Tempo Cycling Is a New Kind of Spin Studio

A Tempo outdoor pop-up class. Photo provided.

With the influx of indoor cycling studios opening in and around Boston, business owners are getting creative. First came the Bike Bus, an actual bus outfitted with spin bikes so you can work out on your commute. Now, a new company is taking “mobile indoor cycling” to a different level.

Enter Tempo: A mobile indoor cycling company that sets up shop at luxury apartments in the Boston area. And since there is no shortage of luxury apartments—both already operational and still under construction—it looks like Tempo will have plenty of places to get spinning.

It’s the brainchild of Chelsea resident Jessica Upham, 31, who got the idea for a fully mobile studio after taking a post-work spin class and then commuting back to Chelsea. “I was at the Axis Admiral Hill and it overlooks the marina,” she says. “I started thinking that these apartment complexes with amazing roof decks would be perfect for a spin class. Plus, you don’t have to worry about commuting and bringing clothes and bags.”

It works like this: Upham and her team bring the bikes (16) to each location. They assemble the bikes (Schwinn), music, lights, and mats, provide the instructor, host the class, and then break it all down and disappear. The bikes never stay at the location—although Tempo has a few agreements that if there’s two classes in one day, the set up will stay through both classes, but it is always broken down and packed up every evening.

“I’m the driver, and my trainers and I do all the heavy lifting. We have a box truck,” Upham says, adding that being a fully mobile studio has its perks, including lower overhead costs.

Right now, Tempo has agreements with the Kensington in Chinatown, 50 West Broadway in Southie, West Square in Southie, Axis Admiral’s Hill in Chelsea, Arlington 360 in Arlington, and River’s Edge in Medford. The company is only aiming to host one or two classes per week at each location, most likely offering one morning and one evening class. As of now all are indoors except 50 West Broadway, so that complex is seasonal-only.

The classes run like your typical luxe boutique class offering sprints, hills, and an arm workout with weights. Most of the classes are resident-only, but classes at the Kensington will be open to the public.

Classes begin Sept. 8; $20 per class; tempocyclingstudio.com