Does anyone have a problem with there front lines twisting on the new 2014 kites?

Ive noticed it but I only manage 1 or half a twist - I don't think its made a difference yet.. that's a SB 9metre

You know you can untwist them whilst riding

is it because you back roll in one direction only?

The older Switchblades were a far better design than the newer ones IMO.

I disagree..... (in relation to the twisted lines scenario anyway) the older swivels use to corrode and stiffen up to the point where rotating the middle lines ( from the bar end ) just ended up twisting them in the opposite direction below the swivel ( if that makes sense )

In relation to certain other aspects of the SB kites I agree......

Issues i have with the current 2014 switchblades :

Canopy Material : Even though it is supposed to be this new D2D ( Double Ripstop) in just three sessions I had two nicks both about an inch long in the middle of my canopy, I have no idea what has caused these. Never had this problem before My earlier kites even survived a few tree adventures totally unscathed.
In previous years the canopy had a stronger type material on the first panel in from the wingtip, this meant that when self launching the contact patch with the sand was the stronger material, now this panel is only about 1 third of the first panel meaning when self launching it is just thin canopy material contacting the sand.

Bar : This new adjustable bar seems like a wank and the toggles on the underside of the bar are quite frankly dangerous. in the past even on the odd chance a steering line got tangled around the bar end ( the usual start to many a kitemare ) you were able to flick it around if needed, now with these stupid T shaped toggles its almost impossible to remove the caught line. Yes the toggles should stay in the cutout but the reality is that they dont they end up dangling.

All in all I think the switchblade is a better kite today than in the past........ the kite is lighter and definitely turns faster but it has come at the expense of some toughness and a slight loss of low down grunt and bottom end.

Thanks Harry. Do you kite surf with your specs on?
Sorry couldn't help myself.

disclaimer: I've only viewed the new SB kites and bars. Have not had a chance to try one.

I agree with the bar comments the most actually. I never liked the new IDS spring system and yes those T-bar ends are a wank. The older ball style was way easier to manage.

On my old switchblade, the sheeting ring to lock in the position of maximum depower was a great idea, but unfortunately it keeps popping off under load (when doing tricks especially). Has this improved in the new IDS systems or being removed altogether?

My SB II is circa 2007 as my kite of choice (14mt). I just love the old SB II. It has tough-as material, swoops like a thunderbird plane, but has great depower. I am able to un-flick the depower positioning ring and I have another 30cm of depower. When the winds are really light (9 to 11knots for example), after some bridle adjustments, I can still kie and manage upwind. It's a great light wind kite. When it's over 18knots, I just readjust everything, put the lines on the weaker bridle knot and away I go and hardly ever be overpowered.

But as soon as I saw the IDS system with that spring mechanism down the middle, I walked the other way.

I don't see the spring mechanism as a real deterrent however one can only hope you never have to reset the safety release out on the water!

My 2012 12m SB has had a bit of wear and not sure what to update it with, the 2013 SB by all accounts was a low end flop. Then they brought the 2014 back to the 2012 bottom end and boast how it's been improved ... ingenious marketing team !

Any suggestions on a kite with similar flying characteristics to the SB, good bottom end, bit lighter bar pressure?

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Kazan said...
Thanks Harry. Do you kite surf with your specs on?
Sorry couldn't help myself.

disclaimer: I've only viewed the new SB kites and bars. Have not had a chance to try one.

I agree with the bar comments the most actually. I never liked the new IDS spring system and yes those T-bar ends are a wank. The older ball style was way easier to manage.

On my old switchblade, the sheeting ring to lock in the position of maximum depower was a great idea, but unfortunately it keeps popping off under load (when doing tricks especially). Has this improved in the new IDS systems or being removed altogether?

My SB II is circa 2007 as my kite of choice (14mt). I just love the old SB II. It has tough-as material, swoops like a thunderbird plane, but has great depower. I am able to un-flick the depower positioning ring and I have another 30cm of depower. When the winds are really light (9 to 11knots for example), after some bridle adjustments, I can still kie and manage upwind. It's a great light wind kite. When it's over 18knots, I just readjust everything, put the lines on the weaker bridle knot and away I go and hardly ever be overpowered.

But as soon as I saw the IDS system with that spring mechanism down the middle, I walked the other way.

Kazan I've recently come off 2009 SB's and onto 2013's and yes while the bottom end takes some adjusting too I can't say a thing bad about it. The spring mechanism had me wondering to start with but i cant fault it. Even in gusty conditions ive always had enough depower and it hasnt bothered me. i actually forgot all about it in the first few minutes of my first session on them.

I find it better than the sheet ring lock thing, it always came off under load and I found myself trying to climb up the center lines to retrieve it.

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kiter77 said..


I don't see the spring mechanism as a real deterrent however one can only hope you never have to reset the safety release out on the water!

My 2012 12m SB has had a bit of wear and not sure what to update it with, the 2013 SB by all accounts was a low end flop. Then they brought the 2014 back to the 2012 bottom end and boast how it's been improved ... ingenious marketing team !

Any suggestions on a kite with similar flying characteristics to the SB, good bottom end, bit lighter bar pressure?

If you had bottom end issues a 2013, then you most likely had a bar and lines issue, basically the rear lines were too long because the IDS line was too short, so anyone thinking that their 2013 SB had low end should check their lines asap.
The 2012 release was difficult to reassemble, but once the technique was learned it was not so hard (but not easy if it was very windy) the 2013 and 2014 are very easy.
My own experience with the 2013 and 2014 is that both models had excellent bottom end, and this years in my opinion is the best since the SB3 (and better).
Please check your lines, it should fix the issue of poor bottom end.

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Kitepower Australia said..

kiter77 said..


I don't see the spring mechanism as a real deterrent however one can only hope you never have to reset the safety release out on the water!

My 2012 12m SB has had a bit of wear and not sure what to update it with, the 2013 SB by all accounts was a low end flop. Then they brought the 2014 back to the 2012 bottom end and boast how it's been improved ... ingenious marketing team !

Any suggestions on a kite with similar flying characteristics to the SB, good bottom end, bit lighter bar pressure?

If you had bottom end issues a 2013, then you most likely had a bar and lines issue, basically the rear lines were too long because the IDS line was too short, so anyone thinking that their 2013 SB had low end should check their lines asap.
The 2012 release was difficult to reassemble, but once the technique was learned it was not so hard (but not easy if it was very windy) the 2013 and 2014 are very easy.
My own experience with the 2013 and 2014 is that both models had excellent bottom end, and this years in my opinion is the best since the SB3 (and better).
Please check your lines, it should fix the issue of poor bottom end.

Hi kite power , when you say check your lines , do you have any advice such as back lines should be taught when bar is sheeted in 50 mm from stop ( this is just an example) I read an article " how to turbo charge you switch blade " where it said to tie a knot at the top of your rear lines above the three other knots , this shortens the back lines slightly I guess , would you recommend any alterations ? I have two 2013 switch blades 14 m and 11 m but have never ridden anything else so can't compare to anything else

Definitely tie the extra knot..... I was soooooo disappointed with my 2013 sb until I did this, gives you back a lot of bottom end it was a fck up that obviously slipped past quality control or a deliberate safety detaining either way it makes the kite a lot better

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harry potter said..

Definitely tie the extra knot..... I was soooooo disappointed with my 2013 sb until I did this, gives you back a lot of bottom end it was a fck up that obviously slipped past quality control or a deliberate safety detaining either way it makes the kite a lot better

Harry it was definitely a screw up, but in their defence it did not show up in all kites and not straight away, and then communications with customers that had affected kites was difficult. In hindsight it probably should have been handled differently.
Rather than tie extra knots in your rear line leader at the kite, its always better to check your lines. Hook all 4 lines up to something solid, make sure the depower strap is all the way out, then pull on the bar, if you chicken loop sits up hard against the bar and there is still some slack in the rear lines then your bar has the problem. If you go to a Cab dealer they may have a new IDS centre line, if not I fit a loop to loop pigtail to the top of it these are usually about 8-10cm long and this will usually fix the problem so that you can use the Cab line pigtails to fine tune the bar so that all 4 lines are equal when the chicken loop is about 3-4 "fingers" from the bar, with equal tension on all 4 lines.

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Kitepower Australia said...

harry potter said..

Definitely tie the extra knot..... I was soooooo disappointed with my 2013 sb until I did this, gives you back a lot of bottom end it was a fck up that obviously slipped past quality control or a deliberate safety detaining either way it makes the kite a lot better

Harry it was definitely a screw up, but in their defence it did not show up in all kites and not straight away, and then communications with customers that had affected kites was difficult. In hindsight it probably should have been handled differently.
Rather than tie extra knots in your rear line leader at the kite, its always better to check your lines. Hook all 4 lines up to something solid, make sure the depower strap is all the way out, then pull on the bar, if you chicken loop sits up hard against the bar and there is still some slack in the rear lines then your bar has the problem. If you go to a Cab dealer they may have a new IDS centre line, if not I fit a loop to loop pigtail to the top of it these are usually about 8-10cm long and this will usually fix the problem so that you can use the Cab line pigtails to fine tune the bar so that all 4 lines are equal when the chicken loop is about 3-4 "fingers" from the bar, with equal tension on all 4 lines.

i tried extending centre lines for a while but didn't like the feel or handling of the kite, it was like a cheap handbag in the rain, good for nothing

then i shortened back lines at the kite 20cm and it's like a completely different kite, has got some low end back (not as much as 2012 or earlier) and handles a lot better
is ok from 16 -24 kns
was ready to give up on 2013 SB but am starting to warm to it again

had checked all lines were equal before and after mods but is 2012 bar .Should this make any difference?

I just got a nearly new 2013 7m SB on an ozone bar and found that tweaking the rear line length and trimming is critical, esp with slightly longer bar... I think the Ozone longer lines also help but may be wrong...?

Not entirely sure of the physics, but even 5 or 10 cm length has huge effect.

Also the light bar setting is a further hassle... It's certainly not plug and play...

Thanks for that info Harry and kp
I will check the lines and chicken loop and bar spacing
And see where I end up
When you say depower all the way out does that mean just pull on the black ball and power up ?

IIRC with the 2013 kites you tie a knot on the PIGTAILS OF THE KITE, not in your bar's lines.

To check the trim of your bar's lines: you're making sure they are all the same length (the ends line up) when the bar is sheeted in (on the CL). All Cab bars (from 2010 on, for sure) are trimmed like this. In fact, most kites are trimmed like this... it's a shame there's no way to check that the bridles on the kite are properly trimmed too
Then, if you want to mess with the trim on the beach, use the knots on the rear pigtails - center knot should be "all equal", nearest-the-kite knot will sheet the kite in more (supposedly better for lighter wind) and the furtherest-from-the-kite knot will limit how much the kite sheets in so you *could* use it when overpowered, but you're safer to get a smaller kite.

To the OP: you have to untwist the lines by spinning the swivel on the CL... with your hand.

With the pre-2012 bars, the safety line would twist around the center line, if you kept doing rotations in one direction only and could bind up when released, which is a reason why they changed for the more complex and finicky 2012+ QR.

Jeez people, trimming your bar n' lines is basic stuff!



EASIEST way to attach the lines - attach a line to a tree, then tie a granny knot around the lines bar-side of where the Amsteel pigtail are larks headed to the lines... don't be poking the knots with screwdrivers

Untwisting your lines - this video, 2:00 in...

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iggypop said..

Kitepower Australia said..

kiter77 said..


I don't see the spring mechanism as a real deterrent however one can only hope you never have to reset the safety release out on the water!

My 2012 12m SB has had a bit of wear and not sure what to update it with, the 2013 SB by all accounts was a low end flop. Then they brought the 2014 back to the 2012 bottom end and boast how it's been improved ... ingenious marketing team !

Any suggestions on a kite with similar flying characteristics to the SB, good bottom end, bit lighter bar pressure?

If you had bottom end issues a 2013, then you most likely had a bar and lines issue, basically the rear lines were too long because the IDS line was too short, so anyone thinking that their 2013 SB had low end should check their lines asap.
The 2012 release was difficult to reassemble, but once the technique was learned it was not so hard (but not easy if it was very windy) the 2013 and 2014 are very easy.
My own experience with the 2013 and 2014 is that both models had excellent bottom end, and this years in my opinion is the best since the SB3 (and better).
Please check your lines, it should fix the issue of poor bottom end.

Hi kite power , when you say check your lines , do you have any advice such as back lines should be taught when bar is sheeted in 50 mm from stop ( this is just an example) I read an article " how to turbo charge you switch blade " where it said to tie a knot at the top of your rear lines above the three other knots , this shortens the back lines slightly I guess , would you recommend any alterations ? I have two 2013 switch blades 14 m and 11 m but have never ridden anything else so can't compare to anything else

Here's a video about adding an extra knot to the 2013 rear lines on the kite.

Is shortening your rear line bridles just the same as slightly sheeting in anyway , or am I missing something ?

Yes, it's the same but it's NOT the same as having a kite tuned properly. You'll run out of sheet-in sooner, for one thing.