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sir ROWDY said..

Yes I did look... did you?
I was merely commenting on the fact that if you want them really soft (like some do) there is no way they can really be small. Switch bar ends aren't what I would call small, nor do they do anything different to say SS which have been running rubber over the ends since 2005... Rubberised ends are all right but they don't give what most want from a soft end which is protection for their surfboard decks (something I don't care about).

Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with them, don't use them myself as my bar of preference uses the BWS bar. I don't see anything out there that I'm happy with so make my own (just a personal preference thing). Like you say each to their own I just find it interesting that someone like ozone who seem to have a different bar setup (using the same parts) for different kites wouldn't listen to a proportion who are asking for something that does suit a kite within their range (Reo)....that said I don't think they are alone

edit: I guess my other point is if nobody thinks about it then soft bar ends will always be big but this doesn't need to be the case just need an open mind on it....

Sure you can always have a softish end that is small, but if you want what these people are expecting nothing but a large soft golf club style end will suit their needs.

Ozone like many brands produce lots of different kites... They don't produce a bar 100% for these waveriders that want a soft end for the same reason they don't produce a bar 100% for Freestyle, it's just not cost effective. These type of things cost a lot more to setup and produce than you think, it's the reason why even big brands like Cab produce the absolute minimum of bars and sizes.

I would be more happy than anyone to see a bar 100% dedicated to freestyle use, it's pretty amazing that so far it's never really been done, the closest I can think of is the 2001-2? Naish Virus kite handle by Lou Wainman.

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sir ROWDY said..

Sure you can always have a softish end that is small, but if you want what these people are expecting nothing but a large soft golf club style end will suit their needs.

That's my point as long as we all think that.....that's what we'll get.

If cost is such a big issue then why is there a massive spread in bar costs......clearly there is margin there especially given most of us have atleast 2....I for one would pay $50 or so extra to get something that actually was what I wanted (that's why I make my own which incidentally have never cost me more than $300 with all parts purchased at retail price)

And agree freestyle bar for the freestyle guys, surf bar for the surf guys and a cross over if you must. Personally I'll never use a freestyle bar the feature you want I see no value in and vice versa.

but to me we pay circa $500rrp on most bars which is enormous given the materials, methods and therefore construction costs will be nowhere near that. The materials (and I'm particularly referring here to the foam used in the club style soft bar ends) are selected because they are both soft and cheap, if they spent a few more dollars on something other than EVA then perhaps it's not that far away.....

Although I agree I would pay the extra for a bar suited to my needs I don't think kite companies agree with that.

p.s. Have you ever considered running a brand? Sounds like you got it sussed.

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sir ROWDY said..

Although I agree I would pay the extra for a bar suited to my needs I don't think kite companies agree with that.

p.s. Have you ever considered running a brand? Sounds like you got it sussed.

Guess we'll never know will we... if no one demonstrates there's a market

and no, just happy to have gear I like

a mere $3149 plus postage for the 12 metre . just saying...

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sir ROWDY said..

Everyone has their opinion and for the style of riding I do this is mine.

Big soft bar ends create problems I've said it before but I will say it again, I've seen many dangerous situations with pro riders catching a line on the big soft bar end and getting looped uncontrollably into the beach... I've seen it happen on Cab, LF and Best all of which have similar stupid looking bar ends. I don't want that happening to me so naturally I'm against them.

Guess what, Slingshot has had the same bar ends since 2003... is this a problem?

My ideal bar end would be one you can't even wind the lines on, it would be a lot safer and probably even save some people from death... Kite companies wont do it though because most kiteboarders are so stuck in their ways that they probably couldn't even fathom the idea that you can just wind your lines around the middle of the bar and it's the exact same thing.

Rant out.

You might like some of this.

http://boardridingmaui.com/connection-system.html