Tandem Tom

Last night , my wife and I, decided that this AM would be a good time to do our 1st. spin class of the season. We are starting to get ready for our cross country tour which starts in April.
I think as I am writing this the endorphines are still coursing through my body! I know that I never ride a bike the way I ride in a spin class but it does seem to have it's benefits.
We plan to satrt with 2x's per week then get it to 3x's. This in addition to swimming and some other work outs.
I also started setting up my trainer last night so I will ride at home to get use to my saddle.
Well I think I will go eat another bowl of oatmeal!

imi

I love spinning classes!
I commute all year. Riding in sub-zero snowy conditions from work to the gym for the hottest sweatiest workout ever, then back into the cold to ride home is a rush

tarwheel 

Spin classes can be great, but it depends a lot on the instructor. Some of them are sadists and want to do standing climbs almost the entire time. I don't go to spin classes since I started bike commuting year round, but used to go a lot during the winter months. I found them very helpful for maintaining cycling fitness as long as I "rode my own ride." Sometimes you have to just ignore the instructor and ride easier (or harder), depending on how your legs feel and your goals. Sometimes I would go to spin classes on recovery days and pretty much ignore the instructor, just spinning easily the whole time.

imi

I tend to find myself "changing gear" more on my own, than following the instructors "orders". I put this down to being able to judge what resistance I need myself.

A headband, tennis sweatbands and a towel draped across the handlebars can be good, as spinning can get WET!

+1 on riding your own ride. I went to spinning classes when rehabbing after hip surgery and remained seated for the whole class. Perfectly ok to do so, in my experience.

Baboo

Some thing to help in a spinning class. Take a towel and plenty of water and most importantly, get as far away from the instructor as you can, as in the back row. Don't try to keep on keeping up when the first signs of nausea appear, as this can prove to be quite embarrassing. These are observations based on my personal experience, hopefully your results will be different.

Allen

cycle_maven

Nothing like putting the miles in, though. I find that if I spend too much time in spin classes, I get really good at spending 1 hour in the saddle. It won't help with hours 6 and 7, when the butt goes numb and the legs turn to jelly and the campground is still 5 miles off...

Long slow rides on weekends is a good compliment to spin classes.