Sweatproof Indoor Bikes? Latest News For Cyclists

[caption id="attachment_3941" align="alignleft" width="361" caption="The New Indoor Bikes"][/caption]

If you are a cyclists, then you know how exhausting and great this workout can be. You also know to bring an extra shirt and a towel because of just how sweaty this workout is. Katherine Rosman of The Wall Street Journal introduces us to a new brand of indoor bikes that are said to be "sweat proof:"

Flywheel, the chain of indoor-cycling studios, is building equity through sweat. And that is a big problem for the Manhattan-based fitness company.

Its clients are getting such a good workout—as measured in buckets of perspiration—that the innards of the company's Schwinn in-studio bikes are rusty and the handles of its arms weights are gushy.

So as it seeks to expand around the country, the 20-month-old, seven-location Flywheel starting Tuesday is introducing an indoor cycle of its own design. The handlebars are sleeker. The seat is easier to adjust. The metals are "marine-grade, saltwater-proof," says co-founder Jay Galluzzo, who rode the bike for a test of its water resistance. "No one sweats more than me," he says.

Flywheel is sporty and competitive, while its biggest competitor, SoulCycle, is yoga-flavored. SoulCycle, also with seven locations, has plans to introduce its own new in-studio cycle in April as part of an expansion of its studios and retail push. It says it will offer the cycle for clients to buy at a cost of about $1,500. The chain is flush with capital after Equinox fitness clubs acquired a majority interest this past spring. "We see major potential for this niche, and we are going to grow SoulCycle significantly and quickly," says Harvey Spevak, Equinox chief executive. It plans 50 new studios in the U.S. and Europe by 2015.

Read more at The Wall Street Journal