Thnx for the input. I bought these without ever trying them, took them to Peru and spent two weeks getting thrashed trying to figure them out . From what I am reading, they are not the system for me and will be returned to the US and sold.
Had the same exact issue with my Lift Florence X 110 / 25 Glide.
All the way to the front of the box, heavy back foot pressure, squirrelly, pitch unstable
and much harder to take-off.
Changed to the 21 Flow tail and itās complete 180. Still all the way to the front of the box
Neutral stance, easier take-off, amazing glide and great control.
So the stab may be the culprit.
It made all the difference in my case.
It took me a while to figure all this out myself. Thereās a long post from a while back of me whining about trying to learn prone on Lift gear. Didnāt know enough at the time how to evaluate gear. I tried different front wings, different boards. It was the stabilizer. The Glides are flat with no winglets. They felt way too skatey to me when I was starting out and I still donāt like them because they have no angle of attack. Iāve also ridden the Carve 33 and 26, both with a fuse extender. Enjoyed both of those a lot, but eventually grew out of wanting so much of a locked in feeling. With their stabs I can never change one thing at a time. Itās always gotta be a whole different idea.
Iām still riding Lift and really like their front wings, but I got an fuse adapter, KD Maui tails, and havenāt looked back. Stabs have a huge affect on feel and are very preferential depending on the feels you want and your level of control.
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Went through the exact same experience when I owned them. This was a few years ago, when they only had a few fuse/tail combos, so no chance of tuning it to my taste. Now on Code, where I get to pick fuse length and tail. Makes huge difference to me.
Alll good practical advice, thnx
Some personnel changes at Lift. Does anyone have insights as to whatās next from them? Iād love to see some different stabs / tails. Iām a big fan of the 90HA, 120HA in HM and 150HA. Rocking the 32M2 mast. Love all this kit but itās the tails that are lacking (as noted in this thread).
Similar experience. I liked both the 26 and 20 carves + extender with the 150X but with the 110X the pitch instability felt wacky (Canāt imagine riding a 110 with a 20 carve and no extender anyway, itās no surf foil).
A Foil Parts long adapter and Marlin 14 turned the 110 into a fantastic downwind foil for me.
Itās definitely the tail, just try other ones.
I like the glide 25 for its speed, itās the only tail that allows me to go fast without generating more lift. I even bought a second one when they dropped it to $99.
All my other tails require extra font foot as the speed increases, to a point where I could almost put both feet in the front. I use the glide 25 on the 90HA and 72LCX but could still use a little more front foot.
I recently bought the Florence 21X and itās got more front foot but still OK at speed (but a little slower). Itās a pretty good compromise.
The Flow21 has the most front foot of all my tails. I keep it for the 150HAX, going slower, riding bumps, and enjoying that front foot pressure. The Flow21 wonāt let me reach the speeds of the Glide25, canāt keep It in the water.
So it depends on what youāre after. If you want to go > 25kts, keep the Glide youāll enjoy it.
Otherwise, get rid of it and try the Flow21, itās a great tail and very stable for its size due to the long fuse.
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Thnx for the input. Iām kind of ambivalent about throwing more money into Lift gear when I donāt really like the ride compared to my SAB set up.
Are you on a wing or kite?
Iām winging, in Houston TX.
Before you throw more money or completely give up on Lift, see if you can borrow a tail from another Lift rider, or check with your Lift reseller usually theyāre supposed to let you try their stuff.
Good suggestion but not in the cards for me. All the Lift gear is in Paracas, Peru.
Then Iād recommend getting the 21 Flow, you canāt go wrong with this tail for the 170HA or 150 surf you have.
The 26 carve is another option, with an extension. Iāve tried both and prefer the Flow.
Thnx very much
Great post! Your insights on the tails were spot on. I sold my 21 Flowāit just didnāt work for me. As you pointed out, perhaps it was more of a āgo slowā tail on my 150HAX. Based on your advice, Iāve picked up a 25 Glide and will run it alongside my 26x Carve. Keen to see if I can unlock a couple more knots of top speed on my 90HA.
I really wish Lift offered the 20 Carve in a long fuse version. Hopefully, weāll see some new tails from them in the new year!
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20 carve is definitely my favorite tail. I use the extender for dw and prone it short. 120 +20 is a killer combo!
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The 21 flow tail unlocked the 120ha and 200ha for me. So much better pumping on the 120 and so much more speed on the 200.
I got a 150hax recently and with the 21 flow Iāve been breaching everywhere. Seems like Lift gear is pretty sensitive to the pairing you choose.
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Winging here. 150hax and 21 flow works well for me, maybe too stiff most days. I initially got the flow because 25 glide was too loose and skatey and I was breaching 120ha a lot. After some practice, flow started to feel a little stiff and I wanted something looser but not too skatey. 20 carve is my pick when conditions are clean and thereās decent swell, and Iāll take out the 21 flow when conditions are jumbled or I want a stiffer ride.
I think I go fastest on 21 flow, but I donāt love it when thereās swell with some power, it builds front foot pressure and stiffens up, it feels like holding on for your life, whereas 20 carve feels great.
I also kite 90ha/120ha with 20 carve and love it.