RIDE DC

I am a huge fan of RIDE. I consider this a no frills, «for the athlete» studio. Gabby is an incredible studio manager and responds to emails almost instantly. I frequent Megan’s classes because I love her coaching style and her intensity. A wonderful neighborhood studio!

I am a regular spinner around DC (frequent Zengo, Sculpt DC, Soulcycle, Biker Barre and Flywheel) and spin usually twice a week. And my first class here was definitely the toughest class I’ve ever taken. The performance board tracking is no joke. I found myself glaring jealously around the room trying to figure out who was the person who was outpacing me. At some point, feeling like I was going to collapse, I looked up and saw that we still had 25 minutes left of class. WTF!!! The teacher offered free waters and I ended up drinking two bottles of water during class. I think the AC was on the fritz which hopefully explained why the back of my shirt was soaked through at the end of the class. I am not a fan of all the arm stuff which I don’t think is really effective but the rest was awesome. I will definitely check out another class, probably when I want to be a masochist again.

I had an amazing experience at RideDC. This was my first spin class ever and I was a little intimidated. But from the moment I walked in I felt extremely welcome. The studio was clean and very put together.
I took a 7am class was Stephen M. He was fantastic!!! He took a couple of moments before class to help me get my bike up and running, noting that I was a first timer. He was also extremely motivating, but not overly aggressive.
As a first timer, the workout kicked my butt, but Stephen’s enthusiasm kept me from falling off my bike and crawling to the door.
The non-​judgmental ambiance and upbeat attitude allowed me to fully get into the workout. I will definitely be back again!

After having tried out three different «indoor cycling studios» on our visit to US, we finally found some REAL indoor cycling in Washington DC! Visiting DC (at 14 & R St NW) for a week, we searched the internet for some options.
Tried Zengo (Logan), which in my opinion hasn’t got anything to do with indoor cycling. It is more fitness/​rhytm/​dance on a (non-​informative) bike that happens to be in the same (poorly ventilated) room. And on top, some of the exercises are very contradictive to advice from medical and bike instructor staff in Europe; jumping and twisting while out of the saddle at high revs — not good for your knees at all. Not coming back.
Now, RIDE DC was a very different and much better experience — and real indoor CYCLING indeed. Nice people, like a warm welcome in the reception and a good natured and enthusiastic instructor in Richard O, focusing on the biking effort. And just as important: A training room with plenty of room between the bikes, bikes that actually give feedback during training, with a large screen listing additional information about the participants effort during the class (quite motivating) — as well as a nice feedback mail with results of your effort after the class.
Now THAT’S a real indoor cycling studio to me!
We will be back at RIDE DC next time around, for sure!

I love spinning at RideDC for a variety of reasons, namely the fact that I’m supporting a local business and their prices are really on point. The class times are great and their rotation of instructors are awesome. Even better is their client management system online. There are a few things though that they should consider, like offering a student and/​or non-​profit rate, as many studios in DC do and instituting a system online that tells you whether or not you’ve already reserved a bike for a specific class. The set up now is great – my boyfriend can spin under my account – but I’ve accidentally reserved two bikes because I forgot I signed up and then got penalized to cancel one. Also – where’d Ashley S. go on the schedule? She was hands down one of the best instructors at the studio.
Over all, my favorite place in DC to spin.

Love the spin classes here. The instructors are the best in DC and the sessions fly by! It’s also really cool to track your progress over time and compete with others in the class on the leaderboard.
I only have two complaints: I wish they offered more mid-​day classes. The morning ones are so early and the evening ones tend to fill up fast. a 7:30 or 8 am class would be sweet — as would a lunchtime option each day.
The other thing is I wish they had a locker room onsite instead of just a bathroom. I understand that it’s a small studio and the classes are less expensive than other studios ($ 22 — which is cheap compared to soul cycle) but it would be nice if they had a small place to clean up and change after class.
The studio is always really clean though, the bikes are in great condition, and the amenities (hair ties, mints, gum, etc) are a nice touch.
Definitely check out this studio if you live nearby!

So I’ve been to Ride DC a few times now. In conclusion… it’s fine. I’m on classpass, so if I’m getting to the end of the month and the only cycling place I have classes left at is Ride DC, I’m not going to cry about it, but note that it’s not a cycling place where I use up all my available classes immediately (hello Biker Barre).
I do like the tracking aspect a lot… it does make me push myself a bit harder. I get very cranky when bike #x is just 2 point ahead of me. COME ON! I can beat you! And if you’re going to go, I strongly suggest Richard. His class is really fun, he does a lot of latin music.
Completely random advice: if you forget your water bottle, do not buy one there. Their water bottles are terrible.

Spinning is by far one of my favorite exercises! It’s 45 minutes of pure sweat and pushing yourself to the limit. I have been to numerous spinning studios and a regular in some like Zengo in 14^th St. I went for the first time to Ride DC about two weeks ago because of a Gilt City Offer that my bf bought as a gift. The studio is close to U st. Metro and right next to a Crossfit studio so you hear the dumbbells next door as soon as you walk in. You can reserve your spot online and their website is VERY user friendly which makes it easy to reserve a class (FIRST CLASS IS FREE!). The reception area is small, don’t expect lockers and there is only one bathroom. However, the decoration is very cute and feels kind of welcoming! The staff is very nice and willing to answer any questions you might have.
As any other spinning studio, as soon as class starts they turn the lights off and the turn up the music. The music really depends on the instructors taste/​personality and you will eventually find your favorite instructor. The major difference between Ride DC and other studios? They actually track your performance. And if you are not afraid of being publicly shamed by being the worst performer in class, it can be a great thing! There are two things I liked from the studio: the bicycles are not crammed (like other studios) and they send you an e-​mail after class with your ratings and how many calories (estimated) you burned.
I would recommend RIDE DC and probably be going back when I need a break from the gym!

I have been an unlimited RIDEr here since RIDE DC first opened their doors and took over 150 RIDEs in 2014! The coaching styles here are diverse, so it’s easy to find a few (or a lot) of instructors you like. Richard, Marcy, Ashley, and Rachel are my go-​to instructors. The music is motivating and the classes, whether it be road or rhythm style, flow very well from start to finish.
The RIDErboard and performance tracking software on each bike are great. I’m a competitive person and love seeing how I stack up against others in class and also against my own metrics over time. It is amazing looking back at my performance stats this time last year compared to what they are now. Ride DC has enabled me to become fitter, faster and stronger. Thank you.
The front desk folks are fantastic and make the check-​in process swift and easy. This studio is very welcoming to people of all fitness levels and backgrounds. The owners (Allison, Rachel, Zac) are fantastic and are quick to respond to any inquiries. They also host occasional happy hours (at the studio or a nearby restaurant) for all RIDErs and studio personnel. Sign up and go for a RIDE… you’ll be glad you did.

I have been to quite a few spin studios in DC. This is by far the best I have experienced. The staff is engaging and will work with you whether it’s you first or fiftieth time on a spin bike. What really sets Ride DC apart is the ability to measure your performance, both after the class, and in real time. You can see your RPMs, power and overall energy output compared to other people in the class which adds a little bit of a competitive game (if you want it to).
My favorite instructor is Richard O. He combines diverse music with an all-​bike session. I personally don’t like doing things on a spin bike that I wouldn’t do on a real bike. Richard helps me stay in riding shape when it’s too cold or wet to get on my road bike.

Ride DC is amazing and I really love the software they use where you can track your progress each class. The only thing they are missing is an app — all other fitness studios I go to have their own app where you can add classes directly to your personal calendar or use Mind Body software, which makes scheduling so easy. I’d be more likely to sign up for classes day-​of if they had this capability.
Other than that the instructors I’ve had this far are great, especially Megan H. and Stephen M. — both really excellent using choreography and intervals.

Tried the free class at Ride DC for first-​timers earlier this week. The workout is a familiar one — modeled after the Soulcycle spinning style where the lights go out, the music turns up, and you’re expected to cycle your butt off along to the beat. They even do the same kind of mini arm exercises (which have to be ineffective, there is no way that pushing down and up on the handlebars of your bike counts as an arm workout… but I digress).
The one notable exception from the Soulcyle model is that Ride DC posts every rider’s stats in real-​time on a screen at the front of the room. You can see your energy burned, RPM, etc. compared to everyone else in the class. It shames/​motivates you into not slacking off and actually getting to the instructor’s desired RPM. Presumably, you’re also able to compare your performance over time in order to assess how much you’ve improved. This gets to one of my major beefs with cycling in general — it’s very hard to tell if you’re making any progress, which I find frustrating and demotivating. Seeing the stats allows you to push yourself to be better than the other cyclers in the room, and also push yourself to be better than you were in the last class. I think it’s a great idea.
I took off one star for both lack of originality (those pointless arm exercises, really?) and because no one told me how to work the censor on the bike! I told them I had never been to class before, but no one showed me how to turn on the censor to ensure I was tracking my stats along with the rest of the class. When it said zeros across the board I thought it was broken, until about halfway through class when the instructor came to turn it on. So I wasn’t able to track my progress accurately — very annoying.
Out of all of the (many!) cycling studios in the DC area this is the one that I’m most likely to go back to — and I think that’s saying something.

Wasn’t really impressed. My teacher was very helpful as far as making sure my bike was set up correctly, but the class itself was pretty blah. I took the rhythm ride, but despite the name, the music choice wasn’t very energizing, the volume wasn’t high enough and the routine lacked variety (didn’t change positioning enough). I love places like Soul Cycle where the music pulses through you and gets you going with the help of an engaging instructor oozing with energy. This was not that. At all. The overall class and teacher was nice but very calm so it was hard for me to really get into it and push myself. I realize every teacher is different, so I may have just been unlucky this time around.
Two other cons are no locker room (there is only 1 bathroom with no shower) and no shoe rental available. On the other side, one PLUS, is I really like the monitoring program/​leader board they have on the front screen. I am a little competitive, so seeing my status in comparison to other spinners and my own past performance is motivating. I’ve never seen this program used anywhere else.

I came for the first-​class-​free deal. Sign up was incredibly easy– just go online! You can even select the bike you want!
The studio is pretty posh. Just ignore the somewhat strange entrance and you will enter the dark and calming RIDE!
As a nice touch, they offer complimentary earplugs, hair ties and gum in the lobby! So thoughtful.
Our instructor was super positive and encouraging. She definitely pushed us to our limits.

I’ve been an unlimited member since March 23, 2014 and ride about 4 – 5 times a week. Every ride is different (music selection, instructor style, and bike movements) and I still enjoy my next ride just as much as my previous one.
The technology/​metrics on the leaderboard really motivate you (hence the ‘track, measure, and improve’) and no other spin studio in the area can claim that. If you are a highly motivated, goal/​results oriented person, this place is for you. I constantly compare my results from previous performances, and make specific goals prior to class. The studio even has heart rate monitor technology!
It’s in a convenient location and the staff put on creative theme rides and competitions to spice things up. I’ve participated in a handful of theme rides and each one challenges me to improve my performance. But, the best aspect of RIDEDC is the customer service. The staff has built a community that welcomes all people and fitness backgrounds. Most importantly, they strike the perfect balance between making the studio a fun AND competitive environment.
Just make sure to stop by or at least call and ask about the different types of classes, instructors, your fitness goals, etc. It may seem intimidating at first but it really for all fitness levels.
Update: May, 2015
I’m now an instructor at the studio. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Awesome people. Great music. Fun and challenging workouts. Also, bikes are nicely spread out. The focus is truly on each individual RIDEr.

Honestly, after my first ride here if I didn’t have a gilt city I would not have come back, but I’m very happy I did!
My first EVER spinning class was here, and unfortunately the instructor did not get my seat set up correctly. It was a very painful and uncomfortable 45 minutes! But, since I had already bought 2 more classes I went back, and it was a whole new experience. While it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, it was worlds better! Thank you Richard for getting me hooked!
As a newbie I would recommend sitting in the first 2 rows in the middle. It’s hard to see the instructors from some areas of the room due to the staggered bikes. Further back there will always be someone directly in front of you, which is frustrating.
My favorite instructors so far have been Richard and Rachel. They take time to explain what is going on and have good music choices. One instructor I went to had almost emo/​angry song choices, which may work to get her pumped up but definitely not me!
I’ve signed up for two «Road Rides» and the instructors started the class that it would be a bit more of a «Rhythm Ride» that class… which I would have signed up for if I wanted one!
There are definitely some things that I’m not a fan of, but overall the good things outweigh the bad and I’m really enjoying a new, fun workout!

I’ve been to a few classes here with Ashley S and they were great! Her class is really high energy with fun music that really helps you to get into the workout. Her arm workouts on the handlebars and with the weights are always so tough and leave me really sore the next day.
The studio itself is very sleek and nice, and the spin room is dark so it’s easier to focus on yourself and your workout.
If you’re wanting a workout that leaves you dripping in sweat, feeling like you just exhausted every muscle in your arms and legs… Then go see Ashley S!

My boyfriend and I have been coming here for 10+ times, and we love love love it. Certainly not all instructors are equal, but we have loved the music, the routines, the energy, and we even like the leader board which prevents us from «baggin it». The owner and staff are incredibly nice and motivating themselves.
Strongly recommend joining us!

Came here for the free intro class and it was great! The teacher was very helpful in getting everyone set on their bikes and explaining all the different parts of the class. It was really cool to see your progress on the projector and then to see how you preformed in comparison to the rest of the class. The music was great and kept everyone energetic. I definitely enjoyed coming here but the pricing might be a bit too high for me to come back again.

SO Glad there is finally a GOOD spin studio on 14^th street! The instructors and music are great and they really making working out and doing cardio actually enjoyable and fun.
I recommend the Rhythm Rides because it is a complete body workout not just the typical «position 1… now 2. back to 1… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz». By the time class is over you dont even realize 45 minutes have gone by or why you look like you jumped in a pool.
The atmosphere in there is getting there, they are still new, but it seems like they will be completely up to speed January 1.