- 1. General information
- 2. Brake line connection and length
- 3. Changing handle height
- 4. Soft link installation
- 5. Steel maillon installation
- 6. Speed limit stopper position
- 7. Installing female cruise control lock
- 8. Moving the wear loops on the Main and A-line
- 9. Moving the B- and C-loops
- 10. Changing pulley ratio
1. General information
Installing our Universal kite risers can best be done on a place where you can layout the wing and bridles to make sure nothing gets twisted when you move the bridle from the original riser to the universal kite risers.
Make sure the glider to be converted to kite risers is checked and airworthy with the bridle in correct trim. For wings that are not in our setup-list we try to give you enough information below to guide you through the basics, these steps require advanced wing understanding of the in-flight behavior to get to the correct setup.
The first test flights can best be done on a gentle slope with a steady wind in the middle to bottom range of the glider where you can easily bail out and land to make adjustments when needed. Even better to start or ground-handling on a flat plane first to check if everything is mounted and working as as intended. Don’t test-fly it on steep cliffs or mountains!
TIP: work on one riser at a time and make pictures/notes once you found a good setting so you have always an example to copy from and way to set it back to a known good setting or to have an example how to put it back together.
2. Brake line connection and length
If there is no brake line length listed for your wing the fastest way to get to the correct brake line length on an untested glider is to get the wing in the air on the standard risers and mark the position on the brake line where it’s at the same height as where the A/B/C bridle lines connect to the maillons or soft links when in neutral flight. Then mark the position where the the brake line starts to engage in pulling on the trailing edge of the wing.
On kite risers the brake lines need to be on the edge of this engagement point when keeping the risers in neutral flight position (bar horizontal or A/B/C at equal height)
Fold the brake line at the marked length and make a handshake-knot connection to the brake line adjuster line. Then secure the loose end by a bowline knot to the brake line itself followed by a simple overhand knot in the remaining loose end to act as a stopper to make sure the bowline knot can’t slip or get undone.
You can use the knots in the brake adjuster line for quick adjustments or move the bowline knot in the brake line itself to a new position when you ran out of adjustment knots.
How the glider behaves at different brake line settings:
Brake line long: Less pressure on the handles, brakes engage very close to the stall point of the wing making it harder to feel the wing wing stalling.
Brake line way too long: The wing will suddenly stall without increase in pressure on the handles, can be dangerous as you don’t get a warning before suddenly losing lift.
Brake line short: Brakes engages before the wing is at neutral flight and you feel an noticeable increase in pressure way before stalling the wing. You will get a hard limit feeling at the max lift point, making this a safe setting for most pilots but will add some drag at higher angles of attack and will increase the overall pressure on the handles. Also be careful not to make the brake lines too short as this will create too much drag or even in
Brake line way too short: This can be dangerous as it can induce a collapse when the brakes are set so short that they engage at maximum acceleration (full speed bar). On the handles you will then have a constant high load even with hands fully up.
3. Changing handle height
Under the neoprene cap of the handles is a line wrapped around the aluminum tube. We have it set standard at the shortest setting. If you feel your hand position is constantly too high you can lower the handle position by sliding the cap off and undoing 1 wrap at a time. Each wrap lowers the handles by approximately 90mm.
For the tightest wrap you have to move the speed limit stopper and male cruise control lock up.
Note that you can also change the position of your hands by putting the handles around your wrist or even only grabbing the bottom of the handles to get the maximum acceleration in emergency situations.
If you have room under the speed limit stopper for another overhand knot into the running pulley line you can set the handles at a higher position than the highest stock setting. Each overhand knot into the running pulley line moves the handles up by ~30mm.
You can also put knots into the wrapped handle position line to have a setting between each 90mm step when you have lengthened that line by at least 1 wrap. Each overhand knot into the handle position line moves the handles up by ~20mm.
4. Soft link installation
Soft links are designed to be installed by a double pass through both bridle lines and kite riser bar loops. To ensure a firm not-moving connection that is sand proof both ends need to be connected by a loop-loop connection. Easiest way to do this is to form a larks-head out of both ends and weave the soft link through 2 times. Then connect the loop-knot of the soft link, make sure to pull it tight before sliding the stopper tube against it. Position the knot of the soft link on the side between the bridle line and bar-loop before pulling both sides tight.
5. Steel maillon installation
On most wings the maillons are only loosely connected to the loops of the bridle and risers. You can copy the original mounting method to our kite risers when using the wing on grassy launches. When using your wing primarily on sandy or dirty launches we recommend to attach the bridles with a larks-head connection or use rubber bands to prevent the connections from moving and collecting sand during ground handling that can wear out the loops and causing them to break eventually.
Use 4 loops of the rubber bands we provided to secure the bar-loops on the maillons.
6. Speed limit stopper position
The stopper is there to limit how much a wing can be accelerated with hands fully up. Start out with the same position as stated in the wing’s manual by how much the speed bar can be accelerated. If you still feel some instability when flying hands up in stable winds move the stopper up until the wing flies stable again.
Not all wings fly as stable accelerated as others. On some you need to limit the stopper to a shorter range than it’s designed for to not get constant tip or even full collapses. On other wings you can extend the range beyond what is stated in the manual and very experienced pilots can tolerate tip collapses to some extend when flying the wing outside it’s specifications. Only lower the stopper to a position outside spec when you are fully aware of the risks and consequences!
Here a list of the stopper height and the corresponding maximum acceleration:
| Knot position | Maximum acceleration |
| 150mm | 120mm |
| 120mm | 130mm |
| 90mm | 140mm |
| 60mm | 150mm |
| 30mm | 160mm |
| 0mm | 170mm |
| no knot | 185mm |
Over time the running pulley line shrinks by a few percent when it gets worn out, limiting the maximum acceleration. In that case you can move the stopper down a bit to compensate.
If your wing can be accelerated beyond the stock 170mm you can remove the knot to extend it to 185mm. If that is still not enough you can adjust the bridle by adding longer soft links to B/C bridle rows or shortening the A/B when using maillons by using extra wraps around the maillon.
7. Installing female cruise control lock
Only to be installed by experience pilots and only be used when you have enough room for error as you will have a longer reaction time when your hands are not connected to the handles. Always be prepared to grab the handles for a quick correction, be it to evade other pilots, hitting turbulence, sudden wind increase or other situations that require you to pilot the wing in kite riser mode again!
Best position for installing the female cruise control lock is on the bottom half of the main line, just below the pulley. There you can set it close to neutral flight where the wing is flying most stable. You can go even lower, just above the stall point to lock it at maximum lift to gain or keep the most height in light wind conditions without straining your arms.
We don’t recommend to install it at the upper half of the main line, at an accelerated position. The wing will be less stable, needing possible corrections plus the running pulley line will be in the way making it harder to grab the handles and convert to kite riser mode again.
The rubber blockers need slide over the thin part of the bottom main line so you need to disconnect the bottom main line from the risers and re-install it when the blocker is in position with the two points facing up. You can pull the main line through the hole in the rubber blocker with a thin piece of line.
The female lock itself needs the be screwed on a thin part of the main line with the openings facing down in such way that the rubber blocker can be pulled down at least 50mm to have enough room to slide the male part in and out without obstructions.
Make sure the m2 bolts grab the nuts straight to not damage the threads before tightening them down, possible that you need to press the halves together to make the bolt grab the nut. Upon tightening, stop when the halves start touching each other, no need to over tighten the bolts.
8. Moving the wear loops on the Main and A-line
To remove the loop(s) from the riser bar, disconnect the soft link or maillon and pull the loop out from the thick part by a piece of rope connected to a fixed object so the thinner end can pass through the hole. The loops are pulled in tight so need quite some force to be pulled out again. Don’t be afraid to pull hard but make sure the rope is strong enough and securely connected so you don’t hurt yourself by failure of the rope!
Pulling them back into the tight hole goes in the same way, but then you start pulling from the thin end of the loop. Make sure the loop is centered before installing the soft link or maillon again.
Depending on the riser configuration there are 3 ways the main and A-line loops can be connected to the kite riser bar:
1. Main and A-line loop in 1 hole.
This needs the 3mm and 1mm plates combined, start with the main line loop first and push the plates as far down as possible before pulling the A-line loop through. Make sure to insert the loop from the blocked off part of the plates, otherwise you risk pulling the plates out again.
2. Main line loop alone into a hole.
Main line loop needs the 5mm filler plus 1mm plate. To insert the 5mm filler you place one half in the correct position. Then insert the other half rotated 90deg into the hole and rotate it into position. Make sure both halves are fully pushed down before pulling the loop through and insert the loop from the blocked off part of the plates, otherwise you risk pulling the plates out again.
3. A-line loop alone into a hole.
A-line loop needs the 5mm filler plus 3mm plate. To insert the 5mm filler you place one half in the correct position. Then insert the other half rotated 90deg into the hole and rotate it into position. Make sure both halves are fully pushed down before pulling the loop through and insert the loop from the blocked off part of the plates, otherwise you risk pulling the plates out again.
9. Moving the B- and C-loops
Those loops are connected by a larks head around one of the spokes in the kite riser bar.
Straighten the loop with the thick part in the middle after disassembly, then pass the ends through the holes on both sides of the spoke it needs to be mounted at. Open the ends and pass them both simultaneously over both middle parts of the loop. Pull it tight and connect the soft link or maillon again to the loop.
10. Changing pulley ratio
The standard ratio between the last bridle row and handles is set to 1:3 but if you want a more direct feel at the cost of more handle pressure you can change that ratio gradually to 1:2 or even less. Only change this setting if the current 1:3 ratio is too light/indirect or you can’t reach the full range due to short arms. Note that this setting also changes the position of the speed limit stopper and the brake line length so you will need to adjust those to your liking again after changing the pulley ratio.
For ratio’s between 1:3 and 1:2 you need to move the point at which the running pulley line connects to bar. Next to the pulley is a 1:3 setting and next to the main line corresponds with 1:2.
If you want your inputs to be even more direct you can also move the pulley forwards with the running pulley line connected all the way to the front next to the main line. You can connect the pulley the same way as the B and C loops to a spoke of the bar.
Be aware that ratio’s below 1:2 can be too direct for most pilots and very demanding on the inputs and arm strength. We also don’t recommend to go near or below a 1:1 ratio as then the brake line won’t be engaged at all or it even works backwards at ratio’s below 1:1, meaning the brake will engage more when you go hands-up which can cause a collapse!
To move the pulley or running pulley line you need to disconnect the handle from the running pulley line first and remove the male cruise control lock from the running pulley line. It can be easier to remove the handle when the stopper knot is moved up by at least 100mm and you unwrap 2 loops of the handle position line.
The loop at the end of the handle position line can then be opened far enough for the handle to pass through.