Are you thinking about taking the plunge, and buying a Peloton? Given the not insubstantial cost, it can be a scary step. Especially if like me, you live far from a Peloton showroom, and can’t give a real world bike a try first. Even if you can try out a bike first, a trial ride or two is different than knowing what the day in, day out experience is going to be like. I also didn’t have any real world friends (or colleagues, or even acquaintances) who I could quiz about their experience. Sure, the 1500+ mostly rave reviews on the website are reassuring, but maybe that’s just people still on their first-week high of excitement, or even post-purchase rationalization.
So, is buying a Peloton really worth it? In one word: YES. In two words: HECK YEAH. What makes the Peloton experience so special? Read on for my perspective, formed after just over 1 year and 9 months of ownership, with over 400 rides (more than 4000 miles!), 70 strength workouts, and more than a dozen stretching sessions under my belt.
First, for background, a little about me in the exercise realm. I’ve always been an active person. I grew up in a family that routinely went for walk, bike rides, did cross country skiing, etc. As a kid, I was pretty much a year round, multi-sport athlete until high school, when desk time started to interfere with court time. I have been working out regularly at a gym (cardio and weights) since my middle school years. In my working adult years now, my vacations frequently revolve around active outdoor pursuits, such as hiking, biking, and whitewater rafting, but my gym time has taken a hit secondary to limited options locally, a hectic career with long and irregular hours, and a growing cadre of basement exercise equipment to divert my attention (treadmill, elliptical, recumbent bike, rowing machine, and some weights). At my last residential locale, I did some spinning classes at a Gold’s Gym and enjoyed them, but didn’t find any good replacement options after moving due to location, cost, and scheduling. My main impetus to buy the Peloton was to incorporate more high intensity interval training into my workouts, as I otherwise tend not to do this when left to my own devices.
How do I love thee, Peloton? Let me count the ways.
- Inspirational coaches. This was the biggest unanticipated benefit of Peloton for me. Growing up, coaches played a huge role in developing my work ethic, can-do attitude, goal setting, and belief in myself and my abilities. Until getting into Peloton, I don’t think I truly appreciated the loss of not having this coaching function in my life. Now, I once again have several firm but loving presences pushing me to be the best I can be, both on and off the bike.
- Variety of rides. Peloton is never boring. There are a variety of ride types, including low impact, intervals, rhythm, climb, theme, live DJ, Heart Rate Zone, and Power Zone. Rides vary from 5 to 90 minutes. You can filter their huge On Demand library by instructor, ride type, length, musical genre, and even rider ratings. Each coach brings a different flavor to your ride experience. Over time, I’ve gone through several phases, from favoring particular coaches to particular ride types, which is part of what keeps the Peloton experience interesting and relevant.
- At home convenience. This is a key part of the Peloton experience for me. I love being able to roll out of bed and onto my Peloton with a minimum of fuss. Even with my gym just ten minutes away, the time I save by working out at home is enough to fit in a 60 minute workout where otherwise I would have had to settle for 45 minutes, or to add on a 10 minute strength or stretching session to my ride.
- No set schedule. Peloton is perfect for people who work long or irregular hours. With the On Demand library, you can tailor your workouts to the time you have, at the time of day you have.
- Metrics, metrics, and more metrics. While on the bike, you can monitor your heart rate, power zone, cadence, resistance, output, and position on the leaderboard. After each ride, you can review your metrics as graphs in a single snapshot screen. There is an overview screen tracking your number of workouts of each type, your personal records for each ride length, as well as badges for various accomplishments. With just a few clicks on the website, you can download a spreadsheet with all of your workouts to date, which can be filtered to look for trends, monitor your progress, and work towards long range goals.
- Sense of community. What really makes Peloton special is the people. From high-fiving on the leaderboard, to shout-outs from the coaches for milestone rides, to Facebook groups for various interests, Peloton is anything but a solitary experience. Before I bought the bike, I thought all of the hullabaloo about the community aspect was kind of hokey, but now I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid. There’s just nothing like sharing an inside joke with 418,000 of your closest friends.
- Physical health. Although I’ve always been an active person, Peloton has really helped me take it to the next level. I definitely work out longer, harder, and more frequently. I incorporate more strength and stretching into my workouts. I pay more attention to the food choices I make. I think more about things like recovery days and sleep. I set and achieve more active goals, both on and off the bike. I believe any money I’ve spent on Peloton will come back to me ten-fold in reduced healthcare expenses down the road.
- Mental health. I sometimes think of my Peloton as my Sanity Cycle. We all know the benefits of exercise on relieving stress and boosting mood. Added to this is the unrelenting positivity and good will of the coaches and community, in a world that can otherwise seem like it’s being taken over by negativity and hostility.
- Quality bike. Over 400 rides in, and my bike works as well (and quietly!) as the day I got it, no repairs or maintenance needed. The only thing I’ve ever needed to do is tighten the cleats on my bike shoes.
- Exposure to new music. It’s easy to get into musical rut. Before Peloton, my iPod was largely loaded with music I’ve been listening to since my high school and college years. With Peloton, I’ve been exposed to great new artists and genres. One cool features is being able to see the playlists for each class before you commit to the ride, and during the ride you can display song titles and artists as they play–a great way to find new tunes to add to your collection.
- Expanding range of workout options. When I made the leap into Peloton, they were primarily offering rides, stretching, and strength training. The lineup has now expanded to include walking, running, other cardio, boot camp style workouts, meditation, and yoga. My only regret is I enjoy riding so much, I haven’t had as much chance as I would like to explore the other content! Given the growth so far, I can only imagine there’s more to come as well.
- Dynamic, customer-focused culture. If you ask, you may receive. Many of the current Peloton features like playlists, filtering by musical genre, and power zone display on the tablet were community requests that became reality. I suspect many of the expanded workout options have similar origins. Although there is the occasional story of frustration, for the most part, Peloton is recognized for the quality of their customer service. Given the investment you make in the bike, do be aware of, and strongly consider, the warranty options.
So there you have it. I cannot recommend this bike, and community, enough. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge, go for it! Your only regret will be not starting sooner.
Use this referral link to get some additional freebies for you (and me!). https://www.pelotoncycle.com/r/?rc=f1e791e449ef40c09a89a18e411a5d1e
See you on the leaderboard!