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Sizes Available: 3.5, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15m
Sizes Tested: 7m

Duotone Says:

Based on the Duotone light weight concept saving 15% of weight compared to classic kites, the Mono is a one strut kite designed to offer incredible all-round performance for the rider looking for that little bit extra.

Featuring a super low aspect design, the Mono has been created to optimize light wind conditions while still having a wide wind range to make it a solid choice for anyone’s quiver. All too often one strut kites have excellent low range performance but flutter as soon as the wind picks up. The Mono is different, the shape and construction combine to reduce flutter to a minimum while still offering lots of user-friendly performance into the package. The power development is very progressive, making it an easy kite for anyone to fly, while the handling is responsive with a forgiving nature. In lighter winds most kites have a tendency to back stall for the less skilled riders, this can be difficult to manage. By designing a lower aspect shape, while keeping the overall weight to an absolute minimum this characteristic has been negated from the Mono, it just wants to fly.

The perfect tool for the freerider looking for a light wind weapon, kite foilers wanting simplicity and even wave riders who lack wind at their spot. Suited to a wide range of abilities from beginner to expert, the Mono has something to offer everyone out there. The relaunch is so easy, the kite almost bounces off the water when you crash it, even in light winds. If you haven’t flown the Mono lately why not get a demo and see what you are missing out on. It’s an experience that is sure to excite and amaze you.

Visit for more info: www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/kites/mono/

TKB Says:

To really understand the breadth of the Mono, you need to test this single strut first with a hydrofoil, then a surfboard and then finally with a twin tip. This progression will help you understand how the Mono can both perform extremely well in lower-powered disciplines like foil and surf, while remaining stable for casual freeride.

Inflation Valve: Proprietary nozzle + separate dump valve
Flying Line Attachments: Center bridle: Knot / Wingtip bridle: Larks head
Centerline Split: High-V
Front Bridle Options: Single setting / single pulley

Design and Features
The Mono uses a unique low aspect single strut airframe with a sweptback leading edge that resembles a horseshoe when you’re looking up at the kite. The Mono uses Duotone’s large diameter inflation valve dubbed the ”˜Max Flow’ system which connects directly with Duotone’s pump hose without the use of a nozzle; the inflation system’s twist valve rotates with the insertion of the hose to keep air locked in the kite. Deflation can happen through both the inflation valve and a dump valve on one side of the kite, making both inflation and deflation quick and easy. The Mono uses a single setting front bridle that operates on a pulley and ends in a knot. The wingtip attachment point ends in a larks head and uses Duotone’s adaptive tip bridle to offer two control settings: ”˜Soft’ is the yellow knot that moves the attachment into a farther aft position and the blue ”˜Hard’ knot is the farther forward position. The Mono uses Dacron sparingly on the wingtip and uses a lighter grade Dacron on the trailing edge without any battens to stabilize the leach.

Impressions
From the moment we self-launched the Mono, we could feel how the leading edge’s shape is incredibly conducive to relaunch. The bar pressure on the Mono is about medium on the yellow/softer setting which gives you more feedback from the kite than some of the other freeride kites in the Duotone lineup. The steering response is solid; it likes a bit more input but the turn initiation feels crisp and immediate””the turning arc is very pivotal and tight. The Mono is really easy to fly in the middle of the window with sheet-and-go power delivery along the bar’s throw and really impressive drift. The Mono likes to sit back in the window a little more and is quite at home hovering or delivering reliable pulling power from deeper in the window. Its lighter airframe and canopy help keep the Mono floating when you slack the lines or the wind lulls below the kite’s threshold. You get a ton of depower at the end of the bar throw which allows the Mono to stay aloft in really light wind but also helps you dump any extra power when you are kite foiling. The Mono’s unique airframe does a good job of keeping the canopy stable at all times, although you will experience some flutter when completely depowered, however, the trailing edge stability has come a long way since the Mono’s first appearance. When we transitioned to surfboards, we found the Mono’s tight turning and middle of the window flying and depower great for riding in onshore waves. In some ways, it reminded us of a lighter and little less gutsy version of the Neo. When it comes to twin tip riding, progression-oriented kiters will find the Mono’s power delivery, zenith stability, quick relaunch and simple airframe a reassuring partner in the learning curve. Foil kiting might be the most obvious application for the Mono, but its user-friendly handling gives it a much wider range of use than might otherwise be expected.

Featured Control Bar

The Click Bar got an upgraded line set this year along with a more subdued colorway but keeps much of the successful formula from last year’s design. The new kite lines boast a smaller diameter, stronger breaking force and less stretch to increase the crisp communication of control inputs directly into the airframe. Available in two sizes, either the smaller fixed-length 42cm wide bar with 22m (20m+2m extension) lines or the original 49cm length with 24m (22m+2m extension) lines, the bar features a single centerline safety depower system and an adjustable attachment point that allows you to swap the height of the center lines’ V (it’s worth noting that you don’t have to re-thread the entire length of a line through a ring to accomplish the change). The outside lines end in knots and the center lines end in loops. The Click Bar features a molded plastic throw line that untwists itself after you spin, a sliding stopper to adjust the length of throw and Duotone’s proven push away quick release. The quick release, when opened horizontally, locks into an open position, holding the gate open. Reassembly is easy: one hand inserts the loop back into position and pushes on the catch button while the other hand raises the quick release handle so the catch can move back into its closed position and then the handle is moved back into the locked position.

The Click Bar can be purchased with one of the four chicken/connection loop options that are tailored to your specific style of riding. Most freeride-oriented kiters might choose the Freeride connection loop which is the smallest option, keeping the bar close to your body. The historically normal-sized loop is now called the ”˜Freestyle Kit,’ which is sized in the middle for both hooked and unhooked riding. For riders that unhook all day long, there is a large ”˜Wakestyle’ loop and for those that only ride with a surf slider rope, there is the ”˜Rope Harness Kit,’ which is a small loop with an integrated metal slider to reduce friction and keep the bar close to the rider. Swapping the loops out is easy; you just need a fin key to remove a ¾ inch set screw to change out the desired loop. The Click Bar settles the debate between above or below the bar tuning by placing it exactly at your fingertips. The twisting motion for powering up takes a little bit of focus while riding at first and the button for depower is easily accessed at all times. While it’s a big shift from the systems we have come to know, seamless controls like this are the future of the sport. The ratchet knob built into the bar end is easy to grab a hold of and easy to rotate once you have some familiarity with it and works while kiting with easy tuning on the fly. The Click Bar also integrates two visual indicators that reveal the power position the bar is set to; one is located on the bar itself, moving left to right, and the second is a small red indicator on the leader line for the right outside line. You don’t realize how you visually assess the trim strap’s position until it is gone, so these indicators are actually a very nice feature. Compared to other systems, the mechanics of Duotone’s Click bar is entirely closed, which means you won’t be washing it out. The Click Bar features retractable bar bungees, soft bar ends with integrated floats, a fairly dense EVA grip that feels asymmetrical in your palm with subtle raised bumps between your fingers, and a very comfortable stamp pattern running the entire length of the bar. This year the colorway gets more subdued with overall gray and white tones mixed with red highlights to ensure visual awareness for polarity.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/bars/click-bar/

 

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