Flexifoil ION 5
The Flexifoil ION - C-Kite Performance with Hybrid Depower !!
The Flexifoil Ion offers intermediate to advanced riders a rock solid kite, with fantastic stability and direct feel that will give you tremendous confidence on the water.The Flexifoil ION has been designed with unhooked riding in mind and offers incredible grunt and pop whilst showing an amazing ability to eat gusts.
The pedigree of the ION range has been kept pure in this year's ION range. The research and development team have kept the strong blend of C-Kite feel and Hybrid performance of the ION and focussed on improving the accuracy and construction techniques of the Leading edge, struts and canopy.Feel supremely confident on the Flexifoil Ion and it will help you usher in greater levels of competency whatever riding style you prefer. The Flexifoil Ion offers an even greater range of wind conditions than its predecessors and size for size you'll find more power with solid driving turns making for great powered kite loops. The ION has had every panel scrutinised to produce a shape as close as possible to the 3D CAD model and the design process has enveloped the manufacturing technologies to ensure capable, reliable production processes to guarantee quality you can trust.With new reinforcement patch materials, a Leading Edge construction that has surpassed previous inflation test results by 40%, new Strut to Leading Edge joining techniques and new Canopy Construction giving this year's ION a more fluid, curved panel cut, Flexifoil are confident that the ION will deliver satisfaction to any level of rider.
The Flexifoil Ion is available in six versatile sizes - 5.5, 7.0m, 8.5m, 10.5m, 12.5m and 14.5m offering you a size for all wind conditions.4 and 5-line options on the bar give you two differing configurations (freeride and freestyle) to suit your riding style and local conditions.
Performance Features:
6 Strut Layout:The stiffer canopy and cleaner centre aerofoil combined with improved panel accuracy mean the ION retains its excellent low end performance. The extra support between Leading Edge and Trailing Edge keep the feedback from this kite alive and direct through the lines and to the bar. Flying an ION becomes second nature faster than ever letting you direct more attention to your next move.
Reduced Leading Edge Tube:Fine tuning the Leading Edge proportions from the centre to the tips is a fine balance between rigidity, stability, relaunch, agility, upwind ability and weight. This year's ION is honed to perfection.
Refined Aerofoil Shape:A big part of the skill in designing a kite is knowing that when the 3D model has been translated into material patterns, cut using CNC fabric cutters, printed and assembled by skilled seamstresses, the kite is as close to the original 3D model as possible. This expertise only comes with experience!
Simplified Bridle System:Minimal pulleys and bridles help maximise the direct feel of the ION and minimise the maintenance. A perfectly balanced bridle means the pulley hardly needs to move at all and multiple front and rear line connection points let you tune the kite to your particular style or simply learn about how these settings effect the characteristics of your kite!
Anti-Flutter Trailing Edge Battens: The batten material is very flexible and very tough and combined with Dacron® they eliminate resonant frequency vibrations that can occur as the trailing edge changes shape during a driving turn and avoid any unnecessary drag or turbulence.
Construction Features:Rigid Strut Construction:Flexifoil have developed a new strut to leading edge junction which is stronger and stiffer than ever before. Flexifoil have also improved the manufacturing controls to ensure improved accuracy.
EZ Single-Point Inflation:As with all Flexifoil kitesurfing products, the EZ single-point inflation system increases the speed of kite setup getting you out on the water faster.
Wing tip Dump Valve:Now with a dump valve on each wingtip and on the centre of the kite so you can roll either way or open all 3 for faster deflation!
Dacron Reinforcements:The ION can generate a solid pull that is spread through carefully positioned reinforcements to the wingtips and down the lines to your bar, optimising strength and weight. The much copied Dacron cage keeps a strong frame that means if you are unlucky enough to damage your canopy, the repair should be simple and cost effective.
Dacron Reinforced 175 Leading Edge Tube:Flexifoil have taken the Dacron® Leading Edge construction to new levels of strength and durability. The inflation test results have shown a 40% increase in the air pressure required to destroy the test samples and the endurance tests in the Sahara were passed with flying colours.
Wingtip Construction:The Flexifoil ION wingtips give a more rigid structure so the kites less likely to deform whilst turning. As the kite holds its shape better you get a more direct and extremely responsive feel. We have also fitted the wingtip with a small webbing strap that prevents the flying lines from getting caught around it.
Standard Flexifoil Features:TEIJIN T9600 Technology:Flexifoil just won't compromise on materials and use what they believe to be the best. Teijin T9600 still proves to have the best coating and longevity with excellent UV resistance. Dimensions Polyant Dacron® provides the best combination of fabric stability and stiffness for our Leading Edges whilst a new Kevlar-neoprene reinforcement patch material over every Leading Edge circumferential seam will protect against the harshest beach environments.
110 Micron TPU Bladders:Flexifoil is proud to use 110 micron TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) bladders (as opposed to the standard 90 micron) giving peace of mind of having a more puncture resistant and durable bladder in your Ion.
Solid and Stiff Wingtip Construction:With the kite holding its shape better you get a much more direct and responsive feel. You will also benefit from the wingtips being fitted with a small webbing strap that prevents the flying lines from getting caught around them. Whether you are riding a storm on the 7m or battling gusts on a 10.5m or squeezing every last breath out of a lightwind session on the 14.5, every ION is rock solid and dependable.
Molten Bladder Technology:The new welding process has been tested up to a sweltering 100 degrees centigrade to make sure it will stand up to extreme conditions felt in all the world's hottest kitesurf locations.
Riding Characteristics:Variable Power Setup:Attaching the front toggles to different points on the wingtips changes the performance of the kite to suit different riding styles. Use tow point ‘2.Lo' to give the kite more grunt in low winds or for wake style riding and heaver riders. Use the front tow ‘1.Hi' for more depower making it suitable for wave riding, general cruising and high winds.
Jumping:The Flexifoil ION is designed to get smooth jumps and loads of float with gentle, controlled lift plus its nice and easy to feel where the kite is when coming in to land. The bar position on the centre line makes a massive difference in the height of the jump. In strong winds all you need to do is send the kite and pull the bar towards you and you take off - big airs are effortless.If you're into unhooked jumps and powered wake-style tricks then the Flexifoil ION is also the one for you! Keeping power in the turn, you will get constant and predictable pull during kite loops.
Unhooked Riding:Both setups are good for unhooked riding, with the freeride setup giving a more pivoted turn, so it's easy to get the kite in the right place when smacking the lip and riding down the line. The freestyle mode delivers loads of grunt and a good, precise driving turn. Both setups can be flown unhooked with tight rear lines so that it's easy to feel where the kite is and steer it one handed without any back-stall in the kite.
Stability:The kite is really stable even in gusty winds and when the kite is depowered it remains rock-solid in the sky. There is always a smooth feedback to the bar from the kite, making it great for progressing and learning new tricks.The kite is really stable even in gusty winds and when the kite is depowered it remains rock-solid in the sky. There is always a smooth feedback to the bar from the kite, making it great for progressing and learning new tricks. The Flexifoil Ion excels in gusty conditions as the kite remains stable making it great for flying sites that can have turbulent conditions.
Simplicity:The Flexifoil Ion has been designed to make your life easy and your kite flying fun!
The package includes: easy and quick single point inflation (rig-up in no time), freestyle and freeride bridle diagrams printed on the bag for easy beach reference, and a freeride to freestyle conversion process that you can do in literally a few minutes. All attachments to the kite are simple larkshead knot - colour-coded and labeled - so it's hard to get it wrong.
Safety-Freeride Setup: 4-lines with a mini-leash running through the centre hole in the bar pulls on the two front lines when the safety is activated.This kills 90% of the power from the kite and the kite comes down at the edge of the window, ready for easy relaunch.
Safety-Freestyle Setup:After depowering the safety system the rider remains attached to the kite via the 5th line which attaches to the Y bridle on the centre of the kite. The 5th line kills 95% power from the kite in a controlled and predictable manner and has all the usual benefits like easy relaunch, self landing and an adjustable tension for controlling the power of the kite during normal flying.
TWO KITE "ROUGH GUIDE"
Please note this is based on average rider experience, in average conditions, in average waves on an average day.
Light weight rider (approx 65 kg or less) - 7m & 8.5m
Medium weight rider (approx 75 kg) - 8.5m & 12.5m
Heavy weight rider (approx 90 kg) - 10.5m & 14.5m
XL riders (approx 100 + kg) - 10.5m & 16.5m
ION (All-In-One) Control Bar system
The Flexfoil ION Bar is simple, effective and comfortable. You can trim the kite with ease whilst riding. The Bar pressure give great feedback without being too heavy on your arms making for a comfortable session.The centre line and leader lines are all easily adjustable, meaning no matter your size you'll be able to set the bar up to suit. A number of parts of the bar are also upgradable meaning that as your ability grows you can customise the bar to suit.
