Harlem Thrive

It feels like the kite industry is at a fork in the road in terms of manufacturing locations at the moment, with a couple of well-respected brands jumping from Asian production to Ralf Groesel’s new Brainchild facility in North Macedonia, with various well documented driving factors for this in relation to economics and sustainability. Harlem have historically been a relatively small up and coming roots Dutch brand, but now, all of a sudden, you’ve got the Aaron Hadlow (AKA the GOAT) and Ralf dream team designing a kite together with their own production facility and few limitations. It’s the biggest shake up to the status quo we’ve seen in some time, and could definitely be termed as ‘disruptive’ in annoying business speak.

From a tester’s perspective, rather than playing a game of ‘spot the factory’ from the usual cluster of largely OEM suspects, it’s great to see a ground-up rethink of how to build a kite with a clean slate from a new facility, albeit with Ralf at the helm and 20+ years of kite design behind him. They’ve pitched the Thrive as their universal 3-strut performance allrounder, but from our testing this seriously undersells its potential.

As ever with inflatable structures, the devil is in the detail, so first of all let’s discuss the build. PROWELD has been the Brainchild factory buzz word for a while now, and is one of their major manufacturing innovations over the establishment. The leading edge segments are welded together from a standard Dacron rather than stitched. This means the whole arc of the leading edge is stiffer and more of a continuous structure, twisting and transferring load more uniformly. The extra stiffness allows smaller leading edge diameters which carry quite evenly into the wingtips. This weld method saves weight where a traditional stitched build would usually see some additional Insignia cloth and a folded double Dacron layer at each segment join. Some lightweight and minimal black webbing sits over each join for scuff protection on the Thrive. The bridling is 14 points across the leading edge on our 9m and low diameter to minimize drag. This PROWELD leading edge has a significant effect on performance, translating a steering input into a uniform and snappy twist and response. The kite seems to spring into action with a quick flick of the wrist rather than having to pre-empt your moves or muscle the kite into action. For a Dacron kite without the cost implications of higher priced alternative tube material, this is a big deal. Kite weight has been a pertinent topic over the last couple of years, and the Thrive is noticeably lightweight, 2.3kg on a 9m 3- strut platform will definitely worry exotic materials.

Another significant step away from the norm is the ultra-crisp and lightweight canopy material which is from Porcher, and coined Twin Cross Flylite. This is manufactured in Europe, and can be printed with any graphics, with custom kites available on enquiry. Harlem haven’t held back and have chosen some bold radial color fades to show off this new tech, giving the kites a unique aesthetic. On the beach the kite almost crackles in the wind, it feels stiff in all directions. Three trailing edge battens are sewn into each side of the canopy to control flutter and each wingtip has three trim options to increase or decrease bar pressure.

Sustainability is high on the agenda at Brainchild, and this is evidenced clearly in the little details. The inflate valve is molded from plastic sourced from a recycling center nearby for instance. The toggles on the bag are all made from wood rather than plastic, with some laser etching for the logo, all steps in the right direction. The canopy is all bought in white and then printed with eco ink rather than dyed and simply having the factory in Europe near the largest market lowers the transport implications.

Flying the Thrive is nothing short of a joy with instant light and playful handling. It holds its window position solidly over the full bar stroke angles and doesn’t seem to shoot forward or backstall. Even with the most idiotic bar inputs it’s a difficult kite to upset. There’s an air of familiarity and security about it; particularly in a Big Air situation, sheet and lift is easy to initiate and access, and the downloops give a delightfully predictable second lift should you find yourself coming in hot. Straight kiteloops are very smooth, particularly noticeable in the gusts where a stiffer framed kite may be more spiky, and it climbs every time. Although there’s an industry focus on Big Air at the moment, and with the Thrive being utilized at KOTA as we go to press, it would be easy to overlook the potential for wave use, where it’s light enough to perform  superbly in the low end. With its ballerina-like balance and steady position in the window and super-fast handling, the wave – or indeed general freeride – credentials stack up.

The Thrive’s secret sauce is in the precise steering input and predictable response. It’s a Subaru Impreza rather than a rear-wheel-drive BMW. Let’s face it, the sea is far more of a rally track than an immaculately tarmacked race circuit. Chuck it into a precarious corner with extreme confidence and it will grip and get you out of the other side without dramatic fish tailing. This instils a feeling of confidence in the rider and lets you push yourself. Big Air in particular is a very psychological discipline, and you can see why this is the weapon of choice for KOTA.

With all the new airframe materials implemented in the last few years, whilst plenty of kites are extremely fast to turn, few give you the presence and bar feedback that the Thrive provides or comfort levels. There’s some subtle magic in the way this turning initiates and the way the Thrive reacts (and critically lets you feel its position) that stands it well out from the crowd. One of the most well rounded and well-behaved kites we’ve ever used, with immaculate handling and a massive range of use across rider levels and disciplines – Hadlow and Groesel associates have smashed it out of the park.