A New Kind Of Cycling Studio Is Coming To New York City

Cyc Fitness' mega-hyped cycling method finally has a home in New York City. After opening boutique studios in Austin, Tex. and Madison, Wisc., Cyc exclusively told Business Insider it will open its next spot in January at DavidBartonGym, occupying an entire floor of its Astor Place location.

"We found incredible riders in Austin and Madison, and we saw the demand for harder workouts than just spinning," Alex Blodgett, founding partner of Cyc, said to Business Insider. "New Yorkers don't have a lot of time, but they want a full body workout."

Designed by Under Armour-sponsored athlete Keoni Hudoba - who is now Cyc's creative director - the 45-minute indoor cycling sessions include weight training inspired by more than 20 different sports, such as boxing, volleyball, and swimming. Classes range from $20-$25 and are sold in packages of five, 10 or 20. There are no monthly subscriptions, but the more classes you buy, the cheaper each individual class becomes.

"We know young professionals in New York pay for a lot things like rent, so we have to come in competitively with that," Stephen Nitkin, founder and CEO of Cyc, told us. "Our strategy is to create a socially active lifestyle so people will go ride bikes with their friends and not just go to the bars with them."

Along with its fitness center launch, Cyc will release "Cyc Social," an online social networking platform similar to Facebook that will allow riders to connect with friends, see where people in their network are sitting, and book a bike nearby, as well as receive notifications when friends sign up for classes.

Because of the way it's designed, Cyc is a social experience that's good for all types of wheeling and dealing. Blodgett said Cyc has even talked to local businesses about using the cycling studio as an alternative to a restaurant for a business meeting.

"Your ride with your client doesn't have to end there," Nitkin said, "Because we're open inside a gym, there's all these high-end amenities that you have access to afterward, like a steam or sauna."

Cyc riders in NYC will have free access to DavidBartonGym's facilities before and after classes, and DavidBartonGym members also get discounted cycling sessions.

Though time will tell if Cyc can become as popular as famous spinning brands SoulCycle or Flywheel, keep an eye on this new company as it continues to close the market gap between boutique studios and elite gyms.