Why Should You Use Fresh Ropes?

As I sit down to write this blog, it’s 86 degrees in Decatur, Texas, 59 at Casper Hammerstrom’s house in South Dakota, 71 at Ketch Kelton’s in Arizona, and 93 at Annslee Gose’s in Florida. Looking at the variation in temperatures and knowing how that plays a role in the feel of your rope, I’m reminded of why it’s so important to get the freshest ropes possible. Whether you’re a pro going to PRCA and open rodeos, or you’re a weekend jackpotter headed to a USTRC or Ariat World Series of Team Roping event, the advantages of having fresh ropes at your disposal are huge in helping you catch more steers and win more money.

What does freshness have to do with it?

Team ropes are tied and coiled in a specific way, depending on the season for which they’re being tied. You may not know it, but rope manufacturers usually change up the twist several times per year, with the changing of the seasons, to make sure they’re delivering the most consistent feeling ropes possible to the majority of ropers. Ropes will be tied with more load, or kick, for the winter months, because as the nylon fibers loosen in the cold weather, the rope will relax and become more limber, ultimately reducing the amount of kick the rope has. In the summer months, ropes are tied straighter because as the weather warms up, the nylon fibers begin to tighten up, adding kick to the rope, especially as they are used throughout the day.

Kick vs Backswing

A rope used out of the season it was made for will either result in too much kick or a backswing being in the loop. Head ropes, in general, should kick to the right, meaning the loop points out from the coils when dropped. This helps headers break their rope over and get a better curl once the rope is on the horns. Heel ropes vary, depending on stiffness, on the amount of kick tied in them. The softer lays will usually have a small degree of kick to help the rope break over in the roper’s hand. As the heel ropes get more firm, they will be tied straighter, and sometimes even with a small degree of backswing in the medium, hard medium, and medium hard lays. Straight to backswing in a heel rope allows it to be placed where the bottom strand is more live and coming back to you, which is a desired feel by a lot of professional heelers.

We Stay Fresh

“I think the biggest mistake people make is buying ropes from somewhere that they don’t know how long they’ve been on the shelf. They could be buying one that was tied in February, trying to get ready for a roping in June,” Trevor Brazile.

Fresh ropes from NRS help ensure team ropers develop a consistent feel and delivery by giving them the ability to have a consistent feeling rope in their hands, no matter the season. NRS is located less than 5 hours from the top 5 rope manufacturers, Classic Ropes, Rattler Ropes, Cactus Ropes, Lone Star Ropes, and Fast Back Ropes, as well as a local favorites, Top Hand Ropes. We have a truck that leaves Decatur, Texas, every Thursday to pick up rope orders, and we generally keep only one month’s worth of ropes in stock at a time in order to make sure you’re getting the freshest ropes possible. With the largest selection of team ropes, whether you prefer the body of a straight nylon rope, the added tip weight of a nylon/poly blend, the bigger crowns on a 3-strand rope, or the speed and snap of a 4-strand or 5-strand… whatever your winning combination is in a team rope, NRS is sure to have something to fit your desired feel in the freshest rope selection, available in store at our Decatur, Granbury, and Wickenburg locations, or shipped straight to your door from NRSworld.com.