Bar – Kite Wiki

A kite bar is built to control your kite. When we talk about a bar, we often talk about the bar + all lines together. These bars can withstand immense forces and are designed to transfer all the power from your kite to the rider. The bar used for kitesurfing consists of a steering bar, the steering lines and power lines, a depower system, the Chickenloop, a Quick Release, the V-Split, the safety line and depower line.

Each brand has its own characteristics, materials and line lengths, but in general they all work the same. The two steering lines are located on the back of the kite. These steering lines are directly connected to the bar that the kiter holds in his hands. By shortening the left or right line, the kite flies in that direction. So if you pull on the left side of the bar, the kite will fly to the left. If you pull on the right side, the kite moves to the right. However, you should be careful to steer your kite back in time, because if you keep moving it in one direction or another, the kite will develop a very powerful pull, so fly a kiteloop! The forces of a kite are transmitted to the kitesurfer via the front lines (power lines). These power lines lead through the bar center towards the harness.

Another important feature of a bar is the ability to power or depower a kite. This gives your kite more or less pull. Pulling the bar towards you increases the pull on the steering lines. This causes your kite to tilt back a little and the wind to blow against it more strongly. We call this ‘powering’. So when you pull the bar, it gives the kite more power, which increases its agility. When you have enough power or need a little less, you push the bar away from you. This will reduce the pull on the steering lines and the kite will be less exposed to the wind as it leans forward. So it has less power and we call this ‘depowering’. So if you make a steering mistake, or accidentally crash, the best thing to do is to let go of the bar, 99% of the time you are so safe.

 

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