Weight - part 4

Hit my target weight of 76kgs this morning!

I'm still running, cycling and eating healthily - it would be nice to get out int the buggy soon, just need the wind to cooperate!

Still waiting...

It's been a couple of weeks since I was able to get out in the buggy, as let weekend I suffered the flat after 10 minutes. This weekend there was very little wind...

I'm now pinning my hopes on next Sunday, and it is looking promising - but no doubt that will change as it is still early yet!

Buggying?

I have been running and cycling but when am I going to be able to get out buggying?

Video - Naki Nut Buster 2013

I know another video, that's two days in a row but this video just "rocks"! Of the baby head kind...

Video - Libre Majestic

Clive has the only Libre Majestic in Australia...

Libre Majestic First day out from Clive Tebbet on Vimeo.

belated birthday present

It's been nearly three weeks since my Birthday and one of the presents my wife bought turned up yesterday...

I think it has been lost somewhere in Auspost land! According to the on-line tracking it was delivered on the 12th, after emails backwards and forwards with the company they kindly agreed to dispatch another one. This is the one that was dispatched originally as the tracking number is the same!

It is a wambam, Buffa GoPro case...

gettin' faster...

Unfortunately not in the buggy!

I had to dodge the retics on the footie oval this morning!

How did that happen?

I found the cause of my flat yesterday...

It had split right by the valve. New tube now in, ready for some wind...

If anybody is listening?

Bloody hell!

I'm on lake walyungup, as I write this, dragging a crippled buggy back to the car.

I had avoided the showers, the wind was looking promising then - pop, hiss! The front tyre has completely deflated! Thankfully I was only doing about 30kph.

This is still the original PL barrow tyre with an inner tube, so should be a quick fix!

Ouch!

Got my flu jab today - actually it didn't hurt at all!

Video - Putting on some speed

I think I should get away from procrastinating about things and get back to some good old buggy action...

Kite Buggy Weights

Over the last 18 months I have often looked at envy at other buggies, the Sysmic S2, the Libre Majestic and Dragster and of course the the Hobbs Carbon kite buggy, with a dream of owning a new shiny chunk of metal.

Hobbs Carbon Fibre

 But the one thing that comes up again and again (for me) is the weight of these buggies...

Sysmic S1 -  56kgs (big foots)
Sysmic S2 - 38kgs (basic)
Libre Majestic - 54kgs
Libre Dragster - 48.3kgs
Hobbs Carbon Fibre - 50kgs (approx)

(All weights from the manufacturers websites.)

Libre Majestic

And this puts me off as surely there must be some kind of power/weight thing going on? Stainless steel seems to be a heavy material to produce a performance kite buggy from.

F1 the ultimate example of power v weight

This maybe a completely stupid question, but I work in health and am not an engineer (though I did do technical drawing at school )-

But why aren't kite buggies designed and built to be as light as possible?

Surely a buggy could be built out of aluminium (like aircraft, some performance car chassis, mountain bikes) and be built/engineered to withstand the stresses, they wouldn't corrode and would potentially weigh less?

Libre Dragster

Sysmic S1

I am guessing the weight may help in up-wind performance(?) and holding that power, but can that be designed/engineered into a light weight buggy. How much lighter is aluminium at an equivalent strength to stainless steel? Is it a cost issue, is aluminium more expensive to manufacture and work? Is the weight limited by what we bolt onto the frame ie rims, tyres etc?

I don't know!

In the mean time I will keep on in my nice light weight Peter Lynn Comp XR+ (14.3kgs basic).

Review - PPE...

Personal Protective Equipment = Helmet and Pads

I have been using my 661 Comp shifted helmet and the BrandX Elbow/forearm and knee and shin guards for a bout four months now. Thankfully I haven’t needed to use them in anger! But thought I should write a short review…

661 Comp shifted full face helmet.

I had previously been using a 661 dirt lid, this had provided adequate protection but as I have gradually pushed my speed I decided I needed something a bit more substantial and that would provide increased protection.

After trolling through the internet and reading various reviews etc I opted for the comp shifted helmet and ordered this from ChainReaction Cycles as they offered the best price and free delivery.

The helmet and pads were delivered really quickly, the helmet came boxed and has a convenient storage bag, which now houses my pads!

I did measure my head in accordance with the guidelines on the website and opted for a small helmet (I do have a small head!), but first time I tried it on it felt very snug. The real advantage is there is no movement or wobble in the helmet once it is on and the padding makes it very comfortable.

My main concerns were that it was going to be very hot and also that it may restrict my vision when buggying – both of which are unfounded.

I find the helmet cooler and less sweaty than the dirt lid, it is well ventilated and the padding seems to wick away sweat (I don’t know if this is true?). But I have never over heated. And overall I find it very comfortable.

It also in know way restricts my vision, the visor is adjustable and either up or down I have a clear view. I wear a pair of Oakly sunnies and these fit comfortably under it.

This was definitely a good buy and where the padding in my old dirt lid is de-laminating, the shifted helmet seems to be a lot better quality, is really comfortable to wear for long periods and as an added bonus keeps most of the dirt and grit out of my ears!

Brand X X elbow and forearm guard and X MkII knee and shin guards.

I ordered these at the same time as the helmet, I know a lot of people opt for the 661 protection – but the reviews of these were good and I like to be a bit different (awkward). Again with me pushing myself I was concerned what would happen if I OBEed at speed on the hard rough surface of Lake Walyungup.

The pads come in mesh bags which you can use for storage but mine now live in my helmet bag.

The pads are comfortable and easily adjustable – but now I have them set I can tend to slide them on and off without adjusting the straps. Again I was concerned about how much hotter these would make me but I have never really had any issues.

Once on they stay in place and have never had any issues with rubbing and chafing – I have walked about a kilometre in them without any problems.

As regards protection, thankfully I haven’t needed to try them -  I bought these to provide protection more for the abrasive qualities of the lake as well as padding and with thir hard protective shell I think they will more than adequately do the job. After 4 months use they are not really showing any signs of wear and tear as all the stitching is good and apart from being pretty dusty, there are no issues.

I would recommend them to anybody looking for an alternative to 661 (I think they were cheaper to!).

Video - Yeppoon 2013 "Times like these"

Another video from the Extreme Kites crew in Yeppoon...

YEPPOON 2013 from Mark Deadman on Vimeo.

No Wind - new kite curse?

Not only is there no wind for the weekend, but the rest of the week also looks rubbish! So who is getting a new kite?

I am trying to convince my wife on a 6.5m Ozone Method - but that would typically result in high winds, and she is still not convinced...

Fit to fly?

Does your level of fitness or weight make a difference in a kite buggy?

I had the day off work today and my original plan was to go down to Lake Walyungup and buggy until my hearts content. Unfortunately the wind and weather (no wind and rain!) didn't co-operate!

So I set off walking and running (intermittently), my stamina is definitely increasing and my weight is dropping - so overall will this make a difference in the buggy?

Surely a lighter buggy (and pilot) will go faster under the same power than a heavier buggy? Who knows?

What I do know is, I am going to be bloomin' stiff and sore over the next couple of days, and that may affect my buggying if I get out over the weekend!

Video - After a long winter

As we slip into Autumn here in the southern hemisphere (and following the hottest April since records began and it is only the 11th!), the folks in the northern-hemisphere are shrugging off a long winter, dusting the cobwebs off their buggies and hitting the beaches...

Posted by Pepe on Extreme Kites

They still look well wrapped up to me!

Weight - part 3

I am now aiming for 76kgs as I think this is more ideal for my height! And over the last week have started some additional exercise - mainly as I seem to have more energy!

It's all paying off...

When hobbies collide!

I have hidden a geocache in the middle of Lake Walyungup, as I think this is an amazing location not just for kite buggying but to get out and about! For me it is a slice of heaven...

The idea was for people to get out and walk and put some effort into it, but if you check the logs you will see that somebody managed to get their car on and drive across the lake!

For more info on geocaching go here

For the listing slice of heaven go here

Dawn

Yesterday morning I was down on Lake Walyungup at dawn, as the forecast the night before was for some decent wind early on...

When I got there, there was the the slightest breeze and even that dropped off to nothing! So from about 6am I wondered round, had some breakfast and waited and waited.

Eventually around 8am the wind started to pick-up, so out came the 5m Ozone Flow for a rather sedentary, on and off sought of session. Did have a few faster runs but nothing really worth mentioning and did kite back to the car park.

The sunrise was very pleasant and I did have time to enjoy it...

Video - Yeppoon 2013

More from the Extreme Kites crowd at Yeppoon. A great video and I love the different perspectives...

Chase the wind...

Looks like tomorrow morning will be an early start for me, so I can make the most of the wind.

Extreme Kites, Yeppoon, Easter 2013

Some of the guys from Extreme Kites have made their way to Yeppoon, Queensland on the Coral Coast, for a couple of weeks of kiting and buggying. Looks like they have had a blast...

Not that I am jealous, I would much rather be working!

Thanks to Joel and Goz for the images - courtesy of Extreme Kites

I wonder...

If I can get out in the buggy Friday arvo and Sunday morning?

Video - Cross Country

My final video from Good Friday - this one is heading back to the car park...

Cross Country!

forty-two

Is it the answer to the ultimate question, of life, the universe and everything?

Maybe! But today is also my 42nd birthday.

No work today as the kids are off school but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I may get a couple of hours in the buggy...

C'mon wind!

Video - Great Friday

The second video from Good Friday on Lake Walyungup, this is my best couple of runs from the day before heading back cross country (video 3!). Watch out for those bloody dogs...