Inertianinja

the weather was crappy and windy, and i didn't feel like getting covered in crap.
i have a trainer, but god i'm sick of it after being on it all winter. also can't get too high intensity on it, since my apartment is too small and it just gets too loud.

there's a Soul Cycle about 5 blocks from my apartment, so i figured i'd drop the $30 and see how it was. $30 for a 45 min session is expensive, but whatever.

I was the only guy in cycling kit - certainly the only one in bibs - and the place uses Look Deltas, so i couldn't use my shoes (i use Keos). meh. did my best to get the stationary bike into a road bike position, and got clipped in.

it was a good, high-intensity aerobic workout. almost the entire time was out of the saddle - probably a good occasional change from my regular riding. i got thrown out of the pedals once or twice, since i forgot that you can't coast on these things.

most of it was cycling "to the beat." i guess the instructor picks songs based on their BPM and has people match with cadence.

all in all, walked out dripping with sweat, so mission accomplished. i'll probably do this again on rainy days.

as i left, the instructor was like "this is very different from traditional cycling, right? you have to learn to kind of dance on the bike!"

WestCoastDan

My neighbor is a spin instructor & she is always trying to get me there. I just might go one of these days, but like you, I prefer the great outdoors and the wind in my face instead of a sweat-filled room with nothing to look @ except the butts of the old women in the front row.
+++

kleinboogie

I tried it twice but wasn't a fan. I kept trying to drop the riders behind me but never could. GL

cmolway

Bummer about the noise factor of your apartment. I do sufferfest vids on my trainer and I find them far, far tougher than any spinning class if done right--and at $10 a video, they are loads cheaper than a spin class.

Carbon Unit

I do two spin classes per week because they are included for free with my gym membership. I like that the Resistance can be increased on the spin bike to simulate hill climbs. However, I have never been able to get my heart rate as high in a spin class as I do on the road. I do find them less boring than the trainer because of there are other people in the room. If I had my choice, I would much rather ride road but a spin class fit easier into the schedule.

Inertianinja

yea, it's a limitation on two levels - first, my neighbors (though i don't give much of a crap about that - they play bongos at all hours) and also my fiancee who is trying to sleep. we don't have a garage or basement for me to go hammer in.

but yea, this was a good time. might be worth a package over the winter - 3 days spinning, 5 days trainer, etc.

jrobe

You would love some Spinervals and/or CTS trainer DVD's. These DVD's are invaluable for winters on the trainer. They turn a trainer from an instrument of torture to an enjoyable experience. They are also better than any Spin classes I have ever done. Well worth the expense to have a collection of these. You also need a huge fan.

busygizmo

Similar situation to Carbon Unit, spin twice a week and it's included in the gym membership. Instructor is a former collegiate rower so they are plenty hard. She avoids the "dancing on the bike" although we do some balance drills, but mostly it's just a ton of variations of hard climbing and intervals. I don't race so maybe not a good judge if that is what you are looking for but we have at least one racer who has been a regular to these classes for years. He says sometimes they are too hard for what he has planned so he'll ride at his own tempo. Like a lot of things it's how much effort you put into it.

I live near a bike shop that does more specific training in classes with your own road bike on trainers but it is pretty spendy and I'm on a bit of a budget right now, would like to try it some day though to work on climbing faster. Did a timed hill climb a couple of years ago and would like to go back and beat my time.

For me the spin class helps with motivation and getting bored on the bike on my own. Of course it's not the same as going outside but the weather has been crappy this winter in the Pacific NW and the convenieince of being able to spin at lunch twice a week is too good to pass up.

JamieElenbaas

The key to a good spin class is a good instructor. I spin for lunch most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Instead of disco appreciation, which so many of these are, this instructor does a highly structured class. I actually feel a difference in my Saturday group training rides. A month ago, I was merely hanging on, (or catching up after) sprints. Now, I'm in the lead out more often than not. The only difference is the new spin instructor and more participation.

That said, when spring finally comes to the Midwest, I will go back to lunchtime rides outdoors...

wangster

Which SoulCycle did you go to? My friend is a instructor for them and She's always trying to get me to take her class. I've said no everytime because I know she'd single me out and yell at me and I don't need the added pressure and scrutiny on my outta shape ass.

ilvwhtgrls

I've taken a couple spin classes and would like to integrate them into my weekly riding schedule. I can only ride outside twice a week due to my work schedule so it would be ideal to add another day or two. 30 bucks is a ton of money for a 45 minute class. The average rate around here is 10-15 bucks for 60-90 minutes.

thedeadone

spin classes are tough!!!!!!! they will work you hard. I used to do them in the winter to keep my general fitness up. If you have not tried one do it. You will be glad you did.

RT

Spinning > Trainer. I have done both, and having an instructor there really makes the difference for me. I cannot do on the road what can happen in that spin class.

banerjek

But they never got by you either. You should have just sent a few snot rockets their way to remind them of their place.

kleinboogie

Heh, I'll do it if I try again.

achoo

Yeah. It's impossible to find any roads around here where you can just go for over an hour with absolutely no break in pedaling.

I started doing spin classes at the local gym back in January when they put in a bunch of new Keiser spin bikes right when my PowerTap went belly-up and the weather around here dropped a lot of snow and ice. Given my schedule, I'll still do one to three classes a week just to get that non-stop cardio workout in. I'll try to get on the bike up to an hour before the hour-long class and do two hours of non-stop spinning. On good days I'll be right at LTHR or even a bit above for the full time, up to two hours. On days where I'm badly fatigued I'll be in HR zone 2 or zone 3 most of the time with excursions up into HR zone 4. Most times I do zone 3 or zone 4 for the time before class (up to an hour), and then I'll be at or above LTHR for the class itself.

One crazy day back in Feb I was at least 10 bpm over LTHR for the entire hour class while averaging 15 bpm over LTHR for the class. According to Golden Cheetah my 95% HR for that class was something like 20 bpm over my LTHR. God only knows how I did that, as I've never duplicated it either in a spin class or outside on a real bike.

One bad thing about spin classes - they're inside with no real wind. I get REAL sweaty, to the point my shoes have little sweat puddles inside them. Sometimes I'm so sweaty that my shoes actually squirt sweat out when I push on the pedals during the downstroke. And shoes that get that sweaty soon get STINKY.

save10

your avatar + ID = awesome.

NCMTBIKER

I have thought about taking spin class's thought it might help

Machka 

I wish we had spinning classes in the town where I live. I enjoyed most of the classes I took in Canada, and they have been a great way to stay in shape over the winter, while also getting out of the house and socialising with people.

And yes, $30 for one 45 minute class is extremely expensive. When I've taken classes they've been about $60-$80 for 12 x 60-90 minute classes, or a drop-in rate of $5-7 per class.

Check your local university, college, sports stadium, or city swimming pools/sport centres to see if you can find a reasonably priced spinning class.

Inertianinja

Yea, it was insanely expensive. But I live in NYC, so everything is kind of ridiculous.

Nachoman

Thirty bucks per pop adds up pretty quick.

ilvwhtgrls

Inertianinja

My god. Three full days later and I'm still sore.

But not just sore...like I am having trouble descending stairs!

curtwally

From my perspective spin classes can be very good for cyclists who actually ride outdoors. General problems with spin classes is that they are generally 45 to 50 minutes allowing folks to cram this in during the lunch hour or just before work. So you do not get enough time for a proper warm up and or warm down. The success is based on the instructor and you the rider. I like the instructor who actually simulates real riding in an hour workout not the jump up and down every 15 seconds or so. good luck

Terex

If you can find a class with Keiser spin bikes, they're a lot more bike like. They use magnetic resistance on a rear wheel, and the readout shows estimated power, based on resistance selected and rpm. Over the winter, I try to do 3 spin classes during the week, and ride outside on weekends. Many times I've told my regular weekend riding buds that I left the best ride of the week in a puddle of sweat on the gym floor.