Gym instuctress directly in front of me. . . . And one to my right, sitting in. Time to Sprint, up against the best. The music starts up, about 140 bpm, loud with thumping bass "Up guys! Up on the pedals . . . GO!"
We start up as one; the warm up.
These ladies aren't youngsters (though they look it) and fit as a butcher's dog.
Any self respecting dude, or particularly a newbie might be feeling a little intimidated here. Me? Mid seventies but bike was good to go, though it had only one wheel.
I found out the value of motivation at that time. It is everything. And these girls do it so well, it rubs off on everyone there.. That's their job.
I'm addicted!
And - a huge plus - you don't crash gym bikes.
The bikes in my gym are Matrix CXCs and they are useless. Don't ever buy one.

A cycling-specific workout facility? I can't stand those places. Loud music, crazy lighting making it look like a nightclub, bicycles going nowhere. And what's with the mirrored wall(s)? More pwer to you if that's your thing, but a big 'NOPE', not for me.

Dear Penthouse....

I have not taken many spin classes but the ones that I have taken were fun. Purists will scoff, but I was sweaty, winded, and smiling at the end. And I know a handful of spin class devotees that now ride outdoors as well, so there's that.

Spin classes or indoor cycling in general isn't my cup of tea, but for those who it works out I am sure it is great.

When I do want an indoor workout I am inclined to use my concept 2 rowing machine as a change of pace from riding.

iow, Exercise Enthusiasts with zero bike-handling skills. We usually refer to those folks as "weaponized" riders. Best to give them a wide berth on the road.

Same goes for many triathletes. Lots of power, not a lot of skills.

We should definitely discourage noobs from falling in love with outdoor cycling and keep it for our graying, balding selves.

I guess some of my enthusiasm hasn't rubbed off here! But there is a lot o' fun to be had, and if you're pushed for time, or the weather's bad . . . .what's not to like?
Virtual (instructor-less) classes are ok for those times when you want to think your own thoughts.
There's a lot of old cyclists in there now. Two I spoke to were both over 80; a married couple. In fact the classes are becoming seriously unbalanced because of it. I was the first male to do this here when Les Mills arrived.
I can see trouble ahead!

I did spinning for a while. What struck me is how different it was than cycling. For one thing, they often got off the saddle and spun at a crazy high rate. Good for getting in shape, I am sure, but definitely not something I do when cycling (if I am off the seat, the cadence is slow, not fast). But it was nice for a change. I might pick it up again, now that I'm a silver sneakerer.

Interesting. High cadence riding, out of the seat on a road bike is a no go for me too, but I've seen, and been passed by others who do this. Then there's the crazy but unmissable TDF stage finishes . . .
Main reason for me doin' spinning classes is the number of crashes and serious near misses I've had in recent times. Eyesight's not brilliant and if it gets worse I'll be stopping driving too.
Nor does it help when I've crashed twice just going to and from the gym. On the cycleway . . .

Yea, definitely a different experience, and certainly safer. I'm trying to transition to other forms of exercise other than my usual 20 mile 2000 foot daily ride, so spinning (as well as swimming) might be in the cards soon as well.

Yeah, my friend was a world-class age-group duathlete, and she taught spin. I took one of her classes and it was basically all HIIT. Pretty intense.

Took a guy out for a ride that is an avid spin class Guru. Sized him up on my UNIVEGA and off we went. Nice little route that was mostly down hill fast and slow. On the way back from the river he said lets go for it... Ha

I squashed him like a bug!

But honestly if he knew how to use Friction Shifters and Rat Traps it would not have happened. Still... It was a nice feeling...

As to the OP: Remember when taking a class with instuctress'es in tight clothing, Sunglasses can keep ya off the dirty old man list... Stud...

When much of the spin class heads out for beers afterwards, that IS the group I might consider joining!

If I started wearing sunglasses now, it'd put me firmly ON that list!
Nor would my eyes benefit from what I saw . . . it's dark in there, y'know.
Time to get ready otherwise I'll get a duff bike . . . .

This is the best:

https://shop.concept2.com/indoor-row...SAAEgLacvD_BwE

Neither of those are a plus for me when it comes to spin classes other than getting in from hot weather, but I just get out at the crack of dawn or pre dawn. Being retired I have time to ride every day and it takes longer to go to a spin class than to just ride out my front door and hit the trails anyway. On the weather thing, I am weird in that I love bad weather. Cold, pouring rain, whatever, I love it all. I ride every day here. I miss the cold and snow now that I am in Tallahassee. Up north I often did other trail activites and actually trail ran with my dog more than I rode for quite a few years. She eventually got too old to run with me so I can ride every day now. Cold mornings where I hit the trails on snowshoes or skis instead of the bike are one of the things I miss here.

Half of what I love about riding is being outoors. Hiking, running, snowshoeing, xc skiing, kayaking or canoeing scratch that itch spinning really doesn't. If I do stay indoors I will start a movie or binge watch a tv series and hop on the concept 2 erg but it is a poor substitute for getting outdoors. I might do it sometimes when the heat is really oppressive and I am recovering from an injury and/or out of condition and unable to deal with the heat.

I did it for a short period and was surprised how difficult it was compared to actual cycling. I could not complete the class without slowing down to rest from time to time.
Many of the people in the class were folks I ride with that can’t keep up with me on the road but destroyed me in the class. I know many of them prefer spin classes due to work and time schedules so I guess it makes sense.
It’s just not my thing looking at the same thing pedaling like crazy. Felt like a hamster wheel.

Sold! I'll buy the first round.

I'm upping the spinning game - with my duo-athlete training.
After bicycle 'spin' class in the shallow end, we go to the deep end - treading water with that thing attached has really made me a stronger swimmer.

I would upgrade from pink steel to nude CF, but the pink matches my outfit, and a matching outfit for CF might be... .... expensive?

get some digits? sorry couldn't resist