Flywheel Sports – Back Bay

SUCH a great studio. The space itself is awesome, shoe rentals are free and ready for you in a cubby, the water is ice cold, towels are plentiful, the lockers are easy and blue ones have outlets for charging which I think is the coolest thing ever. The barre room is beautiful and covered in mirrors and small enough to feel intimate without being claustrophobic. The spin room is big and nicely laid out with enough personal space on your bike. Not to mention the classes are the best in the area.
Flybarre: Not your average barre class. The music is louder/​better, it’s higher energy, and they will pull out moves you haven’t seen in any other barre class ever but are super effective. The instructors are all phenomenal and make an effort to get to know everyone and offer helpful adjustments/​encouragement. The 45 minute time slots are also a nice feature you rarely find elsewhere (there’s 60 minute as well).
Flywheel: Really just top-​of-​the-​line spin classes. The music is so thoughtfully chosen and the instructors obviously plan their classes very well. The tempos vary and are nearly always appropriate for pedaling to the beat. The choreography is kept to a reasonable level and is actually useful, not just flailing around. The best thing about Flywheel is the stats, you get a personal monitor on your bike that shows RPM, torq, and power, and the instructors constantly let you know what numbers you should be hitting. I loooove this as it offers way more control and precision than your average spin class. The torq board shows your stats compared to the rest of the room if you’re into that (I’m not) and you can easily opt out at the front desk. So it’s great whether you’re ultra-​competitive or you’d rather keep an eye on your own numbers and go for a personal best.

I really enjoy spinning at Flywheel. I lived in NYC for a while and used to go all the time. I had my favorite locations and instructions and always had a great time. The Boston classes seem much harder than the classes in NYC. It’s a very competitive atmosphere, getting on the board is very challenging (I used to almost always get on the board in NYC!). I really like that the class is numbers based, it really gives you a goal to work towards and you almost feel guilty when you don’t put the resistance up enough. All in all it is a good workout and I do feel accomplished when its all over.
I haven’t yet found an instructor that I really love at this location. One of the instructors I took was really not good. He checked out his muscles multiple times during the class, danced around on his bike and even got off the bike to dance around the aisles, and screamed into his headset so it sounded like you were listening to heavy death metal. Not fun, especially when the music is already so loud.
The studio itself is nice and spacious. They give you free shoes, which is a big plus. The lockers are starting to show wear and tear. The last time I went my locker was open when I came out of the class even though I locked it and triple checked it was locked. The weights are also chipped and not in the best shape.
All in all Flywheel is a really great workout. If you like spinning it is absolutely worth the price tag.

Spinning is one of my favorite types of fitness classes! I like this place because there are classes available throughout the day. If you want to squeeze in a morning workout before school/​work or if you want to do a spinning class during your lunch break, they will have a class available at your convenience. I haven’t been to their barre classes so this review is only for their spin classes.
The workouts here are not as intense as some of the spin classes from other studios that I have been to. It could be that I have only gone to a handful of classes and haven’t encountered a class that I felt it was very vigorous. The classes here are less choreographed than I would like, but it is good for beginners who are trying to figure out what spinning is really about!
The music here were a hit or miss for me. I really like to spin to EDM, because when the lights are out and you are in the zone spinning, it feels like you are at the club! On many occasions, they played EDM, but there was one time that the instructor played all Taylor Swift songs. Don’t get me wrong, I like Taylor Swift and I sing her songs when I karaōke… but I would not spin to her songs for 45 minutes if I had known beforehand.
If you want a full body workout, I definitely recommend spinning! Spinning is a hybrid between cardio and full body resistance training. It is good for both men and women. The classes are just 45 minutes! Everyone definitely has 45 minutes to spare at least a few times a week to workout. You feel refreshed and good about yourself after! You can burn about 400 – 800 calories in just 45 minutes!

Flywheel really takes spinning to another level. Each session begins as they dim the lights to create an immersive clubbing atmosphere. The spotlight is on your instructor as he/​she takes you through a journey. EDM music is bumping, the energy level is high and the instructor has so much swag that you can’t even contain yourself (if I didn’t have to hold on to this spinning contraption I would be fist bumping for the entire 45 mins). I didn’t even notice how hard I was working because I was so caught up in the world that they create for you. They also have a scoreboard showing how much power you have been generating compared to everyone else which really fuels my competitive spirit.
Although it is pricey, I definitely think it’s a great workout and the 10 packs are an easy way to stretch out your sessions instead of signing up monthly. I will definitely go back in the near future!

There’s nothing more motivating than riding 20+ miles in a 45 minute Flywheel class! Flywheel+Flybarre are located in the Prudential mall near the post office area. It can be a bit tricky to find at first, so give yourself some extra time! This location is smaller than some other locations I’ve been to in other cities, but the quality of classes is pretty consistent. Clean studios + free lockers + free towels for class. I wish classes were more affordable though and then I’d definitely be back more often.

I have a love hate relationship with Flywheel. It is the toughest spin studio in the area in my opinion because it is so numbers driven (torq, speed, etc.) and doesn’t allow you to slack off AT ALL. For that reason, I love it. However, there are some really great instructors and some not so great and the ones that are great are almost impossible to get, unless you are glued to your app/​computer when the schedule opens up for the following week.
Other cons: The lockers. On any given day, a bunch of the lockers are broken and it is a crapshoot to find one that works so you can lock up your stuff. Also, anyone can walk in at any time, so locking your stuff up is a MUST. It also gets super crowded in there between classes when people are trying to get in and out.
I can’t say anything about the showers not having used them except to say that the line for them is always really long and who has that kind of time? The studio itself is stadium seating, which I love, but the bikes are tight in there. You really feel on top of the people to either side of you.
As a final note — if you are into choreographed spin classes («tap backs» and whatnot), there are some instructors that do a lot of this and are good for people that like that. There are also some others that don’t do it very much and those are the ones I gravitate toward because I can’t stand the tap backs personally. Keep experimenting with instructors until you find one that works for you, they are all very different.

Just recently got back into spinning and have tried Turnstyle, B/​spoke and this place. Flywheel is by far my favorite.
The best thing about this place is that the resistance is measured in numbers rather than turns of a knob. I think this is a better gauge for the work you’re putting in as well as helpful to know what resistance you want to work towards in your next session. I’m also a bit competitive so I love when the Torq board pops up and pushes me to work for better rank!
The downside is that there are only a handful of restrooms/​showers. If you’re in a hurry, skip the stretching after class to beat the line!

Flybarre — tough workout, thrilled to finally find barre in Boston! Both Meg and Kaylee were fantastic instructors — LOVE that they both do the workout with you, provide form feedback /​hands-​on assists and push you hard throughout class. Rigorous, total body workout — your core, arms, legs, glutes will feel the burn. Instructors are passionate and technical about what they teach, great vibe. Like Flywheel classes, Flybarre class playlists are *killer* and keep you motivated throughout a tough class.
Sole call-​out is only two showers (2 women/​2 men) for entire studio — gets slammed when both Flywheel/​Flybarre classes are released.
Ultra convenient location in Prudential.

Instructors here are very good at leading fast-​paced, sweaty classes that really get your heart rate up.
The bikes generally seem clean enough. Unclear how the cleaning team properly sanitizes all 50 bikes in the 10min or so between classes, but they don’t smell and aren’t sticky. Except for the weighted bars for arm exercises found at each bike. Those are definitely sticky. Yikes. I guess just sanitize your hands and shower asap after the class.
The music level in the classes however is really awfully loud. To the point when wearing ear plugs doesn’t really even help that much. If they could just turn it down a bit so that the sound didn’t get distorted, I wouldn’t feel like I’m compromising my hearing every time I go in there.
They provide towels, two shower stalls with shampoo, earplugs, plastic bags to put your sweaty clothes in, and a water bottle filling station. Most of the lockers will lock, though many do not. There are only two bathrooms in the studio, so there is always a mad rush and super long line between classes which is really inconvenient. The locker/​Lobby area gets insanely crowded.
They provide you with clip-​on shoes, but it is unclear how they clean the shows between customers. Odor eaters? Is that disinfecting though? Yuck!!!
Finally, prices are very, very high. At approximately $ 30/​class, it is prohibitively expensive to attend classes at flywheel.
However, even given all the negatives, flywheel has good instructors who offer an upbeat fitness option in this dreary, grey Boston environment. Worth shelling out the $ 30 and sweating it out every once in a while.

Have been to several cities where Flywheel is and the experience has been consistent… which is a great one. Killer workout and will defiately make you sweat!

An update: I came here again with my bf and this time they were able to properly set me up and put me on the monitors because I did drop in. MUCH better and FUN experience! If you’re a super competitive person like me having the scoreboard pushes you! I’ve never pushed myself so hard in spin… and also it helped my bf was there so I was trying to beat him.
I also found the earplugs by the front desk, derp. But they should put them throughout the studio. So this time I had no ear damage.
Funny thing is, I had the same instructor I wrote about 6 months ago… I actually really enjoyed his style of teaching, and he really pushed us. I take back what I said in my previous review. He was super energetic and motivating (still danced a little), but nonetheless, had an amazing workout. The staff this time around was also more welcoming.
random fact: Warriors fans, Steph Curry’s wife goes to Flywheel in the Bay Area!

To say I’m hooked would be an understatement. I first tried the Wheel with Catie and then started going to FlyBarre. Soon after going to barre a few times a week, I noticed a major difference in toning. I looked svelter, but felt stronger. I have since increased my membership to both unlimited wheel and barre, and I could not be happier.
The only downside is that you have to cancel class before 5PM of the day prior in order to not receive a $ 25 penalty. With things like work and traffic coming up, it is hard/​frustrating to pay the $ 25 cancellation fee. I think you should be able to transfer your bike to someone who is on the waiting list…
Love the instructors, love the atmosphere, and love all their retail items :)

I’m sad to say that after almost 2 years of flying, my experience with Flywheel Sports has gone from passionate love to meh.
The workouts are still good, and I think Flywheel hires the best spin instructors in the city. Rachele, Christina, Melinda, Ann, Colin: All fabulous and motivating instructors whose classes will get your heart pumping and leave your legs feeling it. I appreciate that the classes at Flywheel in general focus on the cycling mechanics over dance moves and fancy choreography. From an actual instruction and design standpoint, I think Flywheel remains THE best spinning in Boston.
But the experience has definitely gone downhill in the last two years. First, despite a recent price increase that makes the absolute cheapest option a mind-​blowing $ 26 per ride, the equipment is really starting to show its heavy use. The weighted bars on each bike are in many cases chipped and gouged. The seats on the bikes have nicks in the upholstery. Some of the handlebars don’t firmly tighten anymore. Worst of all, some of the computers are wonky and cause the torqboard and the bike not to communicate anymore (to be fair, the two times this has happened to me the front desk has been wonderful after the fact and refunded my class). The shoes are also starting to show their age (yeah, that’s gross). The combination of increased prices and decreased equipment quality don’t make me happy.
I also think the clientele tends to be inconsiderate, and the staff doesn’t do much about it. People throw their stuff into lockers and don’t lock them (despite the locking being FREE and EASY), meaning that other people have to open door after door until finally finding an available cubby. This seems like a small deal, but with less than 15 minutes between classes and a small locker area shared by up to 70 people (40ish riders and 30ish barre-​attendees), it can create a needless clusterf****. Honestly, the staff should take anything left in an unlocked locker and dump it in a bin at the front of the lobby. If people don’t care about securing their items then I don’t really think they should be inconveniencing the people who do. Also, I’d love to sit down briefly to put on my spin shoes, but it’s kind of hard with all the yoga-​panted be-​latted ladies sitting and chatting idly while others stand and struggle with their stuff.
I’m probably not going to re-​up my classes with Flywheel despite how much I like their instructors. I just can’t justify paying $ 26+ to jockey in a tiny locker room and use aging equipment when I can take the BSC spin classes for free as part of my membership.

As far as cardio goes, spin’s not up there on my list for heart conditioning. Give me anything else — running, stairmaster, rowing (outside), circuit training, but spin? Ehhhh. My gal pals always talk up spin, though, so I thought I’d give it a shot and tried FlyWheel on ClassPass. Am totally warming up to adding spin to my routine after trying it out!
PROS:
–Good instructors
–Shoes provided
–Lockers with electronic lock settings
–Bliss shower products
–Towels and pretty much any shower thing you need is provided. Bring your own shower shoes!
–Overall friendly and helpful staff (you get one or two that don’t seem to love being there and aren’t terribly friendly but whatevs)
–Dark room. Club like feel when you’re spinning. Great for self conscious newbs like me!
–Torq board to track your rankings (you can opt out if you want)
CONS:
–Only 2 showers. On a tight schedule? Leave a song or two ahead of time to shower!
–Not always the best music (totally preference based I know)
Trial and error will help you figure out instructor style and music. I’ve had 3 different instructors, and wasn’t always a fan of the jams. My personal favorite so far for beats AND instruction is Catherine M.
There’s also an upper body resistance training portion near the end of the workout with 2 or 4 lb bars on the side of the bike. Not bad for people who want to increase muscular endurance but not fantastic for those who have a set lift routine and lift for strength.
Bikes are assigned ahead of time. If you’re in the system and know which bike you’re on, they’ll usually put out your shoes in the assigned cubby holes after check in.
Location: in the Prudential Center in the side hallway to the left coming up the escalator/​stairs from the Cheesecake Factory.
Definitely check this place out for spin! They’ve got barre classes, too.

This is a review for the Flybarre classes. I’ve only been to the New York locations. The Boston Flybarre classes are great, instructors are knowledgeable and music is on point. Definitely on par with Exhale. Although, I do wish we get a tad more space between the mats. For those who get claustrophobic, there are also no windows in the room. Staff at the front desk are okay, not the friendliest people. This struck me as odd since the instructors are always so chatty and cheerful. Oh… remember to BYOB! The Boston studio does not offer free water, but have refill stations instead. I’m okay with that since Boston classes are cheaper (compared to New York) plus, I’m a tree hugger. Overall, positive experience. Will continue to visit in the near future!

Love the studio and the girls working the front desk. I checked in with them (had been to FlyWheel before, but never in Boston) and they explained how the lockers worked, showed me the showers, etc. I had booked with ClassPass, so they looked up my old FlyWheel account from the other location and tagged my bike to it and said I would show up on the TorqBoard. Wellll, I get into the class and two issues:
1. The instructor wasn’t the one I had signed up for. I get it, people are busy, but I had spun with Meredith at a different studio when I lived in Boston two years ago so was excited to take a class with her again. I wish they had told me that someone else was subbing for her.
2. I didn’t show up on the TorqBoard (even though my power should have put me up there) :(
Overall, I’ll be back (for a real class with Meredith), but am hoping they’ll inform me of an instructor change and that I can get on the board! Do love the concept though and the studio has all the amenities you could want.

Update to my review after trying flybarre:
I was really surprised how much I loved flybarre. I read some reviews earlier that sounded like flybarre was more «dancey» and not as good as other barre studios. I have been to many others– including Pure Barre and Exhale. FlyBarre was excellent! A must try!

This is one of my favorite spin location! Having the convenience of class pass, I get to try out different spin studios around the area.
This is located inside the prudential center near barnes and nobles. Be sure to sign up for the class a few hours in advance with class pass. I signed up for a spin like with less than an hour in advance and when I got there, they said the class is actually overbooked and I was on standby to get in the class. Luckily, a spot opened up and I got in!
You can check out the spin shoes for free. They also have scrunchies and bobby pins for you. If you get thirsty, you can buy bottles of smart water here. I really like the bikes. They are super new and high tech. Each bike has a screen display that tells you intensity levels and rpm so it is easy for you to follow when the trainer yells at you to increase your speed and intensity to a certain level. They assign you to your bikes so it is super organized and they have people inside the spin studio that guides you to your bike if you have trouble looking for it. They have lockers right outside. The studio is a little small so it gets a little crowded when everyone tries to get in and out of class at the same time.
I enjoy the music they play and it is always an great experience. After the 45 minute work out I feel very refreshed!

There are some days I want my workout to treat me as a delicate flower… and there are others when the masochist in me requires that I allow myself to be herded into a dark room nestled between 30 strangers also clad in the tiniest Lulu ‘dex and have someone yell at us to «torq» it up to the beat of a EDM remix of Luda’s classic, Money Maker.
Yesterday happened to fall into the latter category, thus, when L suggested we start our day date at FW, I happily obliged. And I realize this will probably come as a shock to my entire Unilocal audience… but I actually hadn’t been to FW before — yes, I’ve probably been spinning since I was in utero; however, as I am fiercely loyal to Healthworks when in Boston, I rarely venture outside the safety of that all-women’s love-​fest — so it took me a while to get here, despite rave reviews from friends.
I’m told that classes can be a madhouse — we went in the early afternoon so it was relatively empty — our fearless leader was Alex B, whose cut body I can guarantee you did not come solely from pedaling on a bike and doing some shoulder presses w a 4lb bar — he was incredibly friendly, introducing himself to everyone prior to class and making sure we all felt comfy embarking on this adventure w him — and what a trip it was — if you’re looking to get into your body and have someone on the bike next to you making vaguely sexual noises, head to the more touchy-​feely SoulCycle. If you want to feel lightly punished, FW is your best bet — they let you enter your info to have your ride stats (speed, level of intensity, etc) displayed on the TVs in front of the class, just in case you want to know who will definitely kill you if y’all get trapped in the studio and it suddenly becomes the Hunger Games. B/​c that could happen at any time, obs.
Have also heard wonderful things abt Colin Batty and Christina Lorde, though I have yet to challenge them to make me sweat. Oh, the lobby and lockers are bright and clean, though L was concerned that unlike her FW studio in NYC, in Boston there are no free waterbottles and fresh fruit… which is distressing, clearly.
Classes are 45min (probs 30m mostly cardio, 5−7min arms, the rest is mixed), they give you shoes, and the first ride is gratis. After that a single class is $ 28, though if you buy a package it comes down to $ 21.5/ride, which isn’t pennies by any means, but if you don’t belong to a gym, can afford to throw down, and like to have someone push you until you think your quads are going to detach from your body and say «eff this, we’re out, see you at Pinkberry», it’s a killer workout.

On a local blog, they were sharing a free week — so I signed up. I only ended up going to one class.
I went up to the desk when I first got there and asked about borrowing a pair of shoes. The girl at the desk couldn’t have seemed any less interested. She wasn’t friendly and just plopped them down in front of me. No explanation about anything, where anything was — and not even a welcome or hello. I think that how you feel when you when you first try a place (any not only workout related) is super important.
I figured things out myself, and another rider assisted me with the lockers.
I personally didn’t like that it didn’t feel like a community. Everyone was quite stand-​offish. I like when it doesn’t feel like a competition. I felt like it did here — while waiting, with the scoreboard, etc.
Some positives:
–stadium seating
–the dark atmosphere
–the instructor, Rachelle (sp?)
–someone who I emailed Stephanie (very helpful)
–they have a teacher discount
I will continue to go to more local, community-​based riding studios in the other neighborhoods.