't that what the rubber washers on the 1.5 SLE for?

[antman]

nice idea but i have made a bridle that can withstand all the harsh surfaces here look below

i used 150 # slk line for the bridle and no matter where i fly it it holds nicely and really doesnt rob the kite of light wind peforamce

[fortflyer]

nice idea but i have made a bridle that can withstand all the harsh surfaces here look below

i used 150 # slk line for the bridle and no matter where i fly it it holds nicely and really doesnt rob the kite of light wind peforamce

Ant I think he's more concerned with connection points at the end caps, I play on cement park benches large bounders ext and I can see what he means, Tip stands, dragging ext can wear the bridle where it loops around the endcaps, even the standoffs get wear as well.

Although I do love your idea beefing up the upper bridle as I shred mine pretty bad messing with park benches, garbage cans, light poles, people or anything that comes within reach lol, thanks for that tip I plan on using it.

[TGunn]

<br />Isn't that what the rubber washers on the 1.5 SLE for?<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Watty,

No, the rubber washers that are on the leading edge end caps are stoppers that keep the end cap from sliding inside the SLE spars too far. If the rubber rings stoppers weren't on there, the end of the spars would end up cutting into the bungee shock cord. ; )

[TGunn]

Ant I think he's more concerned with connection points at the end caps, I play on cement park benches large bounders ext and I can see what he means, Tip stands, dragging ext can wear the bridle where it loops around the endcaps, even the standoffs get wear as well.

Although I do love your idea beefing up the upper bridle as I shred mine pretty bad messing with park benches, garbage cans, light poles, people or anything that comes within reach lol, thanks for that tip I plan on using it.

Jim,

That's exactly why I modified all six if my end cap / bridle connections, because of what you said.

Antman,

That's why I said at the beginning of my orginal post, that I did it because of wearing out the bridles because of hard tip stabs, flying on hard surfaces, etc...

Bridle strength under normal flying conditions (just keeping it in the sky) has never been a poblem for me since the late 80's. On the other hand, my home made stack of eight "1.5's" has a 250 lb braided dacron bridle on it, and the front kite has a stronger frame to withstand the strong pull from the tailing kites in the stack. ; )