After Three Months, Here’s My Honest Cyclebar Review: Pros, Cons & Tips and Tricks
I’ve been going to Cyclebar consistently since January of this year and I’ve been absolutely loving it. My friend and I decided to try out a free first ride on a random day and since then, I’ve been hooked. Over the past few months, I have had so many different thoughts and I can’t wait to share my honest Cyclebar review with you. This article is not sponsored, and these are my honest and real statements! Let’s get started!
Overview
As mentioned, I’ve been specifically going to Cyclebar for three months and I think I’ve really got the hang of it! The first time I went, I wasn’t necessarily sure if it was going to be for me. My friend had asked if I wanted to try it out and cash in on our free first rides, and I was pretty scared. Honestly, I always thought cycle classes were for crazy fit people who pay way too much attention to their fitness goals. People who wanted to be yelled at and motivated in crazy ways… but I was wrong. Honestly, cycle classes are pretty chill and way less intimidating than I realized they would be. I actually love the atmosphere and love going to class every week. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons I’ve found about Cyclebar specifically.
Pros
Motivation
Honestly, I’ve had gym memberships in the past, but never at a group fitness place. I did not realize the extreme motivation these classes will bring you! With a standard gym membership, it is so easy to put off your weekly gym visits. SO EASY! I have had so many days where I’ve rationalized with myself and found something else to do so I didn’t have to go. It’s hard to be your own cheerleader. With group classes, you are held pretty accountable. If you have signed up for a class, you can only cancel it up to 12 hours before. Thankfully, if you have an emergency, you can give them a call and they can take you out of class, easy peasy! But, if you are coming up with reasons in your head as to why you shouldn’t go and it’s passed that twelve-hour stance… you feel accountable and have to go! I absolutely love this!
Group setting
And even beyond the accountability of getting you to class, I love that the classes are a group setting. There’s not a trainer focusing in on you, and you are able to feel like a team. In some classes, the instructor will show your group and class statistics on screen so you can work together! I also feel like it gives me a chance to socialize for the day. As someone who works from home, I don’t get out much so a group class makes me feel included and happy! But don’t worry, if you don’t even want to interact with anyone, a group setting also makes it super easy to slip in and out on your own watch, with no one paying you any mind! Best of both worlds.
Dark room
There’s another spin class company in my town, but they do their spin classes outside. While I love some fresh air as much as the next person, I do NOT want to be in public hunched over my bike sweating and huffing. There is BEAUTY in the Cyclebar dark room. There are some lights, so obviously you can see, but you feel pretty invincible riding on a bike where no one can really see you that well. I know when I’m giving my class my all that I do not want to be worried about how I look. It’s way more empowering and easy to ride fast when it’s dark.
Go at your own pace
While you are obviously given instruction during class, you have so much freedom to go at your own pace and to take your time. I was really worried that the instructors would yell at you, be walking around monitoring the room, adjust your bikes beyond your capability and would want to push you too far! That is really not the case! During my first ride, I couldn’t even stand up for a majority of the songs, but it was OK! The instructors advise you to listen to your body, sit down and grab some water when you need to and just do the best you can!
Welcoming
Everyone at my Cyclebar has been really welcoming. One of my favorite instructors actually came up to me before class to ask what my name was! Since then, she’s made it a point to say hi to me and to make me feel welcomed and noticed! Even beyond that, it’s a really laidback experience overall. Everyone is chill, doing their own thing and the workers at the front desk are always able to answer any of your questions!
Easy Improvement
When I’ve worked out in the past, it’s been really hard to see my improvement. I don’t know if that’s just me, but I love stats. When you finish your Cyclebar class, you get emailed your stats for the day and you get to see how well you’ve done. Ever since I started, I feel like I’ve been constantly improving. I’ve been able to go farther and farther (I’m currently up to my high score of 12 miles), I’ve been getting stronger and I’ve been feeling better after each one! Stats aren’t everything, but it does feel nice knowing that I’ve been able to improve my workout every time!
Cons
Corny
I don’t want to be too judgmental here but I can’t stand it when my instructors get too corny during class. Some days, I feel like they spend way too much time giving motivational speeches. If you feel really empowered by this kind of thing, you might love it! But I, however, actually feel kinda annoyed when my instructor spends too long trying to motivate me. “What did you come here for today?” “Why did you step in that door?” “Keep pushing!” I am. I don’t know. I don’t really care. I don’t know if that makes me soulless but honestly, I just really came here to work out, and that’s what I would like to do. Sometimes, if it comes from a really honest or real place, I love learning more about the instructor and their journey, but I only like it when I can tell it’s authentic. Otherwise, please stop trying to be overly motivational. Just teach your class, please!
Expensive
If you purchase an unlimited Cyclebar membership, you’re dishing out a ton of money. Even if you just buy pack bundles, it can add up. Quick. I really wish it was less expensive sometimes because it’s not the most affordable form of fitness. Honestly, I’ve quadrupled the price of my old monthly Planet Fitness membership. And while I do feel it is often worth it, it’s not accessible.
Arms
This is definitely a personal preference but I feel like the arm routines are really hard. They offer a four-pound weight and a six-pound weight for you to choose from but I can’t make it through the routine with either one. Honestly, lately, I’ve been doing the routine with no weight at all. I think they should warn incoming riders that they might want to start out with no weight and work their way up!
Machinery
I’ve had some bikes that stop working for a few seconds in the middle of your workout. Like, they stop reading your speed and start blinking as you’ve stopped. And I’ve also had a few bikes that were way too easy to clip out of (aka my foot clipped out of the peddle as I was going full speed). I’ve also noticed that some bikes are calibrated better than others and are easier to get to higher powers. Much like going to any class or gym, the machinery might be a little old and faulty, so beware.
“PowerPoints”
Even though I love looking at my stats after class, I hate Cyclebar’s “PowerPoints” or “CyclePoints” system. These points are supposed to take your age, weight, height, your power and your RPM into account in order to calculate how many “points” you earned each class. Honestly, I find these points to be inconsistent and confusing. I’d rather look at legitimate statistics, like my mileage, my calories burnt and my highest and average RPMs and Power.
Tips & Tricks
Coupons/Deals
Never pay full price. At least at my location, they are constantly giving out coupons, deals and discounts! In my opinion, the only way to be able to afford going to Cyclebar is by utilizing all of the deals they offer. FOLLOW YOUR LOCATION’S INSTAGRAM! Every week, they post about all of the upcoming classes, all of the deals they are offering and coupon codes you can use!
Bring socks
Just like bowling, don’t forget your socks! Luckily, Cycylebar will provide you with the shoes you need to clip in and ride, but you’ll want to bring your own socks with you!
Different class styles
Cyclebar offers a bunch of different class styles like “Classic,” “Connect,” “Performance,” “Empower” and themed rides! Get acquainted with the different class styles to see what you prefer! Most of the time, I like going to classic classes, but sometimes a connect ride is perfect for me!
Find a favorite bike
When you sign up for classes in the app, you can choose which bike you would like to be on! I suggest you try out a few different bikes when you first start out to see if there are any locations you like best. I also want you to see if any bikes feel easier or harder to ride! Eventually, you’ll find a favorite bike! You can actually mark which bike is your favorite and every time you book a class, it’ll automatically pick that one for you (unless it’s already taken).
Request themes
Themed rides are usually my favorite! It is so much fun to go to a themed ride! Because one, it really gets you motivated and keeps you having fun all the way through. But, most of the time, you can actually request themes! There’s a little request box at my location where you can write in what you want! For me, that means requesting Taylor Swift, Mamma Mia and Phineas & Ferb rides!
What’s your Cyclebar review? Let us know if I missed anything in the comment section below!