Is it just me or is $40 a month too much for the content they provide? I would spend a couple thousand on fancy exercise equipment, or maybe get one as a gift for my parents but the required subscription gives me rent seeking vibes.
£40/month is worth it. The quality of the classes is impeccable. It's like they've been produced with TV budgets! This price does also include the digital membership which has yoga, boxing and loads of other type of workouts.
The bike (Bike+) is expensive but it's a solid piece of kit and does come with a 24 inch (Android) tablet.
Edit: Forgot to say, the £40/month is per bike, not per member. So you can have your entire family using the bike for the £40/month.
It’s not even per bike, it’s per household. If you get the tread the subscription carries there too. So for $40 you get bike, bike boot camp, treadmill, outdoor running, running boot camp, HIIT, strength training, calisthenics, yoga, and meditation classes. Compare that to something like soul cycle at ~$30 per class or Orange theory at ~$200/mo/person
But you don't need a Peloton bike to use their app...I bought a non-Peloton bike and pay $14.30/month to subscribe to the Peloton app (which I run on the big screen TV I already have in the room with the bike)
I don't need or want any interactive features that the bike provides, especially at a $25 premium to what I pay now.
does come with a 24 inch (Android) tablet.
When I bought my bike, I saw that 24 inch screen built-in to the Peloton as a drawback, my bike has a simple 4 line LCD bike computer, which I expect to run indefinitely, but it never needs software updates and if it breaks, it costs $200 to replace. And I don't have to plug it into the wall, it runs for a year on AA batteries.
I link my bike to my watch so have all of my workouts in once place -- spinning bike, running, outdoor biking, etc.
As someone who occasionally ride's my partner's peloton, I am BEGGING them to just let me watch Netflix or something on the screen. I have to jimmyrig an iPad over the huge screen because they won't let me just use the screen how I want.
It’s with this mindset that I went the Zwift route with an iPad and my own bike. But boy is it hard to get everything to work together! With peloton you could just climb on and start pedalling. With Zwift there’s always a sensor that won’t connect at first. There’s a reason these tightly integrated systems are popular. I wonder if peloton would be this seamless if the tablet was open. Too many configurations make things messy for the typical consumer.
Without installing or rooting anything, if you tap the correct part of the about screen it pulls up a browser and you can go to netflix.com (there's instructions floating around for this, I can't remember the exact incantation)
I have a Peloton and a Tonal. The Tonal monthly cost is more, but it's far superior to Peloton. Tonal does hide some feature behind the paywall which is a bit sketchy. All said, both devices are worth the $100/month combined expense, and my health improvements I've achieved has been incredible for me. This is all achievable with other stuff, but my schedule usually has me working out after 11pm. And I have 2 other family members that use both.
Specifically for the bike, if you're a "spin class person", then you're used to spending $20-40 per class - $40 for a month of unlimited classes with the best instructors in the business seems like a steal in comparison.
This is me. I was previously going to a brick & mortar gym in the CA Bay Area and paying $120/mo for unlimited classes per month. Doing the math on the upfront cost of the bike, plus $40/mo for the class access, still made financial sense for me. (I also took advantage of a deal through my credit card that got me 3 free months of subscription, plus lots of bonus points to use for travel later.)
Right, but that just makes Peloton even more attractive because now I don't even have to go to a gym, and I can take classes anytime I want in the comfort of my own home on my own schedule.
People who are really into spin classes do not lack motivation to exercise - they're in it for the classes - this is where people who equate Peloton to a stationary bike are completely missing the point. The classes are the point. The instructors (who are the absolute best spin instructors money could buy), the music, the programming/training - these are the things that users love about Peloton. If I just wanted to ride a bike then I'd do Zwift cycling, but that's a totally different activity. Spinning != cycling, and Peloton != gym equipment.
My wife fits the “almost in a cult” description. I think she loves the positivity, and feels engaged by the classes. She started with bike, but now also does peloton outdoor runs.
She is focused on the Peloton power zone classes. For power zone, you take an FTP test every 6 weeks which measures your ability to produce power output over 20 minutes. The bike then knows your 7 power output zones, from easy effort to max output. Based on that, Peloton instructors design classes which are zone based, and drive improvement at whatever your level is.
I tried powerzone after seeing my wife do it, and although it’s only a part of my exercise, I really like it. You can really see the improvement. I’ve never liked exercise classes in the past, but I like the powerzone classes and instructors.
My wife also signed up for some third party website (I forget what) that is essentially like a team based and powerzone based training plan. It motivates her over longer periods.
Having tried it, I think the peloton bike product is really good. It may have pulled forward a lot of demand and grown too much, but it offers a lot of real value.
The positivity and encouragement is one thing, but it's also a very interactive and immersive experience. Sure, there's a large catalog of pre-recorded classes, with different instructors, different styles, different music, and different languages. However there's also live classes where you can be seen and interact with people. They also gamify the experience with a live leaderboard even if you aren't in a live class.
The tech is also pretty well rounded. You can get pretty much all info that the bike has at any time on the app. During a workout, the Apple Watch communicates back biometrics.
I'm a pretty cynical and skeptical person, but after just getting one, I can definitely see the appeal.
I don't personally get it as I'm too cynical, but my partner says it's a very positive and encouraging culture. It's also gamed very well to encourage DAU so someone like my partner who loves getting her "dots" is incentivized to keep participating every day.
I reiterate though, it's working well for her health journey, so I'm all for it.
Unfortunately there are not good alternatives. I have a fairly nice bike at home and a standing desk that I can fit it under comfortably. I told my partner we don't need a Peloton because I could find spin class videos online. Nope. There really isnt any quality content out there. I guess I could just sign up for the Peloton platform with my own bike but I was surprised there wasnt at least a handful of Youtube videos of spin class instructors.
It seems similar to Yoga where you can find incredible quality online but its really not.
You do not need spin class videos. There is nothing technical about stationary biking. Yoga ? Sure, poses might be tricky to understand. Calisthenics ? Same thing. But a stationary bike ? Pump the difficulty on a timer and play some loud music on your own. Congratulations on your very own spin class.
These are people who need to consume and "belong" their way to fitness.
These people always burn out once the gimmick wears off. Then they go searching for the next thing and the next.
Throwing money hand over fist bc they cant figure out to eat better and put the proverbial foot to the concrete.
I'm sure they were all convinced their apple watch was going to keep them on track. These are the people who ran out and bought those stupid finger-toe running "shoes". They thought the Wii Fit Board was going to revolutionize things.
These are people who have perfectly matching and stylish gym outfits. they buy endless supplements to enhance performance or weight loss.
Just go do some hiit. Lift some weights. Take a yoga class. Quit eating like a jackass.
Nutrition and fitness can be complicated but beginner to intermediate changes aren't. 90% of people have an effort and habit problem.
And the western world thinks in consumerism terms. That fitness is something you buy at the store and name drop the brand to your friends.
And it's why they'll yo-yo their efforts all their lives before just giving up entirely
In all fairness, the wii fit board is fun. In the same way as ring fit is. I absolutely understand wanting to gamify your exercise: it's fun and always nice to see that you've put in 2500 planks since you've started. But even these are a one time payment. As you said, paying 40 dollars for HIIT is unbelievably either uninformed or lazy.
Any able-bodied person can get fitter than most people who aren't very into fitness for (damn near) free, without even that much time investment.
Trainers and peloton classes and such give people the option to rent someone else's willpower, though. (plus leverage sunk-cost sentiments and other tricks)
It's probably part of why fitness levels go up and waistlines down as one's gaze travels up the SES ladder. Someone with money who kinda wants to get fit can pay someone else to do their giving-a-shit for them, and might get fit. Someone without money who kinda wants to get fit—won't. That's what you'd expect to see even with all else, including the distribution of willpower (however we measure that) among various social classes and income levels, being equal.
Yup. This is a great way of putting it. Seth Rogan once said that if Hollywood wants you to get in shape they will basically do it for you and they would send a robot to move your arms and legs for you. He was joking but if you have a personal trainer to motivate you and make working out, "fun" and a personal chef to make your meals getting into great shape if much easier than if you are dragging yourself to an anytime fitness after working and taking care of kids.
Of course, It is more than a "Youtube video" who are part of Peloton cult.
It would be rather normal if cult members never describe cult as "Oh it is just a typical cult with some suspicious ideology, providing dubious benefits and led by a charismatic charlatan"
You're right, you can actually own a Geo Metro and drive it and fix it on your own, as opposed to the Ferrari which is nothing more than an expensive toy you cannot take out for anything useful. At least the Ferrari doesn't have a subscription (aside from the one you'll take at your gas station to make up for the 30L/100km that it gets)
I don't understand how you expect the question of what "x" is worth to be anything other than subjective.
It's like asking whether any other digital media subscription is worth it - my wife follows certain instructors and says she really enjoys the rides/classes - there is a certain element of "star power" in this space; the production values are excellent; the integration with the bike is top-notch.
We initially bought a cheaper Schwinn IC4, subscribed to the Peloton app ($12.99/month), and used our 7 year-old iPad to get nearly the same experience (minus the Leaderboard functionality and probably other things). Eventually we wondered why we were even spending $12.99/month on it, as my partner only had a few instructors that she liked, and neither of us could understand, or get behind, the "Peloton culture". We ultimately canceled and now just ride the bike without a class.
ha! Well the leaderboard and live stats and gamification where you can see where you are compared to your previous best at this point in a ride of the same length is IMHO what has made me get on the thing consistently and constantly push PRs. After being a couch potato for years, I am now on a 100 week streak and probably in the best shape of my life. High fiving people keeps me engaged through a class and prevents me from getting bored.
Its kind of like saying "Quake is cool, but I don't know why I would ever want to play multiplayer..."
If you have the motivation to keep yourself on a bike with just some headphones or a video on a tablet, more power to you, but there are many of us who can't do that. Add in that this has replaced my wife's multiple times a week soul cycle habit, with each class being $40, and Peloton is actually a significant cost savings in my home.
Eh, I thought the same thing but I've really enjoyed the classes. For me it's not about motivation, it's about getting structure to your ride without needing to plan it yourself. You also get things like the strength classes, etc, which provide the same value. If you work out every day, planning what you're doing accrues nonzero mental load. It's nice to just pop on a class and know you'll get a decent core workout, or whatever.
And I definitely wouldn't say I'm a member of the "culture", I get on, do a class, get off, that's it. The price is worth it for two people in the house I think.
I have the Tread, and I'm on the verge of cancelling my subscription. The $40 would be worth it if I was into the classes, but I tried them for a while and switched back to listening to podcasts while I run.
It's disappointing to have such nice hardware that's so limited--can't watch youtube or listen to music directly on the device, no built in interval training, no way to pause a run... Now that I think about it, it's one of the least-capable treadmills I've ever owned.
I've scrolled through these comments and am surprised to see no one's pointed out the alternative - it's $13.99/month for the content if you don't buy Peloton hardware.
That is in fact as bonkers as it sounds - my wife has a $700 spin bike and just puts an iPad on the front of it. Because she didn't spend $2000 or whatever on the Peloton bike, she says a third of the price for the content.
I'm pretty well versed in the fitness industry. Peloton, SoulCycle, Mirror value proposition never made any sense to me. With people going back to the office and gyms opening up again, people will want their normal fitness classes, gyms instead.
EDIT: apparently some of you disagree. Change my mind.
Perhaps don’t be so confrontational when people disagree you and you wouldn’t be getting as many downvotes?
But it would be easy to see peloton fitting in with gym classes for people that like to work out everyday but adding 1hr around a gym class to travel and get ready on days that time may not be available
Your comment is a bit strange: what makes you "well-versed" - that is an honest question.
I'll attempt to change your mind with a bit of math. And some context. I've used/use Peloton, Zwift, Future, and finally brick-and-mortar 24 Hour Fitness and Equinox.
My EQX membership is $240/month.
My Peloton membership is $40/month.
You're saying that people are going back to the office and want their classes/gyms, but that's not exactly true. I'm going back to the office, at most 3x a week, typically 2x a week. Work in Manhattan, live in Westchester County (30 min commute).
$240 / 8 visits per month (2x per week) = $30 per visit.
$240 / 12 visits per month (3x per week) = $20 per visit.
That $240 made sense when I could go to the gym 4x+ per week. And use multiple locations linked to the membership. It's now a very expensive line item on my credit card statement for doing something 8x per month.
Meanwhile, I can hit 2 or 3 Peloton classes per day, for $40 per month. Some of the most basic supplemental equipment (bands, dumbbells, etc.) can go a long way with some care after dealing with their upfront cost.
So, I agree with you that people want their gyms and classes but I don't agree that people are willing to pay for things they can't physically use as often. Meanwhile, anything you've built up at home is right there waiting to be used with almost no lost time.
>"Peloton, SoulCycle, Mirror value proposition never made any sense to me."
To be fair Peloton was doing ok before pandemic I think. They got disproportionally hyped since pandemic and now returning back to what is realistic value. Myself, I would not touch it with a wooden pole but that's just personal preferences - I do not participate in organized activities. Do everything on my own.
The narrative around Peloton is kind of strange to me. They were doing pretty well before the pandemic, then the pandemic hits, and they spent like this hockey stick growth is permanent and not just a trend, and then went in odd directions- focusing their energy on Peloton stores that sell apparel, for one example. Using that growth to move into different fitness areas and expand on their core product- interactive gamification based fitness- would have made a lot of sense to me- heart rate monitors that actually work, maybe weights that can detect how many reps you did that show up on a weight class leaderboard, would all fit in with the brand's draw. Trying to become the next Lululemon, I mean its not the worst idea I have ever heard, but it kind of goes against the idea of a relatively low fixed cost business model that can scale infinitely with almost zero incremental cost per user.
But the narrative that they are essentially a failed company, when they are still growing their user base, and haven't even really done much of an international expansion, is so far off from the reality that their management just spent money like drunken sailors on new businesses that no one wanted.
I got a spin bike that came with spot for an iPad or comparable device, and paid $10/month for a peloton digital subscription. Sure I don't get to be on the leaderboard, but I'm saving $30/month and my bike was $900 instead of ~$2000. My partner's work subsidizes the peloton subscription now though which is obviously even nicer.
Bike would've been cheaper if I had bought before the pandemic but home gym prices went up, unsurprisingly
Between $10 and $300/month, depending on how fancy (or crosfitty) you want, and where you’re located. The really expensive gyms near me seem to be heavily populated by very attractive young people, so I guess that’s an ancillary benefit if you care about that. I wonder if they offer hot-person subsidies…
Depends on what you're getting out of the gym membership. If you're just going to the gym, walking on a treadmill and doing curls for a bit, gym memberships can be incredibly cheap.
If you (like my SO) is going to the gym and using multiple provided amenities and training programs, that price can get very pricy very fast because those amenities are usually upcharged.
Gym memberships range from 10$ to hundreds, but the big thing is the class price. If you want to do classes on bikes/dancing/yoga/whatever, they are usually an absolute minimum of 10$/each, which is what makes the Peloton monthly attractive for people I think
A decade ago I paid $35/month for unlimited classes at my gym. I could only attend maximum of 2/week due to scheduling (I wasn't interested in every class). I thought that was an excellent deal back then.
In addition to the monthly fees that others have mentioned, there's usually an upfront "setup" fee of a few hundred dollars. Gyms have traditionally done shady shit to lock you in, too.
If Apple roles out GymKit more broadly to consumer devices, that will allow the average person to pay significantly less for both hardware and SaaS subscription. I imagine this would be a catastrophic event for Peloton.
It's a tough sell for me. I pay $40 a month for the whole family at the local rec center with multiple pools, water slides for the kids, an indoor running track and every piece of workout equipment you could want.
Not just you. I'm a cyclist and runner, who dabbles in yoga and other stuff.
Currently, I have one of my bikes mounted in the basement on a $1000 Wahoo Kickr smart trainer and use Zwift for $15/month (which I cancel over the summer).
When I do yoga, I want a live class because I want the instructor to adjust poses based on my skill/flexibility. Mindlessly cycling through sun salutations does nothing for me.
A few family members who aren't fitness buffs have Pelotons. They all slowly stopped using them over time. So the bike is basically a very expensive coat rack.
The monthly cost on top of the high cost of the bike is why I didnt jump on the bandwagon, er, bicycle in 2020. I probably went to enough cycling classes pre pandemic that I was paying roughly 40 dollars a month in costs anyway but paying for an in person class is a lot different than paying for access to video content.
I would get a bike tomorrow if that cost was $15-$25 a month.
I personally agree, but from their view is the competition/substitution another highly scalable virtual fitness subscription or is it a trendy cycling class (Soul Cycle, Orange Theory, etc)? If it's more the latter, then $40 could be compelling value. Yes, the classes aren't the same, but they're convenient and cheaper.
You can make the comparison work if you amortize the cost. Soul cycle is $30/class; peloton is $40/mo and $1600 to get started. Assuming a 13mo year of 4wk months and 3 classes a week, soul cycle costs $360/mo and peloton costs $40/mo. In 5 months you break even and keep a workout bike that retails second hand for $1000-1300.
No, it's ridiculously overpriced for the equipment and content. Buy a real bike and go outside. It's way more interesting and better for you.
If you HAVE to stay inside for bad weather or something get a trainer for that bike. There are several youtube channels/patreon channels that film their mountain-biking/road biking and you can put those on and feel like you're riding along if you need that aspect.
I feel like the type of people that fall for these electronic gadgets typically don't like exercising and are hoping they'll somehow get more motivated with digital content. Invariably, after a few months they quit using it just like every other exercise program they've started.
"Do something else!" is not much of an argument. It really just points out that you're unaware of the distinction between what Peloton sells and cycling in general.
Spin classes have their appeal and benefits that aren't the same as regular riding. A spin class is (typically) a high-intensity activity done for a fairly short period of time (say, an hour). An hour spent outside on your bike does not impart the same benefits, plus issues of weather and traffic detract (for some) from the overall appeal.
I'm a serious road cyclist, so I kinda dismissed Peloton initially, because I figured because it looked kinda like a bad deal for road-cyclist indoor workouts then it must be the same thing, but it's really not. I have a fancy indoor riding setup using a Wahoo trainer and one of my bikes and an iPad, and that's PERFECT for the kinds of FTP-boosting workouts my coach sets up for me, but Peloton isn't in my market AT ALL. Just because it'd pedaling indoors doesn't make it the same thing.
Spin has its own (typically well-heeled) devotees, and Peloton is pursuing that market. There is almost ZERO overlap between the sets of "my serious cycling pals who do indoor training" and "my friends who own Pelotons," which just highlights the difference.
Interesting take but while there is some argument to be made for being outside... Cycling outside is not always better for you. Many people live in urban areas where cycling outside is dangerous and objectively worse for you due to fumes from cars.
I've lived in rural areas where biking outside was great and in cities where biking was prioritized but I've also lived in many places where biking outside put myself at a much higher risk of being injured than biking inside. Especially at night after work which is when many exercise.
I keep seeing this argument, from presumably 20-40something single men.
I ride outside a lot and indoors too.
1. trainers don't work if you have 7+ bikes in a household with differing drivetrains, even the ones that attach at the wheel.
2. watching people ride and sitting on a trainer is kind of boring
3. peloton content is pretty engaging (maybe not for you)
4. the subscription cost is not an impact to finances
I mean, I get your point, but I'm confused by the statement
"trainers don't work if you have 7+ bikes in a household with differing drivetrains, even the ones that attach at the wheel"
They absolutely DO work, even then. Wheel-off smart trainers (Wahoo KICKR Snap, e.g.) don't care what your drive train is. We can put every bike we own on ours, and that includes bikes with 9-speed, 10-speed, and 11-speed drivetrains.
If you opt for a wheel-off trainer, sure, you'd probably need to ensure chain/cassette compatibility, but then you're clearly making a tradeoff for a superior "feel" and better power calibration -- in other words, you're probably racing and have no interest in keeping your 9-speed bike on a trainer when you race on 11. ;)
2$/month would pay for nothing essentially. You get unlimited classes for the 40$/month, which is cheaper than going to most fitness classes more than a few times.
Even in the middle of my small town, drop in classes at the gym at 8$ each, on top of your monthly membership.
Fwiw I dont own a Peloton, I prefer running, I just dont think its nearly as bad of a deal as people make it out to be
I'm not a user either but $40 at their current subscriber number comes in at a quarter billion dollars of revenue. How come everything else takes advantage of economies of scale but not virtual goods? $2 a month at scale would be great. Even greater if they allowed you to log into any of a number of fitness video services.
From Peloton’s point of view (bottom line yadda yadda), you’d have to think that dropping to this price would 20X their subscriber count. Which is not to say that $40 is the correct profit maxima, but it almost certainly isn’t $2.
Just because something can be offered cheaper at scale, doesn’t mean it should or needs to be.
