Revolution Bicycle Spins: Spin Without Losing Height by Revolution Kites

Transcript

1. ›

   Tilting to gain lift

   0:00

   Hi, I'm Joe Hadzicki, inventor of the Revolution. Do you ever have problems maintaining height while you're doing a spin? We're going to solve this problem, and by the end of this video, with a little practice, you too can be a Revolution spin master. There are two aspects to maintaining height while you're in a spin. The first one is that by tilting your Rev, you can generate lift. Remember, the lift is perpendicular to the sail, so by tilting the wing back you'll generate upward lift. This works in all directions: if you're inverted, tilting those tips towards you will generate more lift up. It even works sideways: by tilting the top wing towards you, you'll generate lift up.

2. ›

   Rotating and pulling

   1:07

   The second one is rotating and pulling. Remember, the angle of the kite makes a difference to the lift, so if you don't rotate before pulling, you won't generate much lift. Let's use this basic foundation to solve our height problem. Technique number one: give it a little tug to generate upward momentum just before your spin. This will keep your altitude during the spin. Technique number two: tug one wing, generating the lift for that one wing. Did you see what happened on that one? We maintained the height, but we ended up sliding off to the side. That's one of the problems with this technique: when you pull, you cause an off-center spin. The way to fix that is, after the pull, to quickly get your hands back together, and that will keep your spin on center.

3. ›

   Pumping and wind strength

   3:00

   For a more advanced approach, practice pumping the wing as it climbs up to the nine o'clock point. So, for example, as your wing is spinning right here, pump; as it comes around again, pump. This is what it looks like. These techniques are much easier in lighter winds because the spins are moving slower. You can do them in higher winds, but you don't need them as much, because there's much more wind, so you don't lose as much altitude. But it's going to take more practice, and the timing is critical for faster spins. As a more advanced technique, this can also be used on the reversing wing. It's most often used in this way from a side hover.

4. ›

   Spinning from a side hover

   4:55

   From a side hover position we have four options for a spin: we can spin the top wing forward, the bottom wing forward, the top wing in reverse, or the bottom wing in reverse. Since your goal is to maintain height, always use the bottom wing to generate the turn. For example, fly the bottom wing forward or fly the bottom wing in reverse. This works because while it's flying, it's lifting through this part of the phase. If you use the top wing, it's dropping through the first part of the turn. From a side hover, this pulling technique gives you three advantages. Number one, it generates lift up to that nine o'clock position. Number two, that pulling motion brings your hands together for an on-center spin. And number three, that pull follows through and sets you up for a hover on the other side.

5. ›

   Accelerating each wing

   6:55

   For an even more advanced version of this, we can accelerate each wing as it climbs to the nine o'clock position. For example, accelerate the right wing in reverse, now the left wing forward, now the right wing in reverse, and there you have the famous Revolution bicycle spin.