Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 10:16:46 -1000 From: thompsontra@phibred.com Message-Id: <9403112016.AA26372@phibred.phibred.com> Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University Subject: A Comment on First off I aggree with almost everything said by Andrew, but wanted to add a couple of comments that may help you make a decission. >Someone wrote: >> 1) I am considering buying a Quadrafoil (maybe a 50, but would a 30 do?) my >> dilemma is that I really can't afford but one purchase, and would like to >> have a kite that can accomodate my wishes as my experience grows. any other >> kites might I consider? >ARGH! I want to help you, but unfortunately, I've got very little experience >of quads and zero experience of blades. Anyway: >1) 50 square feet (approx 5 square meters) sounds like the bare minimum to > get started. Personaly, I think that a 50 on a pair of blades is going to be too hard to control. I haven't skated behind a 50 but after flying one last summer I learned the hard way (actually my girlfriend learned the hard way) that there is more than enough power to get you moving on pair of tennis shoes. When you take into account that the Roller Blade will offer no significant friction it could easily get out of control. I also think that the force required to make a Quad 50 turn is such that you can't get enough leverage on blades. Basically when you are in a buggy you have a much more stable platform to lean against, on blades you can't get the same leverage. Secondly, I only got to try it once but skating behind a 25ft Quad here in Iowa was more than enough to start with in a good 10 mph wind. [Stuff Deleted] >3) It's a long way to fall off blades. For buggying, my protection > often consists merely of long sleeved shirt and long trousers. For > blades, I'd want helmet with face guard, knee pads, elbow pads, thick > gloves, bum and thigh padding and soft surface to fall over on, until > I had enough experience to know what parts of me really needed the > protection. Consider a Hockey helmet with face guard and a pair of Hockey gloves. They offer move protection against road rash than do standard wrist guards. However, if you are prone to falling face first on blades the wrist guards will do a better job of keeping your wrists from bending all over the place. As for a face gaurd I'd use a cage style face mask becuase you are sure to scratch up a plastic one when learning. [Again Stuff deleted] >> 3) Books (can you recommend any, and how do I get a subcription to a >> traction kiting 'zine (there's an electronic one isn'there?)) >[blush] There is *meant* to be an electronic one, but I'm a little behind :-( Well come on Andrew it not like you have anything else to do right . Under Safety: >3) Go home *before* the first hint of an electrical storm. Avoid tarmac, > asphalt, concrete, until you know that you are able to deal with it. > (Even then, the grip/speed is unlike other surfaces, so you don't know > how to work with it anyway. Avoid cars, power lines, aircraft. Actually you might want to consider asphalt with your blades becuase you will get alot better grip than you will on Concrete or other surfaces. By grip I mean you will be able to lean into turns and have your blades grab better. On concrete that isn't roughed they will tend to slide in a turn. Also you can't really blade on grass or packed sand beacause of the really small wheels, so your kinda stuck with parking lots for this kind of activity. Also as a last note, check out Hyper's Hockey wheels. They have a more spongey feel to them and tend to grip a little better than the harder racing wheels. In addition they have a fatter profile to them making the wheel base a little wider and more forgiving. (Of course the flip side is that they will were down more and need to be rotated more often). Hope that adds a little. Waiting for the wind here in Iowa -- Trav thopmsontra@phibred.com = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =