Rider impressions of the Mono with Jeremie Tronet

Hi Jeremie, you are familiar with the complete range of kites from Duotone and you choose to take the Mono for your foil sessions and you use it regularly in your school, tell us your favourite things about the Mono.

The Mono is the kite that surprised me the most in the range. When I got the kite I didn’t pay much attention to it at first when I received it, but then I realized how great it is in very, very light wind. Because of the one strut design, the kite flies so well in very light wind. When I go foiling now, that’s the kite I use all the time and the 7 and 9 meter Monos are my favourite kite for foiling now. Why? Well if you take a normal kite that isn’t a Mono, they are designed to handle stronger winds, whereas a 7 meter Mono will fly really well in 12 knots, where a standard 7 meter would need more wind to fly well. For this reason, the 7 and 9m Mono have become my favourite to foil with.

You also use the Mono for lessons at your school. Which kiteboarder would be best suited to the Mono?

The great thing about the Mono is the range of sizes, all the way up until the 13 and 15 meter sizes. These kites are very good in extremely light wind sessions. If you want to kite in the lightest possible wind, you need a light kite and the 13 and 15 meter Mono generate a lot of power in these conditions. I recall hundreds of times where these kites saved us and allowed us to have lessons running on very light wind days. If we paired with one of our Spike boards and the 15 meter Mono, you are able to ride in as little wind as you are able to foil! That’s a huge asset for us to have a kite that can generate power in the super-light wind!

We have two light wind kites in the Duotone range, the Juice, and the Mono, how would you compare them and what riders are better suited to the Mono?

The two kites are designed for light wind, but they have some differences. If you are a smaller kiter and weigh less and you are planning to ride in light winds, let’s say a 9 meter in 10 knots, then the Mono will be perfect. The same goes if you are riding with a hydrofoil and you like to use a small kite in light wind to have a very playful kite. The Juice is a little more high performance, if you like to ride faster or if you are a heavier rider that needs to hold a 15 meter until 20 knots, then the Juice will be a better choice for you than a Mono. The Juice also has a lot of power in light wind, they are both great kites and both generate a lot of power. If I had to recommend the differences, I would say for a lighter weight rider to go for the Mono and the heavier riders to go for a Juice, or a rider looking for a more high-performance kite.