Fuse vs. Rebel - An interview with Ken Winner the
kite designer of the North 2010 Fuse and Rebel kitesurf kites
NKB:
Hi Ken, what was your intention when you
first thought about the Fuse?
ken winner:
When we started working on the 2010 Fuse
our goal was to make it as much like the
Rebel as possible, but optimized for 4-line
use. The first thing we did, of course, was
try some Rebels on bridles, and, of course,
they worked ok but not great.
NKB:
What were the main differences?
ken winner:
The main tasks were:
• The 2009-style bridle that we started with
wasn‘t permitting the bar feel to be as
crisp as we wanted,
• In sizes 9 to 14 the turning wasn‘t quite
right,
• In sizes 5 and 7 turning was ok, but the bar
feel was too hard, too aggressive.
From that point our development focused on:
• Refining the bridle to get a crisper feel,
• Refining overall geometry in larger sizes to
improve the turning ability,
• Refining geometry in sizes 5 & 7 to get the
crisp-but-not-harsh bar feel that we were
looking for.
After months of testing, the Fuse ended up
more like the Rebel than any other bridled
kite we have ever tested. However, even
as close as it is, there are still differences
that the discerning rider can detect.
NKB:
What are these differences exactly?
ken winner:
For example, the Fuse has slightly softer bar
feel and turns with less force on the bar.
Some riders prefer more pressure and feedback
while others prefer less. It‘s a highly
subjective matter.
The Rebel, on the other hand, has a shorter
bar stroke. This means that the Rebel depowers
slightly more as the bar is moved
away from the rider — an advantage for
riders with short arms. But ultimately, both
kites have similar depower ability.
A minor point of difference between the
Fuse and the Rebel is the thickness of the
centre ribs in some sizes and the thickness
of the leading edge tubes in the tips. The
Fuse is thicker in those areas so as to ensure
total stability even when not inflated to a
full 6 psi.
All together, the Fuse is the perfect, easy
freeride kite on four lines, the Rebel might
be a little bit more sporty with the loaded
5th line and the 100% safety solution.
NKB: Thank you Ken
