sabaray, I have my elliptical in a room that has thick carpeting. I took the top of a wood table
and put the machine on it. It works perfectly.
A counterpoint. While I think Peloton has come up with an innovative product concept and business model and does a great job delivering what it promises, there are many indoor cycling products and opportunities for indoor cycling training out there that are less costly, equally if not more effective and, in my view, just as capable of providing motivation and distractions to stave off boredom. My opinion on Peloton, its pluses and minuses, and how it compares to other available indoor cycling training is shaped by 23 years of experience with indoor cycling, including certifications as a Spinning instructor, participating in hundreds of indoor cycling classes, owning or having ridden just about all of the major commercial quality indoor cycling bikes out there and having owned and used all of the major categories of indoor trainers used with your own bike. So for what it’s worth - or not- here’s my take.
First, I’m not a fan of the design of the bike. The frame is made of steel which under heavy use is susceptible to internal rust as sweat finds its way down the seat tube and handlebar tube into the frame. In addition, the belt drive is not the latest state of the art belt system which impacts on whether it has a realistic feel, wear, need to adjust tension and maintenance. Furthermore, the handlebars are not adjustable fore and aft which is a major design flaw. When cycling, the positioning of your body on the bike is critical for comfort, form, efficiency, power and injury prevention. Proper positioning is based on having the positions of the 3 contact points of your pedals, seat and handlebars being properly adjusted relative to each other and to your limb and torso lengths and flexibility. Because there is no fore and aft adjustment of the bars, the only way to adjust the reach to the bars is by adjusting the fore and aft position of the saddle or by adjusting the height of the bars which travel up and down on a bit of an angle. As you move the saddle fore and aft, you change the relative position of the saddle to the pedals which then impacts on the relative alignment of your knees to the pedal spindle. You also change the effective saddle height. As you move the bars up and down, you change the degree of flexion of your torso. To get the right reach from the saddle to the bars, you frequently end up compromising these other fit parameters. Not good. The pedal system on the bike also does not make sense for home use by someone who does not have a lot of experience with clipless pedals. The Look pedal system on the bike requires the user to wear road cycling shoes. The Look cleats sit on top of the sole of the shoe. They are not recessed into the sole like with mountain bike style shoes, cleats and pedals used on most other indoor cycles. They are awkward to walk on and create insecure footing. The cleats are made of plastic and wear quickly. They are mounted using a 3 screw system and replacing them requires knowledge of how to position the angle of the cleat for your personal anatomical relationship between your feet, ankles and knees to avoid knee injury from misalignment during the repetitive pedaling motion over time. Finally, the handlebars are designed to frame the console, they do not provide a realistic approximation of the hand positions on an actual bike. All things considered, in my view these are a lot of compromises for a $2000 bike. You are really paying for the electronics. Then, of course, you have the monthly subscription fee for the programming. Without it, the Peloton is no different than any other indoor cycle and you can spend much less to get a comparable bike and at that price point can get bikes without the shortcomings I have described.
Then there’s the high monthly fee for wifi access to the live and recorded classes. There is no question that many people will find the online classes to be very motivating and perhaps entertaining. However, there are some notable limitations. First and foremost, the online classes are not interactive. You get to watch those who are in Peloton’s NYC studio but there really isn’t any interaction and live synergy. You do not get any individual coaching or encouragement. Moreover, you get no feed back on your form and technique. (Watching the online classes, I can tell you that there are many riders whose form is not great. Bad form can lead to injuries.) All of these are things that can only be found in live classes in which you participate. As well produced as the online classes may be, at the end of the day, they are no different from the myriad of products already out in the market place that provide videos of group rides and training either using DVDs or wifi streaming at much lower costs, even as low as 1/4 the monthly fee Peloton charges.
So what are the options out there? There are plenty. For bikes, look at indoor cycles made by Schwinn (the AC Performance series of bikes), Stages, Star Trac, Precor, Cycleops and Keiser. They offer products that are high quality, commercial grade and run the gamut in price from 1/2 the cost of Peloton to a few hundred more depending on the features you want. For classes, look for DVDs and online content from Epic Rides ( http://epicplanet.tv/ ) and Sufferfest ( https://thesufferfest.com/collections/cycling-videos?gclid=CKny0rbf7dECFZiCswod4LAGGg ) as examples. There are many others.
Or look at indoor trainers that you can attach your own bike to. Cycleops, Kurt Kinetic and Trax are some of the notable manufacturers. Then there are “smart trainers” that interface with online content using bluetooth or ANT+ protocols. The Wahoo Kickr and units from Cycleops are very popular. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to about $1200. The smart trainers will link with online programs such as Kinomap, Zwift and TrainerRoad that charge $10/month to subscribe. Kinomap is particularly cool. It provides videos of group rides on fantastic routes recorded by a rider in the pack using a helmet cam. Your perspective is as if you are riding. The video is embedded with a signal that changes the resistance on smart trainers to match the topography, road conditions, and wind. Zwift provides a live interactive experience with other riders in a high resolution video game format. You set up your bicycle avatar, choose a training ride or a real time group ride and off you go sharing the road with riders from around the world who are riding at the same time. Your avatars can interact with each other, you can compete with and challenge each other or you can just do your own ride, greeting riders and being greeted as you go about your way. The program will control the resistance on smart trainers to match the training profile for structured training rides (erg mode) or to match the topography on the road rides. TrainerRoad provides structured training rides with graphs and feedback to to keep you motivated.
There’s lots out there to consider before you plunk down $2000 for the Peloton bike and commit to the monthly access fees. Look around, choose what you think will work best for you but make a well informed decision that will best meet your needs and desires so that you can get the most out of your indoor cycling at a cost that meets your budget.
Great review Michael.
Excellent points.
The additional costs for the programs, etc. is a definite con after spending $2K on the bike. Good to see the other angle MK.
Agreed, great review! I have a lot of experience with both indoors and outdoors cycling, so I considered and researched a lot of those factors before buying peloton. Btw, as you probably know, many online peloton reviews mention the same points. I agree with most of them, but we found that many of those to be negotiable or a non-issue in our particular case. For example, both I and husband went to a showroom to make sure that we can adjust the bike properly and comfortably for both of us. And I do have a lot of experience with riding position adjustment - in fact, I often coach beginners (sometimes it hurts to even watch them, and many spin instructors do not bother to help). Over the years, I took spinning classes in at least 5 different studios using at least 4 different cyclers (Schwinn, Star Trac, Precor and Keiser come to mind). I own 3 pairs of cycling shoes with different types of clits, and have all of them adjusted professionally. They do wear out fast, but they are inexpensive to replace. The Look delta cleats are the least convenient for walking, but I keep them right next to the pelaton, so a non-issue for me as well.
Funny you mentioned the indoor trainers that you can attach your own bike to. We own one of them (Kurt Kinetic methinks - I am too lazy to go downstairs and check the brand). I am not a fan, but husband used it for several years for indoors cross-training. We checked indoors Tacx indoor cycler and the ap in our cycling store the week before ordering pelaton, and hated it, especially the ap (which btw costs ~$1,600) - too long to explain, but definitely a bad choice for us.
Live interactive spinning classes in a studio are always the best (assuming they are indeed “interactive” with the skilled instructor, good music, and well-maintained bikes, which is another pet peeve of mine). It’s not easy to find a gym that provides all of those, is busy enough to support regular and freqent spinning classes at convenient times, but is not too busy to be constantly overbooked and unaccessible. Pelaton does not replace a good studio, but rather complements it, so that I can spin whenever I want. And being able to choose amongst many different routines, instructors and music styles is a huge advantage for me. I only liked about 1/3 of the “on demand” classes I tried this far, but this is not a problem with over 4,000 classes available to choose from. In a gym, I don’t have this choice, so sometimes I have to stick with bad instructors I don’t like.
I am always jealous of people who are motivated enough to regularly exercise by themselves. I am definitely not one of them - I get bored easily, so I need a class with an instructor, or a personal trainer to exercise regularly. This was the biggest selling point of pelaton for me, although it does come at a price. The subscription fees was the main reason I was hesitant to buy it, but we decided to do this at the end. Bottom line, everyone should do their homework, be aware of pros and cons, and choose what works for them. Similar to any other product, there are many different choices of indoor cycling equipment to satisfy different needs.
Lots of good points mycupoftea. I know what you mean about classes with inattentive instructors who never get off their bikes to assist or coach riders, don’t teach good form, don’t know how to structure and cue a ride and don’t work to create the synergistic energy of a good live class. It makes me nuts too! When we take family vacations, my daughter (who is an incredible instructor) and I always make it a point to do rides at studios wherever we are. We have found that the small boutique studios are generally better at creating the atmosphere we like and at giving individualized attention than the big chain studio’s where too often the emphasis is on the “signature” elements of the brand rather than the fundamentals of what makes for a good class ride.
I have a Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer which I think is one of the best old school rear wheel trainers around. I used to ride it with a PowerTap hub laced rear wheel so that I could do structured wattage training. For the last 3 years, my winter training has been on a Wahoo Kickr. Very neat piece of technology; a “smart trainer” that provides wattage based training and that can connect to applications on mobile devices or to web based programming.
At the end of the day, you’re tight. Get what works for you. Do the research, weigh the pros and cons and get what is mostlikely to induce you to get on the bike and ride!
“At the end of the day, you’re tight”? Oy, either my fingers don’t know what keys they’re hitting or autocorrect is having seizures!
Thank you, @MichaelNKat, lots of good advice. I am a big fan of small studios, I started spinning many years ago at a small private gym, but unfortunately the class have fallen apart a year later. It was great while it lasted, and I learnt a lot from them. I think it is cost-prohibitive for a small studio to order and maintain enough machines for a spinning class, and then it gets difficult for them to recruit enough members to keep regular class schedule. I kept hunting for small studios that specialize in spinning, but none of them lasted for more than 1-2 years, several changed locations and eventually closed, some had horrible equipment. Last year I found a great mid-size gym, where the facilities are probably below average, but the staff is amazing and it makes a huge difference. However, they only offer 2 spinning classes per week during the time that works for me. And if I have other commitments or must work longer hours, I cannot even attend those classes. I never liked large chain gyms - tried a couple of them and always dropped out after a few months. They always feel too crowded, too impersonal, and their staff changes too often. I like to see familiar faces when I exercise.
That’s a shame about the studios you encountered @mycupoftea. It really depends on the demographics of the area where the studio is located and the ability of management to implement a sound business plan. Depending on the bikes ordered, 25 top shelf commercial quality bikes will cost about $42,000 to purchase before tax, delivery and installation and about $35,000 to lease all inclusive. My daughter is the general manager of the first boutique studio to open in Philadelphia and it’s been going strong for 6 years. The market is so strong that 2 major national brand studios have also opened in the city. At the other extreme, there’s a successful and thriving little studio in New Jersey in a little town called Riglersville along the Delaware River. Last place in the world I expected to stumble onto a cycling studio. As they say, location, location, location - and lots of time and effort to market using social media and networking. But for those who don’t have a studio near them, or have scheduling or budgeting issues that preclude regular class attendance, technology has really opened up the world of indoor cycling at home and has transformed it from droning away on a stationary bike in front of the tv to something very dynamic and fun.
It’s great to hear that your daughter’s studio is doing well. In our case, the difference could be that there are too many choices / competition, and the rents are prohibitively high. My favorite private gym closed last year because the price of their 10-year lease became unaffordable. Maybe I should move to Philadelphia 
Rents in Philadelphia are pretty darn high, too- as I’m sure Michael can attest.
I had an excellent spin class in Dallas with two instructors who were champion track cycle racers. One was a world champion, but wound up in prison for a couple of years, so we had a break… I was so spoiled by those excellent classes! When we moved to TN 10 years ago, the instructors were more like aerobics instructors on wheels with loud music and lots of hopping up and down. Not good.
Ah, yes MOWC, the ongoing struggle between “authentic cycling” indoor classes and the, shall we say, “alt cycling” style of classes. The debate forever rages, lol.
And yes, rents in Philadelphia can be as high as $105/ft depending on the neighborhood. And there are fitness studios of every type all over center city. Three dedicated cycling studios within a 4 block radius of each other (my daughter’s and 2 major national chain studios) with others in outlying neighborhoods and more to come ;).
Ihttps://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/01/pelotons-interesting-platform.html
" those with regular trainers though through their subscription service and a laptop/tablet/computer (Update: You can do this on their iPad app for $13/month). ". So you don’t need the overpriced bike then?
You don’t need to buy the shebang if is just the software you like. I doubt it is the hardware. But then you have zwift, trainerroad, and other training software that is not so, kitschy? I like sufferfest and a real bike on the KK nowadays. I wouldn’t mind a power meter or a wahoo kickr. Q factor on spin bakes and lack of reach adjustability is why my spin bike of old is in the spare room. My tall kid uses it though. I get that classes in public have little appeal. Wattbike type classes with great teachers (not rec ladies) run here from lifetime for not very much but house of watts classes might be $10 a pop.
I think you have just called me a rec lady? I have been teaching cycle at a gym for 12 years. Maybe fitness instructor? I am a lady but we certainly aren’t all ladies.
Rec lady is how it rolls here in rec center spin classes (taught by older ladies mostly for older ladies, with chit chat and so much talking). Because there is competition in the market for actual cyclists/hard core exercise enthusiasts, it is a different beast altogether. Horses for courses.
Hmm
Great comments on the true cyclist vs. aerobics instructor lead classes. As with everything, one must search for what is best.
I find the open road is the best.
@MichaelNKat Loved your review post. Great detail and comments. I find the best indoor training for a road cyclist are good old fashioned “rollers”. These babies will improve your balance to the nth degree and of course you use your actual road bike/shoes. For those who find these a bit too intimidating, a good fluid trainer does wonders also.
The part lacking is the audio/visual aspects of the new spinning bikes. It must be very cool to be able to ride the European classics virtually.
I’ve used rollers but have found that as challenging as they are and great for developing form and technique, for the kind of workouts I want to do, I really need a stable base of support. I’ve used fluid trainers with a PowerTap hub on a wheel with video workouts and structured wattage training programs. I particularly like the KurtKinetic Fluid trainer. My current go to indoor cycling training is with a Wahoo Kickr. I use it with TrainerRoad, Zwift and Kinomap. Zwift and Kinomap provide great audio-visual environments. Zwift is like a sophisticated interactive video game networked with riders from around the world. Kinomap immerses you in videos of actual rides including rides on many epic major pro race routes. These programs interface with the Kickr and control its resistance levels to match the topography of the ride or to provide structured wattage training - at $10/month.