For my leaving present I had a BCF gift card, as soon as I saw it I new what I was going to buy, so I now have a replacement for my eTrex H - which would sometimes be a bit unreliable.
An eTrex 10...
the main thing is that this is much easier to attach to the iMac to down load my speeds and tracks. BCF are going to order me a mount so that I can attach it to the buggy.
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!
A week ago I got a new PB of 62.7kph (on the GPSr) but Endomondo showed a top speed of 64.4kph...
I know the official PB is the GPSr, but the max speed often sticks on my Etrex and doesn't update unless I reset it. And typically Endomondo has always recorded a couple of k's below my GPSr.
On Good Friday I had another nicely powered up session, I nearly equaled by PB according to the GPSr - but Endomondo again recorded by max speed 2kph below my GPSr!
Officially my PB is 62.7kph, but I think unofficially it's more like 65-66kph. But look at my moving average - 30.8kph - now that is officially a PB!
"Picture the scene - It's Christmas Eve and for once I have the day off work relaxing at home in front of a roaring fire. It sounds like a great idea. So does stuffing my face with mince pies and watching Only Fools and Horses on TV or it would be if I hadn't decided to go to the beach instead!
It's cold, it's raining and it's blowing a near gale. I need my head examined. I'm here with Mark Stiles aka vx_m4rk. Not surprisingly we are the only fools dumb enough to venture outside today.
But you have to take these opportunities when they arise and today promises to be one of those days. Besides you never know, something good might come of it." Redskyhorizon
... Did Brian Holgate use to break the kite buggy speed record?
A Peter Lynn Vapor 2.7m
What kite... have I just bought?
A Peter Lynn Vapor 2.7m
A Peter Lynn Vapor 2.7m!!!
My first step into the world of race-kites and seriously pushing my limits, probably will look at selling my 3m Core and getting a 2nd race-kite around the 3.3m size - but don't tell my wife!
Earlier this week I was re-reading some of the stuff I had
written in my blog and particularly my Tale of a Newbie in a Kite Buggy…
I have now been buggying for nearly 10 months and when I
look back to when I started and those first tentative steps, the concentration
and effort that was required to roll those first few meters, successfully
pulling off that first down-wind turn. The frustrations of stacking the kite
and getting the lines and bridle tangled and the exhilaration of flying with
the kite powered and increasing my speed.
Eventually venturing from the relatively confined area near
the car park to the wide open spaces of the lake – and being able to buggy down
there rather than having to walk.
I had my first (and so far only) OBE, thanks to a seriously
over-powered Core and have gradually pushed my speed up to just over 60kph I
regularly hit the mid to high 50’s.
I am now flying hooked in and what a difference that has
made to my buggying, I am now able to hold a lot more power and can buggy
longer and faster – how did I manage before? When cruising I can now fly one or
no handed!
My buggy is still the standard Peter Lynn Comp XR+, I have
added a home made belly-pan and foot-straps. The rear tires are now bald and
have had punctures repaired – the surface of the salt lake has scrubbed them
smooth coupled with my love of sliding! This buggy continues to take everything
I put it through and has been a great place to start – ultimately as I continue
to push my speed and limits I am going to need to upgrade and I have my eyes on
the Sysmic S2.
Flying the kites in conjunction with piloting the buggy has
become instinctive, I no longer need to be watching the kite to see where it is
and what it is doing – the force is strong with this one! I can throw the kite
around to get the most out of it, flip it through 180 degrees and use it to
pull me through a power-slide…
And boy, do I like going sideways? Wether it is kicking the
rear end out, setting the buggy sideways to scrub speed or throwing it hard in
to a glorious huge power-slide – it is always guaranteed to bring a huge smile
to my face! And remove another layer of rubber from my tires.
I am quite happy cruising around taking things easy and
enjoying the ride, but of course there is also the part of me that likes to
keep pushing harder and faster. I use my Garmin Etrex GPS to keep an idea of my
speed and the Endomondo sports tracker app to track my route.
There are also now a couple of other guys who come down to
the salt lake regularly and it is always good to have some company and I love
seeing other kites down there. But also love a solitary session when I have the
lake to myself! I am very lucky to have such an amazing place to buggy so close
to home.
I think that in the 9-10 months I have been doing this that
I have clocked approx 100 hours in the buggy! The fact that I dream about
buggying – I reckon I am truly addicted!
As somebody once said to me welcome to tree watchers
anonymous!
Have started a thread on extreme kites, the plan is looking like we will head over at the end of September/beginning of November for a meet up with some land yachters and other buggers for a weekend of speed!
