Town & Country Surfboards

Advantages: Well designed
Disadvantages: on the expensive side

...Humm, haven’t been around Ciao much recently mainly due to the fact I’ve been spending as much time as possible in Newquay, in the surf. Seeing as Newquay’s a 6-hour drive from my computer, it’s kind of understandable. Anyway where is this leading, a review on Newquay, um no, I can’t be bothered to discuss the pros and cons of an entire town, at least not today. So I’ll share my thoughts on my board, a 7 foot 6 Hawaiian Island Creations Mini-mal. Now bear with me, this is new ground in reviewing as there are no surfboard reviews up here yet (just a couple of body board reviews), so I have nothing to work with. Lets start with the basics, what’s a Mini-mal. Loosely interpreted it’s a board between about 7 and 8.5 feet long, anything bigger is a Mal, and anything smaller is a Short... Read review

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Advantages: Well engineered,Smooth ride
Disadvantages: Not really suitable for the road.

...From the seat downwards this bike is as sturdy and well manufactured as they come. This is a full blown Cross Country Bicycle,able to withstand all the hard knocks you can throw at it. Cross Country Attributes and Faults ------------------------------------ There is no better bike in its weight class that can perform so well and effortlessly as this machine. Its Tyres are made by Michelin and are of the soft knobbly rubber type,giving excellant grip on gravel,dirt or any loose terrain. The Gearing as you would expect is made by Shimano and has 24 different positions,ideal for those steep hills . Its Front Suspension is adjustable depending on how soft or how hard you want the front wheel to ride over the ground. The Seat is a little uncomfortable if sat in for long periods of time which if you are riding across country you... Read review

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Advantages: awesome...
Disadvantages: none at all...

...Fantastic, not quite as powerful as the Enduro but significantly lighter and much more cross country orientated. I've used mini's for a while now on my cross country bike and the power is perfect for this type of riding. They are relatively simple to fit and very easy to maintain to the point that they’re almost 'fit and forget', new pad replacement when necessary (which isn't very often) is a breeze and the pads also aren't too expensive. The brakes, at around £120 each may appear expensive but when compared to the competition and the fact that they’re made by Hope Technology, an internationally renowned UK company the value is actually good as is the performance. Should anything go wrong, after sales service is excellent and the guys there are always more than willing to help and give advice. The only problems I’ve heard... Read review

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