Cyclo-Core DVDs Or Cyclo-Club Downloads?

Now that you have seen Cyclo-Club and everything it has to offer, you might still have a few questions. One that I had to ask myself was “what is the better deal, the Cyclo-Core DVDs or the free video downloads in Cyclo-Club?”

On one hand you can order the DVDs and you get very nice DVDs shipped to you. The upfront cost is pretty high, but it’s a one-time fee.

On the other hand, you can join Cyclo-Club and access $150+ worth of videos and download them, all for under $10 a month.

So we have to weigh the pros and cons of each, and that’s what we’ll discuss today. Keep reading for my DVD vs Download comparison…

Cyclo-Core Workouts on DVD

Pros: If you get the DVDs, you’ll be laying out a lot more than $9.95, but it’s a one-time payment. Once you buy, you’ll get hard-copy DVDs that are yours to keep and use as you wish.

My favorite thing with the DVDs is that you can use them anywhere in your house, without hassle. You can play them straight on your plasma TV in the comfort of your living room, on a laptop or portable DVD player, or you can carry it to your friend’s house and do a group workout.

No matter where you play the DVD, it will provide a high-quality picture.

And of course, no downloads required!

Cons: The one-time payment is expensive. It could be in the $300 range depending on how many programs you buy. Then, once you buy them, you have to wait around while they get shipped to you.

Cyclo-Core Workout Downloads

Pros: First, the downloads are cheaper to start with. It’s just $9.95/month to get into Cyclo-Club where you can download $150+ worth of videos. (Or, if you get a platinum membership, it’s like $750+ worth of video downloads for a $199.95 annual rate.)

Second, they’re perfect if you have a video iPod! The downloads come in MP4 format at just the right resolution for your iPod. So you could carry your iPod with you, then take a break from your ride and get in a core workout along the beach, then go home. Just carry your iPod and it’s done.

So the portability is different, but it’s still there.

Cons: The quality, while pretty good at the 320×240 resolution, is not so good if you watch it full-screen at home. It’s not necessarily bad, as you can still see what is going on, but it’s not the same as DVD quality.

And you’re kind of limited to your computer or laptop though, as there’s no DVD to pop in your living room’s DVD player. (But you can hook your computer to your TV if you have the necessary cables and connections.)

Of course, the download time. You’ll want a high speed internet connection! (A 12 minute video, which would be one section of the workout, is like 72 MB; a full video is more like 200-300 MB.) So that takes a while.

Here’s a screenshot from me watching one of my downloads:

And here’s the actual screenshot from the 320×240 resolution:

Pretty good. But as mentioned, full-screen at 640×680 has a slight drop in quality.

Don’t Forget the Cyclo-Club Discount!

One more thing to consider… As a Cyclo-Club member, you get a 20% discount on any Cyclo-Core DVD purchase!

Yes, just look in the Cyclo-Core store that’s part of the Cyclo-Club members-only section. All the titles are 20% off.

My final verdict is…

The best value is to join Cyclo-Club as a platinum member. Then you get all the good Cyclo-Club stuff and you even get to download a lot of the programs for free. Then buy the DVDs if you really need to, at 20% off.

If you join as a regular member, you’ll be missing some downloads so you’ll have to buy some of the DVDs anyway.

I already have the DVDs so it’s hard to make just one unbiased recommendation, but if I didn’t have the DVDs, I think I’d be happy with the quality of the video downloads. Just weigh the pros and cons I mentioned and see what suits you.