After trying two of the most well-loved cycling studios in Knoxville, I quickly became a big fan of this workout! You can read the post where I compare those two studios here if you live in the Knoxville area. I loved it so much that I purchased a membership with CYCLEBAR, and only cancelled it because of the move to Little Rock.
Now that I’m here, cycling studios are top on my list to search for a try. CYCLEBAR does have a Little Rock studio, and I’ve enjoyed the couple of workouts I’ve had there! While doing some research, I came across another studio called CliqueCycle and was immediately intrigued. They have the coolest logo and seemed to be local to the area. With the New Year they offered an incredible deal of 7 classes for only $25! Naturally, I had to take advantage of that to try it out! Keep reading for my experience at CliqueCycle in Little Rock.
The Studio
CliqueCycle is located in the same area of Little Rock where I feel all the best workout options are. It’s close to the F45 studio I work out, and not far from the Pure Barre studio. The interior of the studio is fun! They’ve done a great job setting themselves apart with their own vibe. The entrance to the studio has all kinds of great logo’d retail, and that’s not even the best part. This studio has invested in putting their logo on Lululemon apparel so that their clients get the very best!
They have an enormous locker/changing area along with a great bathroom for clients. You pick up your hand weights as you walk into the cycling room, and there are already towels waiting for you on your bike!
The cycling room for the studio is set up pretty similar to what I’ve seen at other studios. We face a wall of mirrors and an instructor that is set up dead center to guide you through the workout. They have lights shining mostly on the instructors, but there is also lighting throughout the riding studio. In the couple of classes I’ve taken, there have been 2 instructors riding up front. But, only one has a mic and leads class and the other is there to be more of a model.
The Bike
Surprisingly, this bike & cycling shoe setup is different from any other studio I’ve tried. I brought my Tiem cycling shoes with me to class that I’ve used in all other cycling studios, including CYCLEBAR. But, CliqueCycle uses a different clip than what I have on my Tiems. The clip that they use has 3 larger touchpoints instead of what I’m used to, so I used one of the studio pairs.
The bike itself was pretty similar to all other cycling studio bikes that I’ve been on. But, there area a couple major differences. First, the clip in for the pedals was different (see above). Second, there was no screen to indicate resistance level or RPM. In every other cycling studio I’ve been in, the bikes included that digital screen.
The Class Setup
The class set up is pretty similar to what I’ve experienced before. However, at CliqueCycle I think class consisted of more songs because of more shorter, sprint songs than I’m used to. Building off of one of the bike differences above, there are no screens to indicate ranking of the riders during class. For example, at CYCLEBAR at the end of class you could see where you ranked among the other riders in your class. They also do challenges throughout class that use the screens to pull averages from everyone to hit a particular RPM or work goal.
There’s none of that at CliqueCycle! Their main goal is to have a people trying their very best, in a dark room with great music, and no competition amongst peers. They wants their clients to have a good time and be focused on improving themselves, without worrying about others.
The Choreography
There were certainly some differences in the bike choreography at CliqueCycle than what I’m used to. I would say the biggest contributing factor is the CliqueCycle is a local studio. So, they can make up and do whatever choreography they think is the most beneficial! CYCLEBAR is an enormous franchise, so they are all expected to incorporate particular choreography in their classes to be consistent across the board.
There were movements and asks in the handful of classes I’ve been to at CliqueCycle that I hadn’t seen before. They also do a lot of fast choreography. But, I still got a great cardio workout and calorie burn! I have remind myself, too, that just because something is different doesn’t make it better or worse.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed my experience at CliqueCycle and look forward to getting through the rest of the classes I bought! They are running great specials right now, and honestly have some of the better boutique fitness pricing that I’ve seen. Although there are a few differences in the atmosphere and class, the environment and experience are great! I have taken class with 2 different instructors so far, and can’t wait to see how the other instructors put their spin on things.
If you’re in the Little Rock area and looking for a new workout option, I would really encourage you to take advantage of the 7 classes for $25 deal CliqueCycle is running right now! You can purchase through their website here, and also sign up for classes through their app.