Another reason I LOVE TE

[Veronica]

When you e mail to ask customer service a question during business hours, you get an answer right away. :D No waiting around trying to decide what to do...

My shoes for the Nova Scotia tour are toast - 11 miles into a ride today and I have hot foot. No hot foot with the SIDI road shoes I bought - but there's no way I can wear those slippery things on a tour. I don't even like stopping at lights with them. But I do like the fit and the nifty 3 way closing mechanism.

I need new shoes this weekend... so I can try them out and make sure they work before taking off with the in laws for Yosemite.

Yeah - TE will ship to you overnight with Saturday delivery. It's pricey... but my peace of mind is priceless. :p

V.

[pooks]

I love TE, too! Glad you started this topic because I'd wondered where to mention this.

I surfed the net and ordered things at three different places, looking for jerseys that looked like they might actual fit me and be cool enough, a sports bra, etc.

The last order I placed was from TE and two days later when a small box was delivered at my door I assumed it was one of the other orders, but no.

TE was delivered in 48 hours, charged the least for postage, and the merchandise was exactly what I needed.

How can you argue with that?

Yay, TE!

Good luck with your shoes, Veronica.

[Trekhawk]

Hey V - glad to hear the Sidis are working for you.
I love TE, great gear, great service, what more could you ask for.:)

[Veronica]

I think I'm going to take the road shoes back to Performance. The slipperiness kind of freaks me out. I know lots of riders have shoes for their different bikes. I really prefer to have just one pair. I know, it's weird.

Besides, makes it easier to sell the concept of another Riv...

V.

[Trekhawk]

LOL - yep I would take a new bike over shoes too.:D

[tomgrrrl]

I wear my Sidi Dominators (mtb shoes) for both mtb and road.....that way I can walk around as needed and they seem to work well for both......

[Nanci]

I _love_ how fast TE ships. Always a deciding factor in online purchases. Plus there just aren't any problems with Priority Mail like there can be with UPS/Fed Ex- for example, not delivering on Saturday, not having someone there for a sig, etc.

Road shoes freak me out, too. I have a perfectly nice pair of cute little Sidis, and I just don't like the slipperiness. I wore them two or three times before buying the same shoe in MTB.

Nanci

[crazycanuck]

I would love to purchase items from TE but the shipping costs frighten me...If I lived in Canada I would probably order from them..

I'm now on the hunt for the shorts nanci's just purchased & talking about....

...hmmmm..my dad's coming down this way...hmmmm....perhaps i may have a chance!!!!

c

[Nanci]

Mmm, better wait till later today for the real report! A bunch of other people are loving them, though. I had to pick them up off the chair and pet them, and admire their wonderful chamois a few times last night. The Shimano sandals are getting jealous! Well, they are going for a 30-40 mile test ride today.

How much _does_ it cost to ship down to you? I buy stuff from Japan/China/UK all the time! I even bought some fabric off eBay from Australia.

Nanci

[Brandi]

When you e mail to ask customer service a question during business hours, you get an answer right away. :D No waiting around trying to decide what to do...

My shoes for the Nova Scotia tour are toast - 11 miles into a ride today and I have hot foot. No hot foot with the SIDI road shoes I bought - but there's no way I can wear those slippery things on a tour. I don't even like stopping at lights with them. But I do like the fit and the nifty 3 way closing mechanism.

I need new shoes this weekend... so I can try them out and make sure they work before taking off with the in laws for Yosemite.

Yeah - TE will ship to you overnight with Saturday delivery. It's pricey... but my peace of mind is priceless. :p

V.
What is Hot Foot?

[DirtDiva]

It's $35 for international postage, even if you just want a pair of socks! :eek:

[Brandi]

It's $35 for international postage, even if you just want a pair of socks! :eek: have you tried ebay?

[DirtDiva]

I was just talking specifically about TE's postage. A lot of online stores do seem to have a minimum charge for overseas postage though. I tend to do my online shopping on UK sites, because for many of them you get free postage within the UK if you spend £20 or £50 or whatever (as long as you don't want next day delivery). I'd shop at TE in a heartbeat if I lived in North America.

[Bron]

I'd shop at TE in a heartbeat if I lived in North America.

Me too. I just worry that I will be whacked with a huge customs bill when things arrive. It´s a real shame as there is loads of great kit that I never see in Germany or the UK. Maybe it´s better for my bank balance this way.

tlkiwi, do you know of any UK sites that stock cool cycling gear for women? Either that or I´ll have to wait until I visit the States again.

Bron

[crazycanuck]

Hey bron,

Are any of your friends going back to the states for a vacation?? Just get them to pick up an item for you. What about having it sent to a friend in the us & them sending it to you..

That was a choice i made when my friend went home & asked her if she wouldn't mind picking up some stuff for me at MEC..

Take a look at ground effect...(groundeffect.co.nz)???

There has to be an easier option for us overseas folks...

I don't do ebay.
c

[Bron]

Hmm, good idea. My Mum is going to the States in a couple of weeks time, so maybe I could get stuff mailed to her when she´s there. I´ll tell her to take a big, empty suitcase with her!
I´ve also found a German site who import some clothing from the states, so I am adding items to my ever increasing birthday wish list.......
Thanks, Bron

[ridebikeme]

I too, a will be doing a bike tour in Nova Scotia this summer... have you been there before? It's a beautiful area with very friendly and patient people and drivers!! I will be going August 4- 12 with a commercial tour.... hope that your trip goes well!!

[kelownagirl]

I too, a will be doing a bike tour in Nova Scotia this summer... have you been there before? It's a beautiful area with very friendly and patient people and drivers!! I will be going August 4- 12 with a commercial tour.... hope that your trip goes well!!


I would LOVE to go do some touring around Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI. Do you take your own bike there? If so, how?? If you rent a bike, how do ensure it's going to fit etc?

Still trying to figure all that out....

barb

[Veronica]

No, I haven't been to Nova Scotia before. We're doing a self supported three week tour - a mix of camping and B&Bs. But no cooking! I didn't want to deal with a stove or clean up.

We're flying into Portland and my sister is driving us to Acadia. We have a day there to ride the carriage roads and then we are taking the CAT to Yarmouth. We are doing kind of a big counter clockwise loop, but with a little out and back trip to Kejimkujik National Park.

Who are you doing your tour with?

V.

[Veronica]

We are taking our own bikes. I have a bike case. Cindy is getting a box. It's an additional fifty dollars each direction to take your bike on the plane with JetBlue. We got the case when my husband went to Australia for business last November. It was kind of expensive - but it makes taking your own bike on trips less of a risky proposition. It's supposed to hold two bikes, but we haven't been able to make two fit well. :o

V.

[bikerz]

Hey V and Cindy - give a little wave when (if) you pass Aylesford, NS (Annapolis Valley - west coast area). My entire maternal grandmother's family is from that area. Just west of Aylesford and Welton Corners is a small town called Morden - some of my mom's cousins live there - great view of the Bay of Fundy, and the "French Cross" - a monument to the Acadians who were deported in 1755.

Have fun - it is abolutely beautiful there! Enjoy the local delicacy - dulse - salty dried seaweed!

(Let me know if you'd like some local contact names and numbers, in case of emergency.)

[Veronica]

V quickly pulls out map and guide book - yes we're going through Aylesford - it's on our way to Kentville.

Yeah - I'd love a local to contact in case something yucky happens. Tent destroyed in flash flood... bicyle run over by crazy person on vacation from California...you never know.

V.

[cindysue]

Yeah - I'd love a local to contact in case something yucky happens.

oooh cool! Thanks Ann! Personally, I'd like to know about the best places to eat :D :D :D :D

I wonder if your cousins know anything about this (other side of province):

http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case166.htm

We'll be staying at a B&B there.........

[cindysue]

... bicyle run over by crazy person on vacation from California... V.

errrh, maybe I should leave my "California Pedaler" kit at home :p

[Veronica]

I just didn't want to say anything bad about the natives. So any bad driving we may see must come from California or maybe Texas. :p

V.

[bikerz]

(Have we totally hijacked this thread, or what? :o )

When are you guys going?

I'll call my mom and get some names and numbers for you, and places to eat - I haven't been up there for about 5 years, and we mostly ate farm food. I really do love that dulse - I loved it when I first had it up there when I was 9, and I've loved it ever since. It's a Nova Scotia speciality!

Cindy - I'll ask about the UFO - I've never heard of that!

My mom and step-dad just bought some land in Morden from her cousin and will be up there this summer sometime, getting ready to build a small cabin.

I can email or PM you contacts and any suggestions from my mom about restaurants and so forth. Sounds like it will be a great trip!

[Lise]

Have a great time, V & C (and Thom and DP of C?). Part of my family came over from Scotland after the Revolutionary War (which I'm sure they called the "Obnoxious, Disobedient Colonists' War"), landed in NS. I still have relatives in Truro. We were there many years ago for a family reunion and tour of dead relatives. I believe my aunt has done a bike tour there as well. She loves Acadia Nat'l Park, camps and hikes there every year.

bikerz, what's dulse? I'm thinking seaweed.

Looking forward to the reports and pix! :D

[slinkedog]

Can't wait to hear all about your adventures, V and CindySue! I hope you guys have a wonderful time!

[Veronica]

[QUOTE=bikerz](Have we totally hijacked this thread, or what? :o )

It's my thread so I don't mind. :D Besides it still relates. I needed the shoes for the tour...We'll be there the end of June and the first two weeks of July.

V.

[Veronica]

The men are getting left behind. Thom has an SAP implementation this summer and can't take any time off. So poor Cindy gets stuck with me for three weeks. :D

V.

[Veronica]

I still have relatives in Truro. We were there many years ago for a family reunion and tour of dead relatives. I believe my aunt has done a bike tour there as well. She loves Acadia Nat'l Park, camps and hikes there every year.

bikerz, what's dulse? I'm thinking seaweed.

Looking forward to the reports and pix! :D

V grabs map again - Truro isn't on our route. But it is where the train station to Montreal is. :p

I hope I actually take pictures. I have to focus on this is about seeing the sites.... it's okay to take more than 5 minutes off the bike.

V.

[bikerz]

bikerz, what's dulse? I'm thinking seaweed.
Yes - dried seaweed - it's yummy. There was a big discusson last time I was there when I said I'd like to get some dulse. Everyone had opinions of where the best stuff was, and none of them agreed with each other.

Some of my family went to Nova Scotia from the colony of New Jersey - there were Loyalists also, and wanted no part of the colonial revolt!

V - check the map again! Are you guys stopping in Lunenberg? That's a cool little town.

[ridebikeme]

Hi V

Nova Scotia is a great place! I work with a touring company as their mechanic, (although I ride the routes as well) so have been there several times. My trip is in August and we will be there from August 4-12. We will leave from Portland, altough we also have left from Bar Harbor. Either way it will be a great trip, enjoy Bar Harbor and My next adventure will be self contained as well.

[Veronica]

Here's out intinerary


M June 26 Oakland - Portland Flying
T June 27 Windham - Bar Harbor Driving
W June 28 Bar Harbor - Bar Harbor carriage roads and park loop
Th June 29 Bar Harbor - Church Point, NS CAT, 71 K
Fr June 30 Church Point - Annapolis Royal 94 K
Sat July 1 Annapolis Royal - Kejimkujik National Park 63 K
Sun July 2 Kejimkujik National Park - Kejimkujik National Park canoe the lake
M July 3 KNP - Annapolis Royal 63 K
T July 4 Annapolis Royal - Valley View 55 K
W July 5 Valley View -Kentville 90 K
Th July 6 Kentville -Dartmouth 110 K – this day is pretty flat
F July 7 The inn keeper said we can take the bikes on a ferry to Halifax - Halifax 94 K or day off to explore Halifax or just relax
Sat July 8 Dartmouth -Graves Island 96 K
Sun July 9 Graves Island -Lunenburg 47.1 K
M July 10 Lunenburg -Liverpool 73 K
T July 11 Liverpool - Shelburne 129 K – has some hills, there are some more direct, but less scenic options
W July 12 Shelburne- Shag's Harbor 91 K
Th July 13 Shag's Harbor - Yarmouth 86.5 K
F July 14 Yarmouth - Portland CAT
July 15 Portland- Oakland Fly


I'm staying until the 19th to see my family.

V.

[crazycanuck]

Ohhh..i love halifax!!!

On my last trip home i went to a Lahrbrat reunion on Halifax & caught up with some old friends. I didn't spend much time there as i used it as a base to & from St John's. Da rock was tons of fun...Who could resist the town names of D*ldo & conception bay.

I'll post a couple of pics.

Oh and most of all, be nice to us Canucks!

c