Is Cycle Bar Worth the Hype?

Like I said in a previous blog, cycle classes are usually not my thing. After doing various workouts this past semester, my ideal cardio is doing dance fitness. Many of my friends are avid Cycle Bar lovers, so this week, I decided to see if it lived up to the hype.

The location is 10 minutes from campus, and it was easy to get there. I was lost on what to do when I first walked in. The instructor, Verene, was helpful and set me up with my locker, shoes, and bike.

Cycle Bar does a great job highlighting newcomers and milestones for their members, and they decorated mine and other lockers to welcome everyone. There were about 11 other first-timers, and Verene explained at the beginning of class the different positions, intervals, and types of exercises we would be doing. The class had about 40 people in it, mainly Baylor students.

Courtesy of Linsey Jordan

*Photo is of the locker they decorate for your first time. They also put your designated bike number on the locker.

Most cycle classes I have done in the past will put your stats on the monitors to compete against other people, but the “connect” ride has the monitors turned off. Verene told me that people can opt out of the leaderboard on any ride.

As we started, Verene emphasized creating intentions during the workout and pushing yourself. There was no specific gear or speed she called out for the particular ride I did. Gear is the resistance pushing against you to make the bike feel heavier. I liked how I got to control my workout and not feel pressured to be in a specific range or gear.

For this ride, the music theme was “Way Back Wednesday,” so hits from the 2010s. Compared to other studios I have tried, they had great music choices. To start, Verene called for a sprint and challenged everyone to match the beats of the quick-paced music. By the end of the warm-up, my legs already felt it.

Most of the 45-minute class consisted of climbs, where you are standing, on heavy gear. Verene did call for a range of gear here because it may be dangerous if you don’t have enough resistance on it.

In the last half of the class did arm weights, which I was shocked by. We had rods, mine was four pounds, and we did bicep curls and raises. While doing arm exercises, we were still cycling. Cycling and lifting weights were challenging because I am not very coordinated, but I got used to it. We did a quick stretch for a cool-down at the end of class, but it was optional.

Overall, I did like Cycle Bar as someone who does not love cycling classes. The cost of a drop-in ride was $23, but you usually get the first class free. I asked some other Baylor students what packages they have, and they all have the unlimited classes pack, which is $159.

The price is worth it because they provide towels, cycling shoes, towels, and the instructors are very knowledgeable.

My verdict on Cycle Bar is: it is worth the hype and is the best cycling class I have done.