What You Need to Know for the First Time in a Group Cycling Class
Ready to try group cycling activities? You will need to tune your bike and learn how to pair your shoes, but once you get into the saddle, the instructor will tell you exactly how to work the butt. Here’s what you need to know the first time.
But first, find out what to expect. I was in a spinning class at local Y where you haul your bike from the toilet to the gym floor. I was also in a trendy place where you get “concierge-level service,” including free water and towels, and each is assigned a specific bike in a permanently set up studio.
- It can be dark and loud. I found the volume to be loud enough to create a sense of presence, but my studio also had a bank of earplugs for anyone who thought it was too much. It would be nice to bring your pair with you.
- Come early and ask for help with adjusting the bike, even if you think it’s not that difficult. It’s easy to miss one of the adjustment knobs or misunderstand which position should be correct . It will be inconvenient or impossible to correct the middle class.
- Get to know your shoes. Studios can have all of their bikes with SPD pedals , which means you need special shoes that clip on. (If they don’t give you a pair of compatible shoes, ask for a bike or adapter with a clip that can work with your sneakers.) Make sure you have the right shoes, then practice clipping and clipping. I could not understand this, so the instructor helped me to buckle up, and I sat on the bike from that moment until the end of the training, because I was not sure that I would be able to return. Be better informed than me and read this guide to pedals without clips before you hit the road. (They are called “no clips” because clips are a different matter.)
- Do not bring a screw-top water bottle with you. You drop it halfway to the lesson and can’t pick it up because your legs are locked, it’s so dark in the studio that you don’t know where it went, and it’s probably under someone else’s bike.
- Don’t take it personally. You don’t have to give 110 percent, even if the instructor shouts that you should. Adjust the resistance of the bike to train well without overloading your legs. I know it’s frustrating if there is a leaderboard and your name is at the bottom, but it’s not really a race.
So have you tried? How was your first lesson? What is your advice for beginners? And newbies, what else would you like to know?