Spin Class journey [Start]

The jellyfish is back!

In a recent 2025 dinner with my junior Justin, he asked why I didn't post much things on my blog in these few years. I remembered giving him excuses such as being busy / nothing to post / random reasons, and naturally he knows it's all bs. :P 

I shall take his encouragement and do some random posts every now and then. To start off the year, I shall write something related to attending spin classes~ Document as a memory. :)

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Will elaborate on the experience below, but in summary, I am going for Spin classes at Vibe Studio Singapore ( https://myvibestudio.com/ ). 

Quite fun, give Spin a try if u are interested. The Beginner Experience class is only $10, and is bought individually. So even if u don't like the experience, only $10 is wasted. No hidden packages associated with this. :)

FitXpo event

The whole thing started from simple curiosity --- Going to the FitXpo event (https://fitxpo.sg/) held at Suntec in Sep 2025. It was really random: Was browsing through FB, and saw the FitXpo event has a class trial pass for $30, and one can attend as many classes as long as slots are available. Looks like all the things which I never do: Yoga, Pilates, HIIT variants, Spin Class. Ok lor, YOLO go try stuff.

The very first item on Day 1 (Sat), 11am+ was Spin Class, conducted by Vibe Studio Singapore. Reached early, got a slot (yay), and strangely not many people raised their hands during the beginner declaration. There was a Beginner Experience conducted by the same studio, but I just yolo and attended this one.

The first song, the warm up, Oiia cat remix! https://youtu.be/IxX_QHay02M?si=_AWBqrads5pi-ey0

Spin Class is not easy, and I had a fit colleague whom injured himself while doing Spin. Strangely I survived the session --- Quite tiring, cardio not my strength uh. >< 

I think I sweat too much. The rider beside me was asking if (1) I was an advanced rider and (2) if I did the HYROX challenge. He is too kind, I am nowhere fit for both his questions. Maybe the amount of sweat gave him an impression that I was used to cardio events. 

Vibe gave each attendee two lucky draw tickets. I thought Spin Class was quite fun, and went to check out the price. Wapiang, $440 for 20 classes. That's $22 per class, and the annual fee is more expensive than my Khatib gym membership fee for an entire year. Clarke Quay somemore, so far. ><

Closing the website, I walked around the FitXpo area, see the challenges, booth and products offered by other gyms and studios. Very stylish, I don't know much about these exercises, and there are quite a number of studios that cater to these interests. One of the fighting gym staff was being nice, and seemed sad when I told him I had no interest in fighting sports. Sorry for spoiling your day :(

There were not many interesting classes in the afternoon. While drinking the xth packet of HL milk (too much milk lmao), last chance to decide whether to know more about Spin, or leave the venue and don't think about it anymore. 

Knowing Vibe

So yup, decided to claim my 2 lucky draw prizes. It was a surprise to me that they assumed everyone to have an IG account. Maybe it's an age group thing, but for that I am thankful to my temp staff for asking me to keep my IG active. :P

I won a pair of socks, and 1 Beginner Experience class. Almost got the 5 one :(

The staff asked how the class was, and thought that I had attended Spin before because I survived the class. At that time I replied I had no experience, which in fact I forgot I had actually tried a spin class before via some DSO initiative. Totally forgot how I felt, except that the shoes are special and the locker room was a bit small. XD

As with all sales pitch, the staff tried to sell the Spin packages but encouraged me to choose only after attending the next FitXpo Beginner Experience session. I didn't use the bike as I was still a bit tired from the 11am+ one, and there was a guy who really wanted to try the session but there wasn't enough bikes. So I sat at one corner, put on headphones and listen to how a Beginner class was taught (e.g. setting up bike, how to do choreo, etc). Really much more chill than the 11am+ class. 

Aiya yolo, close one eye to the price and random location. Let's try! I got 2 items.

(1) 20 classes for $440. To my amazement, there was a FitXpo promo and they gave me 8 free extra classes. ^_^

(2) 2-week unlimited package for $59. They had a FitXpo promotion of 6 Beginner classes for $50, but the boss (Nat) encouraged me to take the 2-week unlimited instead for just $9 difference. "The Beginner u feel no kick right, go for unlimited la, more worth, actual experience."

I was worried about the package expiry. Heard too many stories about people wasting their credits because they couldn't finish their packages in time. The staff replied that they are flexible, and will extend if really got difficulty. They kept their word. and helped me extend almost all my packages. Of course, must make effort to go luh. Don't go once every few months then ask for extension. :P

With that, Nat shook hands and said welcome. Jeff being almost 100% introvert is just scared stiff in a pure extrovert environment. XD

Vibe First Day

Vibe Studio is located at 28 Carpenter Street, 4th floor. From Clarke Quay Exit E, cross an overhead bridge, walk about 1 minute, and take the lift at a fanciful building. 

It's quite a cosy studio. Seats/shoe racks for people to chill before/after the class. Mini display of products, water dispenser, lockers and toilets with showering facilities. Minimalistic, but got all the essential things, The Spin instructor from FitXpo (Carrie) remembered my name and that I attended her FitXpo class. Damn, insane memory. o_o

The Studio was close to having an anniversary event, and every attendee can vote for their favourite song genre via a sticker. Interesting distribution. 

My lucky draw Beginner Experience class (Theme: Boy bands, Girl bands) was conducted by Mabel. Class is good. The class introduces people about the Spin bike (Adjust settings; Bike mounting), proper positions to hold while sitting/standing on the bike, and learning to ride to the rhythm through slightly slower songs. All these in 45 minutes, absolutely no rush. If one needs help at any point of time, Mabel comes down to help, very friendly. :)

Session was very chill even after the final song (Saja Boys --- Soda Pop), and definitely more chill than the class I attended at FixXpo. 

The following class was a normal class (Vibe Ride) with a K-pop theme (Theme: EXO x TWICE) conducted by Esther. Jeff being Jeff, who doesn't have exp in Spin and never thought about how tiring two consecutive classes could be, signed up for the class by using the 20-credits package. 

Naturally died. :P

10 minutes into the class, it felt so much more tiring than the entire 45 mins Beginner experience. It's not a surprise luh, yolo is like that one. XD 

Just like Mabel, Esther is friendly and helped beginners (me) for the bike mounting/dismounting. She also looked out for beginners and recommended separate routines (e.g. Just sit down / single-time / do lower resistance). 

Overall, the 1st day was quite fun. Legs were slightly sore on that evening and the next day, but still can walk, not as bad as some of my gym leg days.

Vibe general classes

With the start of the package, I target to go Spin at least once a week, which I think I hit. :) In 2025, the instructors had a fixed schedule and I mostly went to Darren's classes on Wednesday evenings. His class is great! A bit more beginner friendly, so those who are new can adapt to his usual class pace in fewer sessions.

Sometimes I go to Spin on Saturdays if there is no Dragonboat. Arielle teaches classes on Saturdays, and a lot of them are K-pop. Her enthusiasm for K-pop is awesome! If the theme is the K-pop band Seventeen, she will even bring some merchandise to decorate her bike. :D 

If the theme is good, sometimes PH would tag along too. :P

The starting was a bit tough, and there are many double-time songs which I just did with a single beat, the rhythm was out of place. Doing choreo was alright for slower songs, but was a disaster for the faster ones. Forgot where to swing, forgot to push down, cannot add X while standing. The good thing: Things get better over time. After ~8 classes or slow, I got more used to the beat, can do the choreo better, got more consistent with the pulses and pushes. The harder ones like X and shifting the resistance lever remains untouched. 

Some classes also had an arm track --- The song focuses on arms/shoulder workout with a pair of light weights by the bike. This can be fun for the first minute or so, but shag if the arms track drag for like 3+ minutes. That said, arms track is definitely not as tiring as a Gym arms/shoulder day :P

1st Anniversary Event

Vibe held their 1st Anni event on 1st Nov (Sat), which so happened there wasn't Dragonboat that day. All classes were free that day as a celebration, and so I signed up for an EDM class and a K-pop class. Consecutive sessions. x.x 

Contrary to normal classes, the anniversary classes do not state the instructors, thus one only knows the instructors after entering the class. To be precise, only when the first song starts. :P For the EDM one, a pair of instructors were on the bike, only to be replaced right after the safety briefing lolol.

EDM. The class was tough. The intensity was high, there were almost no slow songs, and the arms track also required cycling on the bike simultaneously. >< But damn, the class was wild. Can hear people singing / shouting across the various awesome songs. Towards the end I was kinda regretting signing up for a 2nd consecutive class. :P

K-pop. The intensity was ok. I think Vibe was encouraging their instructors to teach a genre which they were unfamiliar. So one of the instructor had no experience in K-pop songs, and one can feel the lack of love for the genre. :( Guess they have to listen to a lot of songs to immerse themselves during the class, not an easy task.

Was quite tired after 2 classes. Just as I was about to go off, I saw that the next genre (Reggaeton) doesn't have a lot sign-ups. Forgot was it Arielle/Mabel encouraging me to sign up for the class since it was free. At that time, I didn't even know what Reggaeton genre refers to, which they explained the genre is mostly hip-hop with a Spanish touch, machiam Zumba songs. Ok lor, yolo. Already did 2 consecutive classes, might as well do 3 right? :P 

Reggaeton. Went in and saw a familiar instructor face. Is that Esther, who taught the EXO x TWICE class? Unlike the previous classes, they didn't have a last-minute swap out which I low key got a bit worried. A few minutes in, Esther introduced herself and thanked everyone for attending. My thoughts at that time: Wa liao, GG. See la Jeff, yolo again, why go sign up 3rd consecutive class?

Naturally died again. :P

10 minutes into the class, it felt so much more tiring than the previous 2 classes. Again, it's not a surprise luh, yolo is like that one. XD About halfway, I started to feel some leg cramps. ><

And that's it, end of Anniversary rides for Jeff. The final class (Mandopop) was full, and apparently Darren was teaching the class. I think even if got slot I also can't survive his class haha. Was a fun anniversary day!

2-week unlimited

Vibe had this 2-week unlimited package in the past, where a user can purchase this and attend as many classes as desired in a 2 week period. The boss (Nat) mentioned that the package is good for beginners to try different instructors' classes, and decide who they like more. I definitely got the entire intention wrong and used it as a mini marathon during the Christmas/NY period. :P 

The mini marathon started off with Arielle and Mabel Christmas K-pop class at 0915h. Even though it was a public holiday, the class was >50% full. All the supporters. <3

Took Nat's advice and went to different instructors' classes. Saw Carrie and Cheryl again, and tried Naomi and Zhin classes. It's very interesting to see that different instructors have very different ways to teach classes (Chiong? Recovery?), different intensities, different moves (choreo heavy / simple actions). The song distribution and the supporters could also defer. 

Also took this chance to Spin with PH, WL and RC. :) While I used my 2-week package, they tagged along my normal credit package and helped me clear 4 credits.

The most impressionable part is the final 2 days (6th/7th Jan). 4 consecutive classes on Tue and 3 consecutive classes on Wed. It originally started out as 2+2, with Darren teaching 1 class each on both days. After the 2 classes on Tue, I saw that the next is EDM and signed up for it. And might as well go all the way for a 4th class conducted by Carrie. After Darren's class on Wed, Cheryl was asking how come I didn't attend her class for so long. Ok la support, I only attended her class once, and that K-pop boyband playlist was damn solid! I rate that playlist as the best out of all my Spin classes. :D

This time I chilled a bit for the consecutives. After the 2nd class, just do single-time for all the fast jogs and runs. Added an additional 1 to 2 turns for safety. Only for the last run did I try to do double-time. Arielle also advised to drink sips of water between songs to prevent cramps. Shall bet she thought I was crazy for chionging, better tell Jeff to drink water to prevent safety issues. :P

Can still feel my legs slightly sore 3 days after Cheryl's class, but wow, I survived. That's incredible. One of the rare times in my life I am proud of myself. Thanks to the Vibe team for freezing this 2-week package until I was ready to use it, making this mini marathon possible. I had fun. :)

*Note: The 2-week welcome package is now a 4-credit welcome package. The boss mentioned that 99% of the people attended 4 classes or lesser with this package, as they needed time to rest between sessions. So there is no point in providing an unlimited option.

In total I did 19 sessions in this 2-week period. 

Random statistics

Very nerdy statistics, counting how many instructors' classes I went from 18th Oct until 7th Jan (last day of the 2-week period). 

Normal (14): Darren (7), Arielle (4), Esther / Su Ling / Cheryl (1 each)

Anniversary (3): -

2-weeks (19): Darren/Arielle (4 each), Carrie (3), Naomi/Zhin (2 each), Su Ling / Cheryl / Leeanne / Arielle X Mabel (1 each)

Never attended (Anni excluded): Boss / Wen / Ying / Elsa

Damn, 36 classes in 2.5 months. o_o

Instructors encounters

Writing down some thoughts for memory, a good ref for me to recommend others should they want to try Vibe spin class. The number in the bracket represents the total number of classes I attended.

Arielle [8 + 1X]

• In K-pop classes we don't end with a clap, but we end with a heart. 
• A lot of fast jogs and runs. Double-time songs can be quite long. Choreo is usually manageable. Progression can be tougher than other instructors' normal classes. Excellent sweat session.
• Recommended for people who are out of the beginner stage (Attended at least 5 classes). Intensity: Xiong if there are no beginners, above average if there are beginners.
• Looking forward to more K-pop classes, especially Seventeen :)

Carrie [3]

• Come Vibe meet people. Last time they were strangers, now they are so close.
• Choreo heavy. Good balance between speed and power training. Always provide normal/beginner-friendly options for every song.
• Beginners can attend her class once they have stability sitting/standing on the bike. Intensity: Average with/without beginners.
• The FitXpo instructor that made Jeff interested in Vibe spin classes. :P

Cheryl [2]

• <Can't think of a good quote>
• Emphasizes on form and reminds attendees the proper posture to adopt during Spin class. Good balance between jogs, runs, jumps.
• Beginners can attend her class. Intensity: Average if there are no beginners, slightly chill if there are beginners.
• Apparently she helped out with Jeff's package extensions, thank you :) 

Darren [11]

• Breathe... BREATHE!!!
• Good balance between jogs, runs, jumps. Rarely got isolations. Can rest in 1st half of recovery track. Guides well in Progression. Emphasizes on posture.
• Beginners can go his class, a few sessions can adapt already. Intensity: Average.
• Top instructor for Jeff. :P 

Esther [1 + 1 Anni]

• <Can't think of a good quote>
• A lot of fast jogs, runs and climbs. Very good sweat session.
• Recommended for people who are out of the beginner stage (Attended at least 5 classes). Intensity: Above average with/without beginners.
• Maybe this intensity part has some bias. For both of my classes, I had at least a class before that, maybe that affects the intensity. :P

Leeanne [1]

• You all must be like huh what is this woman talking about? 
• A lot of fast jogs and runs. Very good sweat session.
• Recommended for people who are out of the beginner stage (Attended at least 5 classes). Intensity: Above average without beginners.
• I only attended her EDM class during the 2-week unlimited session. As EDM songs are fast in nature, that may affect the distribution of the workout type.

Mabel [1 beginner + 1X]

• Train progressively, one day you can spin heavier and faster. It takes time.
• Good balance between speed and power training. 
• I guess beginners can go her class, intensity feels ok during the Christmas session. Intensity: Average without beginners. 
• Shall aim to attend a class that is solely taught by her. Apparently she teaches Vibe Total classes too, which is even tougher than the normal sessions. 

Naomi [2]

• <Can't think of a good quote>
• Good balance between speed and power training. 
• Pace can be a bit fast for beginners, but there is an option to do single-time. Intensity: Average with or without beginners.
• Her memory is good. There was once she asked if I was ok over the speakers while I was slightly slacking. :P 

Su Ling [2]

• [Mandarin] Don't be scared!
• Good balance between speed and power training. 
• Beginners can go her class, a few sessions can adapt already. Intensity: Average if there are no beginners, slightly chill if there are beginners.
• Top instructor for PH. :P

Zhin [2]

• But you cannot...? Give up!
• Slightly lesser runs. Good balance between speed and power training. Can rest in 1st half of recovery track. 
• Very highly recommended for <5 times beginners to go his class. Intensity: Average if there are no beginners, chill if there are beginners. 
• I really appreciate his thoughtfulness for toning down the session when there were 1st timers in his class. Even though there is advice, beginners may feel pressured when they see the rest doing the xiong stuff and choose to follow them. As such, better to tone down generally. That's indeed a very true statement.

Final thoughts

Perhaps it's that I listen to songs from time to time, or it's a way to kill some time, or perhaps this extrovert environment is not too bad for an introvert, I think I had fun. :) So far, no regrets in getting the 20-credits + 8-booster + 2 weeks package. Once the extra FitXpo credits expire, it's good to think if I should buy a package to continue the sessions.

And perhaps turn the lever to the right, add more turns, and Vibe. :)