Except you’ve simply arrived from a distant galaxy, you’ve undoubtedly heard the excitement about SoulCycle, the indoor biking franchise that has taken the nation by storm. Celebrities like Katie Holmes, Kelly Ripa, Jake Gyllenhaal, and soccer star David Beckham swear by it. (Some followers and observers have even described it as having cult standing.)

However what you might not know is that this: SoulCycle’s greatest competitor is one other indoor biking franchise known as Flywheel, which was began by considered one of SoulCycle’s founders. (For the report, Flywheel has its personal celeb followers together with Jonathan Bennett, Sofia Vergara, Jimmy Fallon, and hard celeb coach Jillian Michaels.)

So that you would possibly suppose that the 2 indoor biking manufacturers could be carbon copies of one another. However that’s merely not true. Positive, they each have their very own model of bikes and supply 45-to-60 minute courses in darkish studios with pulse-pounding music; and sure, they each supply on-line reservations and shoe rental on web site, in addition to complimentary towels. However the similarities cease there.

Right here’s a have a look at how the 2 indoor biking giants stack up towards one another.

SoulCycle

• The instruction: There’s no warm-up however the instructors usually ask cyclists to consider why they’re there, what their intention is (a pleasant teaching contact). Through the trip, the instructors usually inform members to trip to the beat or watch the teacher’s legs to gauge tempo.

Flywheel

• The instruction: Extremely motivating, clear and simple to grasp, although no consideration is paid to correcting particular person riders' kind (instructors have a tendency to remain on the bike all through the trip).

SoulCycle

The ambiance: Look forward to finding rows of dozens of bikes lined up very shut collectively (packed like sardines, actually) to simulate using in a pack in a heat, darkened studio. It is cozy, to say the least. Temper lighting helps create a pseudo-spiritual vibe, thanks partly to the delicate glow of candles on the teacher’s platform.

The bikes: They provide a easy, comfy trip however don’t present any suggestions (by way of tempo, watts, or different energy metrics) or measure resistance. So your depth is all about how you are feeling.

The music: Quick-tempo beats that inspire you to push these pedals rapidly and lose your self within the music. However the quantity is extraordinarily loud (there’s a motive free foam earplugs are supplied once you first stroll in—you’re going to want them!).

The instruction: They spend about half the break day the bike, which could be good if an teacher connects with riders, spurs them on, and corrects their kind. However usually the feminine instructors merely watch their very own strikes within the mirror, whipping their hair provocatively, or they prance across the room. It is extra exer-tainment and DJ’ing than instruction on indoor biking. On the finish of the category, do not be stunned if the teacher cheers for the riders and raises his or her water bottle in a toast, creating a pleasant second of camaraderie.

The exercise: For probably the most half, a quick tempo is the secret right here. Riders are inspired to pedal as quick as attainable, usually with little resistance on the bike, even whereas doing gyrations comparable to push-ups, tap-backs, and standing isolation workouts—all of that are taboo, in keeping with indoor-cycling purists. Fact be advised, performing push-ups in a seated place isn’t an enormous deal however they’re actually simply gimmicky because you’re not working towards gravity; once you’re coached to do them in a standing place, nevertheless, with side-to-side leans in between, that’s only a recipe for catastrophe (as in a attainable damage).

In lots of courses, you’ll see a lot of bouncing within the saddle by members and the teacher—a certain signal of too little resistance, an excessive amount of velocity, and unhealthy kind on the bike. Towards the top of the exercise, you’ll be requested to do higher physique workouts utilizing small hand weights whereas persevering with to pedal; in addition to setting new riders up for damage, the strikes aren’t prone to produce any actual advantages as a result of the weights are just too mild. On the finish of the category, there is a little bit of stretching, carried out on the bike—yet one more unsafe transfer that is not prone to improve flexibility or stop muscle soreness later.

The way you’ll really feel after: Drenched in sweat, which might make you are feeling such as you had an amazing exercise. All that quick pedaling in such a heat studio, with fellow cyclists in such shut proximity, turns the exercise into an unbelievable sweat-fest. However finally it’s not a very difficult exercise by way of constructing energy, stamina or general health. The rides are actually like revving your motor in impartial, in a barely frenetic style. That is why some folks really feel mildly dissatisfied after a category as in the event that they noticed a extremely acclaimed film that did not fairly dwell as much as its rep.

Particulars: Lessons begin at about $30 or increased apiece; you should buy packages of courses for a barely discounted price (they expire inside 45 days to a 12 months). SoulCycle studios are situated all through New York, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, the Washington, D.C.-area, Texas, and in Miami and Chicago.

Flywheel

The ambiance: The modern, state-of-the-art studios characteristic a dimly lit, tiered stadium structure that appears like a bit like a nightclub with dozens of well-spaced bikes. (The setting feels downright spacious in comparison with SoulCycle studios.) Towards the entrance of the theater-like area, a Torqboard show and ranks riders’ efficiency (you possibly can select to take part on this providing or not)—it is a characteristic that units Flywheel aside. When you decide out, the pc in your bike will present readings of your resistance (a.ok.a., torque), cadence (RPMs), complete power, and present and general energy output. Happily, the Torqboard lights up solely often in the course of the exercise in order that aggressive sorts don’t change into obsessive about successful this digital competitors.

The bikes: They provide a cushty trip that’s as easy as melted butter. Every bike is supplied with a torque meter that doesn’t lie; you’ll know precisely how onerous you’re working by glancing on the numbers on the pc display. As Ruth Zukerman, co-founder and inventive director of Flywheel, says, “Flywheel was the primary to include progressive on-bike and in-studio know-how to assist take the guesswork out of indoor biking.” It is fairly cool.

The music: Upbeat, fast-tempo music (mixes are widespread) that’s motivating and energizing so that you’re going to pedal at a brisk tempo. The amount is completely cheap—you possibly can hear the teacher’s cues clearly and also you don’t want earplugs to guard your listening to.

The instruction: Happily, they don’t ask riders to do something unsafe or taboo; they appear to essentially wish to provide help to get what you got here for, particularly, a difficult exercise that’s designed for athletes (actual and aspiring ones). Whereas some instructors alternate between teaching and appearing like DJ’s (full with grooving on the bike), others have actually mastered the artwork of serving as an inspiring coach and coach.

The exercise: It’s a hardcore interval exercise that simulates an out of doors trip with velocity surges, sprints, simulated races, hill climbs, and different real-life situations. Slightly than being an cardio exercise with odd gyrations on the bike, the Flywheel trip feels real. Pushing energy and increasing your consolation zone (alongside together with your health degree) are the targets, and so they’re satisfying ones, particularly for those who get caught up within the momentum of the trip and the competitors. The power usually turns into palpable within the studio, as every bike owner strives to attain his or her personal private greatest. Towards the top of the biking exercise, riders are inspired to choose up a weighted bar that’s nestled into the body of the bike for an higher physique exercise.

Since you’re utilizing two fingers to do bicep curls or chest presses or triceps extensions whereas persevering with to pedal, there’s much less danger of damage than with lifting mild dumbbells with every hand however the weight is so mild that the strikes aren’t prone to do a lot to construct higher physique energy. There is a transient bout of stretching on the finish of the category however not a lot; to stop soreness and stiffness later, you’d profit from doing extra stretching workouts by yourself after leaving the studio.

The way you’ll really feel after: Drained (and drenched) however in all probability upbeat and glad as for those who’ve achieved one thing as an athlete (which you have got!). As an additional perk, your efficiency metrics from every trip are saved in your Flywheel profile, which is accessible on-line or on an app for iPhones, making it simple to trace your progress over time. Finally, that is one of the best method—to try to enhance upon your personal efficiency from one exercise to the following.

Particulars: Usually courses begin at about $28; you should buy packages of courses for a barely discounted price (they expire in a 12 months). Some Flywheel studios supply longer courses (90 minutes) or shorter ones (half-hour) in addition to FlyBarre exercises (body-sculpting courses that depend on mild weights and core-strengthening workouts). Flywheel studios are situated all through New York, Florida, California, North Carolina, New Jersey, Texas, in addition to in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

So there you have got it—an inside have a look at how these two indoor-cycling franchises evaluate. Likelihood is, you may discover cyclists who’re fiercely loyal to at least one venue or the opposite (it appears comparatively uncommon for folks to alternate between the 2). However that is not a foul factor—everybody ought to have a selection for the place to get his or her cycle-groove on—and no less than folks are inclined to hold coming again for extra at SoulCycle or Flywheel.