Skip to main content

Take a spinning class anywhere there’s a bike with CycleCast

cyclecast spinning class at home feat
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Love the SoulCycle workout but can’t stand SoulCycle? I understand, and so does CycleCast, a mobile environment and experience that launched today, bringing the energy, intensity, and community of indoor cycling out of the studio and onto your phone. Giving you the freedom to get your sweat on without ever leaving your home (or your own personal bike), CycleCast delivers “hit music and world-class instructors directly to you.” Simply choose one of many in-demand instructors, select how long you’d like to ride (36 different workouts in 20-, 40-, and 60-minute intervals are available), and then just find your bike and hit play. And with CycleCast’s integration with Apple Health and MyFitnessPal, you can keep track of your progress, making this cycling workout one of the most personalized experience available.

“The goal was to make great cycling classes accessible to people who don’t live near a studio.”

While workout classes have become all the rage in the last few years, finding the time, effort, and yes, the budget to accommodate the rather inflexible schedules of various gyms can be quite the challenge. As such, CycleCast founder Doug Lotz told me, “I looked for a mobile solution that I could listen to on my iPhone while using a bike at the gym,” but alas, there was nothing available. So in a display of good old-fashioned ingenuity, Lotz decided to build it himself.

“The goal was to make great cycling classes accessible to people who don’t live near a studio, don’t have time to get to a class, or can’t afford to pay the roughly $30 per class that popular cycling studios across the country charge,” he told me. And at $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year, CycleCast just may be the solution.

To recreate the same sense of communal encouragement and adrenaline-pumping atmosphere, CycleCast focused on two key elements: motivating music and instruction. “So much of the energy of indoor cycling comes through sound,” said Lotz, “And no amount of fellow cyclists or mood lighting can ever outweigh the importance of it.” As such, their instructors “are essential in bringing studio-quality cycling classes to mobile. They provide all the energy through the effectiveness of their coaching and the power of the music that they choose.”

Whereas a traditional cycling class can only accommodate a few dozen cyclists, the mobile environment allows instructors to connect to a few thousand at a time. “The connection that riders feel with their instructor is really important to us and through the profile page in the app we sought to open an avenue for that relationship,” Lotz noted. “During every ride, the instructors encourage their riders to check in and leave a note on their profile page, which is readily accessible at the end of every class.” 

Of course, one of the key concerns with any fitness class is safety, which may be compromised without an expert on hand to ensure correct posture and safe riding. As such, Lotz says, “We encourage all new riders to check out our Ride Guide before starting their first class for instructions on how to set up their bike and ride safely and comfortably.

“Cycling is inherently a low-impact activity, but maintaining good posture is extremely important to reduce the risk of injury or post-ride pain.” And while an instructor won’t be physically by your side, Lotz points out, “Throughout each class, our instructors check in with riders about posture to ensure that they’re maintaining a safe and healthy position on the bike. They also encourage riders to listen to their bodies and to take ‘posture breaks’ if they need them.” Moreover, the the founder assured me, “you’ll hear the instructors reminding riders to drink plenty of water and stretch after each ride” to prevent dehydration or stress injuries.

CycleCast-003 

Interestingly enough, because your entire workout lives on your mobile phone, you could theoretically take your workout to the great outdoors if cycling in place just isn’t your thing. “If you had a long and fairly flat track,” says Lotz, “You could possibly follow a guided class. However, like the outdoor bike on a trainer, it’s all about safety and your comfort level on the bike. The instructor asks you to adjust resistance and get up out of the saddle a lot, so it would require you to be pretty nimble and balanced.” So careful daredevils — cycle at your own risk.

While CycleCast is currently a cycling-only endeavor, the team notes that “any fitness activity in which music and coaching could come together to propel you to perform, but that doesn’t rely on very detailed visual cues (like weight training, calisthenics, yoga, etc.) could adopt a similar at-home model.” Watch out, SoulCycle. Your biggest competitor may just be … well, the comfort of our homes.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

Read more
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

Read more
We have some bad news about the Google Pixel 9
A render of the Google Pixel 9 smartphone in black.

When the first wave of Google Pixel 9 series leaks arrived on the scene a few weeks ago, what really got us excited was the camera upgrade for the entry-level model. The leaked renders envisioned a triple-lens rear camera setup for the Pixel 9 that added a periscope-style telephoto snapper at the back alongside a radical design change.

Well, it seems those changes will remain a pipe dream, at least in 2024. OnLeaks, in collaboration with 91Mobiles, has shared alleged renders of the Pixel 9, claiming that the triple-camera devices in those leaked renders actually depicted the pricier Pixel 9 Pro and a new Pixel 9 Pro XL variant.

Read more