Nick,

They actually climb quite well and you can get your speed down while thermalling into the 30 kt range. They are also quite light on the controls and easy to manoeuvre, unlike the Dimona (for example).

Two problems I noted while thermalling:
1. The high wing makes it problematic to look into the turn
2. The over head ceiling and "A" pillars also reduce visibility. There is a window in the ceiling that helps, but ... visibility is certainly not the same as a bubble canopy glider.

The downside of course is the 30:1 best L/D means you need to climb a lot to go places.