I have had my Peloton for over 3 years now and it’s still in great condition! Funny thing is, when I bought the bike back then it wasn’t popular at all. Every time I would mention it to my friends or family, they would say “What’s a Peloton?”. It’s crazy to see the increase in popularity within the last year, and now I get so many questions about it! The biggest one being ..is it worth the money? I am going to give you my honest opinion plus an in-depth review, so if you are interested in purchasing one, you will know exactly what you’re buying. So let’s get to it!
Classes
My favorite part about having a Peloton Bike is for the classes. Peloton offers both live and on-demand classes. You can choose your class based on instructor, difficulty level, music genre, type of class or you can “sort” ( i.e. new, trending, popular, top-rated, easiest, hardest). For example, they have classes that range from 5 minutes in length to 90 minutes. I don’t always feel up to an intense 45-minute ride, so I like the variety it offers by letting you pick a class you physically (& mentally) want to do. As far as the genres go, they vary. For example, I did a 30 minute “2010 songs” ride the other day. They also offer other classes aside from cycling like Meditation, Stretches, Yoga, Weight Training, Dance Cardio, Bootcamp, Core and more!
What separates the Peloton bike from others? I would say it’s “The Leaderboard”. The Leaderboard appears in the upper right corner of the screen and is offered on both the live and on-demand rides. It populates as each rider signs into the class. The leaderboard will tell you in real-time how many individuals are in the class with you and who took the ride earlier. The users are (usually) listed by their username, age, and city. (Note: You do not need to give all this information if you want more privacy). As you pedal, you’ll see the ranks of each rider (including your own ranks) continually change as the class is happening. This part is extremely motivating because you can see exactly where you rank amongst every one riding with you. The leaderboard can also be customized to show what you want to see during your ride. For instance, if you are not about the numbers that day, then you can choose to minimize the leaderboard and not see any ranks at all. But if you are feeling competitive, you can check against your personal record from previous rides that were for the same length. Another neat feature of the leaderboard is you can see how you measure up to individuals in your own demographic. All you have to do is filter it to your gender and age bracket. I honestly feel that the “leaderboard” is a big reason to get the Peloton bike if you are competitive or if you like to see your PRs.
Instructors
The instructors make every class a blast! If you are like me and need someone to push you, then I think you will find that the Peloton is way more motivating then other at-home workouts. The instructors walk you through each part of the ride/classes and tell you when you need to adjust your bike to be on a specific cadence, resistance, and output. The whole ride you know exactly where you need to be intensity wise and they make it so easy to follow along! I feel like if I didn’t have the instructors and was on my own doing this workout, I wouldn’t push myself nearly as hard.
Bike Cost Breakdown
Since this is one of my most asked questions, I will break down the cost of the bike here! It’s $1,995 for the bike itself and then $250 for the delivery fee. When they deliver the bike, they assemble it and set it up for you. For cycling shoes, you do not need to buy the Peloton ones. I own them personally, but you can search for ones that are cheaper. If you choose to look for them on your own, you will need to buy cycling shoes that use a 3-bolt cleat mount (which are named LOOK Delta). When I looked up these shoes on various retailer sites, I found they range from $70-$100. If you do choose to buy Peloton-brand cycling shoes, they will cost an extra $125. As far as the quality of the shoe, I’ve had mine for 3 years and they have stayed in great condition.
For the membership, you pay $39/month, which would total to $468 for the year. The membership is needed to access the library with thousands of live and on-demand classes. Without that membership, the functionality of the bike is extremely limited and not worth the cost in my opinion. So if you add up all the costs above, including the shoes, it’s $2,838 for the first year. There is no sugar coating that the bike does cost a lot upfront. Trust me, I thought the same thing when I saw the price tag. I knew we were unable to pay that cost upfront so I checked out their financing plan. First, you have to fill out the application to see if you prequalify to finance. If you do prequalify, you can set up a plan to pay whatever amount you want/are able to do. You can pay as low as $58/month (for 39 months). The nice part about the finance plan is you don’t need to put any money down and there is no interest rate (so 0% APR). Add-ons that would be extra: a bike mat, a pair of low weight dumbbells, earbuds, an exercise mat, and a heartrate monitor. These add-ons can be purchased on Amazon or local retailers for cheaper than the Peloton website.
Overall Pros and Cons
PROS
- The variety of classes – They offer different class themes, difficulty levels, lengths and music genres to keep your workouts fresh and exciting.
- The instructors – The instructors are so motivating and push you to do your best. They tell you where you need to be (intensity wise) throughout the ride/classes, so it makes you feel like you’re taking an in-studio class.
- It’s at home! – I love that I can hop on the bike whenever I want. It’ has come in extremely handy now that I have Landon. Also, not having to get ready to go to a gym is a huge plus too!
- Bike Quality– It’s a high-quality bike. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve had it for 3 years and experienced no problems thus far.
- Real-time metrics – You’re able to see your metrics in real-time every class, such as your heart rate (if you have it set up), resistance, cadence, etc.
- It challenges you – The bike will automatically showcase your stats from previous rides with the same length so you can accomplish PRs. The leaderboard also lets you see how you measure up with individuals that are taking or have taken the class.
- You Can Freeze Your Membership – When I had a complication during my recent pregnancy, I was able to freeze my membership since I wasn’t able to use the bike.
- The Bike is equipped with Bluetooth – You can wear your own Bluetooth headphones while doing the classes.
- Home Trial Program – This allows you to try out the bike for 30 days. If you are unsatisfied with it, you can return it and get a full refund.
Cons
- It’s A Heavy Bike – I like that it’s very safe and stable, but it’s extremely heavy. Once you dedicate a space to store it, it’s not easy to move the bike around.
- You Can’t Pause Classes – If Landon starts crying and I need to get off the bike, I can’t pause the current class I’m taking. You only have the option of either resuming the class that’s already in progress or starting over.
- It’s Expensive – Even though I own the bike, I still think that the price tag is very high.
Peloton APP
The Peloton App is included in the $39/ month membership. This app allows you to do Peloton studio and outdoor running classes anywhere and anytime. The app offers classes that you would normally see when you’re at home using the bike. The other non-cycling classes the app offers are yoga, running, walking, Bootcamp, and strength exercises.
Now let’s say you like the idea of the app, but still don’t want to pay that much for the Peloton bike. You can buy just the Peloton App membership, which is $12.99/month. You also can use the app while on another spin bike. But If you are on another bike, you won’t be able to have access to the leaderboard features and might not be able to follow along with the intensity (cadence, resistance, output, etc.)
So Is The Peloton Bike Worth It?
So after using the bike for 3 years, I definitely think it’s worth it, for me. Before buying the bike, I used to pay to go to spin classes, so I already knew I would enjoy the classes they offered. I realized, prior to getting the bike, that going to in-studio spin classes started to add up after a while. On top of that, Dan uses the bike too, so it’s one less gym membership expense that we have to pay ($39 for two people is a great deal in my opinion). With that being said, we have made our money back and more by not having those extra expenses.
Another nice perk is being able to use it as much as I want. For instance, if I want to do two rides/classes in one day then I can at no extra cost. Overall, If you love spin classes, like to work out at home, plus know others in your household will use it too – then I think it’s totally worth it!
If you think the Peloton is the right choice for you, and want $100 of free accessories with a purchase of a bike, be sure to use my referral code at checkout!
CODE: 3VHMTM
