I want to preface this with: I love the razors!  I have had an awesome time on them and love the responsiveness.  I like almost everything on the bar too.  The only thing (that seems to be happening more frequently) that sort of bugs me is the webbing binding on itself and preventing the depower/power from being adjustable. 

To explain more fully - under normal circumstances the black trim (power) webbing sits on the orange trim (depower) webbing.  After several uses, particularly when the orange strap is pulled in or depowered, it has started to first fold in half and then slide over the black (power strap).  There is just enough room under the metal guide/restraint to allow this to happen. (Putting a smaller one on might add friction, but maybe not?)  The end result is that the black trim strap ends up underneath the orange trim strap and completely binds the depower mechanism such that it will no longer power or depower.

I can usually fix it on the water, but have to put the kite down on the edge of the window and have the donkey dick tucked into the spreader bar or else when you pull on the (bound) depower strap you just end up unhooking.  It seems to be happening more frequently now which is in part due to the webbing retaining a bit of memory of folding in half, and then when it’s partly pulled in, the wind seems to add another bit of pressure and a little more twist and presto, bound depower mechanism.  Thankfully most of my sessions I can set it to one spot and ride for quite a while so it isn’t a big deal, but is definitely an annoyance when it happens.  I don’t have any pictures cause I reset it (three times today) on the water, but I can try and get some next time.

I tend to have bad luck with finding the limits on equipment, so this could just be my dumb luck… Has anyone else had this issue?  Also, would you like me to demo a 2012 cypher just to test everything out?    Seriously, they look like great kites, looking forward to trying them sometime this next year!

Cheers,
Ryan

I have the same problem with my Freestyle bar. Haedquarters has confirmed that there is a design problem identified and have informed me that a new depower buckle has been issued. Please contact OR Customer support to get a new buckle shipped.

Regards
Kirk

user removed/spammer

My dealer where I bought the bar is handling getting the new buckle sent to me. I need to remind him….soon!

Have had this happen a few times too.  For sure a royal pain, but not that tough to avoid.  I give the strap a little more attention when depowering now, but mostly, found it to be an issue when more than half the stap is pulled in.  The webbing depower strap has two issues that require the strap only be used to about half its potential.  One is the metal quide at the bottom.  Max out the depower and the guide prevents the ratcheting mechanism from letting you power back up.  Only an issue when you get the strap nearly maxed out.  The other issue is the twisting.  THis happens consistently for two reasons.  One, the red strap is double thickness running through the guide up to half its range.  Past half and your into the single thickness and there is less stiffness to the strap and more potential twisting space within the guide.  The second issue is that past half way there is a big long red depower strap flopping around in the wind vastly increasing the twist potential.  Not sure if you will be happy with this, but I tend to think of the back half of my depower strap like everything above 5500 rpms in my car.  The dial goes up to something like 9000 rpm but who drives like that!?  And if you do, you cant borrow my car, or my kites!  That potential on the strap is there if it really blows up and you need to get safely back to shore.

Having used the one kite (10m) almost exclusively strapless all season, I feel no compromise using only the first 1/2 of the straps potential.  In that range I’m comfortably in control well past the point where I make the jump to my next kite down.  Keep in mind I make a much bigger jump than most (4M).

That being said, I wonder if OR wouldn’t do well to investigate some of the above bar rope and cleat depower set ups that are working well for a good number of other brands out there?  As an additional bonus, they tend to obstruct less view and make for a nice clean look.  The existing strap does require some post adjustment primping to keep from looking bunched and messy.  Cosmetic… yes, but this is kiting where people can argue about shorts over wetsuits for days!!!  A quick tug on both the grey power up strap and leash are generally required to take out slack and keep it all slick and low profile.  Now thats a step I would be happy to evolve away from.  I do hope you never drop the option of above bar depower, but moving on from a webbing strap would suit me just fine.

I had the same problem as well.

It first started in July and I informed my Kite shop of the issue. Shortly after the trim Line would get all twisted I removed the Power up strap from the metal loop like it had said on this forum and the kite kept powering up anytime I did a jump, a gust came or by diving the kite, leaving me completely at the mercy of the wind.

luckily I was never injured when i discovered these issue but it did cause equipment damage to my 15m rise while landing the kite on shore in an emergency.

I informed my kite shop of the issue and he ordered me a new strap. that was in July and i just received my new strap in November.

I had to purchase another bar just so I could kite costing me $500+ when I shouldn’t have had to. I’m really upset about the customer service ocean rodeo has given me. I had sent three emails to ocean rodeos support with no reply before talking with my own shop. Because of my experience I may never buy Ocean rodeo gear again. Other companies would have sent a brand new bar if it took 5 months to send one strap. 

Another issue I had was when ocean rodeo gave the promotion of buy 3 new razors and receive a free bar and a 4m razor. I had purchased a 6,8,12 2011 ocean rodeo razors 2 months before the promotion and a 2011 15m rise a week before and they wouldn’t go through with the promotion even with the issue I had with my bar at the time since they never replied to my email.

Even worse though is now you have claimed there is a new buckle available and I still received the same strap as the bar originally had come with.

What happened to customer service and supplying the best product you can.

So now I need to go back to my shop and order another warranty strap with the correct buckle. I plan on leaving on a kite trip in the next month but I guess I should change it to 5 months from now.

Sincerely, A disgruntled Customer

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the bar. I think the main issue is that the Freestyle bar is a first release of a new bar concept for OR. Although the Diablo bar had above the bar depower, that was some time ago.  Yes, I do agree that the issues with the depower strap should have been identified with beta testing before releasing it to the public. Problems with first gen products, happen in the industry and are not unique to OR but every major brand I have sailed with over the years. The one year production cycle puts enormous pressure on the kite companies to get their gear out. So that being said, the difference is in how the companies address the problems once they are identified.
In my case, I independently identified the strap problem and contacted my OR dealer with my observations of the depower strap problems and suggestions as to how to improve the strap. This was forwarded to OR headquarters immediately. I got a reply the next day from headquarters that they had recognized the issue earlier and a new strap was being issued. I was notified as soon as the new straps arrived and arranged to have one sent.

So this feedback from customers, then response and action from the company is how it is supposed to work.

Despite the issues I have had with OR equipment over the years, I still sail with much of their gear, why? Because of OR is top in many sectors of kitesurfing gear, its dedication, service and my sense of belonging to a special club of enthusiasts (ie. the Crew). Things are discussed on the forum, things happen, improvements are made, creating feedback loops so gear that already is good gets better and better.

So I say, welcome to the Crew. You are going to like it here. The other issues you mention, I think that OR will sort you out.

Kirk

Sask_Rodeo - 19 November 2011 12:37 PM

I had the same problem as well.

It first started in July and I informed my Kite shop of the issue. Shortly after the trim Line would get all twisted I removed the Power up strap from the metal loop like it had said on this forum and the kite kept powering up anytime I did a jump, a gust came or by diving the kite, leaving me completely at the mercy of the wind.

luckily I was never injured when i discovered these issue but it did cause equipment damage to my 15m rise while landing the kite on shore in an emergency.

I informed my kite shop of the issue and he ordered me a new strap. that was in July and i just received my new strap in November.

I had to purchase another bar just so I could kite costing me $500+ when I shouldn’t have had to. I’m really upset about the customer service ocean rodeo has given me. I had sent three emails to ocean rodeos support with no reply before talking with my own shop. Because of my experience I may never buy Ocean rodeo gear again. Other companies would have sent a brand new bar if it took 5 months to send one strap. 

Another issue I had was when ocean rodeo gave the promotion of buy 3 new razors and receive a free bar and a 4m razor. I had purchased a 6,8,12 2011 ocean rodeo razors 2 months before the promotion and a 2011 15m rise a week before and they wouldn’t go through with the promotion even with the issue I had with my bar at the time since they never replied to my email.

Even worse though is now you have claimed there is a new buckle available and I still received the same strap as the bar originally had come with.

What happened to customer service and supplying the best product you can.

So now I need to go back to my shop and order another warranty strap with the correct buckle. I plan on leaving on a kite trip in the next month but I guess I should change it to 5 months from now.

Sincerely, A disgruntled Customer

I still like how no representative has commented on this forum to the issue.

just as kirk said…OR will stand behind their product.  i’ve personally had top-notch service from them. 

-wade.

Sask Rodeo….

I am sorry to see this post - or, more accurately - not to have seen this post until now.

Please email me directly - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) - to follow up on this. I am not sure who you were dealing with in November but your story surprises me. When we introduced that 4m Razor special I personally back dated it for some customers so I don’t know why you would have been excluded and I certainly would have been happy to help look at options for you with the bar too. Those new straps took a long time for us to get in but many customers didn’t mind waiting, those that did we often replaced the bar for.

John Z - OR

Thanks for the reply John I Apriciate the way that you offered to help and for clearing up the strap issue.