This is a pretty good representation of what the Tacchino looks and sounds like.
If you want to know what it feels and smells like, you'll have to race it next year. I think "pain" and "sausage" would sum that up, but as somebody who was raving about this year's edition of the race told me, "I can tell you about it, but you kind of have to be there."
Racers and volunteers - thanks for a great day!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Rouleur Tested
I got an invite a couple weeks ago to try out Appalachian Outdoors.com. They've been around for quite a while as a retailer in State College PA, as Appalachian Ski & Outdoors. I hadn't heard about their website, so when they sweetened the invite with a $50 gift certificate - providing I was willing to write about the experience - I thought I'd give it a shot.
I browsed the site quite a bit and found it to be a nice online retailer of a range of outdoor goods - think REI or a more sports-oriented LL Bean with more brands, and you'd be on the right track. It's not directly bike related; mostly it's "outdoor" gear, active wear, camping gear, clothing for men, women and kids, and so forth, with some bike-friendly stuff (like hydration packs and base layers) included in there. Much of the stuff was at more or less retail prices, but a lot was on closeout or a substantial discount. Ordering was pretty easy, and I ran up a nearly $50 bill on a new 50 ounce Camelback. My current hydration pack is wonderful but it's a 100 ounce pack with day-pack-like cargo capacity, and it's heavy and hot. I need something for 2 hour rides on hot days, something that doesn't add too much to the heat and doesn't upset my balance on the mountain bike. And man, did they ever have options. I found a nice simple one in black, and ordered it up. I had to pay for shipping - the $7 exceeded the cost of the gift certificate - but hey, who cares. It's a free Camelback, right?
So far, so good. Nothing spectacular.
Then a day later I got a call at home. A nice lady called me, and asked that I call her back about a problem with the order. So I did, and got some nice personalized attention as we tracked down what had happened. It seems I fat fingered my credit card when I entered it, and the card didn't go through. We sorted that out, she straightened out my transaction, it went through, and I was off to the races.
The Camelback arrived a couple days later and it was just what the doctor ordered - a tiny pocket big enough for a multitool and maybe an energy bar, and a small hydration pack that doesn't upset my balance. *Perfect*.
So let's run down that list. Lots of products, some of them at a nice discount, some at retail; a fairly easy to use web interface (that I still managed to screw up, my bad there); fast shipping, and friendly customer service that bailed me out. The only potential downside I saw is they have sooo much product, so much diversity of choice in some products, that you need to look around carefully to make sure you're seeing all the options. For instance, they offer an astounding 75 hydration back packs - and that doesn't count the lumbar packs and the other hydration alternatives. Realistically, that's only a downside if you have trouble choosing your product; personally I enjoy wallowing around and looking at a lot of products, and finding *just the right one* for my needs.
It was a pretty good experience overall, and Appalachian Outdoors will go into the rotation of retail sites that I check out when I need some outdoor gear.
Maybe some of you folks who have lived / worked in State College PA have some experiences with them and could add your thoughts in comments.
I browsed the site quite a bit and found it to be a nice online retailer of a range of outdoor goods - think REI or a more sports-oriented LL Bean with more brands, and you'd be on the right track. It's not directly bike related; mostly it's "outdoor" gear, active wear, camping gear, clothing for men, women and kids, and so forth, with some bike-friendly stuff (like hydration packs and base layers) included in there. Much of the stuff was at more or less retail prices, but a lot was on closeout or a substantial discount. Ordering was pretty easy, and I ran up a nearly $50 bill on a new 50 ounce Camelback. My current hydration pack is wonderful but it's a 100 ounce pack with day-pack-like cargo capacity, and it's heavy and hot. I need something for 2 hour rides on hot days, something that doesn't add too much to the heat and doesn't upset my balance on the mountain bike. And man, did they ever have options. I found a nice simple one in black, and ordered it up. I had to pay for shipping - the $7 exceeded the cost of the gift certificate - but hey, who cares. It's a free Camelback, right?
So far, so good. Nothing spectacular.
Then a day later I got a call at home. A nice lady called me, and asked that I call her back about a problem with the order. So I did, and got some nice personalized attention as we tracked down what had happened. It seems I fat fingered my credit card when I entered it, and the card didn't go through. We sorted that out, she straightened out my transaction, it went through, and I was off to the races.
The Camelback arrived a couple days later and it was just what the doctor ordered - a tiny pocket big enough for a multitool and maybe an energy bar, and a small hydration pack that doesn't upset my balance. *Perfect*.
So let's run down that list. Lots of products, some of them at a nice discount, some at retail; a fairly easy to use web interface (that I still managed to screw up, my bad there); fast shipping, and friendly customer service that bailed me out. The only potential downside I saw is they have sooo much product, so much diversity of choice in some products, that you need to look around carefully to make sure you're seeing all the options. For instance, they offer an astounding 75 hydration back packs - and that doesn't count the lumbar packs and the other hydration alternatives. Realistically, that's only a downside if you have trouble choosing your product; personally I enjoy wallowing around and looking at a lot of products, and finding *just the right one* for my needs.
It was a pretty good experience overall, and Appalachian Outdoors will go into the rotation of retail sites that I check out when I need some outdoor gear.
Maybe some of you folks who have lived / worked in State College PA have some experiences with them and could add your thoughts in comments.
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