Flywheel Sports – Chelsea

I. Love. Flywheel.
My co-​worker recommended Flywheel to me this past October, and I was hooked from the first ride. Prior to Flywheel, I had only been to one spin class eons ago back home. I do enjoy riding my bike around Brooklyn or across the bridge into the city when I’m feeling a bit more adventurous (watch out for those crazy drivers!), but I never thought I would get so hooked on spin class! Three months after my first class, all I can think about is when I can fit flywheel into my week.
Reasons I love Flywheel:
1. Classes are only 45 min but you burn a ton of calories — at LEAST 600
2. Free shoe rentals, towels, lockers
3. Free water and fruit
4. Showers and Bliss amenities
5. Motivating, kickass instructors
6. Great music (depending on which instructor you get)
7. Torqueboard — you can opt to be in «competition» with other cyclists and see how you rank in class
8. Instructors tell you exactly how much torque to be at and how many RPMs to strive for
9. An app where you can track your stats for each class (my fave)
10. Did I mention a super efficient way of burning calories? (see #1)
The class itself consists of a warm-​up, intervals of fast RPMs with low torque and high torque with lower RPMs to simulate going up a hill. Towards the end of class, there is an upper body component where you lift 2 – 6 lb weights while cycling at a slow speed. The class ends with a stretch. Just keep in mind that you WILL leave as a huge ball of sweat.
If you’re curious about trying it out but are nervous/​scared, don’t worry because the instructors always ask in the beginning of class if there are any new people. They will help you adjust your bikes to your comfort. Classes are a bit expensive but totally worth it. I eventually joined classpass which cuts down on class costs overall, but that limits me to only being able to go 3x/​month.
My favorite instructors so far at the Chelsea location are Jaimie and Lissa. They are super motivating and I love their playlists! A good mix of dance-​y and hip hop. Their classes really get me hyped and sometimes I get goosebumps from being so excited (yes I am a complete dork).

I love Flywheel, it is challenging and I love being competitive against the people around me. That competitiveness has driven me to beat my Total Power every time I go. The teachers are ok it is a hit or miss. The Chelsea studio is nice, FlatIron isn’t. I just love competing in spin class.

I am updating my review. After being a cycle virgin, I think Flywheel dropped me in the deep end of the pool for my first time. As such, my first review was a little too harsh as my ego was severely bruised from not being «good» and not entirely «getting it.»
Well, now after 5 Flywheel classes, I wholeheartedly GET IT. In fact, I LOVE IT! Aside from the amenities of the studio being amazing, the classes are great. The Torqboard is so freaking ideal that when I take cycling classes at other studios I feel like I’m not challenging myself as much because I don’t have the stats readily available on my screen. Also knowing exactly what your torque is set at is so great versus other bikes that just leave you with a knob and make you guess what the resistance is at.
Flywheel is the best, hands down. The stats that track your progress keep you motivated and keep you working towards your goals. After only 5 classes I’m almost at the 300 club, so I’m really proud of myself that I stuck with it. I can’t even imagine wanting to go to places like SoulCycle now. If your first class was hell, please stick with it, because after your 3^rd or 4^th class you will finally see what all the hype is about.
The guys who help you set up the bike are great. Flag them down if you’re a newbie and they will help you with everything. They also have foam rollers available for post ride recovery and definitely use them!

I love Flywheel! The fact that they don’t charge for shoes and water… its such a small thing and it really goes a long way to make me feel like royalty when I come here.
The classes are hard, but they are really only as hard as you are willing. You can go at your own pace, or sit in the front and grunt along with the teacher if you want to. Each instructor is different, so be sure to read about the ones you are going to see. Some are extremely peppy, and others more relaxed and spiritual.
I came to Flywheel as part of ClassPass, and I really appreciate that they participate! The only reason I gave it 3 stars, and not 5, is that on its own, its extremely overpriced. I know the whole industry is overpriced, but there should be more deals (perhaps on Groupon or Gilt City) to encourage new members.
The other reason it has 3 stars: not enough bathrooms/​showers. There are 2 bathrooms and 2 showers at this location, so you can imagine the line after a 8am class before work. I would prefer there only be 2 showers, but in a locker room where people can get ready outside the showers. Because of this, people end up leaving hte class 5 – 10 minutes early to beat the rush, which just bringS anxiety to the end of my workout.

Came here last week for the first time and it was great. Spotless facility all around. I took a class with Jaimie and it was probably the best cycling class I’ve ever taken. Great energy, music and cues. No complaints what so ever. Would definitely recommend taking a class with Jaimie!

Love Flywheel so much — great music and instructors! My favorite is Mario Martinez! 45 minutes with him will go by so quickly! Love, LOVE Mario!

I really want to like Flywheel, but the experience just feels so tired and stale to me unfortunately. I went to a spin studio in the Michigan suburbs when I was there for work, and for some reason Flywheel has that same, sort of sad suburban vibe.
What I like:
Check-​in is very efficient. Free shoes in your bike cubby, check in on a tablet, so you can get yourself into class very efficiently. Free water is definitely nice as well. The Chelsea studio is very clean and spacious — better size than the Flatiron location.
Unfortunately, that’s about it.
I generally don’t take class in the prime time, so that partially influences the lack of competitive spirit. I also don’t think the bikes are all that great (although the bikes at Chelsea are newer and better than Flatiron), nor is the instruction. Arms is kind of a joke too — I don’t think the bars are all that difficult, and I find them easier than typical dumbbells. I wish the Torqboard were more part of the class, rather than just an afterthought — we had 1 race at the end, and the rest of the time the board was barely displayed. The fact that I wasn’t even working that hard today (recovering from an injury) but could easily maintain 3^rd place just shows the place doesn’t have that passionate, competitive vibe that it tries to give off.
Given the recent launch of many other great spin studios in the area (e.g. Peloton and SWERVE), Flywheel needs to up its game. I’ll be trying out a few other spin studios in the city, but SWERVE and Peloton currently rank as my top two.

I go to Flywheel in Chicago, and have to say the experience is pretty fluid — which is good, because Flywheel is great!
The staff is super friendly, and the process for signing in is easy. They give you special shoes that lock into the cycling machine — which is so smart, because my feet always fall out. There are complimentary water bottles, towels, and apples AND bananas. I’ve always loved the lockers there, which function similarly to a safe.
I’m not sure about other NYC locations, but I went to an 8:30am class with Matthew on a Saturday and had the greatest workout! I suggest putting yourself on the Torq board, because it really helps with motivation (especially during the races). I was dripping in sweat!
I was heading to the farmers market afterwards and didn’t want to go back home to shower, so I showered in the studio. I was worried there would be a wait for one of the 4 showers, but my class only had 8 or 9 people, so I was fine! The shower doesn’t have great water pressure but the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were fantastic! They have bliss products that smell like sage and lemon, as well as hair dryers, deodorant, q-​tips, hair ties, and a few other things I can’t remember.
It is a big downside that they don’t have locker rooms! I can imagine how crowded it would be on a weekday morning before work. Also, there are only 3 or 4 mirrors/​cosmetic stations (as in someone’s photo) to get ready at, so that would be cramped as well. The stations are also in view of the main lobby, which I didn’t like, because then people can see you getting ready, which is just weird to me.

This place met all of my expectations…
Typically I bike ride around the mean streets of NYC. Ive never been a huge fan of spin but I got two classes to try this place out. You don’t have to worry about bringing a lock, towel, water or shoes. The lockers are digital so you can easily punch in your own 4 digit code which is extremely convenient. They do supply towels and bottles which is great but for the price of these classes its the least that they can do! But I’ll get to that later. They also have some type of built in water cooler in the wall if you’d prefer to fill up your own bottle with water as well. The service is 100% on point and so is this facility. I did not realize that I would have to trade in my Nikes for «spin shoes». This place doesn’t have your typical bikes that have regular pedals that you stick your feet into. The bottom of the spin shoes has a metal attachment that attaches to the pedal of the bicycle making it impossible to mess up. I mean how brilliant is this?! I never liked spin classes because its hard to do all of the moves and keep my ankles in tact and my sneaker in the pedal but with this you have no choice but to have your feet firmly planted facing forward with total control. Extremely impressive I must say. On top of how perfect everything else is the class itself was great. The room is dark and the music is blasting. It creates a really different type of vibe that Ive never experienced before working out. Jared the instructor kicked my ass! He was really great and energetic. Aside from just spinning we did light arm work with 2 and 4 lb bars while still cycling of course. After the session there are stations to fix yourself up where they provide deodorant spray, bobby pins, hair bands, a blowdryer and a few cute other little things. Overall a wonderful experience but…
My major con is the cancellation policy. The first time I tried to come here I booked a bike the day before and the day of realized at 7am that I couldn’t make it. Although it was hours till my class started It was too late to cancel because you must cancel at 5:30pm the evening before. I was so pissed because that was a $ 34 class thrown out the window!!! And yes classes are $ 34 each unless you purchase a package. Thats a harsh penalty and to me not a valid amount of time to cancel. If I know many hours before that morning of that I cant come then Im screwed?! And if you are a member you are charged a $ 20 penalty. This place is expensive enough very unfair to me. Anyhow I intend on purchasing class pass so if I come back here it will be with that. My tip don’t reserve a bike just show up!

I came to this location a few months ago after having been to the location in Millburn, NJ. The staff was exceptionally professional and friendly. One of the front desk girls, Emily, checked me in, helped me find my shoe size, offered me a bottle of water, and helped me to adjust my bike. On the way out, she was so sweet to come up to me and ask me how my ride was! She even offered me a banana! She definitely left a lasting impression that would make me want to return next time I’m in the city! 5 star experience for sure!

Came here for a class, and thought it was fun. The instructor had a really awesome playlist and that’s definitely skewing my rating, but whatever, she deserves it.
The facility is really nice, though I wish they had an actual locker room, so I’m knocking this place down to four stars. They also have co-​ed showers, which are really nice, but with only four you basically have to rush out of class straight into one if you don’t want to get stuck waiting. Happy to come back here though.

I really like this location. The interior is spotless, modern and spacious and with amenities like Bliss products, free water, free shoe rental, etc., you definitely get what you pay for. The showers are also SO NICE.
Instructors are so positive and motivating. Seriously I don’t know how they move their legs that fast. There is always a short but sweet arm workout. The 8:30pm classes do not get as packed as the AM classes. If you go in the AM, you will probably have to wait for a shower if you have to go to work.
Like any spin class, you get out of the workout what you put in. I don’t really pay attention to the leaderboard because I’m always at the bottom. But I still get a great workout!

I’ve been to the Flywheel at Flatiron before and after this visit, let’s just say, I may not go back to the Flatiron location because this one is so much better!!!
It is a lot more spacious on the exterior and I actually felt a lot cozier in the studio vs the Flatiron location. My instructor was Chris and he was very friendly and very enthusiastic. I liked the workout, instructions were easy to understand, music was not too loud, so overall it was a really good experience.
There are 4 showers here with a changing room inside, which I don’t think is the case at the Flatiron location. The showers are beautiful (how I wish my showers looked like this at home) with wonderful wonderful Bliss products.
Definitely will visit again and again!!!

I went last night and if I would have known DMB and some band like Goo-​Goo Dolls was going to be played during spin class, I would have skipped. It’s really hard to get pumped up and push yourself with songs like those to get you going. Definitely not even close to an Alex T class at Flatiron (he’s excellent).
Although I wasn’t really a fan of the class I took last night, the facilities are great, everything is new and there’s free water, shoes and towels. I would come back here if some of the Flatiron instructors taught at Chelsea as well.

4.5 for the class and 3 for the space. Rounding up b/​c I felt super-​awesome after class.
Lovely open-​feeling studio. The front desk folks were friendly and helpful. There’s an open wall of small lockers halfway through (entry in front and spin studio/​showers in the back). No proper locker room. The bathrooms and showers are separate though.
This was my first boutique (not mass-​chain gym) spin class and I definitely felt the difference. There was so much energy in the class and I felt super-​motivated by the scoreboard (and found out I’m a lot more competitive inside than I had thought).
I love the free water, shoes, and towels. There’s a long wait for the 4 showers because they’re inside individual changing rooms — very luxe feeling but not efficient to get the next set of folks in the showers before work. I understood why people left the 8am class 10 – 15 minutes early and got in line to shower.
The music in my class was good but the 9am started out with Britney (Spears) and I was a little jealous. Great studio to pop in and out of — but the lack of locker room is annoying.

My first time at a Flywheel and I thought the facilities were great, though with all that room up front, they could have put in a few more showers. The studio was beautiful, well set up and the sound system awesome. I wouldn’t have had the studio so cold, though. We want to sweatttttttt. I’ll def be back as it is closeby my work and they have class pass. The instructor left things to be desired but was still a decent workout.

Great instructors + awesome music. Amazing workout.
The studio is brand new. Lots of space. Free shoes, water, towels and fruit. Showers, Bliss products, hair ties and bobby pins, along with lots of other grooming products.

I’ve been to all of the locations for many of the instructors and I can say this is my favorite spin studio.
You can just walk in with your work out clothes and nothing more and expect a great workout and everything else is taken care of. Cycle shoes and water, to me is essential, are included. For the ladies, bobby pins and hair ties are free as well.
The facilities are very clean, modern and even hotel like (except for flatiron and upper east side). The showers are hotel quality. They use good quality products in the bathroom as well.
What I like the most about flywheel, other than the great instructors who are so motivational and facility, is that they provide you with your stats from your class. Your bike will track how hard and fast you ride. There are screens during class that you can compare yourself to the other participants. After the class, you can have those stats emailed to you or you can download the app and have it there. I find those stats very helpful because it allows me to track my progress.
Extra added plus. There’s fruit waiting for you in the lobby when you’re done!
I love this place and I think it’s worth every single cent. Do be mindful that if you don’t know how to spin properly, there isn’t a lot of instruction for newbies. It’s just too dark in there for them to see who’s doing it wrong to go up to them for correction. So, I say that if you’re into spinning and have done it for a while, then let flywheel take you to that next level.

AMAZING WORKOUT. if you aren’t afraid of 45 minutes straight of intensity, definitely try spinning. This location is the first I’ve been to of the chain, and it just opened so it was beautiful. Clean, smelled fresh, great service, and an awesome experience. Free water and shoes with the ride, which is not cheap at $ 34 for a single class.
The bath products are all BLISS brand, and there’s a white-​washed feel to the place but it’s balanced out by hardwood floors and a studio feel.

Came in for opening day on a class pass. Classes aren’t fully packed yet and the shoes were brand new so I was lucky that I forgot my cycling shoes.
Huge perks to this location compared to Boston where I used to go is free bottled water, bananas and apples for the taking, and outlets in some of the lockers to charge your electronics during class (best idea ever).
My instructor Mario was pretty damn good. It was my first time back at fly in month and I had my highest overall power since I started flywheel.
Come check out the new location whether you are a new member, on classpass, or have been doing flywheel for a while now.