storm1977 0 #1 August 11, 2003 Has anyone here had a triathlon chute? I have heard conflicting statements about them. I have heard they open very softly, and I have heard they tend to open very hard. What has been your experience? Obviously there are differences depending on how it is packed, but, do they tend to have hard openings? Chris ----------------------------------------------------- Sometimes it is more important to protect LIFE than Liberty Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #2 August 11, 2003 I had a triathlon for a few hundred jumps. It's a perfectly good canopy. It's a seven cell, which means it will sink a little quicker then a nine cell, but it was a lot of fun to fly, and good to learn on. In three hundred jumps, I remember 2 or 3 hard openings. I wouldn't buy one new, but if I found a used one where the price is right, I would consider it. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #3 August 11, 2003 I had a Triathlon.. Fantastic canopy.. No negative tendancies.. All you have to do is roll the nose and stuff it.. Openings will be fine.. I had 1 semi-hard opening.. Fantastic canopy.. IT would be my choice for a new first canopy if someone in my family started jumping.. Rhino Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #4 August 11, 2003 All you have to do to prevent hard openings on Triathlons is push the slider all the way up and keep your rubber bands tight. Now wait a minute! Those two things will prevent hard openings on the other 90% of canopies! Hmmm! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bch7773 0 #5 August 11, 2003 My triathalon opens ok... it opens fairly slowly (500 ft openings), but it always does a quick dive to the right when the slider comes down. I roll the three cells to the right and left of the center cell in the nose together, then shove it all in. I think the best feature of the old triathalons is the type of zp fabric they use... its zp, but it feels like f111, so its easier to pack. MB 3528, RB 1182 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pkasdorf 0 #6 August 11, 2003 Well, one of the reasons I love my Triathlon is it's nice, slow openings and I do not roll the nose, I just stuff it! HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rendezvous 0 #7 August 11, 2003 I have a triathlon and it's opened hard on only one occassion. That was due to very sloppy packing on my part. I don't have to do anything special on my pack job. It just opens smoothly on it's own. I don't think hard openings are a part of the triathlon's history. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kitof1976 0 #8 August 11, 2003 I have a Triathlon 150 and I just love it. It's really easy too pack because of the non slippery ZP material and the openings are great! I haven't had the chance to fly many other canopies but I think Triathlons are a great canopies to learn on! They feel rock solid in rough air and they fly awsome. I probably wouldn't buy a Triathlon brand new to learn on, but a used one with a few hundred jumps is a good choice for a first canopy IMHO. "We see the world just the way we are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dkpbxman 0 #9 August 11, 2003 Had a Triathlon 150 a while back. Put a few hundred jumps on it and loved it. I packed it to open crisply but can't remember it ever slamming me. After "retiring" it (because of a tree landing) I made it into a quilt, which is on my bed currently. Highly recommended! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
storm1977 0 #10 August 11, 2003 Well, there is an offer out there for a Tri 190 with only 2 jumps on it (the guy jumping it quit after 2 jumps) for $1K. I am thinking that is a good deal. ----------------------------------------------------- Sometimes it is more important to protect LIFE than Liberty Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kitof1976 0 #11 August 11, 2003 Look around when it comes to buying gear... like you said this doesn't seem like a bad deal. My best advice when it comes to buying used gear is to shop around your DZ, the internet, the classified in this web site... heck even try Ebay!! That were I got my main and I got a kick butt deal on it! Just look around before you buy anything... and don't take advice from people trying to sell you something. Had I bought the stuff they recommended at my DZ I would have been out almost a grand!!! Just my 0.2 cents... "We see the world just the way we are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betzilla 56 #12 August 11, 2003 Quote but it always does a quick dive to the right when the slider comes down. that sounds like body position. My Sabre 170 used to do a quick 90 left as the slider came down, every time. New lines didn't fix it, and I was embarrassed to discover that any other canopy I jumped did the same thing (stilettos, spectres, any size, it didn't matter). After a year long lay-off, now I get on-heading openings every time... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redshift 0 #13 August 11, 2003 I just bought a used Triathlon 190 for my first canopy (at 35 jumps) and like it a lot. Yesterday I got a slightly hard opening, with a turn to the right that corrected itself after a few seconds. QuoteI do not roll the nose, I just stuff it! Sorry, I'm a new packer... can someone explain how to roll the nose? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clownburner 0 #14 August 11, 2003 I've got a Tri and I love it. It was my first canopy off student status, and she's really sweet to me. I've been unable to pack any hard openings but I have had excessive snivels. On mine, if I do _ANYTHING_ to the nose (roll, push in, whatever) it opens REALLY slowly; if I just let it hang, it opens slowly but nicely. The only slammer I got was a hop-n-pop from 13k which gave me a hell of a wedgie, but I also had my leg straps a touch too loose. I sent mine in and had the 4.0 line upgrade done on it, and they put on a larger slider for free, which I think helped the openings a lot... I had a problem with off-heading openings, but since I've been free-stowing the lines I haven't had more than a 10 degree turn on opening, which is nice, and as a bonus I can sink this baby straight in all the way down in brakes, and she's rock-steady. A great first canopy by any measure, IMHO.7CP#1 | BTR#2 | Payaso en fuego Rodriguez "I want hot chicks in my boobies!"- McBeth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skycop 0 #15 August 11, 2003 I like my Triathlon 190, it's sporty enough for a conservative pilot like myself. I load it at about 1.2, it's stable and great for low-pressure demo's. BUT, be careful packing, I had a Tri 220 with a 2 grommet bag. I slopped packed and WHAM!!!!! It blew out two cells completely. It opened so friggin' hard it knocked me goofy(er) for a couple of seconds, and left dark bruises on the inside of my thighs from my leg straps. It was my fault for not packing properly. I contacted Aerodyne and they were very helpful. They hooked me up with a 4 grommet zp bag, a new 190, and the performance package for a VERY reasonable price. I haven't had any problems with my new canopy I've had it for 3 years, just nice snivelly openings. Aerodyne is first rate to deal with, outstanding customer service. "Just 'cause I'm simple, don't mean I'm stewpid!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #16 August 12, 2003 (Now bear in mind that I jump at a field elevation of 5050 feet MSL, and have an exit weight of 230). I have a Triathlon and a Diablo. In 200 jumps the Diablo has always sniveled for 700-1100 feet, (except for two back-to-back slammers). The Triathlon started out slamming me about 1/10 jumps, finally getting up to 5/10. It got to the point it was either fix the damn thing or quit jumping it, because my neck just couldn't take any more. I tried talking to Aerodyne, (who had been VERY helpful on another issue), but they kept wanting to talk about my packing, and I kept explaining to them that since the SAME person was packing both of their canopies EXACTLY per their packing video, and one was sniveling while the other was slamming, we could rule out the packing. Noticing that the Diablo 190 slider was the same size as the Triathlon 210 slider, I checked with Aerodyne and they assured me the sizes were what they intended. 210/190 = ~10%. I added 12% to the front front-to-back dimensions of the Triathlons slider to increase the area by 12%, and gave the new dimensions to Brian Germain to build a custom slider. It hasn't slammed me since."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #17 August 12, 2003 As stated above, Triathlons are great canopies. Usually open within ~500' and on heading. I flew one for about 500 jumps and loved it. The only reason I switched to a Diablo of the same size was that I wanted a little more fire in the flying. Got it alright...and the slower openings needed for camera work as well. I'd recommend a Trialthon to most anybody who's looking to buy a first or second canopy....(unless they're flying camera, the openings are a bit too snappy for that set-up). Good luck on your hunt! ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
