Kissena Cycling Club

http://brickwell.com/

Charlie L: I've only been to Brickwell once, but was impressed. I just moved to Queens and Eric Ragot took me there after a ride. The shop has a huge selection, is bright and clean. I met the owner, (sorry I don't remember his name) and he was very friendly and looking forward to being a part of Kissena. I am looking forward to going there again and hope a large group of Kissenas meet out there soon!

http://bikecult.com/works/

Heidi on her way to winning Cherry Blossom 2009, in her BikeWorks painted bike (Also, notice the Neuvation Wheels). Photo by Anthony Skorochod

Heidi: Dave was more than accommodating when I wanted to repaint my bike frame. He's one of the only local places to do frame painting and certainly the only with reasonable prices. He arranged all of it, including deconstructing and rebuilding my bike. The end result looked great and 2 years later, I'm still happy with it!

William: Even though I live on the other end of Manhattan, BikeWorks is my go-to shop - if I can't fix it, I want them to. Dave Perry and his staff are knowledgeable, dependable, and very accommodating. Their passion for the craft shows in every interaction; work doesn't leave their shop until they know it works! Dave always takes the time to root around his small parts bin to find that tiny part I need (that other bike shops won't bother to look for).

Gui: Dave has learned and forgotten more about human powered machines than any of us will ever know, and that's a compliment.

http://www.ritcheylogic.com/

Gui: Really good quality.

Lenny K: Excellent products. I like the bars and stems.

http://www.e-rudy.com/

Heidi: The Rudy Project helmet is incredibly light, well fitting, comfortable, and easy to adjust. The sunglasses are also some of the best I've ever worn- they actually make the world look better!

William: High-quality, comfortable, well-designed helmets and sun glasses. I love that my Genetyk sun glasses came with two different lenses; the pink ones make cloudy days look happy - La Vie en Rose!

Gui: I've owned lots of helmets over the years. Up until now the (Giro) Atmos was my favorite. Everything's changed. I have a white Rudy Project Sterling and the fit is perfect, it feels like I'm wearing an old baseball hat. It's so light and it looks really good too - I am impressed!

http://www.lakecycling.com/

http://www.neuvationcycling.com/

Heidi: I bought a full wheelset of Nuevations S28's for my road bike and an M28 Aero as the front wheel on my track bike. I love all of the wheels- they're fast, stiff, super high-quality and look great, too.

William: Exceptionally high-quality wheels at such ridiculously low prices, plus terrific customer service and great wheel protection plans. Knowing Neuvation is out there, I would never pay retail for a big-name wheelset again.

http://www.cycle-ops.com/

Gui: Less expensive than a personal coach, the data from my powertap helped me learn my weakness and strengths. I would also say that the data is useless without something like Joe Freihl's training bible and a season's worth of riding/racing using the powermeter. It's not the kind of component that you can install and instantly get/feel faster like with a set of carbon wheels (or new handlebar tape), but if you ride/train with the powermeter for a season you'll soon be eating carbon wheels as snacks.

Lenny K: I've been a Powertap (PT) user for about 6 years now, since attending the 1st power camp near San Diego, CA with Floyd Landis. Great people work at CycleOps. I'd describe them as dedicated cyclists first, who happen to work for a cycling company.

I've found the PT to be very reliable and durable. It's a great way to add some structure to your training so you don't train too hard or too easy. It's also a great tool to gauge your progress, compare your best 10, 20, or 30 minute effort from a race or hard ride.

They also make great trainers and rollers.

http://www.vandesselsports.com/

Michelle L: I got a new frame this August from Van Dessel, and Edwin Bull could not have been more helpful. After some test rides and making the decision, they measured my existing bike, moved all the components over, and set it up with the same dimensions all in the same day. I raced on it the very next day, and it felt rock solid. The fit was perfectly familiar, but with an extra touch of snap for the downhill primes. It's also held its own on some surfaces it's not supposed to go, like icy woodsy gravel paths... shhh...

William: My Van Dessel Hellafaster fits and rides wonderfully, but perhaps the best part is knowing that owner/founder Edwin Bull goes out of his way to help me if I have a problem. Its pretty impressive to see him remain such a personal presence in the customer service and promotion of the brand (he's always at Corss races with a trailer full of pristine loaner bikes) even as the company grows.

Dan: I've done several test rides(races) on the Van Dessel Gin & Trombones Cyclocross Bike. An outstanding bike with excellent manners on difficult courses and snappy when you need speed. Well specced with the SRAM Rival Group, it outdoes many cross bikes that cost twice as much.

http://champ-sys.com/

Kissena celebrates Heidi's Maltese win. Photo by Anthony Skorochod.