Ride Engine Carbon Elite Reivew

The Ride Engine Carbon Elite is the stiffest most supportive harness I'm aware of beyond the Hadlow ion harness.  I meant to do a review on this when the lineup first dropped but time got the best of me on that one. Six months later, I had the chance to swap out my Ride Engine Saber harness for the Carbon Elite, these are the differences I noticed. 

Why I love the Carbon Elite

The Carbon Elite has the same plush padding that drew me to Ride Engine in the first place. The backplate is extremely ridged and has no flex points anywhere. No torsional flex no give at all really. This is a double edged sword in my mind. On one hand, it's just a harness. I really want to point out that a harness is not going to impact your riding in anyway. You could be using a softshell from a decade ago and ripping. Now that said, when it comes to comfort thats all we're evaluating here. Comfort on the water for better longer sessions.  

The extra support is great for anyone who might get a sore back after sessioning for a few hours. The extra support gives you something to brace against when using your core muscles for general riding, or kitelooops.  My take is anyone who feels they need support would love this harness for the rigidity, the plush padding and the support. 

The Draw Back

The drawback is there is no give. Depending how you are shaped, you might feel the edge of the harness from time to time. Most notable on the torsional axis. This is why Ride Engine has the Saber harness with Torsional flex or even the Momentum with superior flex in a softshell with hardshell attributes. Not everyone needs or wants this much support. If you are fit and just want a harness that will not ride up the Saber is a prime pick. It's actually my choice from the line up. 

Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic

Many people dream of quitting their job, traveling the world and pursuing their passions. Rygo is one of those people who pulled the trigger. A few years into his career, he decided to change everything and travel as a kiteboarder, freelance videographer & writer. His mission is to share the stoke & help people put the boarding into their kiteboarding. Get outside and kite!

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Producer of: Ride with Blake I Sessions I Versus I Destinations I Foil Fridays