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Rider: Weight,Level (beginner,intermediate,advanced)
Style: Freeriding, Surf, Wake, Freestyle
Weather: ?-? knots
Build Quality: ?/10
Satisfaction: ?/10
Disclosure: (e.g. work at a shop/team rider etc)

My Comments:

Best gear review ever

Its "choose your own adventure" style.

Could this be the first neutral review ever posted on seabreeze?

No BS, and no claims, no pimping.


No Comment!

Rider: Weight 85kg , ( 79 to 90kg depending on wind, summer or winter and diet )
Level (beginner,intermediate,advanced ) Yes
Style: Freeriding, Surf,
Weather: 16-17 knots
Build Quality: 10000/10
Satisfaction: 10000/10
Disclosure: (e.g. I design them, but I wont vomit hype at you as you've heard it all before)

My Comments:
Hi, The chimera is a project I have been working on for a while, I wanted a cross hybrid med aspect kite to handle massive wind ranges turn very fast and jump high with float. So I have been working on this. It may be the first kite with a hot swap pulley less setup or pulley set up for a very different feel.

Below is a quick vid of the 8m in lighter winds, video starts in about 18 knots and ends in about 15-16 knots. I have also ridden the Chimera 8m in 45 knots. Plenty of grunt and pop, and plenty of depower. So for a 80-85 kn rider on a surf board for the 8m I can say its kiteable in 16-17 to 40 knots.

The chimera is only just coming out so you wont see many reviews as the first shipments are arriving soon. New Zealand have been playing with them for a while. Sydney has had crap winds or I would have more video.

The 8m feels like your riding a 7m with the amount of depower, top end wind range and turning speed, but when powered up in lighter winds feels like the power of a 9m.

The Hype:
Its for the intermediate experienced riders because of the faster turning or use a small bar, the chimera has a simple bridle so no pulleys, or hot swap in about 10 seconds for 2 pulleys. Auto relaunch. More info to come.

The below vid was in light winds so go easy. You can see the auto relaunch at the end of the vid.

Just a quick note about the wind ranges, wind measurements where taken using an iphone and SB charts on the day at Kurnell and tested over 2 days. There where witness at Kurnell on the light wind day and in the 45 knot day. Wind measurements should be accurate and info should be factual, no hype, thats just the info.

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GriffinKites said...

Rider: Weight 85kg , ( 79 to 90kg depending on wind, summer or winter and diet )
Level (beginner,intermediate,advanced ) Yes
Style: Freeriding, Surf,
Weather: 16-17 knots
Build Quality: 10000/10
Satisfaction: 10000/10

I question this ;
A) Was his level "Yes" ?
B) 85kg kiter

All kiters in Sydney are fat old guys clearly over 95kg's

Also how could you be at Kurnell. They only allow Cab's and Ozones down there.

My 7m BANDIT 1 felt like that, people couldn't believe the low wind grunt it had, especially with a big rider on it. It is still one of my all time favourite kites. If the chimera is like my old 7m it should be a winner.

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bjw said...

GriffinKites said...

Rider: Weight 85kg , ( 79 to 90kg depending on wind, summer or winter and diet )
Level (beginner,intermediate,advanced ) Yes
Style: Freeriding, Surf,
Weather: 16-17 knots
Build Quality: 10000/10
Satisfaction: 10000/10

I question this ;
A) Was his level "Yes" ?
B) 85kg kiter

All kiters in Sydney are fat old guys clearly over 95kg's

Also how could you be at Kurnell. They only allow Cab's and Ozones down there.

I put my Mexican hat on, and they let me in...... I also had a ukulele and went cross eyed when they did the "your not from around here" questions. I didn't have to sequel like a pig this time because the half blind guy was at the border check....

Hi guys!!!

is there a way to test the new Chimera in South of France?

What are exactly the sizes of the chimera, 10m or 10.5m?

in my opinion I think the gap between the 8m and the 10m is too small, mostly with the big wind range of these kites.
It would have been great to have a chimera in 11m in order to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35/40kts with the 8m and the the 11m.

I am wondering if it would be a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11.5m in order to get the biggest wind range (I am 70kg)
Any comments on this quiver?

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gglamenace said...

Hi guys!!!

is there a way to test the new Chimera in South of France?

What are exactly the sizes of the chimera, 10m or 10.5m?

in my opinion I think the gap between the 8m and the 10m is too small, mostly with the big wind range of these kites.
It would have been great to have a chimera in 11m in order to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35/40kts with the 8m and the the 11m.

I am wondering if it would be a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11.5m in order to get the biggest wind range (I am 70kg)
Any comments on this quiver?

Good choice on a quiver the 011, 11.5 is a grunty kite and turns as quick as the previous model in the 10m size,it would easily get you going in 9-10 knots and youd easily hold it in 22-24 for your weight,the Chimera 8 would be great for 15-40
im 98 kg and have had the 8 in 38 so far with minimal depower,so am expecting around 45 as a top end for me ,if you contact chris at griffin he should be able to let you know if theres a griffin dealer in your area.

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gglamenace said...

Hi guys!!!

is there a way to test the new Chimera in South of France?

What are exactly the sizes of the chimera, 10m or 10.5m?

in my opinion I think the gap between the 8m and the 10m is too small, mostly with the big wind range of these kites.
It would have been great to have a chimera in 11m in order to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35/40kts with the 8m and the the 11m.

I am wondering if it would be a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11.5m in order to get the biggest wind range (I am 70kg)
Any comments on this quiver?

Sorry mate missed the bit about the sizing,at the mo the chimera is 8,10.5,13 and chris is looking at adding a 6.5, the 10.5 for me is a 14-35 knot kite riding powered and i'm 98kg dry,one of my team riders is 60kg and he's been out in 9-11 on the 10.5 on a 128x37.5 t/t in surf toesiding and flipping on the waves while maintaining upwind, so for 70kg i'd put the bottom end powered at around 12 knots,so if you don't mind sacrificing the 10 to 12 knot range then the 8,10.5m combo would be sweet in the 12-38+ knot range.

I am thinking a 11.5 would be good also, I will design one up and optimize the bridle for the size, but it may not be ready for a while.

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gglamenace said...

Hi guys!!!

is there a way to test the new Chimera in South of France?

What are exactly the sizes of the chimera, 10m or 10.5m?

in my opinion I think the gap between the 8m and the 10m is too small, mostly with the big wind range of these kites.
It would have been great to have a chimera in 11m in order to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35/40kts with the 8m and the the 11m.

I am wondering if it would be a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11.5m in order to get the biggest wind range (I am 70kg)
Any comments on this quiver?

email this guy
optimumkite.com/

he can get you in touch with shops in france that sell griffins

Yay!! Then hopefully I will stop getting emails asking if we can send them to France.
Hopefully our Griffin kites show up soon...

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GriffinKites said...

gglamenace said...

Hi guys!!!

is there a way to test the new Chimera in South of France?

What are exactly the sizes of the chimera, 10m or 10.5m?

in my opinion I think the gap between the 8m and the 10m is too small, mostly with the big wind range of these kites.
It would have been great to have a chimera in 11m in order to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35/40kts with the 8m and the the 11m.

I am wondering if it would be a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11.5m in order to get the biggest wind range (I am 70kg)
Any comments on this quiver?

email this guy
optimumkite.com/

he can get you in touch with shops in france that sell griffins

Thank you for this contact, i am going to contact him!

An other question: Is it a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11m in order to be able to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35 kts?

Thank you for your reply!!!

Jerome

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Thank you for this contact, i am going to contact him!

An other question: Is it a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11m in order to be able to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35 kts?

Thank you for your reply!!!

Jerome

Yes a good combo,but for your weight you could do the same windrange with a 8 chimera and a 10 argo or 10.5 chimera,the 10 argo has the bottom end of most 12m std bow kites.
however if your willing to wait and chris would prob have an 11.5 chimera made up for you, i might get one as well.

Hey Griffin man... when are you going put out some 5-6m kites. Particularly important for these grunty deltas / those of us surfing in 30kn+ & girls/groms yeah?

at the mo the chimera is 8,10.5,13 and chris is looking at adding a 6.5,

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hammer said...

Hey Griffin man... when are you going put out some 5-6m kites. Particularly important for these grunty deltas / those of us surfing in 30kn+ & girls/groms yeah?

I am designing a 6m chimera now, 8m handles 45 knots ok, 6m I am thinking a 6.5 may be better? Your thoughts on 6m vs a 6.5?

Select to expand quote

gglamenace said...

GriffinKites said...

gglamenace said...

Hi guys!!!

is there a way to test the new Chimera in South of France?

What are exactly the sizes of the chimera, 10m or 10.5m?

in my opinion I think the gap between the 8m and the 10m is too small, mostly with the big wind range of these kites.
It would have been great to have a chimera in 11m in order to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35/40kts with the 8m and the the 11m.

I am wondering if it would be a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11.5m in order to get the biggest wind range (I am 70kg)
Any comments on this quiver?

email this guy
optimumkite.com/

he can get you in touch with shops in france that sell griffins

Thank you for this contact, i am going to contact him!

An other question: Is it a good choice to get a chimera 8m and an argo 11m in order to be able to ride comfortably from 13/14 kts up to 35 kts?

Thank you for your reply!!!

Jerome

how heavy are you?

85kg on a 11.5m Argo with surfboard or 136+ TT should get going in 13-14 knots, 8m should ride comfortable up to 35 knots no issues

I am 70kg, and I have a TT 140.
I believe it is going to be a very good quiver!
I am going to test the argo 11.5m 2011 and the chimera 8m quickly!!!!

A last question: what is the secure top end of the argo 11.5 2011 for my weight?

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gglamenace said...

I am 70kg, and I have a TT 140.
I believe it is going to be a very good quiver!
I am going to test the argo 11.5m 2011 and the chimera 8m quickly!!!!

A last question: what is the secure top end of the argo 11.5 2011 for my weight?

140 board and 70kg, 8m chimera could be 15-16 to 35 or more knots, 11.5 argo would be 11-12 to 20 ish knots, if the 140 is about 42, 41cm wide. It would be a good combo

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gglamenace said...

I am 70kg, and I have a TT 140.
I believe it is going to be a very good quiver!
I am going to test the argo 11.5m 2011 and the chimera 8m quickly!!!!

A last question: what is the secure top end of the argo 11.5 2011 for my weight?

A 140 is a big board for 70kg like chris said low 20's but with a 128-131 id say mid 20's +

Thank you guys for all your replies.

My board is 140x40 (Ocean Rodeo Mako wide) with a enormous concave. I can stay under control as if it was a smaller board.

To sum up the argo 11.5 will be for 10 to 20 knots and from 20 to 35 knots the chimera will do the job :D
PERFECT!

I need to test these 2 kites before buying them but I am very interested!

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GriffinKites said...

hammer said...

Hey Griffin man... when are you going put out some 5-6m kites. Particularly important for these grunty deltas / those of us surfing in 30kn+ & girls/groms yeah?

I am designing a 6m chimera now, 8m handles 45 knots ok, 6m I am thinking a 6.5 may be better? Your thoughts on 6m vs a 6.5?

Good work. 6.5 is close to your 8. Comes down to market perception doesnt it. I like the thought of 6.5 and 9 or 10 as two kite quiver in our conditions. now to get a demo ...

my brain hurts trying to read this post, maybe i should use google translator and try to see if we can get it in ingrish or engrish!!

Chris
I thinking of a 8 and 10.5 Chimera for myself and my daughter
Me 78kgs and Ellie 50kg
Me 10.5 until the wind get up over 25knts the on to the 8
Ellie light wind up to 16-17 knts on the 10.5 then the 8 till 25knts - then she sits it out and watches Dad (he sometimes sits it out too!)

Would Ellie be better with the 2 pulley set up? What changes does the 2 pulley do to depower and general handling?
Does the chimera have the turning speed tuning on the rear lines

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allano said...

Chris
I thinking of a 8 and 10.5 Chimera for myself and my daughter
Me 78kgs and Ellie 50kg
Me 10.5 until the wind get up over 25knts the on to the 8
Ellie light wind up to 16-17 knts on the 10.5 then the 8 till 25knts - then she sits it out and watches Dad (he sometimes sits it out too!)

Would Ellie be better with the 2 pulley set up? What changes does the 2 pulley do to depower and general handling?
Does the chimera have the turning speed tuning on the rear lines

Hi the two pulley setup allows the kite to turn / loop with less bar input,it seems to distribute the weight on the bridal to allow the kite to pivot quicker,there are 3 rear line attachment points so you can tune to suit,as well as 3 shoulder attachment points,i've flown the 10.5 both with 2 pully and pulleyless and both are as nice,the production kites will come with both options as a hot swap bridal setup.
i havent tried the 8 on the pulleyless yet only on the 2 pully setup and its an amazing kite.

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allano said...

Chris
I thinking of a 8 and 10.5 Chimera for myself and my daughter
Me 78kgs and Ellie 50kg
Me 10.5 until the wind get up over 25knts the on to the 8
Ellie light wind up to 16-17 knts on the 10.5 then the 8 till 25knts - then she sits it out and watches Dad (he sometimes sits it out too!)

Would Ellie be better with the 2 pulley set up? What changes does the 2 pulley do to depower and general handling?
Does the chimera have the turning speed tuning on the rear lines

Sizing sounds good, I prefer the pulley set up, you get more depower and almost 100% depower if you let go of the bar which is great for safety and depowering on waves, or lock in the bar with the stopper ball. There are 3 turning speed adjustments fast to slow, I suggest a small bar for the 8m 45cm and med bar 53cm for the 10.5.

The non pulley is a different feel, good for kite loops and the old style C direct connect feel. With pulleys you get faster turning, more wind range and more depower. Some riders prefer no pulleys, some prefer pulleys.

Kite comes default with pulleys, with a hot swap non pulley bridle line in the bag.
Details of the chimera will be online shortly.