Spin your way to better fitness and feel like a rock star

By Taylor Smith

Indoor cycling has long been an appealing option for those looking for all the benefits of vigorous cardio and strength routines without the high-impact aftermath that can come from pounding miles on the pavement, such as in distance running activities. Enter CycleBar, the latest concierge-style indoor cycling studio to make waves in the Garden State.

As a franchise, CycleBar locations have been popping up throughout the United States, however the studio chain has become particularly prominent within New Jersey, with eight current locations and more on the way (the brand has even identified Mercer and Morris counties as potential markets). CycleBar studios are now established in Hoboken, Jersey City, Fort Lee, Wycoff, Closter, Montclair, Livingston, and Montvale. Studios will be opening shortly in Bernardsville and Denville. More than 180 new CycleBar locations opened across the United States in 2018.

According to CycleBar’s mission statement, the company’s goal is to create a fun, inclusive, and inspiring low-impact experience for riders of all ages and fitness levels. Their CycleTheatre, professionally engineered audio, videos and lighting technology, proprietary CycleBeats playlists, and CycleStats that track member’s cycling performance and growth during and after class are what sets them apart. No matter where riders are in their fitness journey, Cyclebar’s classes promise to calm their mind, elevate their mood, and revive their senses.

Known as CycleStars, the CycleBar instructors are carefully hand-selected and number 1,700+ nationwide. These leaders within the fitness industry bring their own unique mix of life experience, personality, and athleticism to the CycleTheatre, simultaneously coordinating beats-based playlists with cycling, strength routines, climbs, choreography, and atmospheric light shows. The result is unique to CycleBar and inspires riders to feel like rock stars for 45 to 60 minutes of their day.

Upon entering any of the New Jersey studios, riders will be greeted by the person at the front desk and shown how to check-in on iPads. Visitors will verify their account information and receive a reminder of what bike they are assigned. It’s important to ride on your assigned bike, as that bike’s CycleStats will be a calorie-for-calorie reflection of RPMs (cadence or pedaling rate), total output (a numerical combination of cadence and resistance), miles traveled, and caloric expenditure (these numbers are determined by your height, weight, gender, and age, which are entered beforehand into your online CycleBar account). Riders will be able to analyze their numbers after class and see how they rank against the other 30-40 people in the same class.

Graphically, the CycleBar brand has a lot going for it. The studio is decked out in high gloss iceberg white, fire hydrant red, black, and gray for an overall slick and polished effect. Visitors have access to water, towels, spin shoes, coffee, tea, snacks, bathrooms, changing rooms, a lounge, personal lockers, and a clothing boutique with CycleBar branded shoes, clothing, and accessories. Themed rides like Happy Hour and Wine Down Wednesday promise conversation and a complimentary glass of wine after class. The majority of the CycleBar locations offer anywhere from 5-8 class slots throughout the day, meaning that no matter your preference or your personal work schedule, you are bound to find a class that works for you.

If you are new to indoor cycling, have no fear. At CycleBar you will be warmly greeted and led through your first check-in and class experience step-by-step. Don’t be surprised to get a high five from your instructor before and after class, as CycleStars tend to pride themselves on the personal relationships that they build with each and every one of their riders.

Indoor cycling is ideally suited to both men and women of all ages. Teenagers and pre-teens may want to get in on the action too, as your rhythm, resistance levels, and exertion levels are controlled by a knob on the bike, and therefore individual to each and every rider. Even those who are currently pregnant, new to working out, or suffering from certain injuries can modify the workout to suit their individual needs.

Remember that. despite the numbers, it’s really all about feeling better about yourself when you leave the class than when you came in. CycleStars will remind you “to leave your baggage, your sweat, and your worries on the bike.”

In anticipation of the Bernardsville location opening at 80 Morristown Road, visit http://bernardsville.cyclebar.comfor updates. To browse the list of all of the current and newly opened studios in New Jersey, visit https://cyclebar.com/info/find-your-studio/. Be sure to check out the profiles and biographies for each of the many CycleStars at each studio. Instructors have a big impact on every class, and lend their own unique flavor and musical personality to each ride. Once your find an instructor you resonate with, you will be encouraged to keep coming back, not only for the sense of newfound community, but for the well-known cycling “high” that many riders attribute to the rush of endorphins that comes from the low-impact, strength-building, and mentally-challenging 45-minute class.

Time to clip in!