I met Jerome over the summer while visitng friends in Southern California. Jerome offered to give me a tour of Torrey Pines. We flew from one end of the site to the other...Del Mar to Scripps Pier...it was a great treat!

Jerome's speed bar intrigued me. Since I was thinking of changing the system that came with my harness I began asking Jerome some questions. Some of them appear in this article.

First, a little bit about Jerome. 

Education: Mechanical Engineer. Ph.D. 
Job: Finite Element Analysis software development 
Years Paragliding: Since 1989, so 17 years. 
Rating: Master (P5) 

Website: http://www.ExpandingKnowledge.com  

Jerome is also a frequent contributor to www.ParaglidingForum.com and enjoys sharing his experiences for the benefit of other pilots. Jerome review things he is considering purchasing for himself. Reviews are posted on www.ExpandingKnowledge.com 

RD: Your paragliding experience is extensive and needless to say you have seen quite an evolution of paragliding gear over the years. With regard to "speedbars" are there any conventional designs you like?

Jerome: No...which was my inspiration for designing one with the required features. You can see my review of several of the well known speed bar designs just go to:

JeromeDaoust_Speedbar_JRod/Main.htm#Market_Comparison 

Note: You may need to copy/paste each part ot the URL in your browser's address bar.

RD: Speedbars seem pretty basic...how do you think they can be improved?

Jerome: By having a true bar (not a cable loop) as the first of 2 steps. By finding it easily without using hands. By being robust and compact during storage. By having an adjustable distance between the 2 steps. 

J-Rod Collapsed

Jerome: This took a long time (about 250 hours) of testing many ideas. You can see many prototypes and concepts on the dedicated web page: http://www.expandingknowledge.com/JRod.htm  See the "Other ideas" section. The goals were to have a lightweight, robust design that has bars for the 2 steps, with the 1st step being propped forward for an easy grab with a foot. Leg protection from catching the first bar between the legs while running was also a criterion. 
 
RD: If you could list top 3 reasons to have a speed bar like the J-Rod what would they be?

Jerome: For the pride of owning the best speedbar design. To have a true bar (not a cable loop) as the first of 2 steps, which can be easily found without using hands. For its robustness and near-1D shape when folded/stored. 

Global view of the J-Rod

RD: Is the J-Rod available?

Jerome: Yes, there are instructions for pilots to build one themselves, as one person has already done and shared his testimonial. Or you can simply purchase it. My goal is to promote a better design, and give pilots options for owning one. 
 
RD: Is the J-Rod compatible with most harnesses?

Jerome: Yes, there are loop attachments provided at the main bar. But you do want a retraction system built into your harness, as it would be a shame to run over it during launch or landing. 
 
RD: Do you have any suggestions for attaching the J-Rod to your harness?

Jerome: As I mentioned earlier, you should own a harness with a speedbar retraction system, so the speedbar remains snug to your harness while launching/landing. Otherwise, you can add this feature to your harness, by adding bungee cords. Then adjust the length of your speedbar lines so your legs are fully extended when maximum wing acceleration is achieved.

J-Rod in the air!

Jerome also recommends a viewing of the video of J-Rod's auto-deployment.

Go to    http://www.expandingknowledge.com/JRod.htm

Click "First Step"