SHiFT CYCLING

The classes are fun but the bike monitors do not seem to work. Have been there twice and twice the monitor did not work (on two different bikes). When I mentioned it to the front desk people they just shrugged it off and said they are not sure why the monitor does not work. No apology offered. Quite a waste of time and money to be in the class and not knowing whether you are exercising at the right level.

This is the good stuff.
Seriously, I’ve been looking for a good spinning studio since moving to Connecticut, and SHiFT delivers!
Michael’s class was definitely my favorite (SHiFT U). I didn’t know all the music, but all the tracks had a good beat. He was great at changing up positions and reminding people to keep good form. He uses the board a lot, which I find motivating. I also attended Allie’s class, which was more about keeping the beat (SHiFT B). Her tracks were mostly dubstep and drum n’bass, and she had more sprinting in 3^rd position and arm dips. She did not use the board as much.
Chill vibe and not too competitive despite the board.
I wish the bathrooms were a little bigger and had more places to sit (if anything, to switch shoes), but lots of people congregate in the lobby.

Holy cow… this was an awesome experience!!! My husband and I were in from out of town and decided to try shift… we are both experienced cyclists with an ironman under our belts and we went to the 6:30pm Wednesday shiftu class with Michael… and this class was no joke!!! We LOVED IT! The facility was nice, the staff was great and seriously– the cold lavender towel they bring you at the end of class is astounding… I’ve taken a LOT of spin classes for many years and this was one of my best experiences ever… we left with huge smiles on our faces and a great workout completed. Fantastic– wish we had a shift in Syracuse, NY!

Super fun place, great facilities, awesome teachers. The prices are very high or I would go there a lot more often. I adore it. LOVE LOVE LOVE Heidi’s classes. She kicks my butt and I am shaking by the time I leave her class.

I LOVE SHIFT CYCLING!
Some context: I hate exercising. I played competitive soccer all my life, including a year in college, and since I stopped playing a few years ago I’ve had a really hard time motivating myself to work out. The list of things I’d rather do than exercise is extremely long. I think it’s boring, and I find it really hard to make it through an entire workout without a coach telling me what to do and a team of friends keeping me company.
I tried Shift because my girlfriend, who is a Shift regular, encouraged me to check it out. The first class was overwhelming – biking? In the dark? To loud music? Wearing weird shoes? I was skeptical, but quickly became addicted. Now I go 1 – 4 times a week, and feel like I would be lost in life without Shift!
The staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. I tend to go to the same classes every week, and the instructors know me and greet me each time. The facility is BEAUTIFUL. Nothing motivates me more to get through those steep climbs and breathless sprints than the promise of a signature Shift lavender towel at the end of class. It’s super easy to reserve classes online, the music is bomb, and they often give out free classes. The locker rooms are thoughtfully stocked, which makes it really easy to shower after class if you want to. More than anything, I appreciate how community-​oriented Shift is. It really feels like a little family that opens its arms to anyone who wants to be a part of it.

Cycling noob here, whose spin class cherry was very ceremoniously popped by SHiFT. I came to Allie’s SHiFT B (b for beatssss) class on a Friday morning and my addiction to spinning was born.
The studio as previous reviewers mentioned is perfect; clean, spacious, bright, with a great locker room and every product you could ever want stocked up in there. Pick up shoes at the front desk and stow your ish in a locker, then head to class with included locker key lanyard in tow. The classroom was dimly lit with rows of immaculate bikes. Towels provided. The staff was very helpful helping me set up; I clearly had no idea what I was doing as I awkwardly hobbled into the room in the spin shoes.
The class was magical. Level of difficulty A+. Motivational speeches A+. Music choice A++++; I actually wish I had my phone on me in class so I could Shazam the crap out of Allie’s playlist. I sweated buckets, I forced a very pained smile through the hills, I felt like a million bucks once the cool lavender scented towel they handed me at the end of class made contact with my perspiration-​drenched skin.
I’ve since become a spin junkie (as much as my budget allows anyway) and I’ve tried out Flywheel in Philadelphia… I have to say, even pitted against a more corporate-​level big city spin institution like that, SHiFT wins no contest. The friendliness of the staff, the cleanliness of the studio, the aura of patient encouragement at SHiFT has totally won me over. I missed the boat when I forgot to sign up for their 10 classes for $ 150 deal; if they ever do it again I’ll drop cash on that in a heartbeat.

The best !!! A true party on a bike and amazing workout.

SHiFT is the quality indoor spin studio you have been looking for. The staff is friendly. The instructors are powerful & inspirational. The facilities are gorgeous and include showers. I love that they have «getting ready» gear in the locker rooms too — hair dryer, hair ties, deodorant, and more. This studio really creates a sense of community & family.

I have to say I am a bit of a pro when it comes to indoor cycling studios. I have tons, but this one blows them all out of the water. Clean facility, bright colors, friendly staff, positive environment and awesome instructors. I went to Allie’s Tuesday night ‘beats’ ride. She plays awesome, current music that really gets you going. Something I saw for the first time at SHiFT was the monitors they use to track your performance. Find your bike number and watch your stats as you ride, so awesome. And at the end of class, those stats get e-​mailed to you so you! Did I mention they give you ice cold aromatherapy towels at the end of each class? Amazing. I LOVE SHiFT.

I really cannot rave about this place enough. The amenities, the staff, the instruction, the online reservation system, the newsletter – all superb. Shift does a great job as well of integrating themselves within their community, partnering on several events with local businesses and charities or showing up at big city-​wide events to bring some fun and publicity to their name for people. They’re always running some kind of deal or opportunity to win free classes, even though their classes are frequently packed with people. To me, it suggests a real gratitude for their clients and respect for the community they are trying to carve out for people where things are aimed at being mutually beneficial for clients and staff. What a privilege to have them in New Haven.

I have been going here regularly since they opened, and I absolutely love the studio. The staff upon entrance is kind and helpful. The locker rooms are clean, and everything you need from hair ties, to blow dryers, to shower towels. I also like how they have showers at the New Haven studio, because after having my butt kicked so hard in class a shower is necessary! The instructors are all excellent, and super motivating. I have been to Soul Cycle, and after coming to SHiFT I would not go back to Soul.

As a dedicated spinning studio, Shift Cycling has all around excellent instructors each with their own unique takes and styles — but all can give you as vigorous a workout as you can handle. Stats are hooked up to leaderboard screens at the front (optional) if your’e the competitive type, and they email you your class results almost immediately, and you can see your trend over time for various metrics.
Shoes are provided for $ 2 or you can bring your own. I had never used the bike shoes before but they definitely give a better workout than usual sneakers.

Soulcycle/​Flywheel/​Peloton (aka spinning) devotee, and even though it is tough to replicate some of my favorite instructors, I am still so happy to have such a great spin option in New Haven. The gym is similarly styled — squeaky clean, well-​scented, and great amenities — shoes, towels, water, showers stocked with bath products, filtered water fountain, and basic toiletries/​blowdryers, etc. The bikes are Schwinn, really new and in great condition (like you would find at Equinox). The classes are great — the acoustics are great and they will track your stats (a la Flywheel) and go the extra step of emailing them to you and compiling your stats class to class. You have to find the instructor whose style you like, but you have great options to choose from and once you do, you’re set! The front desk girls are super, super nice, and Jenn is amazing!

I joined my first class yesterday and I’m so happy that I did. The store is beautiful and the class was upbeat and fun. I highly recommend Shift.

I cannot praise Shift Cycling enough! Great classes, fun music, beautiful studio. Highly recommend!

Best spin studio in ct! Studio is new and modern. Great bikes, they have screens to monitor progress just like flywheel, but here you get a cold towel when done. First class place and we can’t wait to go back. Well done!

Great studio! Clean bikes, shoe rentals, beautiful bathroom, and best of all — cold, cucumber scented (I think) towels at the end of the ride. I can’t wait to come back.

Today marks the end of SHiFT CYCLING New Haven’s friends & family week, with an official opening date moved out to Monday April 6^th.
As a spinning enthusiast I was *beyond excited* to try this place out, even while they’re still working out the kinks.
Start to finish this place is really classy!
The website (
) is brand new too, and with a few extra clicks you can set up your profile and reserve your bike which is well worth it, since your in class stats are modified if you enter your sex, height, & weight.
The Warmup
This space has been completely renovated with new facilities including changing rooms, restrooms, shower, blow dry mirror bar, and soon to arrive lockers. Everything looks amazing! The spinning studio is brand new with 40 Spinning bikes that are all SPD compatible for spin shoes; yikes, no sneaker cages here! Looks like they will be renting spin shoes for $ 2 – 3 per class for those who don’t own their own pair. The studio is blacked out and the electronic leaderboards at the front display each bikers watts (energy/​effort), rpm, class rank, and possibly heart rate (though I admittedly couldn’t get it to pick up my polar hr monitor).
The Course
The 45 minute classes flew by pretty quickly with enthusiastic instructors and great music. With all that technology I couldn’t believe about half the class has the SHiFT logo up on the board instead of stats. It’s difficult to keep track of your progress and stay on target because the room lights are out and the individual bike screens only illuminate for about 10 seconds each time you turn it on. Super frustrating. Towels are provided, which is a good thing since that room is WAY too hot and stuffy for the best workout (I want to work harder, not sweat more thanks) and *definitely needs more circulation*!
The Cooldown
At the end of class they also brought out cool lavender infused towels, which was amazing! After class you’re supposed to get your stats for the ride by email (wasn’t quite working just yet), which might be a cool way to keep track of your progress.
The Cost
So here’s where I’m worried about SHiFT … super pricy! They’re running an opening special $ 20 for 2 classes, and then it’s either a $ 150 monthly rate for unlimited rides, or class cards, which range from $ 28 for a drop in to $ 20 per ride if you buy 50 (totaling $ 1000!). There is no student rate posted yet either for unlimited monthly or class cards, and in Yale territory this would be a great way for them to keep up their attendance! First class is free according to the website.
The Schedule
Unknown. Hope to see evening classes that start no earlier than 6p and a few classes on Saturdays and Sunday, all an hour long instead of just 45 minutes scheduled in the New Haven studio.
*****
The Bottom Line
SHiFT CYCLING is a great addition to New Haven, with brand new facilities, enthusiastic staff, and the most awesome owner! This place self-​marketing is at an all time high, with everything branded SHiFT including half your ride … if it were me, I’d invest in customers instead with the right prices, get people to fall in love with your instructors and let them go do your marketing for you with word of mouth! Promoting SHiFT New Haven at the right price is gonna be key for this new business; I hope I get to ride with SHiFT again soon!
A note about Jenn, the owner.
She is genuinely one of the most energetically intense people I have met who is so super pumped about spinning and gives off an equally intense metaphysical vibe. She is the real deal; she is just that awesome, and I’ve only met her once.