DUOTONE News ᐅ Dice - Interview with designer Ralf Grösel

Equally at home busting out freestyle moves like Reno Romeu and surfing waves like the World Champion Matchu Lopes, the Dice is a versatile kite that is perfect for the riders who like to mix their disciplines.

WHAT DID YOU SET OUT TO ACHIEVE FOR THE 2019 DUOTONE DICE?

The Duotone Dice has been one of the most well received kites on the market to date. Powerful, snappy, predictable and versatile, it’s as happy in the waves as it is in the park. For 2019, my main objective was to redefine the design in order to improve looping and boosting abilities especially within the smaller sizes. Having listened to market feedback and our world class team riders, we focused on reworking certain elements to ensure the smaller sizes could withstand hardcore conditions in events like the King of the Air.

WERE THERE ANY CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

Structure plays a huge part when looking at performance vs conditions, especially in the smaller sizes. With an overall increase in structural stiffness, we had to make sure that the liveliness of the kite isn’t reduced. It’s not always easy but we achieved it by looking at other parameters and drawing on past experience.

Duotone_Kiteboarding_Dice_2019_Matchu_Wave

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE UPDATES FOR THIS YEAR’S DICE?

The most obvious is the optimised balance between structural stiffness and drag in the smaller sizes which has dramatically enhanced jumping and looping abilities. The other is the increased length of the back pigtail to ensure perfect balance between the ‘Medium’ and ‘Hard’ setting and eliminate potential backstall.

WHY CHOOSE THE 2019 DUOTONE DICE?

The Duotone Dice remains to be the best option for Freestyle / Wakestyle and Mega Loop tricks, coping very well in extreme conditions. It’s user friendly, versatile and is a kite that just keeps giving.

WHICH LINE LENGTHS DO YOU USE ACROSS THE DIFFERENT KITE SIZES?

I personally love to use 22 m lines on the Duotone Click Bar M with a 4 line configuration on anything down to 9 m. Anything smaller than this, I recommend the new small Duotone Click Bar S on 22 m lines.

ANY TIPS FOR USING THE DIFFERENT SETTINGS?

The Duotone Dice maintains its 3 highly versatile pigtails positions at the tip which influence the steering and general in-flight characteristics. ‘Medium’ is the factory setting which provides the best of both worlds. The handling is very predictable and I recommend this setting for old-school, big airs and looping. The ‘Soft’ setting is recommended for wave riding, whilst the ‘Hard’ setting is designed for unhooked manoeuvres due to its great pop and slack.

IN A NUTSHELL, WHAT’S NEW FOR THE 2019 DUOTONE DICE?

The 2019 Duotone Dice is an incredible performer and an exciting ride. Excelling across all disciplines, it has been redefined for next level looping and boosting. Smaller sizes are now fully prepared for hardcore conditions due to the updates made in structural stiffness. Get ready to go big.