If you are looking for any new gear this year I encourage you to take a close look at the RRD Kites and Spleene Boards.

I recently decided to sell (only) this gear because it performs so well. There is a lot of good gear out there now, but I feel these products are exceptional. I’ve been using the Spleene boards for teaching and riding for over a year now and like them more and more. I recently began using the Hypertypes and I am thrilled with their performance.

The Spleene Board line-up ranges from wave boards and conventional shaped boards to "door" shaped boards that are unbeatable in light wind. Check out the website to see what is offered. The boards and hardware are all super quality and built to last. I have, for school and personal riding, the 164 & 159 Door (now a 154 door), 141 Session, and 128 Rip and the Zone wave board. I love them all!!!

The RRD Kite line-up include the Hypertype- arguably the best "hybrid” kite on the market with low bar pressure and great lift, Type 7 & 8 for some of the most amazing C kites with exceptional de-power and power, and the Type Wave - a 5-line kite that turns super fast and has lots of depower, and a few other models you can see on the RRD website. I am currently using the 7, 9, 12, 15 Hypertypes.

See what people are saying about these kites and boards on the forums, and please take a look at the websites to learn more about the gear.

RRD Info

http://www.robertoriccidesigns.com/equipment/#home.photos.kiteBoarding

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2337485&highlight=&sid=efcf3ac8cc143ab0e159b5ef1620f602

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2337485&start=20&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight =

Spleene Info

http://spleene.com/start-2007.html

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/search.php?mode=results

http://www.airpadrekiteboarding.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=c14c59bb9369508b3fed4805fc7c4465

If you are interested in any gear at considerable savings and some super close-out prices please contact me with your requests.

I gave an advanced lesson on the RRD 9m and 15m Hypertype recently. With the 9m we had very gusty 20-25+ knot winds. This is an unbelievable kite, but you need to follow a few rules: tune it properly, do not park it at the Zenith and keep a little back line pressure on – I suggest holding it toward 10 or 2 o’clock – otherwise it could Hindenburg on you –especially in gusty/shifty winds. The reason for this is that the kite is super efficient and flies to the edge of the window super fast, and in gusty wind it will be on the verge of stall if the window plane is moving for and aft. When riding the kite it is perhaps the most stable canopy I've ever used.

My early conclusions about these kites are that this is an awesome kite for anyone who wants a high performance kite and can accept the fact that you must fly it actively all the time. It is not like many other bows or SLE’s that you can just park and have a picnic. That being said…the Hypertype turns so fast it is truly amazing, has great upwind penetration, and great depower. If you are a beginner I suggest taking a few lessons on easier kites and then do a lesson with the Hypertype so your instructor can assist you with it the first time.

My first “Hypertype” student (a young athletic, “push the envelope” type) had flown various sized Waroos and Ions with me before…but even with his limited experience he was awestruck with the comparative turning speed and power of the Hypertype…and he was sooooo stoked about having such a high performance kite in his hands.

I rode with the 15m Hypertype the other day in onshore 10-15 kt winds and the kite felt really nice, ripped upwind, such a nice - light - responsive feeling this kite has, and the 15m turns faster than most 12m kites I’ve ridden. The 15m seems very stable when tuned correctly.

The Hypertypes are my personal riding kites now, although I will still use the Waroos primarily for teaching. Special lessons can be done with the Hypertypes for the appropriate students without any problem.

As some people may know, the RRD kite designer Simone has left RRD http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2337104&highlight=simone and he is hopefully getting his new kite line together soon. Based on the features of the Hypertype and other RRD kites he has helped to design I am anxious to see what he turns out in the near future - and wish him great success with his new ventures.