Just a reminder of current Kissena Sponsorship opportunities. Updated on clothing to be forthcoming

If you have any questions regarding the information below, please feel free to reach out to our Sponsorship Director - Patrick Grehan. Reach out on Slack or email at livetoridebikes@gmail.com

Hilltop Bicycles

Kissena has partnered with Hilltop Bicycles and Specialized. Hilltop Bicycles has shops in NYC and New Jersey and is owned by Specialized which provides our members with a key benefit: Not only does Hilltop have direct access to Specialized bikes and gear, but with Specialized’s buying power, members should be able to order and get third party items more rapidly than most other sources.

Benefits

• 15% discount on all Specialized products including Bikes, Frames, Wheels, Helmets, Shoes, and more

• Quality bike service (with possibility of rush service when needed)

• Higher likelihood of bike and equipment availability due to Specialized buying power 

• Access to benefits at their locations in Williamsburg, Lower East Side, Upper West Side, and the Specialized Turbo store in Long Island City

• $25 Hilltop credits for leading shop rides

How you can get it
Our primary contact is Sebastian Girardo, the manager at Hilltop in Williamsburg (50 N 7th St., Brooklyn, NY 11249,  631-876-2148), but the discount applies to any of the shops. Interested in leading a shop ride and earning $25? Contact Eloy Anzola (Development Director) on Slack

(f/k/a Neuvation)

Benefit
20% off custom wheels ordered from John.

How you can get it
Order wheels online at: http://www.neugentcycling.com

Note in the comments field during ordering that you are a Kissena Member and desire the 20% discount. He will deduct 20% prior to putting your credit card through.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

PLEASE NOTE:

At the end of September, Hilltop Bicycles will no longer be sponsoring Kissena Bicycle Club. If you were considering purchasing a Specialized bike or equipment and want to get the 15% discount, you must take advantage of this before the end of September. 

The board forged a sponsorship agreement with Hilltop back in the Spring of 2022 when bike supply chain issues were at a peak. At the time, we had limited options for shop sponsors and Hilltop’s offer appeared to be a foundation to build upon. While there have been some positive aspects to the relationship, on the whole the promise did not meet expectations. The shop had higher expectations for increased purchasing and promotion from the club that were probably not realistic given the current makeup of the club and that members could go elsewhere to get comparable prices and service. This was probably reflective of a larger issue: the sponsorship was through a corporation and not directly with a locally owned shop. Prior shop sponsorships have thrived on the personal relationships. In the end, there are no bad guys here. It simply wasn’t a particularly good match.

The board will consider alternatives. In the meantime, please let me and the board know if you have any suggestions for shops that may be open to developing relationships with the club where we can shop at and promote them in return for good service and discounts. 

mugwump said:

BTW, I'm on the USA Cycling website right now.

Turns out Specialized offers a 15% discount to USAC members

BUMP

Join us this Thursday February 29th 6-9pm for a social kick off event at Ride Brooklyn. (see flyer above)

Here are reasons you should be there: 

• Enjoy pizza, beer and good company
• Make bold claims about your racing plans for the season
• Catch up with teammates you haven't seen in a while
• Drool over bikes parts that will make you faster
• Make excuses for why you aren't at race weight in February
• Support the shop by getting needed gear at the club discount
• Plan on glorious rides as Winter finally turns into Spring

Exclusive Giant Pricing for Kissena Members through Ride Brooklyn

Have you been considering getting a new bike? Don’t we always want +1? But seriously, Ride Brooklyn is offering exclusive discounts of up to 40% off new Giant bikes to Kissena members (2024) through April 15th. What bikes can you get? Start with the list below as these bikes are heavily discounted and in stock. 

Not seeing what you are looking for? Check the Giant website, find the model that interests you and use the dropdown menu to see if it is available in your size. Ride Brooklyn can get you 15-20% off most any bike, but there are a number of bikes that are already discounted on the Giant website that when combined with the Kissena discount amount to 30-40% off MSRP. Below are a list of high end as well as entry level Road and Gravel bikes, but you can look at other bikes as well. 

Reach out to both Pete and Adam (the manager at RB) with specific questions and to place an order. Note that many models have very limited inventory and may become unavailable before the 15th, so don’t wait too long if seriously interested.Note that some models have limited inventory and may become unavailable before the 15th, so don’t wait too long if seriously interested. Below is a list that Pete (the owner of Ride Brooklyn) put together for us given current availability on some notable deals here on Propel, TCR, and Revolt bikes. I posted some reviews at the end of this message. 

Here is the message from Pete:

I heard back from the Giant Rep and I put together a list of bikes for you guys. I can get other bikes but stock is pretty sparse on everything else. If someone wants a different bike or a mountain bike they can figure on around 15% off or so. Depending on the model I may be able to do a bit better. I'm thinking we have around a 2-3 week window on getting an order in without stock dwindling to the point where people can't get what they want. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Still working on the helmets.

Here are the bikes that Giant has good stock of and that they can give you the best deals on. More Details can be found here: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us

Road: 

Propel Advanced Pro 0. Ultegra DI2, SLR 1 Carbon Wheels. Regular Price: $8000 (currently discounted to $7200) Team Price: $5760 (nearly 30% off)

Propel Advanced 1, Rival AXS SLR2 Carbon Wheels, Regular Price: $6000 (currently discounted to $5400) Team Price: $4320 (nearly 30% off)

TCR Advanced Pro 0-AR  Force AXS SLR 1 Carbon wheels. Reg Price: $6600 (currently discounted to $4700) Team Price: $3760  (40+% off)

TCR Advanced Pro Disc 1 Ultegra mechanical SLR 1 Carbon wheels Reg Price: $5200 (currently discounted to $4000) Team Price: $3200 (nearly 40% off)

TCR Advanced Disc 1 Pro Compact  Reg Price $3700 (currently discounted to $2900) Team Price: $2400 (over 30% off)

TCR Advanced 2 Rim Brake shimano 105 Reg Price: $2500 (currently discounted to $1800) Team Price: $1550 (nearly 40% off)

Gravel: 

Revolt Advanced 1 Mechanical Rival 1x11 with 11/42 cassette. Reg Price: $3500 (currently discounted to $2900) Team Price: 2400 (nearly 30% off)

Revolt Advanced 2 Shimano GRX 600/800 Reg Price $3000 (currently discounted to $2700) Team Price: $2200 (nearly 30% off)

Revolt X Advanced Pro 2 Rival 1x Reg Price $4800 (currently discounted to $4100) Team Price: $3300 (over 30% off)

Revolt X advanced Pro 1 Rival AXS GX Mullet Reg Price: $6200 (currently discounted to $5300) Team Price: $4250  (over 30% off)

Best,

Pete Kocher

———

Here is a list of reviews for some of the above models I thought might be interesting 

REVIEWS:

Giant Propel 

https://road.cc/content/review/giant-propel-advanced-pro-1-2023-301739

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/giant-propel-advanced-pro-0-axs-review

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-gear/2023-giant-propel-advanced-sl-long-term-review/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-fyu512kc0

Giant TCR

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/road-bikes/giant-tcr-advanced-pro-0

https://road.cc/content/review/giant-tcr-advanced-pro-1-disc-2021-278295

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-training/2021-giant-tcr-advanced-pro-1-disc-road-bike-review/

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/giant-tcr-advanced-pro-2-disc-long-term-review

Giant Revolt

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/2022-giant-revolt-advanced-bucks-the-trend-going-longer-lower-and-steeper/

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/adventure-road-and-gravel-bikes-a-buyers-guide-187448

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a32189527/giant-revolt-advanced-review/

https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/2023-giant-revolt-x-review/

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/gravel-bikes/giant-revolt-x-advanced-pro-1-review

• The Kask Protone Icon retails for $300
• Member helmet cost: $220 + tax
• Note: The above cost is based on a bulk order of 15 helmets, should we get fewer orders the total member cost will be $235. Members should pay $220 + tax now. If we don't reach the minimum order members will have a choice between canceling their order for a full refund or paying the extra $15.
• Members will pay membership@kissenacycling.com via Paypal after completing the wufoo form
• The only color is Tangerine Matt (This is a matt [not fluo] version of Orange))
• If unsure on size, stop by Ride Brooklyn to try one
• Order will be open from today until Tuesday August 20th
• When the helmets arrive at Ride Brooklyn we will post an announcement for you to go and pick yours up.