Up until recently, almost every piece of kiteboarding gear has tuning options with one large exception; the twin tip kiteboard. Kites feature bridle attachment points and control bars feature different bar widths, power adjusters as well as a smattering of chicken loop sizes to choose from. Despite the industry-wide trend towards trim adjustments, twin tip boards have always been designed with a single preset rocker and flex pattern hard-coded into the wood core and glass layup.
Franz Schitzhofer along with other designers on the Eleveight team have dreamed up and designed a way to toggle between two rocker settings. With the introduction of the Revo rocker modification device, riders can now trim their kiteboard according to the conditions. Much like modern mountain bike shocks that allow you to restrict suspension movement when pedaling uphill and switch back to full travel on the way back down, the Revo allows you to increase the range of your board by just twisting the handle.
This new rocker modification device makes it possible for a single board to cover a larger window of conditions. If the wind is dropping and you need some extra speed and glide to get back upwind, you can rotate the Revo handle and activate its rocker-flattening mechanism. In the alternative, if you’re powered up and want the softer and forgiving ride of the board’s full flex and natural rocker, then twist the Revo handle to release the tension and revert it back to passive mode. When the Revo is activated, the device extends and places tension on the handle’s insert bases, effectively flattening out the board’s camber and providing a flatter rocker line. When the Revo engages with a three-stage rocker, it evens out the rocker across the center and gives the rider a longer rail, increasing the board’s grip in the water and efficiency for upwind ability.
The Revo was designed to work with this year’s Eleveight’s boards which incorporate reinforced inserts engineered to withstand the extra forces. You can use it on any of the boards in the Eleveight lineup, including the lightwind models, but according to Eleveight’s designers, the outline of the board is not as important as the rocker and flex. Riders will notice the best results in upwind performance when the Revo is set up on stiffer boards with more rocker.
The Revo is marketed towards riders of all skill levels. Eleveight believes it can help beginners ride upwind easier which is an important step in the progression process, but the rocker lockout option may be of equal interest to advanced riders. According to professional product tester and competitor, Arthur Guillebert, he engages the Revo after a series of tricks so he can ride back upwind much faster.
The concept of locking out a board’s rocker might seem crazy at first, but once you get used to wringing every ounce of upwind performance out of your twin tip, you may never go back.
This article was featured in our fall 2021 issue, Vol. 18, No. 3. To read more, click here.