“4.3.2.1. 4.3.2.1.” Jordan was thorough in his count downs, keeping us on track every moment of every song. We later found out why he was so diligent in his count downs: he was a ballet dancer prior to his FlyWheel life. With a soothing, yet powerful voice and consistent focus on form, you are guaranteed to leave class feeling stronger. Whether you’re a first timer or an advanced rider, Jordan’s class suits all levels. Advice for first timers? Follow Jordan’s instruction and no one will know you’re a newbie! Side note: He is ripped, super athletic, and easy on the eyes!

Jordan’s formula equals long hills and a lot of torq. Being a dancer himself, we thought he’d be heavier on the choreography but he surprised us with only a couple of tap backs. We enjoyed the more athletic ride but if you’re into choreography and bouncin’ back and forth, you might want to reconsider. Jordan’s class is tough (expect to have heavy legs after class) but it was hard to not have fun – we rocked out to Nikki Minaj, Coldplay, and a variety of party songs.

Looking to re-energize and clear the cobwebs in your head? Jordan has come to the rescue!

Let us introduce you to the powerhouse of all powerhouses. This Crossfit guru is not shy on burning out the legs – just look at those calves! Jared had us out of the saddle in third position often. He was consistent in his demonstration of the various positions (good for first timers) but could have given the class a little extra umph with words of encouragement. The class was sold out, which is a good indication of his popularity, but it didn’t feel cohesive. We’re looking for our instructor to bring the class together to spark some healthy Flywheel competition. That said, if you’re up for a killer workout, he’s worth a shot.

It’s hard to know how to rate Johnny because he can be a super kickass instructor with amazing playlists when he is feelin’ it, but he can also be pretty inconsistent. We recall fondly one particular class where songs bounced around from Justin Bieber to Shania Twain to the original Broadway cast recording of the musical Aida, and his energy was unflagging. However, we’ve also attended numerous classes where his playlist was much less inspired, where he doesn’t join the class in riding along, and where his direction was the same from song to song, each one ending in a 30-second sprint. We’d love for Johnny to bring his A-game more consistently and keep varying the direction, with more tapbacks or longer sprints that are fewer and further between, or with more of Johnny actually riding with us. We will say that if you sign up for an hour long class with Johnny, you are likely to get your butt kicked – he always shows up and shows up HARD for these ones.

There’s something about his multi-colored hair and kind spirit that made us fall in love with Mario immediately. He led a perfect FlyBeats class (note: this is Flywheel’s version of “riding with the beat”) – focusing less on RPM and more on cranking up the Torq and staying with the beat. With lots of electronic dance remixes and heavy beat drops, Mario’s playlist would do just as well at a Brooklyn warehouse rave. The best part was getting lost in the music and PRing our Torq levels. Plus, his style was smooth and uplifting – no wonder the stadium was packed!

With a contagious smile and a super fit bod, Sherica was born to be on that podium. In our opinion, her optimistic demeanor gives riders that extra bit of encouragement and “you can do it” mentality that they sometimes need. It’s a total plus for new riders. Sherica was different from the overly aggressive, non-stop talker type, which we appreciated. At times, however, her calmness lacked the ability to give us that extra bit of drive we need in every FlyWheel class because, let’s admit it, FlyWheel is never a breeze. Sherica’s strengths? Her killa hip hop playlist and the fact that she always kept us on track.

Side note on her workout: we spent about 80% of class out of the saddle. If you enjoy being out of the saddle most of class, she’s worth the shot. We typically enjoy a bit more diversity in our rides.

Paige leads a great class with minimal chit chat and a motivating playlist, in a newish FlyWheel studio that maintains a few luxe touches from its next door neighbor, the Gansevoort Hotel.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

Fly45 can be hit or miss for those of us looking for a very intense workout – some instructors seem to focus more on some good beats or just want to give shoutouts to their friends who are regulars, but this class was a great surprise. Paige took no prisoners and had us climbing a mountain right out of the warm-up, after which we were sweating the entire class. Switching back and forth between two different genres of music just seemed to make things go by faster, but we were working quite hard to maintain our position across a number of well-placed 60-second races to see who was working hardest in the class. This was a great sweat and a balanced cycling class.

INSTRUCTOR

Paige Festa is a great, intense instructor who provided only a little bit of extraneous talking while leading a challenging, focused class. This class had a musical theme of Lady Gaga vs G-Eazy but somehow this didn’t distract from a solid set of hills, sprints, and races that had us sweating for the full 45 minutes. Too often in a FlyWheel class, an instructor will avoid telling you how many songs there are after the brief arms section because their playlist may get cut off by the automated 45-minute score tracking software, but Paige did an excellent job of pacing this workout and letting us know where we were.

WORKOUT

Full disclosure: we didn’t realize this was a FlyBeats class, FlyWheel’s new music/cadence-focused category for some 45-minute classes, and we were disappointed when Cedric mentioned he wouldn’t be having us compete using the TorqBoard. He earned some points back though when he didn’t turn it off, and we snuck our way to the top of said board. Despite this being a “non-competitive” class, it went by really quickly, and we enjoyed the focus on the rhythm. The music Cedric used mostly had us spinning between 50 and 90 RPMs, which is a comfortable but sustainable pace for a spin class. We were able to focus more on our technique than usual and still found ourselves dripping by the end of the class. The structure was similar to other FlyWheel classes we’ve attended, with a three song warm-up, a few focused sprints/hill climbs, a brief arms section (though this was much easier and less intense than other FlyWheel classes) and then two songs to finish. We’d recommend FlyBeats for anyone who loves the music and rhythm part of a spin class more than the hard sprints and hills FlyWheel is known for. FlyBeats is almost like FlyWheel and SoulCycle had a baby.

INSTRUCTOR

Cedric was a less-is-more kind of instructor and let the music speak for itself. He gave good direction at the beginning of class and proactively told us when there would be no special talking over a particular part of the music. He had us spinning in sync with no problems at all. Despite being so unobtrusive, Cedric did a great job of structuring the class and making sure we knew how much time we had left, at what points in the workout we should be pushing ourselves hard, and when we should be recovering. We recommend Cedric’s class for any time you want to get in the zone, listen to the music, and motivate yourself.

Bethany’s frequent saying was “just breathe.” The ironic part, though? We felt like we could barely breathe the entire class. Her workout was tough – from jumps to sprints to hills and tap backs, it was a well-rounded class. Bethany had a lot of energy, but lacked the ability to pull it out in the riders. At times, she bordered on overly talkative, which isn’t our favorite. That said, we were very impressed by her music selection. She was heavy on the party and EDM beats – our faves. She pedaled fast but could’ve had a stronger focus on form (especially for the newbies). Our recommendation: keep turnin’ up that torq. Bethany was very friendly and made riders feel comfortable, and this was a nice touch!