Xponential's CycleBar brand arrives in Australia with plans for 45 studios

Undeterred by the impact of Coronavirus on the fitness industry, US-based franchise business Xponential Fitness has announced a master franchise agreement for its indoor cycling brand CycleBar in Australia.

The agreement gives master franchisee Spin X Operations the rights to license a minimum of 45 CycleBar studios to potential franchisees.

CycleBar's entrance to the Australian market comes two years after Xponential Fitness revealed plans to take its portfolio of eight boutique fitness chains global through a master franchise strategy.

The master franchisee group responsible for CycleBar Australia consists of husband and wife entrepreneurial team Matt and Candice Gordin, along with Matt’s father Bill Gordin.

The Gordins have extensive experience in both the cycling and franchising world, with Matt Gordin holding the position of Chief Executive and Candice Gordin leading the finance and accounting department for BikeExchange USA, a large marketplace for bicycle products, for close to six years.

Bill Gordin founded Bike Force in 1991 and is also a seasoned competitive cyclist, with a gold medal at the World Masters Championship in 2018.

They expect the first Australian CycleBar studio to open in Currambine in Perth’s northern suburbs in September.

Gordin explained “there’s a real spirit of connection and camaraderie inherent in CycleBar’s experience.

"It’s a strong brand with proven operational success and we believe Australians will welcome the ride experience and community."

Founded in 2004, CycleBar offers a variety of low-impact, high-intensity indoor cycling workouts, which are inclusive of all fitness levels.

CycleBar Studios offer an immersive, multi-sensory experience in bespoke ‘CycleTheaters’,led by instructors and enhanced with high-energy ‘CycleBeats’ playlists and tracked using rider-specific ‘CycleStat’ performance metrics.

Other brands in the Xponential portfolio include Club Pilates; group stretching chain StretchLab; indoor rowing brand Row House; dance-based cardio studio operator AKT; yoga franchise YogaSix; ballet barre chain Pure Barre and STRIDE, a treadmill-based cardio and strength studio operator.

In June, Xponential launched its GO platform, which brings live and on-demand content from across its boutique verticals.

GO gives users access to more than 1,700 pieces of content from the eight Xponential brands, as well as a handful of third-party content from partners like Aaptiv and HyperIce for under US$30 a month.

The first studio is expected to open in the northern Perth suburb of Currambine in September, with recruitment for so-called CycleStars (instructors) already underway.

Xponential Fitness also has a presence in Canada, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Austria and Canada.