When you notice a damaged line on your magnificent paraglider, the first idea is to order one from the manufacturer or from an after-sales service center.
This poses several problems…
No stock
There is infinitely little chance that the line is in stock, even at the manufacturer’s (so many models and sizes), so it will have to be made to measure.
Colour
Even when all the technical data is available, it may not indicate the colour or there may have been variations depending on the production batches.
Indicate the color in addition to the reference of the suspension during your order.
New/ used mixture
During checks, damaged lines are copied if they are not broken. The broken lines for the strength test are also copied (before they break!🤣 ).
Thus, new lines have the same length as those that were replaced.
If we take the length indicated by the manufacturer, there is a great risk that it will differ by a few mm or more (1 or 2 cm!)… It’s not too serious for a brake line, a high line, but it’s unfortunate if it’s a low line!
Lines made in pairs
Some lines are only manufactured and replaced in pairs!
The main brake lines as well as the long thin lines of the stabilisers are always replaced in pairs to avoid a possible asymmetry for these lightly loaded suspensions.
Measurement of the trimming
I believe that a replacement of some lines (especially if they are lower lines) should be followed by a trimming check.
Details of production
- Color of the line
- length of the loop
- Presence of an internal or external reinforcement (what color?)
This requires the consultation of technical data when they are available! It takes a lot of time to manufacture only one line…
So, you will understand that, for all these reasons, we avoid manufacturing lines only according to the manufacturer’s data!
Measure under 5 kg of tension
The lengths of the suspension lines (approval, technical data…) are always given under 5 kg of tension.
Take this into account if you want to compare a copy and the original!
Copying is more convenient!
It is preferable to copy the damaged lines (or the symmetrical lines), because thus all the data are on hand.
To replace damaged lines, it is necessary to respect:
- the material: Kevlar and Dyneema mainly
- the resistance equal to or greater than that of the original line
- Finally, we try to have a similar colour…
Given the large number of paraglider models and sizes + the impressive number of different lines since the beginnings of paragliding in 1985, it is necessary to show understanding in case of a different appearance of custom-made suspension lines.
