CycleBar – Union Station

Sometimes you just get stuck in a rut. I’ve been a complete slacker the past few months. Here are all of my bullshit excuses: a trip back to New Jersey messed up my schedule, daylight saving time, snow, thanksgiving, cold temperatures, blah, blah… These are all legitimate but there’s always something, right? You have to make yourself and your health a priority; I definitely haven’t been. After spending a full week in my apartment over thanksgiving, I finally got my act together.

Spin had been a regular part of my routine since the start so there’s no surprise it’s how I got my groove back. It’s relatively quick (45 minutes), it’s conveniently located and readily available, and most importantly – the setting allows me to get in the zone and grind it out.

The CycleBar at Union Station is a brand new location that was running all sorts of deals; including fewer credits per class than their neighborhood competition, Flywheel. I tried to research the instructors but I couldn’t find any bios. I just hoped for the best and selected a random tuesday night Classic class. I totally lucked out. There were employees at the front that showed me to the lockers which had names on them for each of the first timers. Inside of my locker was a free water bottle and the free rental cycling shoes. These shoes were brand spanking new (of course because it is a new location) which felt super luxurious. The bikes were pristine. I thought the music at Flywheel was good, this was the best playlist ever – curated by a warm and energetic young black male instructor. This class was fun from start to finish. It was a diverse class, full of people I want to be friends with. There were three women in the front having the time of their lives. It was a great atmosphere.

The actual workout was similar to Flywheel and I assume Soul Cycle. The instructor calls out goal ranges (Resistance 4-6, 90-120 RPM) and positions (“up in third”, get off your butt, and “saddle”, sit down and power through). It’s like interval training, you push hard and then recover. Again, you closeout with some arm workouts. Even after 6+ spin classes, I still can’t figure out how to clip out so I just take the shoes off and leave them on the bike for the light stretching portion. One of these days I’ll shave my legs and get there early enough so I can practice with a professional (not gonna be today).

Now for the downsides. If you book on ClassPass you don’t get to choose your bike and these bikes are soooo close together. If you have some extra meat on your bones like me, get there early to find your spot. You’ll be sucking it in and squeezing through these bikes. Next, the resistance/torque gauge is difficult to understand. At Flywheel, the instructor says to turn the torque to ten and you twist the knob until you get there. Not the case at CycleBar, they have “smart” or “intuitive” bikes so if you turn the resistance up and your legs don’t speed up with it, the bike isn’t adding anything. You have to turn the resistance up then maintain a certain speed before you’ll see that change. That is really annoying to me. I like to know where I stand. I don’t want to wait for the bike to catch up or even out. I want to push myself to the proper resistance, even if I can’t pedal super fast when I get there. I want to know if I’m in the right range per the instructions. Hopefully I’ll get used to it with time! I guess we’ll see.

Also similar to Flywheel, CycleBar has their own stats, showing during the ride that are emailed to you after. These include a class rank as well. I’m not uber competitive so I’ll never need to be number 1 but for some of you I’m sure this can be a trigger for some obsessive workouts… I attached a picture of my stats. The proof is in the pudding from before and after my seasonal slump 😩. Don’t worry I’m going to come back stronger! And I’m still really proud of myself. I can’t believe I beat 15 people on that first ride!

Recommendations: Absolutely! Classic at CycleBar – Union Station

Notes: “Smart” Bikes, ClassPass Credits – 6, 45 min

What to Wear/Bring: Yourself! They provide a free water bottle for first timers, towels, and cycling shoes!