I got a chance to try out the current Upwing (elite's name for USA) prototype this weekend, here's some pro's and cons based on my test run.
just a few details to get out of the way.
I weight 89kg, i was on M90 80-90 kg springs, right before i tried them i was trying out velocity stilts (yeah the $3000 ones), it was a good weekend.
they're definately the lightest bock i've worn, and i've worn every thing from velocities to poweriSers to poweriZers, the upwings are lighter.
There are a few oddities about the upwing, the hoof is farther forward (the spring is about 3 inches longer(i think that's the right number) compared to other bocks so where as it was under the middle of your foot before it is now under the front of your foot, this constantly makes you lean forward to keep your center of gravity over the hoof. This feels really weird at first, you don't notice much once you start jumping, i've been told this makes flips feel weird by a fellow bocker there who did flip them.
Also the cuffs strapped up nicely , but the weird foam bits in the cuff rub like crazy and if you are not wearing long pants of full wrap knee pads, they hurt like hell i could only wear them for about 15 mins and my calves were burning with pain. This was echoed by the others who tried them out with shorts and no knee pads, those with pants said they were fine.
The foot bindings were surprisingly more secure than they looked, but i was only on them for 15mins so i can't really say they might not loosen in extended bocking sections, they also have some velcro on there that is meant to hold down the extra strap but it only seems to line up if you have extremely large feet, cause they were too long for my size 12 shoe. The velcro doesn't do anything, just stops a bit from flapping around.
I don't know how many hours were put in on the pair i was using, but the hoof was worn a significant amount, more than my current pair of 2007 poweriSers and the upwings definately didn't have as much use time as mine have. So hoof wear still looks to be a problem.
The other big thing i didn't like was when i try to jump my legs feel like my knees are being forced apart from each other, it was uncomfortable and awkward. I'm not sure why this is, and others did notice the same thing.
One thing to note was that i was using M90 springs, i'm 89kg ish and i wasn't comfortable trying to bottom them out due to the weird knee pressure. I felt that i was getting good height for the spring, but i really don't know how high i was going with only half to 3/4 compression.
One great thing about them is they were dead quiet, and all the pivots look very solid so that doesn't seem like they'll squeak like other bocks.
To get a real feel for them I'd need more time on them but an initial impression is they're a solid desgin with a few minor issues a few potential flaws, but its yet to be seen if those flaws like the bolt through the spring will really be a problem.
one more flaw is the spring protection, it's cloth, and shreds fairly quickly, apparently they come with a wax pencil or something so you can draw on them, no one knows why.
They do really have magnets in the cuff inserts, they claim it helps circulation or something silly, it's all a joke to me.
wow long post, that's all i got for now.