Peloton Bike Review

Peloton Bikes have been coming into social media, mainstream advertising and the health/fitness industry HOT! As a person who owns/uses one, I thought I would offer my two cents on the bike, the purchase process, the price and general info!

Check them out here if you are interested!

Purchase/Price – I was first intrigued by the Peloton Bike, via word of mouth from a friend who owns one. She raved about it – so I did some research. I liked it. I had just started into a real “fitness” focus and had been going to a local boutique spin studio, but that was costing me $120.00 per month for unlimited classes – and of course that meant I had to reserve a class, get dressed, drive to the studio, do class, come home, etc. All in all – it was neither time or cost effective for me, and made me want to work out LESS. Peloton uses “Affirm” for financing, and it is 0 down/0 interest. I have used Affirm before for things and they have been surprisingly quick/easy, so I had no qualms about doing that again. I opted for the bike plus a 36 month warranty/protection plan – since I know it can be SO expensive to have someone fix things outside of a warranty. The Peloton company hooked it up with the 3lb hand weights ($25.00 value), headphones ($29.00 value), and shoes (with cleats) ($125.00 value) for free, as I am a military Veteran. *That trio is also sold on their website for $159.00 if you buy all three together, which can save $20.00. They also do referral offers so if you know someone – drop their email and they will likely give you some or all of those items free.*

Purchase Price total (with delivery fees & warranty): $2,649.00
*I know – I KNOW – people say it ALL. THE. TIME. “OMG I want one but they are SO expensive!” – ummmm that’s really only two years of gym fees (assuming $120.00/month) … or any other routine habit that a person spends $120.00 a month on. I know people who pay more for lashes/nails/hair, or in the pub during the course of a month.

Monthly payment (Bike Payment): $68.00
+
Monthly membership (App): $40.00
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Total Monthly Cost: $108.00

I know $12.00 savings per month ($144.00 per year) doesn’t SEEM like much of a cost savings – BUT taking into account the gas money, the wear and tear on my vehicle, AND the ability to take a class anytime I want…it’s been SO worth it for me! ALSO – it seems silly – but I spend a lot less money “outfitting” myself with gym clothes. I now buy very little because I am not actually going in public – so I don’t feel the need to “look cute”…I just wear the gym clothes I have at home, as I should have been all along! *I digress, sorry*

Delivery & Setup – I ordered my bike and it was delivered within about 15 days. Now that Peloton has a San Diego showroom (UTC Mall) – it might be even faster! The setup was a two person team and it literally took about 30 minutes or less. They were professional, set up the bike, showed me how to set up the seat height/handlebars etc to fit my size, put the clips on my shoes and had me on the bike in less than 30. I had an old yoga mat I didn’t use anymore so I just slid that under the bike to protect my floors from sweat and that was it!

Bike – This thing is SLEEK. Seriously. They aren’t joking when they say it’s quiet. It’s almost embarrassingly so – because the sounds of my labored breathing are what I hear, instead of the bike. The bike’s actual space footprint is much smaller than I thought it would be, and it doesn’t take much room, although I think the screen is wider/taller than everything so that might be the only part you need to really accommodate for. It’s really very nice looking and isn’t an eyesore in my living room (it sits behind my couch). The hand weights have a nice little rack on the back of the bike where they can be stored, there’s two water bottle holders attached, and of course all the usual “spin bike” features.

Extras & Accessories – I don’t LOVE the headphones. They are “ok” but I have small ears and those type never stay in – but I don’t use them really anyway, since I live alone and I never worry if I have a class blasting. Really, most headphones like the “airpod” style don’t work for me – so I wasn’t super upset or disappointed.
The hand weights are nice, and have a nice rubber coating. The max they do is 3lb sets – but for most their arm workouts (on and off the bike), 3lbs is sufficient because my arms are BURNING with just that! The shoes are typical spin shoes – nothing I would say you NEED to get from them if you already own a pair that you like.

Classes/App – So – the actual app (where you choose your classes) can have other profiles for FREE. I (right now) have myself and about 5 other people on my account, and they don’t have to pay ANYthing to access the classes – so if someone else lives with you, get them some shoes and they can use the bike too and keep their metrics/milestones.
The app has SO much more than spin classes. There are outdoor walking and running, yoga, strength training, guided meditation and more. They vary in duration, type of music, intensity and there are SO many classes that you would have to work out like a maniac to ever get through them all. During the bike rides you can see as little or as much of the metrics that you want, with just a tap. You can view (or hide) the speed, time, leaderboard, etc. In the class you can “high five” other riders and see where you fall in the rankings, if you like a bit of a competition.
Classes are offered live or you can do them “on demand” later. There are various showrooms across the country though – and you can book ahead of time and go be a part of a live taping OR take a live class. I haven’t done it yet since the SD showroom just opened this month – but I plan to check it out soon!
They offer the “high fives” in the workouts – but outside of the workout they also have fun monthly “challenges” you can enroll in, and they give “achievement badges” for various milestones or activities. It’s just another little “fun” thing that helps me feel motivated. For “milestones” – a “century ride” will get you a special “100 club” tank top or t-shirt, for free (you pay for shipping).
NOTE – On demand rides – there is NO PAUSE BUTTON. They designed it that way on purpose (from what I can tell) – but if you gotta stop, you just delete that workout and do another later…or let the metrics look worse than they would have. I don’t mind it. Honestly if I need to pee, I will get up and go, come right back, and I have been just fine.

Personal Opinion – Overall, for me, it was a great investment. I’ve had mine for about 9 months and I am nothing but happy with it. I know some people talk about how you can “DIY” your own and not pay as much – but I didn’t want to go that route. I don’t already own a tablet or ipad, so I would have needed to buy that, a bike, shoes, etc and exert a LOT more effort to make it integrated in a way that was worthwhile. I take more classes out of “boredom” than I would have signed up for and attended with a regular/traditional membership, and having the bike in my house is so convenient when excuses like “bad weather” or “busy” creep into my mind. It has been a really fun way to keep my workouts fresh, challenging, and consistent!

**This is not an ad and I am not paid to endorse this product**

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