RE Akimbo setting and rope

Running Tachyon Green 11.5 because its all I have right now. Its a couple weeks shy of 1 year old, well loved and has uniform small ascender frays, no big puffs or cuts.

The first time without the instructions on hand I got it to hold but it wasn't descending well, would virtually open up and drop, changed the friction and got it to run better. It tended up and descended smooth, but opened on limb walks without my full weight on the device, so it still needs work.

It descends with the arms very close. In the manual on page 12 it describes this scenario in Figure K1.... It still needs some tweaking on the lower bollard (per page 12) but I ran out of daylight..

Currently I think the bollards are set on C/4.. but I dont remember 100%. Will be sure to update tomorrow.

Tips: I didnt initially do the full setup process in the manual and after rereading it, it sounds easier. (surprise surprise)
 
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evo said:
Without wading through what is currently 140+ pages of the akimbo thread, let’s talk deets!
What works, what doesn’t

Weight
Rope
Rope condition
Settings
Tips
Click to expand...
I reckon you have had a few climbs on your new kit Evo. Genuinely curious how your feeling about the Akimbo.
 
rico said:
I reckon you have had a few climbs on your new kit Evo. Genuinely curious how your feeling about the Akimbo.
Click to expand...
I love it. Not perfect, but that’s all me and break in. Much better than the bone for me, as I love to swap ropes and couldn’t get the bone dialed (none adjustable). Haven’t climbed too much on it, just 60’ or so on a doug, and then 7 very large apples. My upper cam got stuck which I think was my main issue dialing things in, it freed up with a drop of oil.

I weigh in just at 160# and have tried it on Yale Aztec in the field

The beam in my house I’ve tried:
Yale aztec 11.5
Sterling HTP 12.5
Velocity 11mm
Imori
Kernmaster 11mm

Sterling sucked! Couldn’t decend wife open and after just a few attempts I noticed milking. But I hate that rope anyway, I had the same issue on the wrench. I threw it in the rigging box, but figured I’d try it out. 11mm might be better, but the 12.5 left a bad taste in my mouth.

Velocity is the only rope I could get
any creep on, wide open. It flattened a bit as I turned up the friction, and got distracted. I think it also slipped max friction.

Imori actually worked damn well, with the widest range of settings.

Yale 11.7 on the work climbs was bomber for the first half of day one, and fought it the second half. Day 2 was double rope configuration on the apples. Low and slow right, after the big climb?! I fiddled with it all day, and finally got it just ok. But that is also when I discovered the upper cam was sticking.

Afterwards was all the testing on the assortment, and it runs great now that the cam is moving well again. Kinda sucks that it works best on the ropes I like the least (from what I own). This however gives me a baseline of what I like and what the akimbo likes. I need to look for a firm body, smooth jacket, with a good hand and little to no stretch in the biggest diameter I can find

recomendations wanted!

The break in time is real. Just from going up and down 12’ over and over half a dozen to a dozen times on each rope it left aluminum transfer on all the ropes.
 
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Can anyone tell me how blue moon does? That’s what I use and I want to know if it’s not going to do well before my akimbo comes in.
 
Hadn't had a chance to climb with the weather but I have a new hank of 12.5mm HTP.
Sounds like it would fit the description from what you guys are saying of what would be an ideal type of rope.
Stay tuned.
 
Gorman said:
Can anyone tell me how blue moon does? That’s what I use and I want to know if it’s not going to do well before my akimbo comes in.
Click to expand...
If this weather continues I will de rig my fiddle blocks, it had the only chunk of blue moon I own. It does well on Aztec which from what I hear is the same, but blue moon has always seemed to have a smoother jacket
 
dsptech said:
Hadn't had a chance to climb with the weather but I have a new hank of 12.5mm HTP.
Sounds like it would fit the description from what you guys are saying of what would be an ideal type of rope.
Stay tuned.
Click to expand...
It didn’t do well for me at all. But I am light weight
 
230lbs w/ gear

Ropes: all have signs of only minimal wear
Samson Predator 11.4mm - failed to find proper settings
Edelrid Static 11mm - failed to find proper settings
Sterling HTP 7/16" - found settings that worked, at D/7, but I'm not 100% satisfied using an extreme bollard setting on either arm

Issues:
Tending was easy with the Kong Micro carabiner, but it didn't properly release from the wire gate and thereby bypasses the tending point's safety feature. The DMM mini carabiner only remains in place when I'm upright and actively ascending, the rest of the time it pops out when lightly weighted and when I lean too far back.

1st Impressions:
The tending issue, bollard adjustment challenges, and rope concerns, make this device less user-friendly than other multicending devices. I still love the compactness and simplicity of the design, so I'm not giving up yet, but from a practical standpoint, I cannot say that the Akimbo will become my primary multicending device unless these issues are more effectively dealt with.

Update--- when I use the Petzl Torse Croll Harness, it allows me to adjust the tension on the tending carabiner's strap and avoid more unwanted pop-outs.
 
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dsptech said:
You tried 12.5mm of HTP?
Click to expand...
yes, hate the rope.. Like the firm, but my hank is milky to the point where the diameter increases below the device and jams up. This isnt an akimbo thing, the wrench did the same too. Its also wirey as hell.
 
John@TreeXP said:
230lbs w/ gear

Ropes: all have signs of only minimal wear
Samson Predator 11.4mm - failed to find proper settings
Edelrid Static 11mm - failed to find proper settings
Sterling HTP 7/16" - found settings that worked, at D/7, but I'm not 100% satisfied using an extreme bollard setting on either arm

Issues:
Tending was easy with the Kong Micro carabener, but it didn't properly release from the wire gate and thereby bypasses a the tending point's safety feature. The DMM mini carabiner only remains in place when I'm upright and actively ascending, the rest of the time if pops out.

1st Impressions:
The tending issue, bollard adjustment challenges, and rope concerns, make this device less user-friendly than other multicending devices. I still love the compactness and simplicity of the design, so I'm not giving up yet, but from a practical standpoint, I cannot say that the Akimbo will become my primary multicending device unless these issues are more effectively dealt with.
Click to expand...
Sounds like with your weight you need a 12mm..
 
John@TreeXP said:
230lbs w/ gear

Issues:
Tending was easy with the Kong Micro carabiner, but it didn't properly release from the wire gate and thereby bypasses the tending point's safety feature. The DMM mini carabiner only remains in place when I'm upright and actively ascending, the rest of the time it pops out.
Click to expand...

This is the intended operation of the tending point.. the way it works with the DMM XSRE is exactly how its supposed to work. It will tend the device up, but once you lean back and down it is designed with an outward gate to automatically disconnect.


Side note, I found it runs well on the fresher tail end of my Tachyon set around A B/1 2.
After some decent use it seems to be acting better across ropes.... even got it to run decent on my old Yale Bandit (Blaze) that definitely doesn't measure as little as 11mm anymore.


Gorman said:
Can anyone tell me how blue moon does? That’s what I use and I want to know if it’s not going to do well before my akimbo comes in.
Click to expand...

I should be able to put it through the paces on Blue Moon tomorrow and if not by then will run a company rope next week and report back.
 
Boconnor303 said:
This is the intended operation of the tending point.. the way it works with the DMM XSRE is exactly how its supposed to work. It will tend the device up, but once you lean back and down it is designed with an outward gate to automatically disconnect.
Click to expand...
The tending can be a challenge using a fixed point if your form isn't spot on. On an 4SRT harness, depending on the length of the rope bridge, relative height of the connection point, position, and angle of the tending carabiner, the outcomes varies. Using a higher chest connection on a 4SRT harness is a good start, but using an adjustible neck teather or a Petzl Torse (Croll Harness) is my preference. Being able to loosen and tighten the tension of the tending carabiner helps mitigate a lot of unwanted pop outs.
 
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