The Scoop:
There are a lot of cycling studios in NYC to say the least. Soul Cycle, Flywheel, Swerve, Revolve, Crank, Sync, Torq… need I go on? In my opinion unless you are offering something new, cool and unique, don’t open a cycling studio in NYC because it’s just plain silly.
When Peloton opened in Chelsea this past spring though, I’ll argue that it did just that– Peloton is the first of it’s kind in fitness because the studio not only offers live classes but also sells their bikes in stores which allows you to live stream classes no matter where in the world you are. Pretty cool, huh?
I actually took a class at Peloton before they officially opened but honestly didn’t get the full experience since the bike monitors weren’t installed. I was invited to take a free class this past week and couldn’t pass up the chance to check them out now that they are officially open.
The Studio:
Peloton has an impressive amount of studio space, to say the least, and what a rarity that is in Manhattan. You first walk into the retail area where yes, you can purchase your own Peloton bike, in addition to cute workouts clothes. After check in you enter the huge lounge area shown above. I’m kind of obsessed with how much space Peloton gives you to hang out before and after class. There’s also a bar with coffee, juice and snacks. In conclusion, the lounge area is a million times nicer than my apartment.
The locker rooms are also pretty incredible offering more mirror space than most studios and shower flip-flops. Yes, SHOWER FLIP FLOPS. This makes me giddy.
Even though there were 4 showers in the ladies locker room, more than most boutique fitness studios, there was still a pretty sizable line after the 7:00AM class and the space felt a tiny bit tight near the lockers while I was getting ready for the day.
The looker room is super clean though and stocked with every item you can think of including all Malin and Goetz products. I imagine the atmosphere is a lot more relaxing when it’s not the 7:00AM class which means plenty of people rushing to get ready for work.
The Class:
I took the Metrics Ride with Lisa Niren which is considered a ride by the numbers class focusing on resistance and cadence. There was a bit of a competitive aspect because you could see your metrics compared to the other riders both in the class and streaming the class in other parts of the world.
The spin studio itself is large, spacious and offers stadium-style seating so no one’s butt ends up in your face (this is a serious problem at many overcrowded studios). Even if the class is sold out you won’t feel like a sardine.
The specialized bikes are high-tech with a small tablet at the front of the bike which tell you resistance, RPMs and overall output. The bikes are really quiet and ride like butter, I can’t think of a better way to describe them. It took some time to get used to them since I’m used to spin bikes that have a chain and feel slightly different under you. I can’t decide if I liked the smoother ride or not, at first in annoyed me, but then I started to like it a bit more. If you’re used to cycling elsewhere be warned that the RPMS and resistance don’t really align to other studios or a typical Schwinn bike.
The class itself was tough but a lot of fun. I adored Lisa’s fun playlist filled with eclectic music. She does a great job of motivating the crowd that’s both in the room and riding from home, giving shout outs to both crews. Since it was the metrics class it was very numbers based, we were given a range of resistance and RPMs to hit. I’ll say the numbers we were trying to hit were reasonable but not necessarily easy. There was a variety of hills, sprints, intervals, the works of a great spin class that definitely wasn’t boring.
Around 35 or so minutes into class there was a weight section with 2 dumbbells. I like that the arm section wasn’t just all shoulders all the time– my previously injured rotator cuff doesn’t do well with that, but this arm section incorporated a lot of bicep and tricep movements as well.
The lighting in the room is a lot of fun and made my inner theater geek pretty happy– depending on the song and intensity the lights were well synchronized.
I haven’t been spinning much lately so I was sucking wind and kind of embarrassed by the fact that I was hovering in place 25. I never said I was good at spinning, I just like it a lot!
It feels necessary to mention that my quads were also hella sore afterwards which never happens after a spin class.
Bottom line:
Peloton offers a solid spin class, competitive to others in the city as far as fun and intensity factor go, plus they have a gorgeous studio space unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Worth stopping by and checking out!
Peloton
140 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
1 Ride is $30 (includes water,towels and shoes)
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Photos via Peloton.
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