Black Diamond Air Traffic Controller (ATC)

Advantages: Fantastic design - great for beginners
Disadvantages: Can be difficult when using thick or stiff ropes

...There isn't much you can say about things like belay devices, but I do know that when you are just getting into climbing and there is an entire wall covered in strange climbing related objects it would be nice to have someone point you in the right direction. What is a belay and what is it for? Basically when you climb (99% of the time) you climb with a partner. Your partner is there to catch you when you fall and to do so so he or she needs some sort of device that gives full control of the speed of the rope. The rope is folded over and threaded through the hole in the belay plate, then the loop that has been threaded through is attached to your harness via a screw gate carabiner. The loose end of the rope should be hanging down towards the floor and the end attached to the climber points up. To stop the rope from moving the loose end... Read review

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Advantages: You pays your money....., good for tricks, good value, looks cool
Disadvantages: A little expensive for beginners

...Two of my friends recently purchased Hot Buttered body boards and they are extremely happy. One at £90 and one at £80 seems a bit expensive but they have definitely noticed the difference. The boards are lighter, easier to turn and do tricks on. They are both Terminator T3s 10-90 (43”) and are Hot Buttered’s proven performers over three summers. The crescent shaped tail allows more control and acceleration through turns. The shape, build and weight also means more straight-line speed and thus more waves! The T3 also has the HB PE Diamond Core, apparently revolutionary in body board technology. See below for the science bit! This is a brilliant board, the difference is there and you will not be disappointed with the performance of the T3. It may seem expensive but there are more expensive boards that look tacky and don’t perform... Read review

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Advantages: Almost "full sized bike" rideability. Less likely to get stolen if stored indoors instead of in shed!
Disadvantages: Small wheels go down holes further = harder ride. Expensive unless you MUST have a folder.

...by the need to keep the Kevlar (bullet-proof? moi?) tyres pumped-up really hard. Purist admirers of the conventional diamond shaped bike may also comment on the slight increase in "whippiness" induced by the somewhat more spartan frame, which manifests itself in a slight flexibility of the handlebars, but all in all, it feels normal like a Dutch-style sit-up-and-beg tourer with somewhat narrower handlebars - if they made them too wide, it would compromise the bike's fold-ability. It is easy to ride steadily whilst signalling, except when negotiating pot-holes at the same time, and stops well thanks to Brompton's own design of brakes, both of which are callipers controlled by normal cables. (Some folders have a back-pedal brake to simplify the folding operation by reducing the number of front-to-back linkages) but I shun these as it's impossible... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful