When the RealRyder® International team travels across the globe presenting at fitness industry trade shows, we get all kinds of questions about the RealRyder® bike. Some inquiries that are particularly common from those who’ve never experienced our bike include, “Is it possible to lock the bike in place so it does not move?” Or “Excuse me… but I think there’s something wrong with your bike. Do you know that it’s moving?” (no joke!)

Another question that’s far more frequent is the purpose of this blog: “Is the RealRyder workout harder than a traditional stationary bike workout?”

Before you bust out with a definitive answer, we believe it depends on whom you ask. Take Kathy Wilder, a dedicated RealRyder Indoor Cyclist at 501SPIN in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Now in her 50s, Kathy has been extremely passionate about fitness her entire life. She was an avid runner in her 20s. She’s always known maintaining muscle mass and keeping her heart strong and healthy is important as she ages. Yet, while most baby boomers are complaining about stiff knees or achy backs, Kathy wakes up each day confronting a 32-year battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

“I remember waking up one day and the lower half of my body was completely numb. Then, I woke up another time and my upper body was completely numb. We didn’t have MRIs in the 1980s, so I had no clue what was wrong with me, so I just kept on moving through life with random, scary symptoms,” said Kathy.

Over the years her condition worsened. Her six-mile daily runs came to a gradual halt. Leg exercises with weights became too much for her lower body to tolerate and inevitably, balance became an issue. Fast forward to today, Kathy finds it difficult to complete a half-mile walk with her husband, whom she used to enjoy hours of walking with around the city. The burdensome obstacle that prevents her from being physically active begins in her legs.

“My legs start to feel like Gumby. I get a spasm in my low back and dull pain radiates up my spinal muscles,” says Kathy.

Determined to keep her body moving, Kathy decided to try a new gym and fitness facility in her neighborhood called 501SPIN. What initially attracted her to this facility was the upper body ergometer machine (think cycling using your arms), which she believed would work well for her, given it excluded the lower body. While getting acclimated to the studio, Kathy discovered the facility’s uniquely fun and dynamic RealRyder® Indoor Cycling classes. Curious about the new bikes that could tilt and lean, she decided to try a class.

“I was afraid of falling off the RealRyder bike at first. I wasn’t worried about the bike tipping over. I was concerned about my problems with balance!” says Kathy. “But I realized I just needed to get used to it and take it slow.”

And that’s just what Kathy did.

Today – thanks to Kathy’s courage, and an inspirational teacher named Dawn Doll, whom she credits as a major influence and motivational force -  Kathy told us, “I’m able to complete an entire class. I’m able to stand up and ride, which I never thought I could do. The fact that the bike moves and simulates turns, and improves core strength is really helping me.”

Newly enlightened and deeply moved by Kathy’s incredible story of personal triumph, we decided to ask her the ever-popular question that newbie RealRyders often ask us:

“Do you think RealRyder Indoor Cycling is harder than traditional cycling?”

Kathy: “It’s not harder. It’s just different. And most importantly, the classes are fun!”

RealRyder is hard at work on its installments featuring studios across the United States that have taken their indoor cycling studios to the next level (see our first installment on Real Ryder Revolution in metro-Detroit Michigan). What is their secret to selling out cycling classes, creating waiting lines and leaving their customers hungry for more? Watch the second part of this installment, featuring Qi Ryders, to learn more about the secrets to their success!

“Every month has been better than the last.”
“In 5 months I’ve never had one class not sell out.”
“Customer retention has been easy. We just put them on the bike.”
“RealRyders provide 100% more benefit – to everything.”

Qi has an incredible story in terms of its business success, but the classes featuring RealRyder® ABF8 bikes have also changed the lives of their participants. Below we have the story of how RealRyder changed the life of one of Qi’s top trainers and their Boxing Director, Nick Spinosa.

Nick has been on his feet for most of his life, growing up working his family’s restaurant in Pennsylvania. As an avid athlete, Nick played many sports – baseball, football, basketball – and continued to play baseball at the collegiate level at Penn State. He also developed a love and passion for boxing, which runs in his family. Nick’s grandfather was  a professional boxer.

Nick’s love of sports and time spent on his feet caught up with him. During his collegiate years, while playing both baseball and boxing, Nick had to undergo surgery for damages to his feet, also dealing with arthritis pains from being on so many surfaces. Surgeons had to fuse the bones of his feet together in a series of surgeries. Three surgeries, in fact. Not an easy thing to swallow for an active person. And that wasn’t the end.

Following college, two additional surgeries (for a total of 5 surgeries on his feet!) the newly-minted kineseology grad headed out west to live with his brother in Denver, Colorado. Nick said he could barely walk or bend over when he arrived in Colorado in early 2010. It was time to get back in form. His brother proceeded to introduce him to Chris Lindley, one of the co-owners of Qi.

The two hit it off immediately, bonding over boxing and the Army-style workouts Chris provided at Qi. Enter the RealRyders at Qi. Nick was re-learning to walk when RealRyders arrived at Qi, and with the RealRyder® ABF8′s, he was able to accomplish his goals of walking again, becoming physically active and shedding weight gained over multiple surgeries. Nick is now 60 pounds lighter, teaching at least 13 filled or sold out classes a week and directs the Boxing programs at Qi. Nick’s personal triumph is one of the many stories we are proud to highlight and share. Qi continues to make an impact in the Denver community and on the lives of its participants and employees.

Do you have a story to share? We would love to feature your story on RealRyder’s blog!

Have you heard the buzz about our RealRyder® Indoor Cycling Certified Instructor Training Program? We could tell you about it, but we’d much rather you hear (and see!) a few words from our recent indoor cycling trainings.

2011 is a BIG year for RealRyder, as we roll out the education program, bringing a new level of excitement to indoor cycling with our bikes and instruction. We have over 20 trainings scheduled this year alone, in both the U.S. and internationally. Our Certified Instructor Training Program sets that stage for club owners and instructors to “lead the pack” with one of the hottest pieces of fitness equipment on the market!

The RealRyder Indoor Cycle Certified Instructor Training Program builds on the history of indoor cycling, using a teaching system that eliminates guess work, so that planning intelligent and creative workouts is easy. Join a pack of enthusiastic RealRyder ambassadors and become part of a new era of indoor cycling today!

Have you taken the training or are you participating in an upcoming training at one of our many locations? Please share your thoughts and/or what you’re hoping to learn from the RealRyder® Indoor Cycling Certified Instructor Training Program.

Check out photos from some of our recent trainings at studios throughout the U.S. and Canada! RealRyder Cycling Studio (Los Angeles), Body-n-Mind Ryde (Miami), Equilibria Fitness (Doral, FL), Execl Fitness (BC, Canada)

Earlier this month we were at the SCW show Boston MANIA running our popular indoor cycling classes. This was the last SCW event of the year and a chance for New England to see the hottest innovations in fitness equipment and training.

We are always looking for feedback on what people think of our version of indoor cycling and the Boston audience didn’t let us down. We could tell you, but we’d rather let them tell you in their own words – the next era of cycling is here!

Some great testimonials and quotes! We regularly talk about RealRyder introducing a new era of indoor cycling and how our stationary bike is more realistic, but it is still reassuring to us when we hear it from the riders!

“It was incredible!” (RealRyder Indoor Cycling)

“Works your body much more than a Spinning® bike!”

“Riding indoors can get a little mundane and boring………this is definitely not mundane and boring – it’s exciting, it’s rad!”

“Closest thing to an outside bike.”

“Even with the learning curve, it was fun!”

“You won’t go back to a stationary bike!”

Boston is an ideal venue for this time of year, winter is coming in the North and for many outdoor cyclists, thoughts are now turning to spending more time indoor cycling. Our version of the indoor bike is equally at home as a more exciting alternative to the usual spin bikes or bike trainers.

Our favorite quote on the video is the last one:-

“Get off the old bike, get on the new and move into the future!”

Change up your indoor cycling classes or get your own RealRyder for training this winter – you won’t be disappointed. Welcome to Indoor Cycling 2.0! Time to take the training wheels off!

We have written many times about how riders quickly find their confidence when the ride a RealRyder stationary bike for the first time. Today we received a great email from Donna Potter telling us how RealRyder indoor cycling has helped her confidence with her real bike!

Here is what Donna told us:

I am so excited to share my enhanced confidence out of the saddle on my road bike since I began workouts on the Real Ryder stationary bike. I picked up my road bike from the shop a couple of weeks ago and it was my first time cycling outside since I’ve started Real Ryder classes. I was exhilarated by my new found agility and control out of the saddle! I was fearless and let’s just say prior to Real Ryder classes I was only getting out of the saddle to power up the steepest of hills (and cautiously) due to the fear of possibly toppling over while being clipped in on such a lightweight bike. Now I feel like a kid on my bike, cruising side to side out of the saddle all caution to the wind.

Real Ryder rocks!

This makes a lot of sense and reinforces one of the more subtle benefits of our stationary bike, that we have talked about before. When you stand on an ordinary spin bike or stationary bike there is no movement, so weight distribution and balance are not really factors. Whereas when you stand on a real bike it will move from side to side especially if you are pushing a big gear on a hill. So balance is very important, as is a stable core, so you are focused on keeping the bike pointed in the right direction and smooth controlled movements. This is exactly what you will feel when you stand on a RealRyder, because our stationary bike will lean like a real bike, you need to ride it more like a real bike!

A non tilting stationary bike or rigid spinning bike cannot replicate this feeling, so does little to improve your cycling form or as Donna rightly points out your confidence! So thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Donna. You maybe new to RealRyder Indoor Cycling, but I think you are the first to identify this very important benefit that comes from riding a stationary bike that feels more like a real bike! It does actually help you develop a feel and enhance your confidence for when you are riding your real bike!