ClassPass Review #3 - CycleQuest Studio
6409 City West Parkway Suite 107, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
(952) 236-7691, cyclequeststudio.com
As you already know, early February I signed up for a ClassPass account. You can read about that here. Below is a recap of my third class using the "pass". If you'd like to read other studio recaps, use the search bar above and the search term: ClassPass.
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You may recall that in the month of February I am working on a special project. Well, technically, two special projects. The first is the Lazyman Ironman. The second is the month end Tri U Mah race.
That being said ... here's how I ended up at CycleQuest Studio: Lazyman was already well underway, and I knew that I should really be training more for Tri U Mah, so I started looking through my ClassPass list for some cycle options. Boom! Here we go!
OH! And, special for this recap, I have a partner in crime. Yep, I talked my friend from the Bacon Chase into getting a ClassPass, too. Hopefully she and I will get to do a few more classes together in the future!
OK, ok - duh, we will OBVIOUSLY be doing a few more classes together in the future, and some of them are going to be totally asinine. :-) I bet you can't wait!
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So far, of the three studios I've visited on ClassPass, CycleQuest has been my favorite. And they won that title within the first 5 minutes of my visit.
Why?
Simple, actually: they had someone on staff who was dedicated to greeting folks at the door and giving facility orientations. When you're new to a studio, that goes a LONG way. I can't tell you how nice it was to not bumble around trying to figure out where stuff was on my own.
Well, the tour was great but let's be real: the owner brings his dog to work for Casual Fridays, and I'm a sucker for dogs. So, maybe that's why this is my favorite?! LOL!
But before I talk about the facility, let's take a step backwards and talk location:
Soap box aside, CycleQuest is located at the far end of the strip mall, away from the roundabout. It is right next door to the Italian restaurant, and its store front looks like this:
The building the studio is located in has a central lobby, and the entrance to StudioQuest is to your right once in the lobby. It's pretty easy to figure out.
Eventually, you'll make it inside to see my favorite part, this:
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Prior to class starting, I tucked into the women's locker room to dump my coat and workout bag, and to quick change into my workout gear. I didn't leave my purse in the locker area, since I was informed the room where the bikes were had a cubby for that.
Eventually, I moseyed into the studio and grabbed a bike next to my buddy, who beat me to class. Making a few guesses based on how her bike was adjusted, I set up my seat position and height and clipped in (clip in shoes are not required, but since I own a pair, I usually drag them along).
Before I could even get to pedaling, the owner, who also gave me the orientation of the facility, was right back at my side. He gave a great overview of how the bike worked, helped me adjust my seat a little better, talked me through what the computer reported back to me, and showed me how to adjust gears. The information was all very useful, as I had never used a stationary quite this fancy before, and a few things were new to me.
Once I was "informed", I settled into an easy pedal pace and waited for class to begin.
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Right on time, and just how I like it because I can't stand when instructors start late, we were off. Some sort of funky Japanese pop song was playing (that of course I loved), and the instructor started talking us through the format of the day's class.
To her credit, and the studio's really since they post signs about keeping conversations down during class, the instructor clamped down right away on a couple of girls who were obnoxiously chatting away. They were in the exact opposite side of the studio from my friend and I, almost as far away from us as they could get, and yet they were so loud that I could hear them better than I could hear the instructor. Unfortunately, the girls were totally self absorbed and continued on chatting through TWO announcements from the instructor to save it for post-class. (OK, ok, the instructor made a fairly non direct announcement instead of "clamping down", you got me, but still).
Fortunately, a fellow classmate looked right at the chatty ladies, pointed at the signs in the studio, and told them to can-it. That was enough for the chatty women to catch a hit and shut up.
Not gonna lie, I kind of wanted to give that woman a hug.
Anyway, after that, the class went off without a hitch. I loved the music, and it was well selected - I could catch the beat and maintain the RPMs the instructor wanted us to follow. We did various hill and speed drills, and I sweat like a pig. (Is that the correct tense of sweat? It seems weird ... sweatted? Swut? Oh boy...)
At the end of class, once we were all off the bikes, the dog came trotting in to check out how we did ... and then wandered over to watch the world go by via the studio window. That just cracked me up!
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So, what did I think?
As with all cycle classes, your ride is what YOU make of it. It's all about picking your resistance and your speed. The beauty in that concept is that anyone can do a cycle class, at any level of fitness, and do great. The hitch in that is you can easily cheat yourself out of a good workout by being lazy (and chatting through class with your neighbor - *ahem*). Regardless, though, I got a great workout. Heh, I guess I killed two birds with one stone on this part of the summary!
DIFFICULTY - medium/high for me, but it's all about what YOU make it
SKILL - appropriate for all levels
In regards to staff and environment, I would rate this studio as high in both categories. While the décor isn't flashy, the studio is clean and neat, and they have ... wait for it ... SHOWERS!!
STAFF AND ENVIROMENT SCORE - high
And of course - the most important part: would I do it again?
WOULD I DO IT AGAIN? Definitely, and probably next week again
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So now, what class is next?!
Great reviews! I've been on the fence for awhile about class pass since I wasn't sure of the price tag but after reading your reviews me and my roommate signed up last night! Hope to run into you in a class!!!!
ReplyDeleteFor $79, I think it's a steal. I've already been to 5 classes, and have three more on the schedule for this week, so in about 2 weeks I'll have taken 8 classes. Normal drop in fee for those classes would have been $15-20 a piece, or even $10-15 each if I purchased one of their more premium packages. So I definitely think I'm getting my money's worth. The catch is, you have to make it a priority to find a class and commit to it ... but that's the same hitch as any fitness plan.
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