The cycling boom isn’t ending any time soon. What started with SoulCycle in 2011 has grown with cycling studios like FlyWheel, Studio Three and, now, Full Psycle.
The newest studio to hit Chicago, Full Psycle in Lincoln Park (2121 N. Clybourn Ave. 312-685-2289) claims to be “an epic full-body and full-mind experience,” a phrase that has been repeated many a time by many a studio. Though the studio’s description may not be unique, its format is.
The Full Psycle studio feels less like a gym and more like a dance club, with music blaring and disco lights flashing around the room, threatening to blind anybody who looks at them too long. At first, I took the aesthetics of the cycling room as tacky, but the lack of proper lighting made it easier to not feel self-conscious next to my fellow cyclers.
What didn’t help to assuage the stress of attempting a new workout was the presence of television screens in the studio, broadcasting how everybody was doing at a given time. While your name might not be attached to your statistics on the screen, your bike number was—making it hard to focus on how I was doing while bike No. 13 sped ahead of where I was.
While it clearly was meant to serve as motivation to push yourself harder, the screens only made me doubt myself—and added unnecessary competition amongst the riders. Sure, I did work harder, but for every increase in my “position” on the board, there was a decrease for somebody else. And of the 30-ish riders in the room, someone among us had to ride knowing they were bringing up the rear—not exactly a supportive workout environment.
The class was broken up into different segments: some races amongst the rows, a few sets of hills and sprints and a portion of weight-training with hand weights on the bikes.
If you’re able to disconnect from the screens—or if you thrive under the pressure of competition—the Full Psycle workout can be fun. The strobe lights and loud tunes (my entire workout was set to Lady Gaga’s greatest hits) can definitely make certain parts of the ride not-so-torturous.
Full Psycle is currently offering a first class free for new riders, but one drop-in class is $17. Cycling shoes are included to wear during class and towels are available on hand—and you’ll definitely need one.
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