Assesing the instructors

[Crankin]

This seems typical for any given club. But, as a former group exercise instructor, threads like this give me chills.
Some instructors don't seem to realize that they are there to teach and not to get their own workout. I don't go to spin anymore, but when I did I liked a variety of music, no disco or rap, and a ride that was not an aerobics class on a bike. In other words, a class like the one your male instructor teaches.
We had a couple of women who spun their bikes at such a high cadence that it is hard for me to believe they had any tension on their bikes at all. Perhaps they are just much, much stronger than me? But, what happens is that the participants see this, keep the tension off of their bikes, and start hiking their cadence to the point that they are bouncing around on their seats and not getting much benefit from this whole thing. No outdoor cyclist would ever ride this way! Sure, a series of progressive drills where you increase your cadence is fine, but 60 minutes of this super spinning is just going to blow my knees out. I have seen so much "wrong" stuff going on in spin classes, that it is disheartening, because most instructors never say anything to the people. They try to make a general correction, but are too afraid to address a person privately, but directly. Again, they are there to teach, and it doesn't seem to be a priority for many.

[e.e.cummings]

You know, I wondered if there is any such thing as too fast, and I glad that you responded to this, because when I look at our 'fast instructor' she brings it to such a level that it makes you think you should be striving to go that fast as well. And she gives no indication that there is any such thing as 'too fast', so all us newbies are left thinking that is what we are supposed to emulate.

You are correct as well - very few instructors let you know if you are doing anything wrong, or if you are new, give you pointers. When I was in my first class, it was with the first guy who helped me (I arrived early and asked) - he told me how to adjust my bike, and how to hold the handles properly when in certain positions, etc. After that, I went on spinning.com to get more instruction.

[OakLeaf]

I didn't do any of the indoor cycling classes at the convention I just finished - I can't ride those bikes because of the length of the crankarms - but I was in a quieter session next door to the cycling room when we overheard the presenter yelling "I am appalled that no one is doing push-ups!" This is where the instructors get their training...

WRT cadence, just from an outdoor and trainer/rollers POV, there's no such thing as "too fast" per se, but there's "poor form" (bouncing) and obviously also "inefficient." An instructor should know the difference... Without knowing what cadence the instructor is asking you to maintain - if it's anything between 85 and 105, then IMO it's definitely beneficial to maintain that for an entire class even if it might not be your preferred cadence on the road. The lower cadence at higher tension will imitate a long climb and build strength, a moderately high cadence will help smooth your pedal stroke, get you great cardio and build your inner thigh muscles.