Eastside Elite Event @ Flywheel Sports

I have been kind of out of the Seattle Elite Event loop for a bit. It had been a year since my recent attendance at the Q event ended that dry spell. I saw this event in Bellevue. Since it was nearby, I decided to RSVP.
I have passed by the Flywheel in South Lake Union, but always wondered what was in there. This was my chance to see for myself what it is all about. I was a late arrival to this event (because I parked foolishly at the Bravern) and was playing catch up for pretty much the whole event. When it comes to learning, it is important to be prompt so that you receive all the information that you need to perform well.
The Flywheel in Bellevue is located in the Belcarra building which is several blocks away from Bellevue Square. The facility is very modern, yet minimalistic. They have several changing rooms, as well as bathrooms and private showers. They have lockers in front in which you choose your own number lock combo for safekeeping of your belongings. Near the lockers is their water station with cold water for your workout.
By the time I got changed to workout, the whole Unilocal contingent went outside to get prepped. Unfortunately, I got there too late and everyone already was moving towards the bike room. The bikes are stationary and you wear special shoes that Flywheel provides that click into the bike.
For me, the setup process seemed more difficult than it needed to be. If I don’t know how to use a piece of equipment, I tend to avoid it. So thank goodness the staff set me up, otherwise I would have been lost!
When it comes to exercise, I am a novice. Physical endurance, strength and motivation are things I am short on. My body seems to attack me when I try to workout. How else to explain getting a foot sprain from walking? Well, I guess you can blame it on my stupidity for walking in slippers while doing so. Clearly I sabotage myself.
Back to the workout. I liked the upbeat workout music, but I was pretty much not working out at the level that the trainer was teaching the class at. The level seemed more on the level of a regular. As a result, I pretty much was going at my own pace trying to get a nice workout but not overdo it. Though it was good enough for me since I sweated buckets nevertheless and I never stopped pedaling.
Though I may not have given my best, I did at least get a workout that I never otherwise would have tried. It totally beats vegging out watching TV which is what I otherwise would have done. For that reason, the event was a success.

I was out of town for the Seattle event, but I work in Bellevue so this was actually perfect.
I got there a little after 7:30 because the instructions said to show up by 7:45. When I got there, everyone was already saddled up in the Flywheel room! I still had plenty of time to get my shoes and the complimentary water bottle (loved that they offered both ice cold and room temp water) from the very nice people at the front desk.
I really liked that the whole class was in the dark. I’m not very competitive and I’m not very fit right now, so not having to worry about being watched took a lot of the anxiety away. The workout was challenging — the towel and the water were both totally necessary — but not impossible, and I was able to tailor it to my abilities without feeling like a failure. Most of the time I actually impressed myself by hitting the goals requested by our instructor. I liked that weights were added, and having to balance myself doing reps while still cycling worked my core as well.
The only thing* that I didn’t really like was the thinness and hardness of the seats! You really do need a butt pad or padded shorts — my butt was definitely sore the whole day after the ride. (*Also the guy in front of me kept farting, but what are you gonna do?)
The instructor was encouraging and high energy (if maybe a little «bro» for my taste). He played top 40 music, which I mostly didn’t recognize (aahhh I’m getting old!), but which was perfectly synced to the hills and valleys of our ride. PERFECTLY. I was really impressed by that. And I love that we got to hear some Macklemore.
The whole workout lasted about 45 minutes, but it felt like twenty. Afterward, I won a fitness book, and I got to snag some Pop Chips, KIND bars, and a Unilocal wristband (all the socks must have been gone by then). Loved the swag, loved the event. Being a Unilocal Elite rocks! Thanks Katy!

Love that we had an EE where I could also get my daily workout in! Pretty impressed with the Flywheel facility — here’s what I loved about their space:
* Fancy water machine (if only one of the spouts would pour out beer for after the workout!)
* Modern lockers that don’t require me to bring quarters or an old-​school lock
* Real bathrooms with fancy amenities like Bliss soap (love the lemon sage smell) and hair ties for those of who are always running late from work
* Up-​to-​date technology that allows you to reserve a bike online AND select your shoe size so everything is waiting for you when you arrive
As for the class — we had a kick-​ass instructor Tommy who made 45 minutes of cycling breeze by with some heart pounding music. Ever been in a spin class where someone’s spinning out of control with no resistance on the bike? No more — I loved the techno performance pack they have on each bike that tells you how much resistance you have on and how fast you’re pedaling. No room for cheating here if you’re competing against friends in the room! A little bummed that the leaderboard didn’t work last night (tech fail!) — but in my head, I definitely won the race. Looking forward to coming back for another class to see the leaderboard in action.
Two tips:
1. Definitely get the butt pad for extra cushioning — even with it, today has been a major owwwwwiiieeeeeeee and I can only imagine the pain without it
2. Sign up for a Flywheel account and you’ll score a free class!!!
Thanks Katy for helping me burn some calories while having a great time!

Really impressed at how well-​organized this was (props Katy!), awesome experience to have as my first Elite event.
This Flywheel branch opened about 6 months ago and the amenities are top-​notch: fancy water machine, lemon sage soap in the bathroom, roomy lockers, etc. The staff is friendly and eager to help; one of them even lent me her socks when I forgot mine.
I was a bit nervous heading into my first spin class but Tommy, our instructor, made it easy to stay motivated for the entire 45 minutes. If the rest of the instructors can bring his energy level, you just might start to see how getting in shape can be, of all things, FUN. I’m looking forward to coming back for another class and seeing how the leaderboard affects the intensity of the workout.
Oh, and you’ll definitely want to snag a butt pad for extra cushioning. Trust me.

This was my first spin class and I had a really great time. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but the staff was really helpful and I’m glad they made sure everyone was setup properly before starting. For the price of free I don’t know how I couldn’t give it 5 stars. Tommy was fun and likable and I really enjoyed his friendly energy. The food looked good but I’m really glad I didn’t eat any before the workout.
Things that could have been better:
–music could have been louder
–the snaps of the water bottle tops they gave us fall off easily
–my butt hurt like heck but maybe that’s normal?
–didn’t win any of the raffles :(
I’ll probably try out the extra free class I got. Thanks Katy!

This was another great event hosted by Katy! Katy did an amazing job setting this up and getting everyone settled in. And the free snacks (PopChips!) and Elite socks and sweatbands were pretty awesome bonuses. I didn’t realize the class wasn’t starting until 8:00 so I showed up just before 7:00, but it was nice to have time to check out the space and socialize with some other Unilocalers.
The facility is very nice and very clean — shoes, bathrooms, lockers, and bikes were all in top condition. And the staff was beyond friendly and so excited to have us, it made me even more excited to be there despite dreading the actual spinning part.
Having the extra staff there to help us all get our bikes adjusted and clip our shoes in was super smart and really sped up what could have been a pretty slow process. Though I double-​checked with the guy setting me up, I do think my bike seat should have been just a notch lower. It was fine in the proper cycling position, but when we were sitting up and still pedaling (to get water or do the arm weights), my knees were locking out and it made it hard to pedal in that position. The butt pads they handed out were a lifesaver — I feel bad there weren’t enough for everyone because even with the extra padding, my seat bones are a little sore today! I also wasn’t able to do much (well, any really) of the out-​of-​the-​saddle riding as one of my quads is pretty weak, but I was still able to get a great workout in. I asked the coach, Tommy, about it after class and he was very helpful is suggesting a few ways to work on strengthening my quad to be able to get out of the seat in the future. I might just use my free classes for barre as that was one of his suggestions.
I really enjoy the concept FlyWheel is going for with their spin room. The bikes are stadium seated so you’re not staring directly at someone’s behind, the lights get turned off (save the one on the instructor/​coach), and the music gets turned up. Though, I could have gone with the music up even a little more — it seemed to get drowned out by the coach’s mic whenever he was talking. Tommy was an amazing coach with a high-​energy upbeat attitude that was pretty contagious. It made me want to push myself more and not give up despite my quads. With the lights turned off, it was easier to focus on just getting a good ride and not worrying about what everyone else was doing or what they’d think of me for staying in my saddle.

I’ve been cycling for many years and spinning for the last few years, but Flywheel has taken the already intense, sweat drenching, booty kicking cardio workout to a whole new level with their innovative technology. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I left impressed with their facility and well thought out concept.
Katy orchestrated another amazing event. Not only did we get an awesome workout, but we were given Kind bars, a water bottle with unlimited ice cold or room temperature filtered water & pop chips. We also received hawte Unilocal Elite goodies including «Blood Unilocal Tears» wrists bands and cool Elite socks. On top of all that there was a raffle drawing for more freebies! I was one of the lucky ones and received five free Flywheel spin classes, which I’m excited to use in the near future.
The staff were super friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Our instructor was not only upbeat and positive, but he played motivating music that kept me pumped. It was a lot of fun and I had a great time.
Let’s do it again!

Even though I’m not elite anymore, I was very honor to be Katy’s guest.
Two of my favorite things… Unilocal AND Fitness.
I never heard of Flywheel before base out of New York but I was instantly blown away by the customer service of the staff, the amenities, and the top notch equipment driven by technology.
Plenty of changing rooms, bathrooms, lockers, and even showers. Not only do Flywheel Sports provide best indoor Spin classes but also FlyBarre. This new location is on the east side in Bellevue newer than the Seattle location.
We were welcome by Unilocal swag — New Unilocal knee Socks, Unilocal sweat arm bands, two flavors of Pop chips, variety of Kind bars, Flywheel water bottles, towels, and given cycling shoes for the spin class.
I was pleasantly surprise that I know the instructor, Tommy McCarthy. He challenge me for 45 min being in sync with the music of the beat. All the bikes had technology of torque, rpm gauges, and power. The tv screen allow you to know the top three on the leaderboard. This was my first spin class but was surprise that I was in the top three on the leaderboard throughout the class. Yeah baby!
After the workout Chad, Erin, Tommy, and the Flywheel staff raffle out prizes + giving all of us Unilocalers a free class to use either the indoor spin class or FlyBarre.
Thank you to Flywheel Sports, Flywheel Staff, Pop chips, Kind Bar, and Katy for putting together another awesome event & a kickass workout. Now if you can excuse me, I need to ice my sore ass.

I had RSVP’ed to the Seattle event the previous week but got super sick and couldn’t make it, so I was really excited when I managed to get a spot for the Bellevue event — which was better anyways because I HATE searching for parking and the nice big structure saved me all the hassle. This was my second Unilocal event and while I was a bit underwhelmed by the first one, this more than makes up for it, it was awesome!
The goodies were super cool (socks! wristbands! water bottles! KIND bars! Pop chips!), the venue was nice, modern and clean and the class was perfect (challenging but not totally killer). I adore the fact it’s so dark because when it’s workout time, I sweat — ALOT — and turn so bright red sometimes people ask me if I’m ok. No worry about that here, it’s dark so everyone is basically only paying attention to themselves!
Thanks Katy for organizing the event and thanks for flywheel for letting us try it out for free + two extra classes. I can’t wait to come back to try out flybarre.

Katy never ceases to amaze me! This event was awesome and it got me a glimpse of another way to keep in shape. I parked across the street from Flywheel, but there is also Retail parking located just north of Flywheel, though, look for the little orange sign. I arrived early and sat with other Elite members and Katy while we waited for the rest. There was plenty of free swag, too, like Unilocal knee socks, sweatbands, Pop chips, Kind bars and a free Flywheel water bottle. The Flywheel employees were super nice and informative and the free lockers are an added perk. There’s also a water station that has cold or room temp available to fill up your bottle. When it was time to go into the bike room, aka the tank, haha, it was slightly dim and the music loud. Tommy was our instructor and he was awesome, totally got our group pumped. The 45 minute class was intense, but it flew by with the music and I’m so proud I finished! I know my body will feel it later, but right now I feel great. After the class, Flywheel raffled off free loot like a 5 free class pack, signed Jillian Michaels book and various other items. I’ll definitely be back to spin or maybe even try the Flybarre toning class I heard about.