CrazyFly Tango 9m 2016
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
CrazyFly started out just making kite boards and they have been doing that since the dawn of kitesurfing time. In 2009 they branched out into the kite-manufacturing arena too and have continued to impress us with a varied range and an exceedingly well thought out kite bar!
The Tango has been completely re-worked for 2016. With a brand new shape, the Tango moves towards high performance freeride, and wave kiting. To give this kite a distinct feel and two different settings, CrazyFly have used the ‘Nifty Bridle System’. This allows you to easily change between the two riding modes: performance freeride or wave. It doesn't take a genius to work out how to change the bridles either so it can be done in no time on the beach.
The kite itself looks great in the air, we love the bright neon colours that are guaranteed to stand out on the beach. A drastic improvement from last year we feel. The canopy is made from Double Ripstop for improved rigidity and long lasting durability, meaning that your beloved kite will last for years.
Sizes: 7m, 9m, 10.5m, 12m, 14m
The Bar
With updated colours for 2016 the Sick Bar has been very well thought out. Complying to international safety norm AFNOR NF S52-503 and being built in Europe, you can have confidence that this bar will do everything you need it to. The general look and feel of the bar is amazing; the diameter is perfect for most hand sizes, ensuring the rider has good grip as well as a comfy day on the water. The Sick Bar has soft bar ends with PU coated leader lines, so bashing your hands or getting a line wrapped around the end of the bar is never an issue.
The push-away release system is very simple yet efficient, it has the options of either suicide or regular safety, a chicken loop pin and also has a swivel built in the top so you can never do too many back rolls on one tack.
In The Air
We mostly rode the Tango in ‘performance freeride’ mode, it really gives this kite a reliable all-round feel. You will be just as confident unhooking as you are boosting big jumps in this setting. This could be down to the ‘open C’ shape that gives the right balance between boost, drift and turning ability.
With materials forever improving the 3-strut design is becoming much more popular. The Tango suits this well, the light weight design of the 3-strut formula gives the kite a high performance feel that some 5-strut kites just can’t achieve. As can be the case with some kites we didn't notice any flapping of the canopy when we sheeted out. When you take this kite to the waves you can be sure that as you push the bar out and drift down the face you will remain in control.
In wave mode the kite will fly further forward in the window and definitely give you a slight advantage heading upwind than the freeride setting. You also have a really good amount of depower, perfect for sheeting out during strapless airs to stop you being pulled off the board.
For
Stable in the air and fast turning making it a pleasure to freeride and equally take to the waves.
Against
It does have a fairly heavy bar pressure, which could become tiring for the more casual rider.
Overall
The bridle system allows for the Tango to easily adjust between a powerful performance freeride setting and a softer drifting wave setting. It’s ideal for someone who wants to make the most of all conditions.
This review was in Issue 57 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CrazyFlyRelated
By Jack Galloway
Jack is a fanatically keen kiter from the South West of England, he loves riding just about anything with a kite from foil boards to surfboards and everything in between. He's competed in the Red Bull Ragnarok snowkite race on numerous occasions as well as some world class kite racing events. He's our Web Editor for the magazine, as well as one of our testers where his vast knowledge of the sport and different kites and boards comes in handy!
