Who here has been personally victimized by a Peloton commercial? Or maybe your “cool friend” has one, and her Instagram stories give you FOMO? You know what I mean. Or maybe, you’re the more cynical type and find the whole thing a bit ridiculous. Either way, a lot of us are thinking about the bike and if we need one. Well, lucky for you, my convincing friend convinced me to purchase a Peloton even though I had never done a live spin class before. And now, I’ve completed over 100 rides! Keep reading for all you need to know about owning a Peloton bike.
What is Peloton?
Peloton is a high-quality spin bike, allowing you to get the same workout as you would at one of those fancy spin classes. You can sweat from home without having to drive anywhere or even look decent in your workout attire. The bike is delivered to you and comes with a 24-inch, Wifi and Bluetooth enabled tablet mounted to the handlebars.
Classes are available live or on-demand, and you can see how you are performing against other riders. It’s not just about cycling either. Meditation, stretching, walking, running, and arm workouts with weights are available too.
The bike is compact and fits in a 2-foot by 6-foot space. So, you don’t need a home gym or an ample space. I have my bike tucked into the garage, and that works just fine. Some friends put it in their office and one has it in a nook of her Brooklyn apartment. Despite the small footprint, the Peloton bike accommodates people from 4’11” to 6’5″ according to the website. But, I’ll tell you that my 6’6″ husband can ride comfortably as the handlebars and seat is fully adjustable.
The boys love to join me in a “workout”
Best Peloton Classes
The virtual classes vary in length from 5-60 minutes and include warm-ups, cool downs, stretching, arms, and 15-60 minutes spin classes. There are many different instructors with different styles and music preferences and even themed rides as well as rides with a live DJ. My favorite instructors are Robin, Alex, Cody, and Tunde. As a busy mom, I prefer 20 or 30 minutes classes but do treat myself to a 45 minute or 60-minute ride on the weekends. I love the artist series like Whitney Houston and Britney Spears and I always look at the playlist before selecting a Peloton class. 2000s hip hop is my favorite music to ride to and I’d rather not do a class that has a separate arm workout included.
Community
Peloton is blowing up right now because they have created a desirable community and culture. How else can you take a spin class with your sorority sister from college or your best friend from home? Riders can connect during classes by sending virtual high fives or through video chats, and it’s easy to find and follow riders like you based on their location, age, leaderboard name, or hashtags. Peloton riders even bond over their favorite instructors, and Peloton only brings in the best of the best to teach classes. It feels like a cool family you get to choose to join.
You can compete against others who take the class with you or those who have already taken the on-demand ride or challenge yourself to do better than last time. Not to mention there’s a free shirt once you complete 100 spins, and the instructors will call out your name during class when you hit a milestone ride like 100, 1000, 1500, etc. And, we aren’t all trying to outdo each other. We cheer each other on during the workout and follow each other for added virtual support.
Cost
Peloton is not cheap. I repeat, it is not cheap. The bike will set you back about $2500 with tax and delivery plus $39/month for your Peloton All Access Membership (streaming subscription). Now before you get sticker shock and stop reading this, let’s talk about the financing option through Affirm, aka how I could justify this purchase to myself and my husband.
By only going to their website and answering a few questions about your income, Affirm will pre-approve you for the bike. No credit check required. You can choose to pay your Peloton off in 12, 24, or 36 months at zero interest and set up autopay through their website or app.
So, do the math and ask yourself if it’s worth $100 a month for you. For me, it was a resounding yes. I can skip frivolous purchases at Target for my health. Another more budget-sparing option is subscribing to the Peloton App for $12.99/month and using your own phone/tablet with a spin bike you already have or find cheaper locally. I have friends who do this as well.
Shoes
Pro-tip. You don’t have to unclip
At a minimum, you will need spin shoes and make sure they have a delta cleat compatible with the Peloton peddles. Alternatively, you can purchases cages for the peddles and use any athletic shoes. But, I don’t think caged pedals are the way to go. There’s no hamstring support with them, so I prefer “clipping in” and using spin shoes. My husband didn’t find the cages very comfortable and ended up buying shoes as well.
Peloton has a pair of shoes you can purchase and have delivered with your bike for convenience. Or you can go to any retailer and grab some shoes. I know people love these from Nike, and my husband purchased some from Pearl Azumi since they are available in larger sizes. Just make sure you have a delta cleat. If your chosen shoe comes with another cleat, they can be purchased separately.
Here are a couple of tips. If you are the only bike rider in the house, leave your shoes clipped in. That way, you can just slide your feet in and not clip in and out each time. Also, you can get your shoes nearly free by using a referral code at checkout. If you need a referral code, mine is 9GR39C.
Other Peloton Must Haves
Besides your shoes, you will want a few other items for your Peloton bike, and I’d make sure to purchase those ahead of time. I think of this section as the “if you give a girl a Peloton, she will also want a…”
I’ve linked the items I purchased below using affiliate links. I do get a tiny kickback if you choose to purchase after following the link. But, I’d never BS you and only share things I think are great. And, if you prefer a one-stop-shop, Peloton offers several of the following items in packaged bundles delivered with your bike for an extra cost and you’ll see these at checkout.
The Setup
You will want a thick yoga mat under the bike for cushion and to catch the massive amounts of sweat that will fly off you during the workouts. I purchased this one on Amazon. If you put the bike in a room with carpet, get a piece of plywood or something else to make a level and flat surface and then put your mat on top of that. If you keep your Peloton Bike in the garage as we do, I’d keep it covered when you aren’t using to protect from dust and critters.
If you want to do classes with arms, you will need 2-5 pound hand weights. I don’t like doing classes with arm weights, but a lot of my friends enjoy them. In my opinion, Peloton is already a full-body workout, and this isn’t necessary.
Accessories
You will also want a fan to blast you in the face and a towel to wipe the sweat. I think this fan is perfect because its adjustable, and I have several of these Drip Accessory towels that also protect the bike handles from all my grossness. Lastly, you’ll want a good-sized water bottle or 2. I love these glass ones that fit perfectly in the holders.
For clothing, you will want something tight-fitting that covers your thighs to keep them from rubbing together. My favorite for ladies is Fabletics pants and shorts. While you don’t need headphones, I also use Apple AirPods that connect via Bluetooth for better sound. You may also want headphones if you wish to protect your little one’s ears from explicit lyrics you end up loving Alex and Robin’s hip rides as much as I do.
Comfort
Is the Peloton bike comfortable to ride? The answer to the questions depends on who you ask. I’ve never experienced a sore bum from riding Peloton. Some say there is an adjustment period, and the sore butt goes away with time. Because my husband is not willing to take any chances anywhere hear is man parts area, he purchased a padded seat cover and padded shorts. He also read that lifting the handlebars may help because it will encourage proper butt placement and angle on the seat.
For maximal comfort, you will want to have the bike set up correctly for you and your body. If your bike is delivered and assembled by the delivery service, the technician will help you with this. If not, here is a helpful video from Peloton. Just for reference, I’m 5’6″ with a shorter torso and longer legs, and I use a seat height of 6, a seat depth of E, and handlebar height of L. My husband is 6’6″ with long legs, and he uses a seat height of 30 and the max seat depth and handlebar height.
My sweaty face during every Peloton workout
Interested in Buying a Peloton?
Suppose you are ready to pull the trigger on a Peloton bike. First of all, congrats and welcome to the family! Click here and get started. If you are financing through affirm, you will be prompted to do so prior to checkout. Don’t forget to use a referral code! If you don’t already have a referral code, feel free to use mine (9GR39C) during your bike purchase for a $100 credit towards accessories. Once your bike arrives, make sure to follow me so I can follow you back and cheer you on! My leaderboard name is Elisabetch, though I may need to change that to something more PC in the future.
Still Not Sure About Peloton?
If you are just mildly interested, here’s what I would do. Download the Peloton app and check it out. It is free for two weeks, and the trial does not require a credit card. At the end of the trial, if you don’t renew, it will inactivate, rather than automatically charging your card. Love that.
And as always, if you have any questions about the Peloton bike, feel free to reach out and I’ll do my best to help.
