Cyclebar Experience

Moving calmly and evenly through the wind and cool breeze. My tiny body shifting with gravity, every so slightly, left, right, left, right. An even rocking. The comfort of the seat and a helmet cupping my little head. The quiet spin of wheels on pavement and smell of salt, dirt, and distant ocean. Flowing between shade, then sun, then shade, and taking in innocent beauty that is nature. Riding on the back of my parents’ bikes as a toddler is perhaps one of the first memories I can recall. It was a comforting adventure and one of the first freeing, de-stressing experiences I remember. Fast forward 25 years: my mother and I are re-discovering a modernized version of cycling. This is a summary of our first Cyclebar experience together.

As we got older my parents did not have as much time to bike, but we always brought them on beach trips. We rode circles around the lake at Furman a sundry of times. After my 3 siblings and I went off to college, my Mom, Susan, picked up her bike again. Alone, or with my Dad when he is not working, my Mom to bike 10, then 20, now sometimes 30-40 miles in a day. She and my Dad developed consistency and rediscovered cycling. Combined, the both lost tons of weight and reclaimed their fitness over the past two years. To say I am proud of them both is such an understatement!

When Cyclebar invited us to try their spin classes, I was a little nervous as my cardio level is not up to par and I had not ridden a bike in a few months. From the moment my Mom and I walked up, someone else walking in, who happened to be our teacher, struck a conversation with us. Lisl, our instructor for the day, was so inviting and informative. We were immediately welcome in the studio.

The studio is bright and airy and the garage door entrance was open to let in fresh air. We had signed up online and chose our bike numbers so we could sit beside eachother. If it’s your first ride, it is easy to reserve the back corner bike until you feel confident enough to sit wherever you like. Because we signed up online, we simply checked in at the ipad by the front desk and the attendant provided us with the correct size cycle shoes. Their shoes are comfortable and have velcro closures. We bring our own socks to wear in the provided shoes.

Chapstick and lifesaver mints are sitting out for cyclers to enjoy or to refresh upon exit. A water bottle filler is available by the lockers. The lockers have custom locks that can be customized with a 4-number pin each class. The lockers have USB plugs so one can charge his or her phone during class! Bananas and lifesaver candies are available if you feel lightheaded or need a pick-me-up.

We walk into the studio and loud music was already amping us up We found our bikes, #9 and #10, and placed our phones in the water bottle holder. Complimentary towels are already rolled and placed on your bike. We clipped our shoes in and chatted until class began. If you are not familiar with cycling, the shoes clip into the bikes to help you maintain pace and get as much propulsion upon bringing your foot backward and up as pushing your pedal forward and down.

The first twenty minutes were pretty tough as I was warming up and tapping into endurance. Once my legs were warmed up, I felt much more relaxed and was able to push through the end of class.

My Mom and I kept looking at eachother to make sure we knew what was going on and to commiserate when we were challenged to up the gears, speed up, or up our RPM (rotations per minute). Then a fun song would come on and we look at eachother with knowing excitement! We would occasionally glance at eachother’s stat screens to know if we should up or lower our own gears.

Being newbies at static cycling, or spin class, we both accidentally disattached our shoe pedals. It was easy to reattach since there were several instructors going around before class and showing people how to get into our bikes.

Lisl was a fabulous, energetic, and relatable instructor. She is encouraging and challenging but not pushy. Her music was fun and unexpected and kept my Mom and I on our toes and helped us dig out all of our energy. There are 3 positions: 1 is sitting on the seat in a standard cycling position, 2 is cycling OFF the seat with hands at the bottom of the handlebars, and 3 is standing OFF the seat (like 2), but with hands at the top of the handlebars. The teacher may do some tricep/bicep dips as you ride to work your whole body.

Since it was our first class, Lisl treated us to a cup of champagne to celebrate. I love how the studio is empowering, friendly, and encourages fun and celebration! Lisl, Mom, and I bonded over our mother-daughter friendships since Lisl’s daughter had also taken some of the class. I highly recommend anyone new to take Lisl’s class! I know 2 other instructors and although I have yet to take their classes, I know they are all full of energy and motivation!

Overall, my Mom and I had such a blast at Cyclebar of Greenville. You can find some video footage in my Instagram highlights HERE. You can also follow Cyclebar on Instagram HERE. If you are not in Greenville, SC as Cyclebar has many locations! Find your nearest cyclebar HERE.

10 things to note about Cyclebar Greenville:

1. BRING SOCKS. Wear sweat-wicking clothes (most ladies wore yoga leggings and a workout top) and bring a water bottle.
2. Your first class is free!
3. Reserve your machine by signing up online. HERE IS A LINK!
4. So you know what to expect: class is around 15 minutes warm-up, 35-40 minutes of high-intensity interval training, 5 minutes of movement with light weights (provided and optional), 5 minutes of cool-down, and 5 minutes of stretching. The instructor will cue you often to change speeds, gears, and positions. If you are lost, just look at the instructor!
5. You can ALWAYS take a break!
6. Some classes display your order of intensity compared to fellow riders in the classroom. The instructor may bring up the stats or the order of who has the most intensity on the screen. It is only left up for a moment so that you aren’t focusing on that all class. I believe you can choose to opt-out at the front desk. I found that seeing where I was in comparison to my classmates was motivating and made me push myself harder!
7. At the end of class, intertwine the velcro portion of your shoes and throw them in the bin beside the entrance.
8. If it’s your first time, you may feel a little sore afterward. I was only sore the day after and it has been quite a while since I did an HIIT workout. I prefer feeling a little sore after a workout because that is confirmation that I got a good workout, pushed myself, and am building new muscle! I felt refreshed and ready for another workout 2 days later.
9. You get a great workout in just an hour! Cyclebar Greenville offers lunch hour classes and a broad schedule so you can fit your workout in on YOUR schedule.
10. Your stats, calories burned, and even a link to the instructor’s playlist is sent directly to your email right after class.

I would recommend Cyclebar to anyone of any fitness level. It is challenging but so fun. The hour flies by. I was only lightly sore a day or two afterward, which means I was building muscle. My legs and rear felt tighter after only one class. HIIT work-outs are proven to boost your metabolism resulting in more calories burned, even after the workout. Cycling is a meditative and a results-oriented cardio workout. I hope you decide to try Cyclebar spin classes and instantly become a Cyclestar! Comment below if you have any questions or love Cyclebar also!

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LEGGINGS. SPORTS BRA. TENNIS SHOES (similar).

With Joy,

Audrey