What glider if not a Speed Astir?

Dave,

Here's a slightly different point of view. Most of the gliders that
have been recommended are well-mannered, reasonably priced, and easy
to fly. They are also fragile. You are a low time pilot. Your next
steps will be to start increasing your range until you are making
cross-country flights out of easy glide to airports. That means you're
likely to make a few off field landings during the next few years. In
selecting your first glider, you should be aware that you will make
some mistakes and misjudgements. The sturdiness of the glider you
select will make the difference between flying the next day and
waiting weeks or months to complete repairs. The slower the glider
flies, the less likely you'll get damage on rollout in a rough field.
A nose wheel or nose skid goes a long way towards keeping you out of
the repair shop if you have a hard landing. Metal is tougher than
glass, glass is tougher than wood and fabric.

To that end, I would recommend you take your X-C apprenticeship in a
1-26. Yes, the performance defines the low end of the spectrum and
you'll land out a lot, but you'll also gain the experience that will
keep your next glider free of cracks. If it has to be glass, consider
a Grob 102 or ASK-23. A flapped glider offers slower touchdown speeds
(desirable) but at the cost of greater complexity. Besides, the three
models mentioned are very easy to fly, have a very short learning
curve (you get comfortable in them quickly), and can be had at very
reasonable prices. Put two hundred hours on whatever you get, earn
your silver badge while doing it, then trade up. Regardless which way
you go, make sure you have a trailer that works. That means you can
assemble or disassemble major all major components of the glider with
one other person in fifteen minutes or less. If it requires two
helpers or more than a quarter hour, look for another glider.

Regards,

Chris