Jessica Alba Rides This Exercise Bike as Part of Her Morning Routine — and Now I Understand Why She Loves It

Equinox

What It Is: SoulCycle's at-home bike powered by Equinox

Who Tried It: Alex Warner, Entertainment Ecommerce Lead

Fast Facts About the SoulCycle At-Home Bike

• Cost: $2,500

• Dimensions are 62.2-inches long x 22.2-inches wide x 53.5-inches height

• Can accommodate riders who weigh up to 350 lbs

• Can stream Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+

• Bluetooth-enabled

Like many, I've had to adapt my daily routine due to the global pandemic. One thing that hasn't really changed for me is where I exercise. I've always preferred to do my workouts from the comfort of my home. Last year, I was joined by millions of gym-goers around the world when facilities shut down.

This caused the demand for fitness equipment to skyrocket. According to NPD retail data, stationary bike sales were up by 171% in March 2020. My Instagram feed was suddenly flooded with videos of people riding exercise bikes, from friends and co-workers to influencers and celebrities — the FOMO set in. So when SoulCycle offered to loan me their new at-home bike to test, I couldn't resist.

The Equinox Group unveiled its first at-home bike in March last year, which could only be shipped to select major cities. But thanks to positive feedback and increased demand, the company made it available to the entire U.S. market. The SoulCycle at-home bike already has a slew of celebrity fans like Jessica Alba, Rebel Wilson, Kaley Cuoco, and Angela Bassett. Alba was one of the celebs I always saw indoor cycling on social media as part of her morning routine.

Kaley Cuoco/Instagram

The at-home bike features all the bells and whistles of the ones in a SoulCycle studio — like clip-in pedals, a resistance knob, and an adjustable seat and handlebars — but with an added 21.5-inch full HD screen that allows you to stream a variety of on-demand exercise classes and follow along with live in-studio sessions. You'll also need a pair of Delta or SPD-style cleats and a subscription for the new fitness platform Equinox+, which costs $40 per month. It gives you access to classes from Equinox, Pure Yoga, Precision Run, Rumble, and more fitness brands.

Equinox

Buy It! SoulCycle at-home bike, $2,500; equinoxplus.com

My Experience with the SoulCycle At-Home Bike

I've never taken a cycling class, nor have I been very good at riding long distances on a bike. So to say I was slightly intimidated by the SoulCycle bike is an understatement. A small crew delivered the bike to my third floor apartment and assembled everything in under 20 minutes. From there, I followed the video instructions for how to adjust the bike's seat height and distance, along with the handlebar height and depth to fit my personal needs.

The first time I clipped in, I started in the Free Ride mode — which lets you stream Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+ — to get a feel for how the bike moves. I did this for the first week or so. Watching my favorite shows while exercising was a good distraction, but I decided I needed a little more structure to my rides, so I finally tried the Equinox classes.

Equinox

Let me just say, I've never sweated so much in my life. Riding this bike is so much more than just sitting on the saddle and pedaling. The instructors really got me moving in ways I didn't know were possible on the bike, from sprinting with no resistance to climbing with high resistance. I also learned how to do tap-backs and push-ups on the bike, which works more than just your legs — I've truly never experienced anything like it. I definitely recommend keeping a towel within reach, otherwise you will have sweat dripping in your eyes.

I attempted a few intermediate classes, but mostly stuck to the beginner ones because that's where I felt most comfortable. Aside from the exercise aspect, one of my favorite things about the Equinox classes was hearing the uplifting and motivational monologues from instructors. It was my 20 to 30 minutes to let go of everything else going on in my life. I always felt like getting on the bike was doing something for me. SoulCycle classes go beyond exercise, they connect your mind and body — and I loved that.

Of course, testing wasn't all smooth sailing. This could be due to user error, but I had trouble connecting my wireless headphones during classes. Though I would have preferred to have the audio directly in my ears, I just listened to them out loud. The cleats also gave me some issues. For some reason, the left one was really hard to unclip from the pedal. I ended up keeping it clipped and just slipping my foot in and out of it on the pedal. My only other real complaint was that the bike was a little louder than I expected. This is just something to keep in mind if, like me, you live in an apartment with neighbors beneath you.

The Verdict

Cycling may not be for everyone — heck, I wasn't sure it was for me. There is definitely a learning curve. I remember watching how quickly instructors were pedaling and thinking, "There's no way I'm going to get my legs moving that quickly." But after using the SoulCycle bike a few times a week for almost four months, I started to feel my legs getting stronger. At the end of the classes, it tells you how you paced with the instructor, and the more I kept pushing myself, the better I was at keeping up.

At $2,500, purchasing a SoulCycle bike is definitely an investment, but one worth making when you consider the cost per use. I rode the bike anywhere from two to three times a week, never on back to back days. If you spread that out over a year, it's about $16 a ride. For comparison, classes start at $20 depending on whether you're a new or returning rider.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to love the SoulCycle bike, but it really surprised me. Each time I completed a class, I felt so accomplished, like I could conquer anything. It's a really good feeling.

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