We offer 4 different types of universal bars.

Totem Vario Bar

The Totem Vario bar is the most universal bar of all bars. It is the most versatile freeride bar and is likely to appeal to the widest range of riders.

If you are unsure which bar to choose, go for the Totem Vario in 55 cm wide, with 22 meters of lines. The Totem Vario bar comes ready to use: it is ready to sail with all kite on the market. You can adjust the steering lines from 43 cm to 55 cm. In short, you can use the bar with the vast majority of kites on the market: from 4 m² to 14 or even 15 m². 4 or 5 m² (43 cm position), 7 m² (47 cm position), 9 m² (47 or 51 cm position), 12 m² (51 or 55 cm position) and even up to 14 or 15 m² (55 cm position). 

If you think you might one day ride with kites larger than 15 m², go for the Totem 48-60 instead. This bar will give you a wider range of use, and you will still be able to sail with very small kites (5 or 6 square meters in the 48 cm position).

Instinct Bar (freestyle wave or F3W)

The Instinct bar (formerly known as the FreeStyle Wave or F3W) is suitable for freestyle enthusiasts, those who only have one or two kites (a 7 and a 9, for example), and those who will leave the bar permanently connected to the kite.

Race foil bar

The race bar is ideal for those who use large kites (15 m² for example), especially ram air kites, also known as "foil kites", such as Flysurfer Soul, Sonic, VMG, etc.

Carbon Ultra bar

Carbon Ultra bars are fantastic for snowkiting: they are very light and weigh much less in your backpack, especially if you are hiking with two bars! The bars weigh between 170 and 200 g, compared to an average of 450/500 grams for a universal bar.

Carbon Ultra bars are recommended for kite foiling, if you use a hybrid or box kite, but also if you use a single-strut or strutless inflatable kite. They offer unparalleled finesse for better kite control, especially in light winds (to anticipate and prevent the kite from stalling), but also in strong winds. You'll be able to ride in light winds of 5 knots or less...

The bar is ready to use. It is truly universal and can be used with all kites on the market. Refrain from changing the settings if you are not an expert and call us before modifying it!

It is the only bar on the market that offers such versatility:
- 4-position rear adjustment: you control the responsiveness of the kite according to its surface area. In very strong winds, if you are using a 4 or 5 m2 wing, you can significantly limit the “mosquito” effect by connecting the steering lines at 43 cm to slow down the kite. Conversely, if you want to accelerate the kite (in light winds or if you have added extensions), you can adjust the steering lines to the 55 cm position. In short, you can perfectly control how fast the kite will move by adjusting the rear line spacing.
- Adjusting the length of the steering lines: you can slightly overpower in light winds (or overpower for wake style).
- Adjusting the length of the depower throw: if you are tall, you can raise the cleat; for younger riders, it is possible to lower and move the Clamcleat aerocleat cleat closer to make it more accessible to younger riders.
- You can take apart the bar completely! You can replace absolutely everything. If you bought a bar 10 years ago or more, all spare parts are available on the website!

Add a fifth line, or remove it to go back to four lines. Example: you have a four-line F-One Bandit and a five-line Rebel. When you switch from one to the other, you can add or remove the fifth line.

The Instinct bar (formerly known as the “freestyle wave” or F3W) is similar to the Totem bar, with one difference: the ends of the Instinct bar do not allow you to vary the spacing of the steering lines.

If you do freestyle, you will appreciate a short bar for easier handle passes and less interference from the length of the bar during maneuvers.

If you do kiteloops, Instinct freestyle wave bars are more comfortable when you hold the bar like a fishing rod at the rear float.

If you only have two kites (e.g., 7 and 9 m²), a 47 cm wide bar would be sufficient.

If you let the bar permanently connected to the kite (if you have a bar for each kite), there is little point in having a Totem Vario.

As its name suggests, this bar is optimized for foil racing, but also for ram air kites such as Flysurfer Soul, VMG, Sonic, Ozone R1V..., Kite Element, Kitech, Pansh, Gin, Flymaax, Kite Element, etc.

In racing, if you want to win, it is necessary to overpower (in other words, to sail with a larger kite than the conditions require, especially in unstable and gusty winds). If you are underpowered, you are sure to be overtaken in the lulls. As a result, you need to be able to depower the kite as much as possible in the gusts. This bar has a greater “trim.” This allows racers to sail with a 8m2 or larger box kite, if necessary, and withstand gusts of up to 35 knots. This is especially true since, for the same surface area, ram air kites are more powerful than tube kites. Racing bars are equipped with a double pulley system that multiplies the force (making it less physically demanding to trim) and allows for more precise trim adjustment.

The shorter the lines, the more responsive the kite will be.

If you are sailing in waves and want to have fun surfing them, it is best to have relatively short lines (22 meters maximum) so you can change direction quickly.

The longer the lines, the more inertia the kite will have and the slower it will move. With long lines, the wing will offer greater lift (this is known in physics as “moment of force”: the kite will pull harder). Long lines will also allow you to catch slightly stronger winds at higher altitudes (this is known as the gradient effect in paragliding: the wind is stronger at altitude and weaker near the ground).

If you are riding a twintip, 23 or 24 meters of lines are a good choice to get enough lift, especially if the wind is relatively light and especially if you weigh 90 kg, for example. 

When snowkiting, the wind can be quite weak in the plains, and it is helpful to have 24 or 25 m of lines.

Short lines (less than 20 m)

Short lines are useful in the following situations:
- riding waves (you need to turn very quickly): 19 to 22 meters recommended (19 meters if you are riding in winds over 40 knots, otherwise 22 meters)

- if you are kite foiling with a ram air kite, you must take into account that the kite has about 4 to 5 meters of bridle. If you want to favor the low wind range, start with 20 m lines (especially when sailing on a lake). In normal conditions in the sea, you can start with 17 m lines.

Very short lines (11 m to 15 m)

Racers often use 12 m or 13 m lines. They therefore overpower to compensate. Short lines improve upwind performance. Racers take advantage of short lines to “sneak” into the pack at the start of a race and be less hindered.

Long lines (24 m) have several advantages:
- better acceleration (especially for those weighing 80 or even 90 kg) and/or in light winds
- ability to jump higher

In summary, 22-meter lines offer an excellent compromise: good responsiveness in waves and good acceleration. So if you're unsure, go for 22 meters. This line length is very popular.

Line extensions give you more flexibility: you can opt for short lines for waves, for example, and add extensions if the wind is a little light. They also allow you to enjoy the benefits of long lines if you have chosen a bar with 19-meter lines, for example. This gives you the best of both worlds: short lines + extensions = long lines.

In extreme cases, if you are having trouble getting through the breaking waves because the wind is a little too light, it is a good idea to install line extensions to give you enough momentum. Similarly, with line extensions, you can take advantage of the stronger wind at higher altitudes (a gradient effect well known to paragliders).

IS THERE ANY RISK WHEN USING LINE EXTENSIONS?

Is it risky to use extensions? Absolutely not. Extensions are just as strong as kite lines and are made from the same material. There is no risk of breakage.

We are not aware of any failures related to extensions.

We offer two ranges of bars: Access + and Pro Model.

Access bars are designed to be very affordable, while offering an adequate level of comfort, safety, and strength. These bars are the least expensive on the market: you can buy a new, extremely sturdy bar for less than €300 including tax. It comes with the legendary AKA 3 QR, highly reliable and secure.

Pro Model bars benefit from the latest improvements, such as more stylish floats and a PU coated depower rope (unlike Access bars, where the 5.5 m Dyneema is not sheathed but is doubled). Pro Model Bars come with the latest AKA 4 quick release system, with click-in feature (automatic reloading) and auto untwist. In most cases, you won't even need to turn the rotor of the QR to untwist the power lines!

Yes. To date, we have not found any brand that cannot work with our bars.

Explanations:
since 2008, all kites have been designed with a bridle system (lines attached to the leading edge, known as SLE: sustained leading edge). All kites on the market are set up in the same way with 4 or 5 lines (they are all designed using the same SurfPlan software, which automatically generates a standard bridle system).

The universal bar is ready to use:
“plug and play” with all kites on the market. You can connect the bar directly to a kite and start riding.

If you use the Totem bar with a kite manufactured before 2008, and without changing the standard settings of the Totem bar, you will need to trim slightly to prevent the kite from back stalling. You can also undo the knots at the end of the leader lines of the steering lines to lengthen them by approximately 15 cm. You can also order mini extensions from us.

Special cases for very old kites (20 years old, etc.):
F-One Bandit 1 and Bandit Dos kites: for the very first Bandit 1 and Bandit Dos kites from F-One (1998/1999), we offer extensions, because at the time there was a difference of almost 3 meters between the power lines and steering lines. Please contact us if you have any questions about using a very old kite (prior to 2008).

Yes, of course! Just order the bar with the 5th line option.

Yes, check out the tutorials on the website. It's pretty easy to do.

2 different tutorials depending whether your bar is setup with a stopper ball or a splitter.

Yes, there are two possibilities.

Either you order the bar with the splitpoint adjuster, or you use the low V bar (4 direct lines). 

The splitpoint adjuster is an accessory that allows you to raise the Y on a universal bar.

You can also use your kite with a low V bar, i.e. without a Y. In fact, some manufacturers of kites with Y bars (F-One and Duotone in particular) offer an option to remove the Y and switch to a low V.

What is a “low V”?

With a low V bar, the power lines start as close as possible to the bar, just after the trim. This is also referred to as “4 direct lines.”

With a Y bar, a front leader line starts just after the trim: it can be around 3 meters (F-One bars) or 5 meters (Duotone bars).

It is important to note that all kites mounted with a Y can work with a low V, but the reverse is not true.

What are the advantages of the high V (Y)?

The kite will turn a little more on the ear, so the turning radius will be a little shorter than with a low V. But in steady wind with a small wing, the difference with a low V is far from obvious...

What are the advantages of a low V?

A low V allows for better upwind performance. This is the main reason why racers don't use a Y on their bar. So you'll be able to tack better.
You will have a little more acceleration with a low V.
Freestylers set their bars in a low V because the bar pulls less on the arms when unhooked (when they unhook the chicken loop from the harness to do a “handle pass,” for example). This is a proven fact.

With a low V, the four lines are generally the same length, making maintenance easier: you can purchase a standardized set of lines with all four lines the same length, whereas with a Y, the front and rear lines will not be the same length.

For many reasons... The big brands are owned by investment funds, so the goal is obviously to make as much money as possible.

Second reason: the structure of their distribution network with cumulative margins: manufacturer, importer/distributor, and store. All the intermediaries have to be paid, which leads to the final sale price being 4 or 5 times higher than the initial production cost.

Third reason: all brands have their bars manufactured by subcontractors in Asia: brands buy rolls of lines, ropes, and cams in Europe, then ship them to China and back to Europe (great carbon footprint...). Factories in China don't give anything away for free; they also take their margin. In contrast, we order the lines in Europe and sew them directly, without sending them to Asia to be re-imported... Our bars are also designed to be assembled very quickly in France (if you've ever tried to repair a bar from a well-known brand, you may have spent one or two hours out trying to take it apart and put it back together...). In the end, our manufacturing costs are lower! This, combined with direct distribution to stores and online, without any other intermediaries, allows us to offer you bars at an ultra-competitive price, without any compromise.

Major brands had gotten into the habit of increasing their prices by 5 to 10% every year for many years, leading to the stratospheric prices we see today. These brands make a lot of money by selling at high prices to customers with very high purchasing power (many riders have six- or even seven-figure salaries: Silicon Valley, Australia, Nordic countries, etc.) and price is not an issue for this clientele. But trees don't grow to the sky. The breakthrough of the wing in 2023, with considerably lower prices (and of course the advantages specific to the wing), plunged the kite industry into turmoil with an overall decline in sales.

The final reason: we believe that bars should be sold at a fair price and should be accessible to as many people as possible, especially younger riders. That's why we offer new bars for less than €300.

The Afnor standard aims to define safety criteria for kitesurfing release systems. This standard was created in collaboration with the FFVL (French Free Flight Federation) and kitesurfing brands. In the early days, kitesurfing was much less safe than it is today:

- The kites had less depower when you pushed the bar

- Release systems might not release under load

- Some bars did not have a safety system on one front line, but on two front lines (known as a short 5th line), which could lead to serious accidents

It should be noted that Kite Attitude was the first brand in the world to create a release system that complies with the AFNOR NF S 52-503 standard in 2008. Safety has always been our priority. In fact, it was the motivation behind the creation of the Kite Attitude brand, to make the sport much safer than it was 10 or 15 years ago.

What does the Afnor standard consist of?

A release system must be able to release in all conditions: low or high traction, in dry or wet sand (wet sand is very sticky and can potentially block release systems), in snow, frost, etc. Measurements taken more than 10 years ago showed that a kite creates acceleration similar to that of a motorcycle starting up and can pull the rider with a force of up to 180 kg. Given the progress made in kite design, it is easy to imagine that the force exerted can be much higher today.

In an extreme case, if the drag exerted by the kite reaches twice the weight of the pilot, the release mechanism that complies with the Afnor standard must therefore release with a force of less than 10 kg. If a manufacturer states that the release mechanism is certified for pilots weighing between 30 and 100 kg, this means that the release mechanism is capable of releasing with less than 10 kg of force when the kite exerts a pull of twice 100 kg (i.e., 200 kg). In addition, the release mechanism must be able to withstand a sudden pull of three times the pilot's weight without showing any distortion or damage. Thus, for a pilot weighing 100 kg, the release mechanism must withstand a pull of 300 kg and remain in normal working order.

Note that the brand new AKA 4 release mechanism from Kite Attitude is capable of withstanding loads of 600 kg, while the standard only requires 300 kg... It is therefore extremely strong and safe.

A release mechanism approved for kitesurfing must be able to function even if it is dragged through dry or wet sand.

A release certified for snowkiting must be able to function at a temperature of -18°C. During Afnor tests, quick releasers are sprayed with frozen water and conditioned at -18°C for 24 hours. For 100 kg certification, the release must be made with less than 10 kg of force, even with a pull of 200 kg. In 2020, a new standard was established: standard 21853. It is based on both the Afnor NF 52-503 standard and the ISO standard (see below).

Here is standard 21853:

https://kite.ffvl.fr/sites/kite.ffvl.fr/files/norme%20kite%20ISO%20%283%29-compress%C3%A9.pdf

We find it unfortunate that the new standard tolerates less effective release mechanisms than those in the first Afnor standard: 

“During laboratory testing, the force required to activate the release mechanisms must be between 2kg and 17kg.”

What is ISO 21853?

ISO 21853 was developed based on the Afnor standard. It clarifies certain aspects, such as test procedures for release mechanisms in dry or wet sand. This standard is protected by copyright, which prevents us from providing further details (...).

Some stores have been selling universal bars regularly for many years.

Examples include:
- Flysurf.com

- The Ridery (Paris, Marseille, Almanarre)

- Kakoo Shop (Montpellier)

- Opale Ride (Berck)

- Hotmer Lille and l’Almanarre

- Glissup, Bordeaux

- La Manille, Oléron
- S-Bend, Grenoble

- Huraca, Leucate

- Kiteshop, Arles

- Oliv Voilerie, Leucate
- Rujboardshop en République Tchèque

- Kite Force, Canada

- Jupiter Kiteboarding, Florida
- Radical Kiteboards Deutschland

- Kite Junkie, Germany

- Lapis, Finland

- Kite Center, Sweden

- Foil Sport, Norway

This list is not exhaustive and some stores may have a few bars in stock, such as Clinique de la Planche in Caen, Carnac Evasion, Chinook Leucate, etc.

HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A SHOP THAT SELLS KITE ATTITUDE BARS?

Explanations:
1) Some shops don't know us (especially abroad).
2) Some shops have contracts with big brands and sales targets that force them to buy kites with bars; some shops only want to sell the most expensive gear.

3) They may have been pressured... (“if you sell XXX, I'll stop supplying you!”). It's totally illegal, but that's often how it works...

4) They are too small to stock other brands. Some big brands “strangle” stores by forcing them to buy several hundred thousand euros worth of stock each year, which means they no longer have the cash flow to buy other brands.

Many magazines refuse to publish press releases and therefore refuse to mention Kite Attitude unless we buy advertising space from them. This is true in France, Europe and the United States.

Yes, the loops on universal bar lines are equipped with pigtails (knots at the ends of the loops). This allows you to connect to all kites on the market.

If we take the example of Cabrinha and Duotone kites, the connections are reversed between the two brands, but universal bars allow you to use both kites without any problems.