Ocean Rodeo Flite 12m 2017
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
Starting in 1999 with their first product, the PYRO drysuit, Ocean Rodeo have been around since the beginning of kitesurfing time. Based in Vancouver Island, Canada, the company started off making drysuits before moving onto kites and now a range of equipment. Considering that the conditions they ride in are so cold, rugged and often hit by North Pacific storms, getting the design and, most importantly, the build quality of their products right is imperative.
The Flite comes to the market as a light wind x-over freeride kite, Ocean Rodeo’s lightest kite ever produced. Some serious design has gone into the Flite to make it not only a great light wind kite but also to enable it to perform the way it does. The Flite features the OR speed inflate system, direct depower safety system and variable line lengths.
Available in a variety of sizes and colour ways there's a Flite out there to suit you.
Sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14.5, 17m
The Bar
The Ocean Rodeo control bar comes stacked with interesting features. The bar is an above the bar trim, below the bar swivel ensuring you've got what you need where you need it.
The bar features a bungee'd depower trim line, which ensures there's no chance of getting your trim caught around the outside lines. The bars grip and appearance is very clean and super simple. Simplicity works! The grip is super soft and comfortable, and the moulded bar ends are perfect in case you slip while going for that first unhooked move. The centre line depower travel is large which enables a great range of depower on the fly when in trickier conditions.
Super stable, manageable power with incredible high performance in light wind.
The Ocean Rodeo control bar comes with a tough chicken loop; this enables a quick direct hook up with the harness. The integrated below the bar swivel works effortlessly unpinning those centre lines. Ocean Rodeo’s quick release system is incredibly tidy and easy to reassemble, if there’s ever a need to release and you want to get going again, its a breeze!
Variable line lengths on the bar make every session even more customisable. Longer lines dish out a slower feel with more boost and float. The shorter line configurations are great for shredding the waves!
Keep your eyes peeled for the launch of the new Stickshift bar from Ocean Rodeo!
In The Air
We headed out on the Flite in moderate conditions ranging from underpowered to overpowered in the gusts. The first thing we noticed on the Flite was its incredibly stable and feels solid in the sky. Even the lightest of winds don’t phase this kite.
The Flite’s stability gives a solid feel while riding, it's super direct in its turns and has an extensive range of depower available to the user. Whether you're looking to hammer around in the lightest conditions, slash a few waves or smash your latest hooked move, the Flite gives you confidence on the water. Sending you into a boost, it’s insanely floaty throughout its jumps. The kites quick turning speed gives the rider an aggressive takeoff and controlled boost. One thing we tend to be concerned with while riding light wind kites is how they react when the wind picks up, a lot of kites lose a lot of control and feel when depowered heavily. The Flite remains super stable no matter how much you need to kill the power; even its upwind performance isn't compromised by too much wind.
Relaunch on the Flite is a breeze, a quick tug on an outside line and it fires back up out of the water.
For
Super stable, manageable power with incredibly high performance in light wind. The user friendliness of this kite makes it a great contender for those looking to get out in light winds and master their new moves. Combined with the high performance lofty boosting capabilities and direct turns its ready to help you push your limits.
Against
This kite is incredibly light; different materials are used to gain this. If you are looking for something that's likely to get heavily slammed in some waves or in intense winds, this may not be the best Ocean Rodeo kite for you. However, if you are looking to get the most out of a light wind session, then this is ideal.
Overall
Fantastic light wind kite with easy to fly qualities. Ready to take you to the next level with confidence on the water. It's a direct, floaty weapon for the avid free riders out there. Constructed with lighter weight materials, it means you can get many sessions in without having to fly a heavy kite that lacks performance. Complimented with the control system bar, the user can vary line lengths to maximise the range of each size in their quiver without the need to pump multiple sizes or tune the kite to their preference.
Videos
This review was in Issue 59 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Ocean RodeoRelated
By Robin and Sukie
With years of kite sport experience combined, you can be sure you’ll be receiving the highest quality of knowledge on the best equipment the industry has to offer.
