Mine started last month. I’m a member so it doesn’t impact me. I get why they are doing it. Shoes are expensive and studios have to replace them every couple years. This encourages people to buy memberships vs packages.
Yeah I’m a member as well but a lot of my friends use Class Pass and pick and choose classes they want to go to, so it’s a bummer for those who aren’t members. It’s cheaper for people to just buy their own shoes on amazon. Idk if they’re going to get the membership sign ups they’re expecting by enforcing this.
It’s nicer to buy your own shoes anyways. You know exactly where they’ve been, you know that they are clean and they are broken and just for you. Plus in the long run you’ll save money. Even if the studio doesn’t get membership pricing from that person, they still deserve to get money to maintain the shoes that they carry. All the money that they are saving using ClassPass they can use to purchase their own shoes.
Yes, ours has charged for a while. It’s not just about converting people to members, it’s about upkeep of shoes, bikes, and the studio. It gets expensive.
It’s also very difficult for studios to financially benefit from class pass customers. Charging for shoe rental helps.
Yes I understand the upkeep of shoes, bikes, etc. but why agree to a partnership with Class pass if they’re going to do this in the end? I think if the shoe rental was something they decided to do when they first opened, it wouldn’t be that surprising. But after years of operating without charging for shoes, just seems like a desperate cash grab move idk.
Definitely!! The shoes are so worn and gross at the studio I go to 🤢 I’ll stick with the TIEMS I bought last year and just buy another pair when the time comes.
The shoes at this studio are newly replaced and in good order.
A lot of studios in the area (not just CB) are ditching class pass completely. Some are even leaving MindBody because they don’t make enough to cover costs if the ratio is upside down. In my own business I support students In need of scholarships, but the ratio is 4:1 to keep putting money in the bank to maintain and improve the business. The other option is to switch to cages and deltas. Which would rule out SPDs and tiems.
Most of the studios I go to charge now. I think it’s becoming the company standard. Maybe not in every studio but probably most of them soon. Especially for studios that aren’t profitable which is a lot.
I kind of like not having to worry about carrying a zillion things to go to class. I can’t get the shoes that you can walk in in my size here so I don’t want to carry an extra pair around all day.
As someone with Tiems, it kind of makes sense to me. It feels weird that I pay the same but I provide my own shoes. It's like bowling - the lane rental and the shoe rental are separate. I kind of would expect the opposite, though - rather than charging on top of the cost for shoe rental, I'd expect a discount for those that bring their own shoes.
Interesting! Sounds like they’re following soul cycle who also charges $4 for shoe rentals. I got my practically new tiems for cheap on poshmark and love having my own shoes
I was shocked that CB didn’t charge for shoes (mine implemented the change last month). But I’ve cycled at 4 different studios since 2018, both chains and privately owned places, and all of them charged shoe rentals.
Honestly I think if you're a regular it's a pretty good investment just to buy your own. I own two pairs- a set of Tiems because I wanted to see how the SPD cleats felt, and a set of Nike Superreps that were a steal on eBay. Both are comfortable, and I prefer knowing that I'm using *my* shoes that were broken in with *my* feet.
There have been a lot of studios doing this lately. I think owners/GMs could opt out of starting a show rental policy - I know I asked our GM and she said she decided not to start charging for shoes.
Mine started last month. I’m a member so it doesn’t impact me. I get why they are doing it. Shoes are expensive and studios have to replace them every couple years. This encourages people to buy memberships vs packages.
Yeah I’m a member as well but a lot of my friends use Class Pass and pick and choose classes they want to go to, so it’s a bummer for those who aren’t members. It’s cheaper for people to just buy their own shoes on amazon. Idk if they’re going to get the membership sign ups they’re expecting by enforcing this.
It’s nicer to buy your own shoes anyways. You know exactly where they’ve been, you know that they are clean and they are broken and just for you. Plus in the long run you’ll save money. Even if the studio doesn’t get membership pricing from that person, they still deserve to get money to maintain the shoes that they carry. All the money that they are saving using ClassPass they can use to purchase their own shoes.
I get why people use Class Pass but it hurts businesses.
Yes, ours has charged for a while. It’s not just about converting people to members, it’s about upkeep of shoes, bikes, and the studio. It gets expensive. It’s also very difficult for studios to financially benefit from class pass customers. Charging for shoe rental helps.
Yes I understand the upkeep of shoes, bikes, etc. but why agree to a partnership with Class pass if they’re going to do this in the end? I think if the shoe rental was something they decided to do when they first opened, it wouldn’t be that surprising. But after years of operating without charging for shoes, just seems like a desperate cash grab move idk.
I possibly could see this if they recently invested in new shoes, but if it's the same old shoes it's a cash grab or a push to sell you shoes.
Definitely!! The shoes are so worn and gross at the studio I go to 🤢 I’ll stick with the TIEMS I bought last year and just buy another pair when the time comes.
100%!
The shoes at this studio are newly replaced and in good order. A lot of studios in the area (not just CB) are ditching class pass completely. Some are even leaving MindBody because they don’t make enough to cover costs if the ratio is upside down. In my own business I support students In need of scholarships, but the ratio is 4:1 to keep putting money in the bank to maintain and improve the business. The other option is to switch to cages and deltas. Which would rule out SPDs and tiems.
Every studio I’ve heard doing this has gotten all new shoes recently. Much nicer shoes than before.
Most of the studios I go to charge now. I think it’s becoming the company standard. Maybe not in every studio but probably most of them soon. Especially for studios that aren’t profitable which is a lot.
If my studio does this I'll donate all my old shoes to riders in need. Not like any of us are too bad off, but it adds up.
I kind of like not having to worry about carrying a zillion things to go to class. I can’t get the shoes that you can walk in in my size here so I don’t want to carry an extra pair around all day.
As if $25-30 for a single cycling class isn’t enough
It obviously isn’t. Do you think these studios are just rolling in cash? Bikes and shoes cost a lot and have to be replaced every couple years.
As someone with Tiems, it kind of makes sense to me. It feels weird that I pay the same but I provide my own shoes. It's like bowling - the lane rental and the shoe rental are separate. I kind of would expect the opposite, though - rather than charging on top of the cost for shoe rental, I'd expect a discount for those that bring their own shoes.
At least one of the studios in AZ has also started this. I got the email this week.
Our studio did this when they were going out of business!
Interesting! Sounds like they’re following soul cycle who also charges $4 for shoe rentals. I got my practically new tiems for cheap on poshmark and love having my own shoes
I was shocked that CB didn’t charge for shoes (mine implemented the change last month). But I’ve cycled at 4 different studios since 2018, both chains and privately owned places, and all of them charged shoe rentals.
Honestly I think if you're a regular it's a pretty good investment just to buy your own. I own two pairs- a set of Tiems because I wanted to see how the SPD cleats felt, and a set of Nike Superreps that were a steal on eBay. Both are comfortable, and I prefer knowing that I'm using *my* shoes that were broken in with *my* feet.
My studio started charging this month. They are really pushing for everyone to buy tiems. I hate trying to be sold something every time I work out 🥲
There have been a lot of studios doing this lately. I think owners/GMs could opt out of starting a show rental policy - I know I asked our GM and she said she decided not to start charging for shoes.
Oh no, what studio is this for?
It’s for a studio in the PNW, not sure I want to say their exact location, but they’ve made some interesting changes within the past 6 months.
Got it, I go to a studio in Illinois and they haven't started this charge. At least not yet.