Yeah I know, buy an ad...

Anyways, my sister, class of 2005, just left the world of finance to open First Wind Cycling & Fitness in Charlotte. Full disclosure, I'm a small investor, so I have more than just a family interest.

That all said though, if you're interested in new stuff in fitness at all and in Charlotte, I definitely recommend going to try it out. She uses Real Ryder bikes which tilt left and right, so it's a tougher, more fun workout than a regular spin class. They just opened last Friday, but she's got some really great instructors and deals going on right now. First 2 classes cost $20, plus code ENJOYTHERIDE gets $10 off any package, including that one.

They also have Barre, which I've never done, and personal training. So while I can't comment on those, I will say that people seem to love Barre, and in general I think she did a really great job with the space. It's a lot more open and less cave-like than the average spin class I've taken before. I realize that's what they're usually going for, but this is a nice change.

So again, for something a little different, or just to support a local small business run by a fellow wolf, it'd be awesome if anyone went to check it out. All business info:

Website - http://firstwindcycling.com/
Instagram - (FirstWindCyclng) - http://instagram.com/firstwindcyclng/
Twitter - (FirstWindCyclng) - http://twitter.com/firstwindcyclng
Facebook - (FirstWindCyclingandFitness) - http://www.facebook.com/FirstWindCyclingandFitness

Location - 1930 Camden Road #120, Charlotte, NC 28203 - In the Design Center in Southend, Charlotte...Right off the Southend Light Rail stop. Finding it isn't incredibly obvious, it's down the alley between the two Design Center buildings, in the same building as Pike's Old Fashioned Soda Shop

8/18/2015 10:20:42 AM

I wish I still lived in Charlotte. Both Barre and Spin are my favorite go-to workouts.

8/18/2015 12:06:28 PM

very cool. as much as i love cycling i've never taken a spin class. Flywheel and the like around me in Charlotte are dominated by the wealthy stay-at-home moms and that ilk. Seems like she's got a good location for a younger demo. Lots of young professionals in the southend area. hope it works out for her.

8/18/2015 1:30:54 PM

After moving to a city with lots of greenways and beautiful weather the thought of sitting inside and riding a stationary bike sound horrible to me. Although I do enjoy the occasional spin class. I usually get 1.5 hours of riding in a day on my daily commute.

^That is a good point. Stay-at-home mom's like spin classes. Especially in Charlotte in the summer. Hey worse case the scenery is great!

8/18/2015 1:36:47 PM

I ride about an hour each day total to/from work in NYC, plus pretty much any other time I can. And yeah, any time I go to a spin class I absolutely feel out of place among all the other non males...though in NYC here it's mostly mid-20's I think, not big on the stay at home moms, but I might just be going to the wrong places

All that being said, I still enjoy a spin class here and there. It's a much better workout than being on a real bike I think, which can probably be attributed to the group setting and instruction. I know a few years ago I won a weight loss contest at work mostly due to spin class as often as I could during that time. With these bikes she's got and the somewhat different surroundings than most spin classes I could see myself getting more into it than I ever have before...frustrates me that I can't be in Charlotte to help her more, so I'm limited to online help like this and Instagram

8/18/2015 2:07:36 PM

Cool! Hope it works out.

8/18/2015 2:18:36 PM

i see the 2 classes for $20 deal, but what is the normal pricing structure for spin classes?

8/18/2015 2:54:31 PM

Individual classes outside of the first 2 are $20, less if you buy 5 or 10 classes. Or there are packages to buy unlimited for a month, 6 months, or a year.

http://firstwindcycling.com/pricing

From what I gather these are good prices for Charlotte (definitely good for NYC). But there's only 1 or 2 other cycling studios to go on in Charlotte, so I think what she did was just undercut Flywheel by a few bucks

[Edited on August 18, 2015 at 3:05 PM. Reason : u]

8/18/2015 3:05:01 PM

Quick addition here. She's running two free classes tomorrow if anyone was thinking of trying it out (The 8:30 and 9:30 AM classes). You can just sign up online, shouldn't charge you.

8/21/2015 4:58:16 PM