Flywheel vs SoulCycle:
What Happened When the FLYest SpinSnob Showed up at SoulCycle
I have lovingly talked shit about SoulCycle for years. I became a client (ahem fanatic) of Flywheel in 2013. Their classes changed my life – I found my sanctuary, I found my tribe, I found myself. As a die-hard member of the FlyFam, one of the things I discovered early on was the feud between Flywheel and SoulCycle. Think of it as a high-class, uppity version of the Bloods vs the Crips, where the argument is which cycling studio is the best. FYI: the founder of Flywheel was once a part of the team who created SoulCycle. You get the picture?
You can imagine my own surprise when after taking 658 classes with Flywheel and owning the Fly Anywhere at-home bike, I decided to take the walk of shame into SoulCycle. Let me be clear – I love Flywheel, but within the past year the founder left, several studios closed, and beloved instructors were out of jobs. As a client, it’s uncomfortable to watch and in a fit of annoyance, I purchased a pack of SoulCycle classes. And here’s what happened…
The SoulCycle Experience
I can totally see how SoulCycle lures clients in. The moment I created an account, I received a very welcoming “Hey New Friend,” email followed by another email with bios of their local studio instructors – all of this is perfectly done, and I honestly couldn’t wait to take one of their classes. I’m all about the customer experience and when I entered the studio they did not disappoint. I was greeted right away by the studio team – on par with Flywheel…but that’s where the similarity ends. Unfortunately, SoulCycle’s clientele isn’t as welcoming. Granted, it could very well be the particular studio that I went to – so I’m not holding that against them. The crazy thing is, I remember clearly the first time I walked into Flywheel – clients smiled, they said “Hi,” and I felt the spirit of community instantaneously.
The SoulCycle Ride
I definitely felt a vibe when I walked into the room. It was cozy. However, the bikes in the studio are super close to one another. I felt my “space” was a little smothered. I never realized all of the little things Flywheel took into consideration when building their bike space until I was in SoulCycle. Again, this is a small detail that may not bother most people. Now on to what matters most – the ride itself. The instructor was very enthusiastic and friendly, but very quote heavy – in fact, the ride was loaded with cliche quotes to the point where I wasn’t able to get an authentic feel for the instructor. I love listening to a variety of music when I spin, so I was a little ho-hum about the music all having the same rhythmic beat. Speaking of the beat…. (ugh…be nice Shani, be nice….) I’m trying to find the words here. Let’s just say riding to the beat and all of the dance moves the instructor had the class do felt very forced. Not to mention you can seriously injure yourself! Ok getting back to the beat – when I ride a bike, I should emotionally feel the ride to the point where my body naturally moves on its own… that’s how my body connects mind, body, and spirit. Another thing I noticed was a few of the riders around me had the worst form…so did the instructor! I was cringing! I can’t go on about this – ultimately, this was not my tribe and this is not my ride!
Flywheel
All in all, I’m Fly forever. The studio, instructors, clientele, and rides are second to none. Seriously! I tried to be as unbiased as possible and went into SoulCycle with an open mind, but there’s nothing like the experience that Flywheel has created.
I’ve met the best of friends at Flywheel. The instructors speak from their heart and by their pure authenticity, you feel like you’ve had an iconic therapy session on the bike. Music is perfectly curated – Fleetwood Mac to Eminem to Moby, all in one playlist – and yet, you feel all the feels. Flywheel bikes are also very intuitive – they show you exactly what you’re doing. If you’re feeling competitive, you can opt to be on the Torq Board. If you’re not competitive, your bike still shows you where you are. Fellow riders always motivate me because we’re all in the mentality of showing up and doing better than the ride before. In the dark room we share at Flywheel, we lay it all on the line – pedal stroke for pedal stroke. In essence, it’s my kind of magic.
You know you love me!?
Xoxo,
SpinSnob
