Ring through your SLINK for brake line

[Brumby 0]

What exactly is the benefit of doing this?
Does it have any pros and any cons?

[RichLees 0]

pros - it allows your hands more freedom to reach the tops of the rear risers for planing out - the brake lines are out of the way!

cons - PD's advice is not to use the main SLinks because it causes line wear as the brake line rubs cross the suspension lines. I guess that implies a separate SLink for the brake line ring

[pchapman 261]

When I first tried it, I also found that sometimes the brake line would rub the outside line.

So I just sewed on a mini 3rd riser / brake line guide / or whatever one calls it, about 1.5" long. I haven't tried to optimize it in any way; it just fits in place nicely for extra reach and reducing the angle that the brake line makes through the guide ring; has worked fine for a decade.

Of course one has to be careful about anyone packing it who isn't familiar with the brake line being outside the normal guide ring. (Edit: On the photo one doesn't see that the brake line comes down from above the main ring and then after being pinned by the toggle goes back out the top.)

-- Just a recreational swooper on an FX88.

Edit 2:
I thought of one downside. If one is sloppy and pops the toggles by yanking them way down and lets them go quickly, the due to the high guide ring right up by the lines, the toggles can flip up and tangle in the lines. I've done that a couple times when pulling near minimums and trying to get down fast by getting out of brakes quickly, and had no time to fiddle with fixing it. So I've landed on one riser and one brake a couple times. If you're gonna be stupid, learn fast...

[Brumby 0]

I think I will not bother with moving my break lines up to a ring through the slink purely because Im more than happy with where they currently are and have no effect on my front riser inputs. Don't see the point in changing something I'm comfortable with

[Alexg3265 0]

Ok maybe I'm missing something, but that doesn't decrease anything... All you did was make another ring for your brake lines to go through...more wear... unless your brake line doesn't pull through the normal ring. I can't tell from the picture. Now if you just push the cats eye through when you pack, and then the line releases when you release your brakes, that could be of use... care to elaborate....?

I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof...

[pchapman 261]

Yeah the brake line only goes through the extra ring higher up, as you suggested in your 2nd scenario.

When setting the brakes, one dips the brake line down into the regular ring from the top, and back out the top, with just the brake eye through the ring, and so the toggle can pin it in the regular way.

(Sorry the photo just didn't show that part.)

So yes the brake line then releases from the main ring, leaving extra slack when front risering. With the little extension for the new ring, there's less friction too in the brakes, as there's less of a bend in the brake line on its way up to the canopy.

Accuracy jumpers and swoopers sometimes have had a longer 'third riser' holding the regular ring in the regular place, but with the third riser attached from low down on the rear riser, allowing the line to go through a ring but go almost absolutely straight from toggle to canopy.

[eetula 0]

http://sws.aero/en/products/accessories/
that kind of risers are sold also.
i don't have anything bad to say about these risers.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

In Florida we all called it "Top Ringing" your risers. All four of my rigs are set up this way: two with mini rings attached to the slinks and two with the rings sewn on to tabs on the top/back of the rear risers.

Ultimately, what you are preventing with this method is "binding" of the brake lines with the "stock" guide rings (which are generally sewn four-inches down on the riser) when you transfer from fronts to rear risers during swoops.

FWIW: I've never experienced any odd line-wear in the decade I've had top rings attached to my Slinks.

Chuck

[skow 6]

Do you have any pictures?

[phoenixlpr 0]

I got topring setup also.

[skow 6]

Does anybody have some pictures how brakes are stowed?

[phoenixlpr 0]

skow

Does anybody have some pictures how brakes are stowed?

You can see it on my picture.

[skow 6]

I meant the procedure, not the picture once they're stowed

[hillson 0]

skow

I meant the procedure, not the picture once they're stowed

Check the attached file. I had (have) a set of these risers on my old rig. I don't swoop but I wanted a set of OEM risers with proper dive loops...came with top rings. Pretty simple...doesn't add any time to brake stowing.