I love Peloton. Like I love Peloton. I got my Peloton bike in August 2020 and have been hooked ever since. Actually, I got hooked on the app workouts while I waited for my bike to arrive. So needless to say, this Peloton review may sound a little biased and sales-y but I promise you I am not a professional Peloton athlete or sponsored by the brand (as much as I wish I was – hint-hint Peloton!)
I should also add that prior to my Peloton I had never taken a cycling class. If someone had told me a few years ago I’d not only own but be gushing about a spin bike, I would have laughed. But here we are, and Peloton has become a passion of mine and I’m excited to talk about it! So in this post, I’ll share my experiences with the Peloton Bike and Tread+, likes and dislikes, and some overall tips and tricks. Let’s dive in to my Peloton review!
For a clear Peloton review, let’s start with the different types of equipment
There are two different versions of both the treadmill and the bike. For bikes, you can get the Peloton Bike or the Peloton Bike+. The Bike+ is the newer model, and you can read all about the differences on the Peloton website here. The biggest difference is that the Bike+ has a swivel screen, so you can rotate the screen for floor workouts (since strength workouts are a big part of Peloton – I’ll get to that shortly). The Bike+ also has the ability for resistance to auto-adjust so that you don’t have to manually adjust as the resistance direction changes throughout your workout. The Peloton Bike is priced at $1,895 (marked down from $2,245) and the Bike+ is $2,495.
Unfortunately, I received my Peloton Bike literally one month before they announced the addition of the Bike+, so I wasn’t interested in spending more money for an upgraded model. Peloton did end up offering a discount if you traded in your old Bike, but the discount didn’t seem worth it to me for the little amount of use I had put into my bike at that point. I love my Peloton bike, though! Personally, I don’t mind adjusting my resistance myself while riding. Sometimes I even prefer that, because I will find myself riding at a higher resistance than the workout calls for. And as far as the lack of a swivel screen goes, I don’t mind that either. I can pull up the various workouts on the app on my phone and do them from the floor. I did that for months before receiving my Peloton treadmill!
For treadmills, you have the option of the Peloton Tread or the Tread+.
The Tread+ is the existing, larger model of Peloton treadmills, while the Tread is a newer model that is just now rolling out to various states (and available everywhere in March 2021). The biggest differences between these two are the Tread+’s larger frame, bigger screen, and ability to go to level 15 incline. The Tread is a slightly smaller size with a maximum incline level of 12.5. When measuring our space, the Tread+ was the same size as my previous NordicTrack, which I actually used the highest incline quite a bit on. For those reasons, I opted for the big boy Tread+. The Peloton Tread+ is priced at $4,295 while the newer Tread is $2,495.
These are expensive treadmills, I know.
We can’t go through a Peloton review without talking about this. It’s kind of crazy. However, after just one day of having my Peloton Tread+, I feel fully confident that it is worth the investment (if it’s in your budget) compared to my NordicTrack. I loved my NordicTrack! It was near and dear to my heart, and I ran that bad boy for 2.5 years. But the Peloton…. *sigh*. It’s just stunning.
The screen is HUGE. The workout capabilities are exactly the same as they are in the app or on the bike. The floor of the treadmill itself feels similar to running outside yet somehow has a smoother ground than my NordicTrack. When I’m running without headphones, I don’t hear my feet thumping on the ground distractingly. The concept of the knobs to change speed and incline, versus your typical buttons to press, feels genius and much more natural. I was actually worried this would take some getting used to, but it almost feels instinctual on the treadmill! Plus, the Peloton treadmills have free mode, where you pull the belt with your body weight rather than running at a specified speed, which I always had a bit of FOMO over when I was doing the runs or boot camps from my phone. Overall, I’m so happy we pulled the trigger.
Now, let’s talk about Peloton as a whole
I’m going to get a little mushy on you: I feel like I’ve found my perfect workout program with Peloton. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect for everyone! But for me, this is the type of program I’ve been looking for my whole life. I love HIIT workouts. I used to own an elliptical machine growing up and was doing Denise Austin tapes since I was a teenager. This is my jam! I love to break a sweat, I like mixing it up, and I can be competitive when it comes to my exercise.
That being said, I truly think Peloton has something for everyone. Many people view Peloton as a bike company, but your membership allows access to classes in running, cycling, boot camps (both on the treadmill and on the bike,) yoga, barre, strength training, and more. Keep in mind, once you buy the equipment, you still have a $39 monthly membership fee. You can also download the app for $12.99 a month with no equipment.
Peloton Review: Pros
There are a TON of different instructors and styles of classes
This was my number 1 pro as I started working on a Peloton review. I have 6 or 7 favorite instructors that I keep on rotation that I feel extra connected to! There are still so many that I haven’t tried. Peloton does an excellent job of having a diverse team, so there are instructors of all different ages, races, backgrounds, skillsets, etc. There are a couple of instructors that made me feel like I was hanging out with an old friend from the very first class I took with them! And yet, there are some instructors I haven’t taken yet that I think others I know would absolutely love. No matter what your style is or how you’re motivated, there’s someone for you.
Similarly, the variety in music is great
You can filter by instructor preference, workout preference, or even music preference. If you’re in the mood for pop, there’s a ton of workouts for that. If you prefer hip hop, they have you covered. More of a rock person? Don’t worry, they have that too. Even their yoga workouts can feature modern artists and chart-topping songs. From there, you can save your favorite songs and have them connected to your preferred listening platform for music. I love this because I can pull up Apple Music in my car and listen to music that I’ve saved from my Peloton workouts! It keeps me motivated and in the mood to workout all day long.
The analytics are more motivating for me than any other program I’ve tried
I’m a visual learner. I’m driven by numbers and tracking my own progress. Having an overall output each time, competing with others on the leaderboard, and having a personal record that I can beat are all factors that have taken my workouts to another level. Not to mention, it’s all tracked for me so there’s literally no effort needed on my end to keep track of my own stats. It’s amazing how much we can push ourselves to accomplish new things when we view the work in a new light!
Speaking of analytics, the app is super user friendly.
The technology both on the machines and in the app are intuitive and easy to use. I love browsing workouts through the app on my phone and bookmarking them for later. This helps me get right to it when it’s time to work out! As I mentioned above, you can filter by pretty much any specification so it makes searching very seamless and efficient.
Classes are flexible, so you can choose whether to take a class that is live or on-demand
If my schedule allows it, I love to take live classes because the leaderboard is more active and the energy feels different (even virtually!) But given how busy life is these days, the on-demand classes are what I usually opt for. I LOVE being able to do a class I love at any time.
You can have multiple profiles on one machine
My husband and I each have an account (with our own workout history and analytics) on the bike, and we have those same profiles on our treadmill. You’re only allowed two accounts per two machines within your monthly membership fee, so if we added a third machine (for whatever reason) we would need to pay a second monthly membership fee. But for $39/month, we each get to use the bike and treadmill content freely.
The company is equality-driven
This is something that is important to me as I think about where I spend my money and what businesses I support. Some of my favorite instructors through Peloton are of different races, sexualities, backgrounds, etc. and the company is open about supporting initiatives that drive equality. There are themed workouts for Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Latinx Heritage Month, Notting Hill Carnival, and you can even take workouts in German. And these are just some of the themes I’ve taken! There are many times that instructors will call out men, women, and non-binary royalty! No matter how you identify, what you look like, or what your fitness level is, you are welcomed here. To me, that is SO important and something that I notice lacks within other companies, especially in the fitness industry.
Peloton Review: Cons
The monthly membership fee isn’t my favorite
After shelling out thousands for the equipment, an additional $40 per month seems like a lot on top of what has already been paid. That being said, I used to pay $40 per month for a gym membership, so I view it as investing in the equipment while maintaining said gym membership. Plus like I said, both my husband and I each get to workout for $39 a month total. And honestly, Peloton has been so life-changing for me that I would pay whatever I could at this point (and they know that).
That’s literally it. I tried! I can’t think of any other cons. I’m sorry! This is my honest Peloton review, and I am a fully converted Peloton addict and proud of it. I’m the most fit I’ve been in my entire life, I have a healthy relationship with fitness and food, and I thoroughly enjoy my mental break in the day to workout. I can’t complain about that!
If you’re interested in investing in Peloton equipment yourself, you can use my referral code CP8XYS to get $100 towards your machine/accessories. This isn’t sponsored – everyone gets a referral code of their own. But if you use my code, I do get credit to spend on Peloton Apparel. 😉 Once you make an account you’ll get one too!
Remember, this is a pricey hobby and is in no way necessary to have a successful fitness journey. The best fitness regimen for you is one you enjoy and can stick to! Looking for other ways to motivate yourself to stay (or get) active? Check out my post on fitness motivation!
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