I spin during the week days before work. On the weekends I ride. Spinning works very well for me. I don't follow a class routine. I find it has too much intensity variation to compare to road riding. I vary my pace in slower increments and stay at various intensities longer. It works for me. As for bike handling, it doesn't help. It is excellent for on the bike conditioning though. But I suppose that depends on how hard you push yourself. People can fake it in a spin class. It is harder to fake it on the road.