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Sizes Available: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14m
Sizes Tested: 6, 9, 12m

SLINGSHOT Says:

The Rally features a Delta C-shape, tapered wingtips and a fine-tuned three-point bridle system. This design yields more depower and a wider wind range than more traditional shapes and makes relaunching as easy as a gently pull on one end of the bar. Tapered wingtips provides a tight pivot radius for fast steering and mellow, predictable loops. For jumping, the Rally’s hybrid delta shape provides long, lofty airs that are great for staying under control and landing gently regardless of how high you go. For wave riding and foiling, the Rally’s feathery downwind drift makes the Rally the ideal cross-over performer, while on the opposite spectrum it also unhooks for cross-over freestyle/wakestyle.

Visit for more info: www.slingshotsports.com/2018-Rally#.WkZ_5lQ-c1I

Our Testers Say:

“Easy to maneuver, stable, love the thicker bar, excellent lift for big boosts, heavier bar pressure, turns are sweeping and quick, solid kite!” // Max Mackendrick

“Easy to boost, lofty hangtime””this a well behaved kite with terrific boosting chops, lofty hangtime and easy relaunches which will please novice to intermediate riders.” // Tiberiu Anghel

“The Rally is a powerhouse freight train that delivers stable flying and huge low-end pull, but could use more depower in overpowered conditions. Great for boosting and park and ride, stable for practicing new tricks.” // Dray Murray

Meet Our Testers

TKB Says:

The Rally is a 5 strut delta-shaped kite with a sweptback leading edge that delivers tons of low-end pull in a user-friendly and predictable package. The Rally uses a large diameter bayonet style inflation valve that requires no nozzle on the end of your standard pump hose for a quick and easy pump up. When it comes time to deflate, there’s a standard dump valve that allows you to quickly deflate without unthreading the bayonet valve. The Rally features a single setting fixed bridle with no pulleys used for adjusting the angle of attack while the wingtips offers three attachment points for adjusting kite feedback. The front bridle attachment point ends in a loop and the wingtip attachment point ends in a knot. The Rally features medium plus bar pressure and a nice long throw for sheeting out and has fairly crisp steering response with a larger pivot style turn that is rather quick in the smaller sizes. Like most delta-shaped performance freeride kites, the Rally requires additional bar input to keep the kite off the water when hovering on the side of the window and when it comes to relaunch the Rally delivers an incredibly reliable and quick relaunch from the depth of the window while easily rolling onto a wingtip from the nose down position. The Rally has a solid sheet in and go feel that makes for user-friendly boosting that is capable of offering explosive lift and mind blowing hangtime. The Rally is known as a low-end pulling machine in the smaller sizes but we also noted that with its longer throw we could dump a ton of that power when needed. The ideal fit for the Rally is progression riders looking for a reliable user-friendly kite along with performance big boosting freeriders and foilkiters that typically rig down a couple sizes.

The Rally can be used with either the Compstick Guardian or Compstick Sentinel control bars. Both of these bars are fixed length bars that comes in three sizes: 17” width with 20m lines, a 20” width with 23m lines (3m ext), and a 23” width with 27m lines.

The Compstick Sentinel features above the bar power tuning with single center-line safety depower, spectra sheeting/throw line with a sliding stopper, adjustable length throw, a tuning cleat power system with a toggle that uses a magnet to control excess tuning slack and a low V. The Sentinel offers a sturdy quick release that integrates a below the bar hand swivel which also doubles as a quick release guard. The Compstick is the only bar in our test that featured dual outside line OS handles. The bar ends offer bungees for keeping lines clean and the floats are separate from the bar ends. While testers liked the smaller diameter grip and raised volcano at the insert to avoid pinched fingers, testers also commented on the thin rubber lines along the grip and how they make for a very solid grip.

The Compstick Guardian features single center-line safety depower, spectra sheeting/throw line, a low V, a sliding stopper and below the bar cleat tuning integrated into the push away quick release. There’s no travel guard or below the bar hand swivel but the quick release is compact and keeps a large amount of throw travel within reach of the rider. There’s an above the bar swivel, adjustable length throw and it’s the only bar in our test that featured dual outside line OS handles. This bar uses Slingshot’s existing Guardian quick release system which puts the kite’s tuning below the bar, which allows surfers to increase the amount of throw/sheeting while still being able to reach the tuning of the kite. Testers who are not used to below the bar sheeting often find it’s difficult to get the leverage to operate the cleat, but with the proper technique (place the cleat on the side of your favored arm and sheet out while adjusting) this is a fairly easy and functional design for performance kiters. And if you can’t wrap your head around the advantages of below the bar tuning systems, then check out the Compstick Sentinel.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.slingshotsports.com/Bars


 

Want more gear reviews all in one place? Read detailed and objective reviews on the 30 kite models and 33 board models that Tkb and freeride testers reviewed for the 2018 Freeride Gear Review Guide.