The Spin Room

Back when the old man and I were getting serious about cycling we made the habit of going along to a weekly spin class at the Fitzroy Pool. The thing most people find with spin classes are that it all hinges on the quality of instructor. Down at Fitzroy we had one hell of an instructor!

James was fantastic, every class would be a bit different from the last and he had the ability to get everyone excited about smashing themselves on a stationary bike for an hour, which is by no means an easy task. From wisely chosen motivational phrases to all out abusive screaming he always got the best out of us, my favourite tactic being the bucket being placed in front of you and then being told unless you vomit into the bucket then you didn't go hard enough! I never chundered. Guess I am just a  soft cock.

Well a couple of days ago  I got to go and check out a new spin/ergo class of sorts and the new Spin Room that has recently opened in North Fitzroy, just opposite Crino Cycles.

The staggering thing about this place is they have 31 new Wattbikes ready for use. They have a decent mix of pedals but I'd ring ahead or bring your own just in case when you come but other than that  just jump on and you are ready to go.

This was my first time on a Wattbike and it was certainly a bit of fun. One key aspect of the Wattbike is that it can measure left vs right leg power and calculates your 'pedal print' over the full 360 degrees of the pedal stroke. The benefits of trying to alter this and make your pedal stroke more 'efficient' are a certainly debatable and in the eyes of many coaches a complete red herring. Regardless of that it is interesting and does provide some more interest to otherwise boring as bat shit stationary cycling, so take from it what you will. Get down there one day and try em out.

Thanks to Sam and Sarah from the Spin Room for letting me have a crack on the Watt Bike. Any more rainy days like today and I'll have no choice but to go more often...

Cheers,

Jono