Nitro Rods

[Mike Eibey]

What's everyone's opinion on the skyshark nitro rods?

I've found that kites with them don't feel too different but it seems I can get some faster rotation out of them essentially on tricks like the taz.

Wondering because I'm considering reframing a kite in nitro but also wondering if just making a set of nitro lower spreaders would alone give alot more stiffness.

[Edmond Dragut]

they are more stiffer than others brands for that the reaction is faster. They are good quality 

[midibot]

Of the kites I have with nitros, they are generally considered an upgrade if they didn’t originally come with them. Presumably for stiffness, although there may also be a strength factor. (BMK Mongoose, Enigma, Widow). Have not done a side by side comparison though.

Nitros do require a larger diameter ferrule, which may complicate things slightly at the centre T fitting if swapping out from other skysharks, but no biggie. 

Consider a note or phone call to the man, Jon Trennepohl at Skyburner to get the best advice I can think of on the planet for such matters. (They, of course, make them along with others you might be comparing them to.)

Certainly cheaper to make the change incrementally and see how you like the effect with just the LSs first. That'd be my thought.

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[midibot]

Supplemental: 

The idea of a stiffer lower spreader is a good one and I can think of a bunch of kites where this has been done, but many of them have something like .2100 or .2300 or 6mm pultruded frames, with say a skyshark 5PT or Dynamic 15/18 tapered in the lower spreaders for added stiffness/strength. Quite a difference in rods. For instance, the Prism Hypnotist, SkyDog Sweet Emotion, Flying Wings Insync, etc use this approach. 

Don’t know if the difference would be as dramatic in 5PT upgraded to nitros for lower spreaders on a specific kite. Quite possibly.

Be interested in reading your experience if you proceed in any case.

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[Mike Eibey]

I think that's what I'll start with. Just do the lower spreaders and see how it reacts.

Those nitro rods can be tricky to switch to because alot of the fittings don't fit directly with standard parts. 

But I'll let you know what I think about it once I get some flight time. Hopefully this weekend.