Line equalizing by KiteLife

Transcript

1. ›

   Why equalize

   0:00

   In this tutorial we're going to cover line equalization. Equalizing your lines is very important because almost any type of line stretches over time, and not evenly. If your right line has stretched longer than your left, it creates imbalanced inputs and can hurt your accuracy.

2. ›

   Staking the loops

   0:20

   To start, I've removed the loops from the handles and placed them one by one onto a ground stake that is well driven into the ground. With all four loops staked, I slide them to the bottom of the stake so they all come from the same point — an accurate reference when we draw the lines taut at the other end.

3. ›

   Retying the sleeving

   0:53

   At the other end, I start with the top lines, right and left, drawing an even amount of tension into both. You can feel the average stretch, the amount of give in the line. Here I have maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch of difference, with the longer line nearest to me. The first method involves untying and actually adjusting the line itself. I remove the first knot in the sleeving and note the little bit of line sticking out of the end. Before untying the last knot, it's critical to pinch this down: otherwise the line can pull inside and you'd need a special tool to get it back out. Pinching the end of the line, I remove the second knot, pull the line out by the amount I want to adjust — a little over 1/2 inch here — lock down the end and smooth the sleeving to the other end so there's no bunching or slack. Then I fold the sleeving end to end as it was, tie one simple overhand knot just above the ends of the sleeving, and one more overhand knot above that. I've tried various knot systems for securing line in sleeving, and this one has proven foolproof and very easy to work with. Drawing even tension again, the two lines are now roughly the same length. With almost any line set, I aim for about 1/4 inch of tolerance, give or take.

4. ›

   Adding a knot

   2:53

   For the bottom lines, I'll show a slightly faster technique. Drawing even tension into both again, there's a trend: my right lines are a little longer, top and bottom, probably because I'm right handed and a little firmer with that hand, which promotes more stretch over time. With a similar difference, I take the longer line and simply tie one more overhand knot above the others. Drawing tension back into the lines, they're equalized: the extra knot takes up between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of length because of the sleeving inside it. So that's your basic introduction to line equalization.

5. ›

   Notes

   3:58

   Why are equal lines important? Equal right and left lines help make sure your inputs are the same on both sides; uneven lines cause a greater input on one side. Is retying the loops better than adding knots? Adjusting the sleeving itself gives clean-looking equipment and keeps your loops the same size, while each added knot shortens the loop, and with too many knots it eventually becomes too small to attach and remove easily. Why does right-left equality matter more than top-bottom? It depends on each pilot's preferences, but since we adjust the length of the top lines as part of normal tuning, any difference between top and bottom can generally be compensated for at the handle end.