I was intrigued by the new Evo Indoor Cycle when I saw it at this past IHRSA. The first thing I noticed was there's no big flywheel… and it moves side to side.
Once I discovered that there was an educational component to the Evo, I knew I needed to learn more and share what I've learned with you.
Here's a video that demonstrates how the frame moves very similarly to an outdoor bicycle. I briefly rode an Evo at the show and it's very different from a Real Ryder. It just moves naturally underneath you and doesn't require you to force or man-handle it… it just responds to you.
Jack Nunn is the Master Trainer of TriCore Indoor Cycling and he joins me on this episode of the podcast to give you an initial understanding of the Evo Indoor Cycle, their education program and what they have planned for the future.
Our family has nick-names for just about everything; Ruby, Jade, Baby Rocket and Scootie are in actuality; my red Mazda 3, Abby's green Mazda 3, Amy's black Acura TL and Carly's Honda Scooter. No, you don't want my car insurance bill 🙁
But when one of them (or some other mechanical / electronic device) has failed in some fashion, its name changes to a less endearing term, typically – Pig. So when I saw this text from Amy on Monday, after she had taught her noon class at Cycle Quest, my first thought was; “well, bring the Pig home and I'll see if I can help you figure it out.
Once I had the Pig her Android Razor in my hands, Amy showed me that there were in fact a bunch of her Spotify playlists that wouldn't play. They appeared to be correctly downloaded (Spotify describes making tracks available off-line as Downloaded on a Droid vs. Make Available Off-Line on an iPhone… go figure) and when you clicked a song it showed it as playing, but no sound came out.
I'm not an Apple computer user, so I don't know if the below applies to you – but it probably does.
My brother Dan taught me a number of years ago that the first step in diagnosing any PC computer problem is to Re-Boot (shut down everything) and see if that will fix the problem. Many times that's all that's required.
Dan explained how device software and the hardware they run on are not 100% perfect – resulting in small errors that occur each time you load or run a program. The operating software system can deal with these small errors (which build up over time) until they become unmanageable, resulting in your computer/device changing into a Pig.
So after poking around unsuccessfully, I asked Amy when was the last time she re-booted her phone. She couldn't think of a time, but she did remember seeing a notice that Spotify had updated. This appears to be another difference between Android and Apple. Droid Apps update on their own. Apple device Apps display a little red arrow indicating an update is available & you manually approve each. Hearing Dan's voice in the back of my head saying; “you need to re-boot the Pig”, which we did and problem solved 🙂
Side note Over the past 4 1/2 years I've answered hundreds of tech related questions from ICI/PRO members. A common theme that runs through these requests is; I'm not very Techie, I must be doing something wrong or similar self-defamatory statements where the questioner takes personal responsibility for the problems/issues they are experiencing. THIS IS ALMOST ALWAYS NOT TRUE!
A lot of the technology we use as Instructors IS confusing, frustrating, problematic or just plain doesn't work like you think it should. In nearly every instance I can think of, what was preventing the person asking me the question from solving it themselves, was a reluctance to take the next step.
The next time you run into something confusing, frustrating, problematic or just plain doesn't work like you think it should – give yourself permission to try something else; start clicking buttons… every one you can find. If that doesn't work close the program, walk away, and then return with a fresh perspective.
My brother Dan is really sharp with computers – a real Techie. I've watched him work trying to solve a problem for me and he'll be zooming around my laptop, opening and closing stuff faster than my eyes can follow. I'll ask him; “what are you doing?” and he'll say; “I have no idea… I'm just trying different things, hoping one will work.”
And of course, if all else fails, please know that we're here to help 🙂
I spent the morning volunteering at the Life Time Fitness Commitment Day 5K run in downtown Minneapolis. It was the perfect morning to prove your commitment to fitness; sunny and 10° below zero… that's -10° Fahrenheit = painfully cold.
That's why the smart people like me volunteered, so we could stay inside where it was warm 🙂
I came home to a nice note from long time ICI/PRO member Charles (Spook) Hilgartner.
Hey John,
Good morning and Happy New Year.
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed and how educational your recent Podcasts with Tom, Jay and Gene. Jay's idea of observations that would carry to real usage was really good. I never heard it approached like that. Or maybe it was in a previous one that missed. After Tom's session on new riders, I changed the name of my beginners to “Foundations” and reshaped it a bit.. Thanks for that! Finally, Gene's session on new riders. It too was really good. I was also pleased that I really was doing some of his ideas.
As a note I never ask new riders especially “How did you like the class”. It puts them on the spot too much.
Stay well,
Spook
I couldn't agree more Spook – people (especially new students) aren't comfortable responding when asked a direct question that requires them to offer a judgement or critique someone. Those who do will probably tell you what they think you want to hear.
But as Instructors we benefit from valid feed back. So what or how should we be asking for it?
Circling back to Life Time, they're big on using the Net Promoter Score system:
Know the score.
The Net Promoter Score, or NPS®, is based on the fundamental perspective that every company’s customers can be divided into three categories: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors.
By asking one simple question – How likely is it that you would recommend [your company] to a friend or colleague? – you can track these groups and get a clear measure of your company’s performance through your customers’ eyes. Customers respond on a 0-to-10 point rating scale and are categorized as follows:
Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth.
Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth.
To calculate your company’s NPS, take the percentage of customers who are Promoters and subtract the percentage who are Detractors.
Rather than asking the question in person, you may get a more accurate response from handing out cards with this question, at the end of class.
Are you doing anything like this in your studio [wlm_firstname]?
Credit – Richard Ziade at Basement.org for the complicated diagram.
Are we losing some of the people in our classes with all this talk of; Max HR =bad & Threshold HR = good, T1 & T2, Training Zones, Functional Threshold Power, Watts, Kilo-calories, etc…? Spinning® & Indoor Cycling has been around for over 15 years and yet my perception is that only a minority of our students have embraced Zone Based Heart Rate Training. Now we are introducing Power, with all it's complexities, to studios where less than 50% of the participants regularly use a HR monitor. I'm sure most of us will agree that the move to Indoor Cycling 2.0 will benefit our students, but are they keeping up with the changes?
I've heard that the military will “Stand Down” (cease current operations) when it becomes obvious that something isn't working as intended. When complicated systems seem to break down, the solution may not be to layer on additional technology, information or instruction. Instead what's needed is a return to the basics, which has the effect of getting everyone caught up and back on the same page.
In this PRO podcast Tom Scotto and I discuss some ideas about how you could “Stand Down” and bring a renewed focus to the basics of Heart Rate Training in your club or studio.
When a student asks what they should purchase for Indoor Cycling Shoes, what do you recommend? Do you have a place to send them? Does your club sell Indoor Cycling Shoes?
If you're only using them for Indoor Cycling classes, then a shoe with a recessed SPD cleat is the best choice. Often refered to as Mountain Bike shoes, you'll find they are easy to walk on and won't scratch the floor. Every pedal you will find and a studio these days will have a SPD on one side.
Here are links to a number of suggestions at Amazon.com which has as good a pricing as anyone and you can't beat Amazon's easy return policies.
I ride a lot outdoors and prefer a conventional “Cycling Shoe” that has an exposed cleat – I have used Look cleats on all of my road bikes. My feet are very wide and flat. After suffering with ill fitting shoes in a “regular” width for years, I finally broke down and purchased a pair of Sidi Mega Road Cycling Shoes. Yes I know they are expensive. I've had mine for at least ten years and other than looking a bit faded, they are as comfy as ever.
I should add that I wear my Sidi's with Superfeet supportive insoles that prevent my feet from rolling inward, which takes a lot of stress off my knees.
Our family has nick-names for just about everything; Ruby, Jade, Baby Rocket and Scootie are in actuality; my red Mazda 3, Abby's green Mazda 3, Amy's black Acura TL and Carly's Honda Scooter. No, you don't want my car insurance bill 🙁
When a student asks what they should purchase for Indoor Cycling Shoes, what do you recommend? Do you have a place to send them? Does your club sell Indoor Cycling Shoes?
. Yes I know they are expensive. I've had mine for at least ten years and other than looking a bit faded, they are as comfy as ever.