I wrote earlier
here: "Wide down
tubes made for a very comfortable and solid feel when hoisted up on my
shoulders. This is important if you want to have a strong launch in light wind
conditions. I throw my shoulders back, stand straight, and rotate the glider
nose down pivoting on my shoulders. The strong pivot point provided by the wide
downtubes makes this easy and safe."

Well, it turns out that the Icaro downtubes are the same width as the Wills Wing
Slipstream downtubes. I measured them both at the goal at Feltre. I also
lifted up a Wills Wing T2C at the goal and it felt just the same as the Icaro
2000 Laminar Z9 13.7 on my shoulders. A good strong pivot point.

I first "noticed" the "fat" downtubes on the Z9 back at the 2009 World
Championships in Laragne. I really thought that they were wider than the ones on
the Wills Wing gliders. Last week, when I picked up the glider that I am trading
for an Icaro 2000 ad in the Oz Report, I again noticed the fat down tubes.

But it was all a delusion on my part. When I made the effort to actually measure
them they were the same as the Wills Wing Slipstream (not Litestream) down
tubes. They just looked wider (cord wise)  to me.