If there is one thing I can say about Houston, it’s that we have over the top fantastic cycling studios.
With all the rave about Soul Cycle coming to Houston, I wanted to share with everyone the amazing cycling studios that we have in our great City! These studios have put in their heart and souls to bring Houston the best. So before you jump on the Soul Cycle train, check out what Houston has to offer.
We have great cycling studios, no doubt about it, but picking which one is right for you is the hard part! Luckily for you, for over the past few months, I have made it my mission to try each of the top indoor cycling studios in the city and do a review on them. In my quest I tried Define, Ryde, Revolution, and Ride.
Before I start, I want to say that no studio is “better” than the other. It’s all about your personal preference as to what you like. Remember, everyone likes different things, so I encourage you to try all of these studios!
So whether you’re wanting to try a spin class for the first time, you’re new to the city and are looking for a new studio, or you’re like me and want to try them all, here is the down low on Houston’s Cycling.
*** Studio reviews are in the order in which I visited them***
DEIFINE REV
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My experience with Define
Define is the very first place that I ever took a spin class. After moving back to Houston, I did a lot of research, and decided to try Define based on their good reviews, vast amount of locations within the city. Also the fact their Tanglewood location is only 5 minutes away from my house, was a huge plus. I started out taking their Define Body class, but was always mesmerized by the people in Revolution. For my first class, I believe I took Aubrey’s class at the Tanglewood location, and was immediately hooked. The music, the adrenaline rush, the full body workout. I loved it. I rode consistently at Define for about a year before trying all other studios. It was great for me at the time, when first starting out, and made me fall in love with cycling.
What you’ll get out of it.
At Define, their mission really is all about self love and overall well being. In this spin class, they really motivate you, in like the nicest way possible. There is no yelling at you in this class, but instead encouraging you.
The bikes are first come first serve, but you still must reserve a spot in the class online. They focus on a lot of core and whole body workouts throughout the class, using the barre ball. Which to be honest is my least favorite part. I just think the barre ball is kind of awkward… but they do mix in a lot of sprints, pushups, climbing hills, tap-backs and tricep dips, all of which I love! After visiting other studios, the main thing I have noticed that they could truly work on is their transitions from song to song. Sometimes transitions are a little too sudden…. but none-the-less, it’s a great studio and like I said, made me fall in love with cycling in the first place!
The women that go-to Define have been going for a long time, and pretty much go every single day. You can tell because they’re all in fantastic shape, and they all know each other really well. You’ll find lots of moms visit these studios, along with high school girls from the surrounding area, all while dressed head-to-toe in Lulu Lemon. At least this is what you’ll find at the West University and Tanglewood locations, both of which I have frequently visited. Also, I say women because out of all the other studios, Define had the least amount of men in the classes.
Houston Locations
Montrose; Tanglewood, West University, River Oaks, The Woodlands, Sugarland, Energy Corridor
Pricing
Single ($20 Single) ($95 5pack) ($180 10pack) ($340 20pack) ($480 30pack)
(New Client $125/month unlimited) (Auto draft $150/month unlimited) (Non Auto Draft $160/month unlimited)
RYDE
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My experience with Ryde
I was really excited when Ryde opened. When I first went in, I was a little intimidated, but in a really excited way.
Ryde is the “cool table” in high school that everyone wants to sit at. That’s the best way I can describe it. Their music is the best, their bikes are the most high tech, their location is ideal and the instructors are really really ridiculously good looking. The studio reminds me of one you would find in NYC.
I will honestly say, Ryde is definitely the studio that I frequent the most often. I have never been to another studio that I am absolutely obsessed with. What I love most about Ryde is that they truly are a rhythm based class and they go out of their way to emphasize that. Don’t get me wrong, the other studios are rhythm based as well, but something about Ryde stands out to me. And their transitioning from song to song is amazing, like they have it down. The whole class just flows.
What you’ll get out of Ryde
One of the cool things about Ryde, are their bikes. When you sign up, you sign yourself up for a particular bike. On each bike there is a monitor that will tell you throughout the class how much energy you’re using, how much resistance you have on, your calories burned, distance you have traveled and etc. Because of the monitor on your specific bike, at the end of the class, you receive an email with your workout summary. It’s basically a summary telling you how well you did. Another cool thing about this is that in your login portal, you can look back at all your past Ryde’s to compare them all. Pretty cool huh?? I think so too.
At Ryde, you’ll find a complete mix of guys and girls. But one common trend is that almost everyone there is in killer shape. And killer shape of all ages. I’ve definitely had a 65 year old man kick my tail next to me in a class before.
You’ll also find top notch music, and a workout that will keep you coming back for more. I would describe their music as really intense remixes. Does that make sense? It’s awesome and will give you the biggest adrenaline rush. They take being a rhythm based class to the next level and fully equip each Ryde w/ climbs, tap-backs, push ups, around the worlds, sprints, and my favorite, infinities! At the end of each Ryde, each person is given a cold eucalyptus towel to have during their cool down. That’s also my favorite part!
Houston Locations
River Oaks Shopping Center
Pricing
(First Ryde $15) (1 Ryde $22) (5 Rydes $105) (10 Rydes $200) (20 Rydes $380) (30 Rydes $510)
(Auto Draft Monthly $165) (Unlimited Monthly $185) (Unlimited Year $2500)
REVOLUTION STUDIO
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My experience with Revolution
What I liked the most about Revolution, is that there is not a bad bike in the studio. This is because of their stadium seating. Their music is killer as well, very much like RYDE’S. I mean, the beats are on point.
When I first walked into Revolution, the first thing I noticed was how nice everyone was. I was probably greeted about 10x when I walked in. I also got a super L.A. vibe from the studio. Like everyone in there was way cooler then I would ever be. You know, like the people who would definitely know about an underground rave? That kind of too cool.
Because the music was so good, the class flew by for me; although it was less of a full body workout than the others. Meaning compared to the rest of the studios, they had the least amount of pushups, dips and full body movements. But a lot like Ryde, they have their transitioning completely down. One thing I noticed that threw me off, was their approach of encouragement. Unlike Define and Ryde, my instructor took a more dominant approach. As in they kept cursing, which threw me off because I have never had that before, but everyone in there seemed to love it, so it must be working for them!
What you’ll get out of Revolution
For me, Revolution has one of the most ideal locations, located off Kirby and Westheimer. You’ll sign up for your particular bike ahead of class, but like I said above, there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. One really cool aspect is that you can pay a flat rate of $25 then you can go as may times as you want your first week. That right there, is a great deal. Especially if you’re trying to figure out if you’ll actually go more than once a week before deciding on how many classes to purchase.
Like I mentioned above, Revolution is a high energy, rhythm based class. They focus less on full body movements, and more on sprints / climbing hills. If you’ve participated in cycling classes before, then you know what I mean.
Everyone in there, from what I noticed at their 5:30 & 6:30 classes are young professionals. So if you and a few girl friends are looking for a place to ride after work and you live in the area, you will fit right in! Oh, and along with cycling, they also offer yoga!
Houston Locations
River Oaks/ Kirby; Memorial City; Sugar Land;
Pricing
(Trial Week $25) (1 Class $22) (5 Classes $100) (10 Classes $185) (20 Classes $350)
(Unlimited Month 160)
RIDE INDOOR CYCLING
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My experience at Ride
Out of every studio, one thing I noticed about Ride, is their following. Everyone that frequents RIDE, LOVES RIDE. Like lives and breaths their motto “RIDE, ROCK, REPEAT”.
Ride is the last studio I was able to visit, only because of it’s location in the Heights. Which makes me sad because one of the instructors and owners, Taryn, is so sweet and reached out to me a long time ago! When I was finally able to make it, she just had her adorable twins and wasn’t teaching classes, so I took Riley’s class instead. My day job is out towards Jersey Village and I live near the Galleria, so making it over to the Heights at 5:30 in the afternoon can be difficult for me. BUT if you live anywhere near the heights, this is a great studio for you.
Everyone that was there for the class, was so pumped to be there. I mean randomly shouting out throughout the whole class they were so excited. You could literally feel that energy as you walked in the studio, which makes you amped before the class even starts.
I will say, this class kicked my ass…..&& I ride a lot.
What you’ll get out of Ride
Ride is a community. You’ll get a high energy, full body, fast paced cycling class. Just like Ryde and Revolution, you have to sign up for a class and your specific bike ahead of time. The music is more Top Hit’s you’d hear off the radio as compared to remixes. They also do the complete package of push ups, sprints, tap backs, around the worlds and etc. The only thing I think they could improve on, is there transitioning from song to song, as well as from move to move. At times it was hard to keep track and kind of got awkward.
One really cool thing that they do, is that they have song competition Rides. As in, all the music in the class will be Usher vs Alicia Keys or J Biebs vs Selena Gomez . Another cool thing is that your first Ride is FREE!!
The riders that frequent Ride, like I said above, are a community and frequent Ride a lot. Everyone was probably in their early twenties to mid thirties, so basically young professionals. Which makes sense because they are located in The Heights. They have to same approach as Revolution when it comes to encouragement. You know, a little more in your face…..but it doesn’t matter because everyone one in there was yelling with excitement along with the instructor!! So, get it Ride!
Locations
Heights; Austin
Pricing
(First Class, free!) (1 Class $22) (5 Classes $105) (10 Classes $195) (20 Classes $360)
So that’s my round up!
If you have any individual questions or want to go to a class together, just shoot me an email or leave me a comment below! Also, if you decide to try a class, let me know what you think!
xo,
Lauren
SHOP MY FAVORITE SPIN GEAR
This was super helpful. I frequent Define but have been curious about other classes. Great post!!
Thanks girl!! I’m glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the very informative reviews!! Random question: Do any of the studios have a steam room?… Or do you know of a gym with a steam room? Thanks!!
Hi Lauren! My name is Karyn and I would love to introduce you to my indoor cycling studio call Ascent. I would love you to come in and try a complementary class on us. Please contact us at info@ascent.fitness. Ascent’s Indoor Cycling Classes are not like the normal spinning classes you find in Houston. Ascent uses heart rate and power training to provide a highly effective 45-minute training session to maximize results. The class will spend a lost of time in the saddle because that’s where you burn the calories and THAT’s how you build the muscle. Expectations should be different when you arrive.