As the founder of boutique fitness consultancy Studio Grow, Lise Kuecker has worked with over 5,000 boutique studios across 48 countries, guiding them on everything from launching with a bang to maximising profitability – and more. Also a studio owner herself, an avid cyclist and a former Spin instructor, she is exceptionally well-placed to comment on the trends and opportunities in the global cycle studio space. RIDE HIGH was excited to hear what she had to say…

“I do feel that indoor cycling is due a resurgence. Everything good comes back.”

What’s hot in cycle at the moment?

Let’s set the scene by starting with what’s not hot. We’re seeing a lot of things being rehashed in cycle at the moment; the last big shift came with SoulCycle and the rhythm movement, but that was years ago. We’ve since lost some of the excitement and creativity and as a result, we’re seeing some clubs remove their cycle studios. This is hugely disappointing, as those who are doing exceptional things are still crushing it.

I know reformer and strength are having their moment, but I do feel that indoor cycling is due a resurgence. Everything good comes back.

Peloton reminded us that we can have great experiences outside of the studio. It’s time now to reframe what happens in the studio – and in fact, we’re already seeing some interesting innovations from some of the brands we work with.

SPENGA is a great example, reflecting the rise in multi-modality studios – not multiple studios under one roof, but fusion programming. It blends indoor cycling, strength and yoga into one 60-minute class – and it has now sold over 300 studios, making it one of America’s fasting-growing fitness franchises. Similarly, STRONG Pilates blends rowing or cycling with reformer in its Rowformer and Bikeformer classes.

Studios should certainly be looking at how they incorporate strength into cycling.

Meanwhile, who says indoor cycling has to take place in dark, nightclub-style spaces? Too many studios around the world currently look and feel exactly the same: the same design, programming, pricing, packaging and marketing. It’s time to break the mould! Some of the concepts coming through now are doing precisely this – for example, creating spaces that mimic the outdoors for light-filled, Saturday morning-style rides.

“With real estate prices so high, it’s time to explore a return to multi-purpose spaces”

We’re also seeing more meditative cycling and sound-driven rides, where the internal journey is supported by excellent sound and visuals.

It’s also time to explore a return to multi-purpose spaces. Bikes are, after all, highly mobile, so while indoor cycling can be very successful as a standalone offering, there are other avenues to explore – other ways to offer indoor cycling classes, even where a gym has no dedicated studio.

For example, we’re working on a wonderful project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where an amphitheatre-style design features tiers that are deep enough to accommodate not only indoor bikes but also yoga mats and even small portable beds for sound bath meditation. Storage is built into the space, so the appropriate equipment can be brought out for each session. At other times, the space can be used for lectures, content creation and so on. It’s as much a cultural hub and social wellness space as it is a studio.

Other interesting pilots include floating instructors. It’s hard to connect with everyone from the front of the room, so in addition to the instructor in the saddle, these studios have another instructor going around the room throughout the class offering personalised support and motivation.

What other trends are you seeing?

More so than in any other modality, we’re seeing a huge divide between the different styles of programming: rhythm vs performance. And it’s only getting bigger.

Of course there’s a place for performance cycling, including standalone performance studios where population densities and profiles allow. The same goes for countries where cycling is a major sport, particularly where the climate means it’s sometimes preferable to train indoors.

There’s a great option for studios to create athletic performance packages for specific audiences such as triathletes, too; in this case, you aren’t really selling indoor cycling classes but rather improved performance for events and competitions.

Where this is executed effectively, with tailored programming and great marketing, it’s doing very well.

“People are looking for hyper-personalisation, so we need to reconsider what intimacy looks like”

But generally, we’re seeing 70–80 per cent of consumers looking for rhythm cycling – including lots of newcomers. We also know that overall, rhythm cycling tends to drive a higher number of weekly visits per person than performance classes.

Yet many performance studios are unwilling to shift to this demand and cross the boundary, firm in their stance that rhythm isn’t ‘proper’ cycling. And even in studios where both styles of programming are offered, the balance isn’t always right. They aren’t actually asking consumers what they want – then wonder why their performance classes aren’t full.

The short version: There isn’t just one isolated style. You can’t simply pretend the other form of programming doesn’t exist.

I’m excited by the studios that powerfully combine rhythm and performance under one roof, providing diversity to keep consumers coming back and educating them on the benefits of both styles, so they enjoy it all.

What are today’s key considerations?

With real estate prices so high at the moment, we must be more creative in how we use our space. This lends itself to the multi-purpose model I mentioned earlier.

Number of bikes is also important. People are increasingly looking for hyper-personalisation in their fitness and wellness routines, so we need to reconsider what intimacy looks like. Just as one example, the project we’re currently working on in Finland will only have 20–22 bikes for a highly intimate, mass-personalisation approach.

We must also look at indoor cycling from a hospitality perspective. Traditionally performance-focused and attracting serious athletes, its colder delivery didn’t used to matter so much. Now it does. So, how do we really show up for the newcomers that rhythm cycling has attracted? How do we create an exceptional welcome and help them feel part of something bigger? How do we provide motivation if they don’t have it intrinsically?

SoulCycle has always done this really well. If you aren’t giving your instructors a list of first-time riders, birthdays and key milestones before every class, just as a starting point, you’re 15 years behind.

“Of all the boutique disciplines, cycling has been the most reluctant to change its pricing models. It now must.”

We also need to review how we price and package indoor cycling. Where studios once relied heavily on unlimited class packages, that’s unlikely to work if people are only attending once or twice a week. So, how do we now price to ensure profitability – and do we need to raise the experience even further to justify that?

Indoor cycling has been the boutique discipline most reluctant to change its pricing models. It now must. Equally, single-modality studios must be comfortable with members going to other places, not just to them.

To build your community and your reach, why not explore retail pop-ups? Peloton did lots of these and we see plenty of opportunity for this type of collaboration.

“We’ve diluted what it means to be a great instructor. It’s one of  my biggest concerns at the moment”

Bikes are easy to transport, so you can also take them out into the desert, to rooftops, to vineyards and more for special events. This used to happen a lot, then disappeared for a while, but it’s now back and working well. We’re also seeing runclub-style cycle clubs taking members out of the studio to ride outdoors on road bikes or mountain bikes.

In a nutshell, there’s a lot of rigid, rule-based thinking in indoor cycling, but that isn’t good in a world that’s moving so fast. We need to be much more open to innovation.

Finally, take note of the spread of indoor cycling into new markets. We’re currently working on projects in Finland and Albania, for example. Opportunities are everywhere!

Any other advice for studio owners?

Cycle studios should put more time and energy into growing great instructors. Spinning did this very well in the early days, but over time we’ve diluted what it means to be a great instructor.

This is a problem in a discipline that remains highly instructor-driven. In fact, it’s one of my biggest concerns in indoor cycling at the moment.

How do you hire, onboard, train, mentor and continue to develop your instructors? What is your instructor career path and what does your business look like from a team perspective?

Have you built your own teacher training programme, including regular CPD to drive excellence as a core part of your budget?

If you’re in a market where indoor cycling is new, are you regularly flying in top instructors to deliver training? One suggestion: have them lead guest instructor classes while they’re with you. Discounted for members but almost guaranteed to be full, such classes will go a long way towards covering the cost of their visits.

Quite simply, if indoor cycling only ever has an army of part-time instructors, we will never have the industry we’re looking for. If we don’t shift to become team-driven, we will never deliver the great experiences our consumers demand. A dramatic shift is urgently needed.