Hi,
It time for me to change my bar and I can have a good deal on both Slingshot CompStick 2013 and Airush smart bar II.
I don't mind under/over the bar trim I'm used to both.
If you have use them can you let me know what you think of it/them:
- quality of the bar/Grip/lines
- safety features
- any issues (for ex I tried a switch bar recently and for me the grip was a bit hard and not enough length on the trim line to have "full" depower).
Thanks in advance
Hey there
I have spent a few seasons on slingshot bars. Pretty refined now. I am on f one bar and kites now and what I miss is the thick front lines and solid feel of the comp bar.
I am interested in airush bars as tempted by there wave kite, but I haven't seen the bar in person yet. Warning bells sound with a bar with moving parts / press studs for adjustment and hollow bar as could be a corrosion / seize magnet , but let's see. Plastic depower cover like the f one is good one the hands and for wear! Although it didn't bother me not having it on the slingy.
Been using the airush bars for years.
Heaps of adjustments for front and back lines are a big plus for me, plus the ability to change line lengths eg. 21m for surf and 25m for twin tip.
The locking pins/spring inside the bar are coated with lanolin, if you wash your bar and check it once a season it shouldn't be a problem. I havn't changed the length of mine usually just leave it setup as a 45cm.
Any questions just shout.
Note: Teamrider
As well as the Smart bar Airush do an Analog bar, it has most of the features of the Smart but without those pin adjuster bits.
So less hassles & also a few less $$, I have just got my 7m Wave & only had it out once - so far really impressed with my new kit.
OK thanks a lot for all the information. I think I will go for the smart bar. I will let you know as soon as I receive it.
Cheers.
I've used the Smartbar for 1,5 year without any problems with the adjustment. Rinsed it in fresh water a few times. The only drawback I can think of is that you could loose the spacers if you're a bit careless and don't put them where you know to find them. Never happened to me though. An excellent bar and very comfy.
I'm too am on my second season with the Smartbart with no problems to report. Just periodically take apart and rinse out the salt and sand. At this time, I also lube the inserts with lanolin grease (aka nipple creme found at most pharmacies). The lanolin grease seems to work very well at protecting lubing the aluminum and doesn't create a mess.
As for the bar's form and function, it's as good as any I've tried. The push pull depower is similar to the Cabrinha's and works reliably, simply. The only thing I'd change is the "finger grips". While they're not an issue in terms of comfort, I didn't experience any advantage in terms of grip vs a smooth bar. They add bulk to the bar. I prefer the feel of a narrower bar, but it's certainly not an issue or a deal breaker. Overall it's a great bar and setup.
Also consider the Analog bar, if you don't need the extreme length variations. I have a 12-9-6 meter. Since I don't use the largest bar length for the 12 m, an Analog bar would suit me just fine> but I would want to still adjust the steering lines in or out when I'm switching the same bar from a 12 to 6 meter. This takes more time than just lengthening the bar via the adjuster pins/spacers. The adjuster pins take less than a minute to change out. But if you have two bars then adjustments aren't necessary in the first place, so the Analog bar would be just fine.
