A booming cycling studio started by one of SoulCycle's founders is turning into the chain's biggest threat
SoulCycle devotees observe the ritual of signing up for $34 classes when the clock strikes noon on Mondays. They say they're addicted to working out in a sweaty, cramped room with a teacher who howls yogic platitudes. The company has recently filed to go public, showing how profitable the business has become.
But one of SoulCycle's founders, Ruth Zukerman, has started a major competitor: Flywheel.
To its devotees, Flywheel is the antithesis of SoulCycle. The no-fuss workout makes no claims about being a spiritual experience, and there's no discoballs and "dancing" on the bikes. Instead, it features a stadium layout and a display that ranks riders serves as a lure for competitive athletes.
From SoulCycle to Flywheel
"I just instantly became addicted to it - I knew right away there was something about the physical combined with the mental component which really actually helped me get through my divorce," she said.
Her prowess landed her a gig teaching indoor cycling at Reebok (the gym is now an Equinox), but some of the clientele had bigger ideas in mind. In 2006, one of her students approached her said she wanted to start a boutique fitness studio, using Zukerman's teaching methodology and energy as the foundation. Zukerman was thrilled - and SoulCycle's doors opened.
The thrill didn't last long. Zukerman won't publicly dwell on what prompted her to leave SoulCycle, but she said she found a chance to start over when she met Jay Galuzzo and David Seldin, who became her partners in Flywheel.
"Quite frankly, through my experience at SoulCycle - there were many things I wanted to improve upon," she said to Business Insider. "And meeting my partners and starting Flywheel was such a great opportunity to do that."
SoulCycle declined to comment for this story, citing the quiet period before it goes public.
What Flywheel gets right
"I wanted...hands-on customer service, right down to several people on staff walking around the room before class start, so every one can be set up properly and people can feel comfortable asking questions," she said to Business Insider. "And down to creating a space with wide hallways, so when sweaty people were coming out of a room, they didn't have to rub up against people who hadn't taken a class yet."
Who is the clientele?
Not everything is different
Still, not everything is different. Music, for example, plays a big role in both workouts.
Like SoulCycle's, Flywheel's social media pages mostly show young and fit people, and profiles of its trainers on its Website are loaded with glamour shots and platitudes about how their "real passion is being around a group of people who leave all judgments behind and come together for 45 minutes as one force of energy."
And then there's the cost. At $34 for a single class in New York City (the same as SoulCycle charges), it's not cheap. The studio does offer memberships for frequent riders - $375 a month in New York City and cheaper elsewhere - but that's still pricier than a $205 a month membership at a gym like Equinox.
Flywheel also has a similar sign up procedure - the week's classes open up at 5 p.m. on Sunday and can book up fast - and lets customers pay even more if they want to jump the line.
On this front Flywheel offers a perk to loyal customers that SoulCycle doesn't. It has a loyalty program called its PowerUp program, which lets the most regular customers also jump ahead of others without paying extra after achieving 3500 power points.
Finding the right instructors
Devine-Baum says that instructors should be knowledgeable about music so they can curate great playlists. She said the company looks for people who are motivational, enthusiastic, confident, and most importantly, come equipped with "athletic prowess."
Devine-Baum said right from the get-go, it's an instructor's job to know who is riding for the first time (a roster indicates who's a newbie) and to make sure that person feels comfortable and is set up properly.
One criticism of SoulCycle is that its new riders are advised to stay towards the back of the studio, where it is tough to see what's going on in the front and also difficult for an instructor to keep an eye on a newbie in the dark. Flywheel's stadium set-up mitigates that problem.
And big-headed instructors have no place in Flywheel, Zukerman says.
"I can sniff it [a big ego] a mile away," Zukerman said, "and if I get any wind of that, I will personally touch base with the instructor, or again, have my senior team get in touch and ground them and remind them what it's about. And if ultimately that doesn't work for them, then they're not gonna last at Flywheel."
Not everyone likes it, though
Flywheel is growing and show no signs of stopping
And by 2015's close, Flywheel will have 36 studios - but by the end of 2016, the brand is looking to add 20 more studios. By 2017, Flywheel is looking to Europe and Asia. Within five years, Kinnaly expects to have 150-175 studios across the continental US, and 75 international studio.
The company has added on FlyBarre, a toning workout, as well as new variations on the core workout such as FlyBeats, which focuses more on music, all as ways to continue to engage the customers.
Ultimately, the pitch boils down to a few tenets: an intense workout that's also low-impact, and the company's inclusive ethos.
"We have created a very kind of supportive and encouraging community of people where it's not about who's prettier or who has more jewelry or who has the better workout outfit," Zukerman said to Business Insider.
"The greatest thing about indoor cycling is it's low impact, so if I know how to impart a really safely taught ride with this low impact exercise, I know that I can continue to literally have riders in their 70s taking classes at Flywheel," she said.