Hey folks,
As the title says, I'm at a loss as to why when a pulley/ring/slider(in my case) runs on approx 5cm of the bridle cord, that it cannot run a pulleyless setup?
The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages gathered from my very basic knowledge, from what I can see the:
ADVANTAGES
More direct feel
No bridle lines to break (has happened unfortunately)
No pulleys to jam/wear
Overall less to go wrong
DISADVANTAGES
Relaunch might be a bit slower?
Tad joltier in the gusts possibly
Can anyone else add some light to this as I'm baffled and about to make a new bridle line set doing without the pulleys.
Cheers and good winds (HOPEFULLY ANZAC DAY!)
Josh
There may not be a lot of movement in some pulley set ups however the difference is that with a pulley, the load on the attachment points for the line that the pulley runs on is always even as the kite tips due to bar input where if the 'v' point in the line was fixed as it would have to be without a pulley, the tension would transfer from one side of this line to the other. If you substitute your sliders for a fixed bridle setup then you will be changing the loading on your LE. I am fairly sure that the designers had a good reason for putting the sliders in there and unless you are prepared to undertake some significant testing then I would leave it be.
Zeeko Krush is pulleyless on the Bridle with one pulley on the depower centre rope of the UDS Bar.
Relaunch is unaffected
no joltiness in gusts.
Bridles are sh1thouse. They came out looking like recycled fishing nets and now they are slowly becoming smaller and simpler each year. Soon they will be banished back to where they came. The bigger they are the more they wobble.
Most of the high performance kites haven't had them which proves they are unnecessary. Keep it simple stupid. If they are a must for crazy, gusty storm days then pullyless, tiny ozone bridles def stand out.
The truth of the matter is that there is only one kite designer in the whole industry who possesses the mystical ability to construct kites without pulleys, whereas the others are basically high school dropouts doing some trial and error in their backyards.. 
As with most things it's about trade-offs, but to answer the author's question:
Ideally pulleys barely move during transitions, so they don't give a spongy feel in the turns.
However they do move in gusts (->better gust absorption), as well as when you sheet the bar out (-> more depower with less bar throw).
@jimovo:
What you point out is especially relevant in jumps. As you load up and steer the kite back, a pulleyless kite will have uneven line tension, so you get more "whip" forward, however you can't get as much second lift by sheeting the bar in as with pulley-kites.
At the end of the day it's all preference, but most average freeriding folks that I see don't even carve hardcore transitions, so why sacrifice the benefits of pulleys (depower, easier access to jumps) for eventually more "direct feel", which is highly subjective anyways..
Funny you mentioned hardcore transitions as my bridle lines actually went on a TS 540 transition...
What you have mentioned about gust absorption has made me worry now though! All the same be a good experiment, with not too dire consequences upon failure.
Bridles came about because early kites flapped like seagulls with leading edges thicker than a tree trunk. It took a team of 5 a number of hours to pump anything bigger than a 12m. However you weren't a man until you had something bigger than an 18m, so you can do the math on the pumping required there. On lighter wind days the sun often went down before guys made it to the water. Undaunted, they would carry on through the night so as to be ready by the next afternoon.
Why use a bridal full stop?
Only kooks need bridals when they are learning. No advantage for intermediate+ standard.
In short...
Pulleys will always be smoother with more range for a hooked in rider.
...Long version...
Wind is never a constant force, therefore the kites trim position can not be optimal at all times. Solution add something that adjusts to changing wind (pulleys). Analogy cars have movable suspension to follow uneven road surfaces. Don't 'need' it, but makes things a lot more comfortable.
Also by optimally adjusting to variable winds (light especially), a pulley kite will be able to provide optimal power with less bar pressure.
So do you need it, nope. But if you want the most range and smooth ride then pulleys are the go....
However, when uhooked, it can be more difficult to create 'slack' as the kite quickly adjusts to the slack with pullies.
You can do away with your pulleys as long as you create a fixed point V between the two shared points. Obviously will be far less stable. Bar pressure will get heavier with more trim. *note the last bridle point sets your bar pressure and depower. Get the balance point wrong and you will have no depower. Ie, kite will fly entirely off front lines. So pay close attention to the exact mid point where the pulley most travels. If its too heavy move it back, too light move forward.
Vice versa, if you have an old, unstable early SLE with a fixed bridle, by adding a pulley at the joining points its amazing how good some old kites then fly. **Obviously if you think you can simply add a pulley then fly the kite at the beach, this is not for you..not quite that easy, rear leaders will most likely need lengthening/ balancing etc..Need either programs like surfplan, or trial and error in a safe clear light wind place.
90% of the community would fly bridled kites! I fly a torch when its holding 12-17 knots but anymore then that can barely hang onto it. Definitely not a definitive source on this but from the basic moves I can do, I get the same slack from my screamer as the torch! Crossover (c4/rpm/screamer) kites have come a long way from what I see!
Put into layman's terms I believe a summary of this thread is that: Pulleys are in place to maintain the tension (/evenly) on the front lines. Therefore creating a more stable, controllable kite.
Bridles and pulleys has taken kiting from a few hardcore kiting diehards and given it to the white collar worker who can't afford a yacht. 
given that a line run through a pulley has equal tension over its whole length, and a line that is fixed cannot distribute tension evenly to the two supporting lines unless the angle is perfect. i would suggest that the difficulty with no pulleys lies with:
1 getting the bridle lengths perfect so that the angle of the connection is right to distribute load fairly evenly.
and 2 allowing for the kite to addapt to the variety of loading its subject to.
i think companies probably do it because its easier to just have pulleys and therefore cheaper.
I have always used North Rebels, and these kites have never had a bridle or pulley and they are one of the most popular kites around. I guess if you find something that works for you, then stick by it.
can .
