CycleBar Katy

Nice spin workout in a warm, dark closet with 40 of your closest (literally) friends.
BACKGROUND
CB is a boutique spin class studio, comparable to the Ryde studio on West Gray. CB is located on the other side of Trader Joe’s in the La Centerra shopping center in Cinco Ranch. I live in Cinco and like the fact that this place is closer to my house than Ryde is.
Spin boutiques are beginning to pop-​up all across town. Boutiques like Ryde focus on full-​body workouts while spinning, while my CB workout was closer to what I experience at the Y. More time in the saddle and focus is on leg muscles.
I normally go to spin classes at the YMCA, which I enjoy. Several of the instructors there are also avid cyclists and tend to focus on fitness as well as cycling technique.
PERKS
The Y doesn’t offer Sunday morning classes, but CB does. You can hit a 9am class, then have time to make that 11am church service. Anyway, you signup online and schedule yourself for a session. Don’t forget your bike number. CB staff a can look it up for you when you arrive, but bike numbers are not on the reservation list as you check yourself off at the entrance.
Most of the classes book-​up quickly for after-​work classes, and my Sunday class was fully booked by noon Saturday. It would be nice to see more night classes offered.
CB offers rental shoes with SPD cleats, but it is nice to know that I can use my own shoes that I normally use at the Y. Towels are also provided on each bike.
Similar to Ryde, you will receive a stats summary email after class and your performance tracking on the web is done well. CB ranks you in the class.
LOCATION
There is a small changing area just outside the studio, with two benches and plenty of lockers with combinations that you can set yourself. The lockers are large enough to fit a medium-​sized gym bag. I would recommend arriving at least 15 – 20 minutes before your session since the changing area jams-​up with people just prior to (and after) class. Fruit, lemon-​scented towels, and three beer taps serving water are also available. During my free session, CB was also giving away water bottles.
There are no showers at CB, but it does have restrooms.
The studio is small, and the bikes are very close to each other. Unless you want to walk sideways to squeeze in and get a bike, you can enter on each side of the room by the wall… where the wipes are also located.
The room itself felt nice and cool when I arrived, but it did not take long before all of the body heat made the room rather warm. There is a single ceiling fan near the front where the instructor is and two more near the side walls, but they are not enough to keep up with a full, energetic class. The door to the studio needs more tint on the windows to keep the light out, but the room was mostly dark and comfortable.
SESSIONS
My instructor at the 9am Sunday class was Chane. He did a great job at driving everyone to perform to the best of their abilities. There were several challenges and a couple of «quiet time» songs, where you cover-​up your speedometer and just spin to the song. From a cyclist standpoint, I liked that he did focus a bit on stabilization technique and we spent minimal rest time between songs to help build recovery. We also did not spend a majority of the time out of the saddle, which is just like a real-​life bike ride. There was some strength training while climbing and we did a little arm and ab work near the end of the session using a barbell workout bar. Chane worked us a solid hour.
I also attended a 5:15am class the next morning with Gil, who likes to focus on climbing. Most of the time we were standing, both forward and back. We also had a «quiet time» song and some work with the barbell. Gil’s class lasted about 45 minutes.
We you signup online, you can pick a screen name that shows on the large monitors during your session. We saw a couple of music videos during my session, but the fun part is using the real-​time class rankings displayed on the screens. You can bring a friend and compete against each other, against other rows, odd numbers vs. evens, and males against females. My class was mostly female, but the males held their own. CB does not have flashing disco lights like Ryde, which is fine with me, but they might need to utilize the video monitors a bit more.
Before I left the studio, I received an email with a stats summary.
PRICING
Pricing is similar to Ryde ($ 22 a session), and the staff mentioned that they will have endurance and MS-​150 rides in the future, just like Ryde is currently offering.
SUMMARY
CB is not bad for a spin workout, but is a bit pricey for me to continue long-​term. It’s still nice to have early Sunday options available on bad weather weekends that keep me inside and not out on my bike. I also look forward to seeing the endurance classes.
A good addition to the area.

I discovered this free cycling class offered by the Cyclebar while roaming Eventbrite. I love trying new things and going new places so invited friends to come along for the good time. When I tell you this place is awesome I truly mean it. From the moment you walk in it has a wow factor. When you enter you check in on their electronic devices and then select complimentary cycle shoes. They have an array of sizes. Then you are taken to the back where lockers, complimentary water and fruit awaits you. Finally, you are lead into the cycle classroom where the lights are low and a towel awaits you at your selected bike. The instructor I had, Chane, was awesome. The music selection was great, the friendly competitions, added a bit of fun and the few moments of meditation free speed was my favorite part. The staff was very helpful as well with helping me to adjust my bike and helping me to clip into the shoe holster. Once the class is dismissed there were mor complimentary items waiting such as muffins, bagels, fruit and orange juice. On the way out I discovered that they have other goodies at the front desk to make your experience even better such as lip gloss, hair holders, mint and bobby pins. By the time I made it home I even received an email thanking me for coming and it even detailed the numbers I ran during the class along with how many calories I burned. This place is an awesome concept and I truly recommend it to anyone, beginners or experienced.