We love sharing stories of philanthropy. (B) East owner Romaine Gordon planned and hosted the event to raise money for a local family. Watch the video and read the inspirational story below. [Article originally posted in East Hampton Patch]

After a 90-minute spin class and Zumba class at B. East Fitness Studio and an auction and raffle at a benefit party at the Stephen Talkhouse on Saturday, the donations were tallied. According to Romaine Gordon, who organized the fundraiser, over $28,500 was raised for Lisa Craine of East Hampton, who has been battling Stage 4 colon cancer for more than two years. Craine, a mother of three, thanked the community for “stepping up” for her family.

Donations can still be made by sending checks payable to Friends of Lisa Craine, c/o Romaine Gordon, 12 Runnymede Drive, East Hampton, NY 11937.

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!

We are looking forward to one of the biggest fitness industry events in the world. The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, IHRSA, was our topic in an earlier blog this week, and we’re ready to roll out details on why this trade show is going to be so much fun! Adding to the excitement of IHRSA is the release of our brand-new promotional video (RealRyder Indoor Cycling 2011) and collaborations with some of the biggest names in the fitness industry.

RealRyder is teaming up with big names -  Motionsoft, Total Gym and Gatorade for amazing giveaways and experiences at IHRSA. RealRyder will be giving away 2, AFB8 bikes in conjunction with the Motionsoft, via text message. You can stop by their booth (#1026) for the details on entry and ways to win. Each day, a random winner will be selected to win a RealRyder Indoor Cycle or a Total Gym.

If you’re interested in going to IHRSA but haven’t committed yet, we have two ways for you to save on the trade show passes. Our promotional partners, Motionsoft have passes to offer! IHRSA is also offering an exclusive promotional code for their Facebook fans.

We only have one question … a Are You Ready for our Ryde?

• Thursday, March 17th: Beginning at 11:00am, we will be offering 15-minute classes on the only indoor cycling ride that moves you!
• If you complete one of the mini-classes, you will receive our RealRyder Messenger bag, perfect for the conference or on-the-go wherever you are!
• Friday, March 18th: We’re up bright and early at 6:00am! The RealRyder Performance & Hydration Station, Fueled by Gatorade – G Series Fit
• Ryde Real every 30 minutes, with classes ending at 8:30am. And no need for extra gear – we’ve got you covered with the brand-new G Series Fit drink and Gatorade towels, as well as a brand-new RealRyder t-shirt!

The much traveled RealRyder team will be at Boston MANIA from 12th to 14th of November and will be running our popular indoor cycling classes.

These classes have been selling out at the earlier SCW shows as the word is spreading fast about our unique stationary bike and how it is changing indoor cycling.

RealRyder Indoor Cycling is significantly different from the usual indoor cycling class, due to the movement of our bike. This ability to turn and lean, means you will recruit more muscles and get a full body workout, you also burn more calories and last, but not least you will have more fun!

Apart from adding some extra spice to a typical spin class our indoor cycling classes also seem to appeal more to cyclists and triathletes. We hear this often from riders and it should come as no surprise, Colin Irving who created the RealRyder Stationary Bike is an expert cyclist himself and the inspiration for our bike came from a disappointment with existing indoor bikes. Put simply they did not replicate the fun and excitement of riding a real bike!

To give you a flavor of what to expect here are two videos from the recent Midwest MANIA held in Chicago.

More details on Boston MANIA

http://www.scwfitness.com/boston/

So if you are in the Boston area this weekend, come and check out our stationary bike at the SCW show and experience “The New Era of Indoor Cycling” for yourself!

Our stationary bike is on the move again! We are at Midwest MANIA for the latest SCW show (October 8 -10) and will be running our popular RealRyder Indoor Cycling Classes!

RealRyder has been at all the SCW shows this year and they are a great way to stay in touch with fellow industry professionals and follow the latest trends in fitness equipment and training. It also gives more people the opportunity to ride our stationary bike, which is not like any other indoor bike you may have ridden before!

Riding our stationary bike will feel more like riding a real bike as you can lean and turn, which gives a more dynamic ride.

It will also make your indoor cycling much more fun than a traditional stationary bike!

You will get a full body workout as you engage your upper body and core muscles. You will also burn approximately 20% more calories, because you are recruiting more muscles.

The RealRyder Indoor Cycling Classes are the best way to feel the difference and most people who try our stationary bike come away excited and are reluctant to go back to their old indoor bikes! The RealRyder stationary bike has created a new era of indoor cycling!

Click here for Midwest MANIA Registration, plus full details of the RealRyder Indoor Cycling Class times.

Put the dates in your diary and come and check out our unique leaning stationary bike for yourself and look out for the RealRyder stationary bike at future SCW shows near you!