They should last best part of a season but yes they do wear. They're a double layer so there's plenty of room for safety. $25 for a new one & you pretty well need to buy the genuine part.
Col
Common on all brands,some last longer then other but not expensive.
Check your bar for wear as this could be damaging the rope also
This is a 10 year old problem. The only difference is 10 years ago you could go to bunnings and get some spectra for stuff all and do it yourself. 2 bow knots then your flying again. Now you need genuine. I haven't had to change a chicken loop rope for 6 years since flying kites with plastic coated rope
agree with hydra... the wax will extend their life. I've snapped two SS ropes clean through- you can still fly them but pretty sketchy, but then again that was after 3 yrs heavy workout without wax, and i ignored the obvious fraying
Sorry dude, I do mean the depower rope. I flew slingers religiously, but now fly cabs cause the rope won't wear out. Candle wax never worked for me. With the cabs the kite always wore out before the bar. I've flown them since 06 and nothing was ever changed on any bar. Each to their own though, I just don't like stuffing around fixing gear
The way the chicken loop has been designed by Slingshot will not allow you to use any bit of rope from a wardwear/sailing shop.
The replacement rope is manufactured with loops at the end of the rope that you feed into the chicken loop point and around a metal "finger". Thats the only way you can attach everything togeather.
Secondly, as you need this "special" rope, an economist would call this an inelastic product. Where the higher the price of a product doesnt reduce the demand for it. Thus if Slingshot were to charge $80 for the rope. People would still have to buy it, becasue there isnt any substitite.
In the long term, however all/most/99.0% of products become elastic in their demand (People switch kites)....interesting.
Mine need replacing now of course.... I do prefer the older styler with the thick centre rope & above bar depower. Looks like ill be visiting the zu myself...