Everything You Need to Know About the Home SoulCycle Bike from Variis

I love, love, love spin classes. before the pandemic, I was averaging about 4-5 spin classes a week for exercise. As gyms shut down here in san diego, I opted to upgrade my home workouts and got the coveted at home soulcycle bike from variis.

THE AT HOME SOULCYCLE BIKE

What is soulcycle?

As far as group workouts are concerned, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Soulcycle is one of the most famous.

If you’ve never tried a soulcycle class, here’s the deal:

not all spin classes are created equally. i didn’t know there was even a difference in the types of spin classes until a few years ago.

in a lot of spin classes, you’re riding a stationary bike to music and the instructor tells you to increase your resistance, stand up, go faster, etc.

the major difference between the style of soulcycle and other classes is that it’s beat driven. meaning you’re riding to the beat of the music. think about when you tap your beat to a song, that’s what your dominant foot is doing. so in some ways it’s kind of like dancing.

soulcycle classes are in a dark room lined with a few candles. this is another major game changer when it comes to being able to completely tune out whatever else is going on and focus on working out.

soulcycle launched as a single “in person” location in New York in 2005 and now has 99 locations across the U.S., UK, and Canada. recently, the brand expanded, partnering with equinox to sell an at-home bike, linked to on-demand classes.

Everything You Need to Know About the Home SoulCycle Bike from Variis

all the details about the bike

The process of getting the bike is super easy. You go online and buy it right from their website. Then, you schedule a delivery time. Mine took about 2 weeks to get. The day of delivery, they come and set it all up for you and show you how it works.

The bike does come with a warranty in case you were worried. You have a one year warranty on the touch screen, a one year warranty on the bike parts and a five year warranty on the bike frame.

The SoulCycle is based on a Stages SC1 bike, which means they’re the same quality as the bikes you get in studio.

The screen is HUGE. The 21.5 inch HD touch screen & surround make the experience super immersive. You can even pair it with a bluetooth speaker for more volume. Or bluetooth headphones if you don’t want to bug your neighbors.

The production quality is amazing, you get multiple camera angles and mood lighting that change to simulate the vibe of a real studio ride. You can even watch someone ride the “form bike”, which is a sidge profile of a rider.

The bike itself is sturdy. You feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. It weighs 142 pounds, so you feel secure on it, even when you’re bouncing around.

Then there are the classes. You can take both on-demand and live classes, that range from 20 to 90 minutes. They also have standalone arm / sculpt workouts. You can also pick the free ride option, meaning you can watch something on Netflix or Disney + while you ride. The bike tracks all of your workouts & gives you progress updates at the end of every class.

The Variis App

To take classes, you have to sign up for Variis membership and download their app. It’s a monthly subscription ($40 a month) you use for unlimited access to SoulCycle classes.

What I really love is that there’s also an insane library of other on-demand workouts you can do with the app. It’s basically like having a membership to a really fancy gym.

There are a ton of other fitness brands offering workouts on demand, like Equinox, Headstrong, Rumble, Pure Yoga, Precision Run, and TB12.

I’ve been loving the stretching, yoga & sculpt classes. All of the workouts are catered to home fitness – so you don’t need any crazy home gym supplies.

The SoulCycle Class Vibe

So the major difference between SoulCycle and other types of spin classes is that it’s beat driven. Meaning, you’re riding to the beat of the music.

SoulCycle classes are a combo of high intensity cardio, rhythm based choreography and strength training. Plus, a mental boost of motivation and positive encouragement!

But don’t be intimidated if you’re a beginner. There are a range of beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. And at the end of the day, even if a class is hard, you can take breaks and modify.

soulcycle vs. peloton

Before getting my SoulCycle bike, I rented a spin bike and got a Peloton streaming membership. So this is a combination of fact and personal preference.

First up, the price. They’re literally the same price. The Bike+ from Peloton is $2495 and the SoulCycle bike is $2500. Both offer the same financing, so you can make low monthly payments. Both companies offer accessories at similar price points.

Both brands have membership based classes – Peloton’s is $39 & Variis is $40 per month. Again, the pricing is the same. I will say, the variety of classes offered by Variis is a bit better – you get all of the classes I mentioned above from Equinox, Precision Run, and PURE Yoga.

The major difference is that the SoulCycle bike is solely built around music and curating a workout with fun choreography. You can keep track of your progress using SoulBeat, a post-ride recap. Each recap tells you how well you connected with the class’s playlist as well as your distance and power output. The SoulCycle bike mimics the same vibe and energy you’d feel in their indoor cycling studio, but at home.

Peloton is set up to let riders compete against each other in real-time, as well as track performance with a leaderboard feature.

It basically comes down to the type of workout you’re looking for. If matching your workout to rhythm and tempo is a priority, the SoulCycle bike is your best bet. If you’re looking for competition and structure, a Peloton bike might be better.

Personally, I feel like the SoulCycle style classes feel fun and uplifting. If you turn the lights out (like an actual class), you can zone out, listen to the music and just kind of decompress. Depending on the type of class you take, it can feel like you’re dancing in a club or singing along to your favorite songs.