Is peloton worth the hype

I love to share about things I find and love - especially within the community of healthy minded moms.  So with great fanfare, I want to share a bit about what I think is my absolute favorite purchase of the last year.... my Peloton bike.  The Peloton name has been in the headlines a lot lately - from the marketing scandal to the volumes of people flocking to their bikes and treadmills with gyms out of commission.  Well I’m here to give you my take on the Peloton experience and if it's all it’s cracked up to be.

I’m only six-ish months in as a bike owner but O.M.G. I’m going to pause... and say it again... OMG. I love my bike. I’ve never been shy to shell out some bucks for workouts or anything fitness-y but even I balked at spending $2500 ish on a bike, not to mention the $40 ish/month subscription to get all the classes and features.  We actually took the plunge just before COVID broke (and luckily escaped the month long waitlists now for people ordering!) 

First let’s talk about the caliber of classes and instructors.  I’ve taken spin and yoga classes for years at some of NYC’s top studios, and I don’t say that to brag but to show that I’m familiar with truly fabulous classes and Peloton does not disappoint.  While even at max volume the onscreen experience of a spin class does lose some of the energy of a live class, it’s still impressive.  The instructors seem super qualified and vary greatly in their personalities, vibes, and playlists - just what you’d ideally want for variety.  I personally have 2-3 instructors I mainly rotate through but have tons more to explore.  Some of them have books, celebrity followings and train professional athletes on the side... trust me they don’t disappoint!  

What’s most amazing about the variety though is that you also get strength training, yoga, meditation and running classes (I personally despise running but good for those who’d use it.) On top of an insane variety, you can also instantly filter by difficulty level, workout duration or instructor.   I can quickly find classes under “beginner yoga 20 minutes” or “advanced yoga flow 60 minutes” just as easily as a “20, 30, 45 or 60 minute spin.” You can even find certain music preferences!  While I’ve always been resourceful about home workouts when I need to be, the level of ease this provides is unparalleled.  Here’s a pic of the navigation.

Now let's talk about difficulty level.  Truth be told the 20 minute body weight only conditioning classes have kicked my butt more than most 20 minute workouts I have ever done. I’ve also been amazed at the 10 or 15 minute core add on classes. These people aren't messing around! 

I’ve seen a lot of Peloton fans applaud the sense of community and it definitely has surprised me.  While I haven’t dove in fully here, I have been amazed to get instant support or how-to questions answered from my local peloton FB group pretty much instantly.  Other riders on the leaderboards send me virtual high-fives (I’m not sure how to initiate one myself yet?!) and there’s also a whole world of social media here for commradeie, encouragement, ride ideas... even local meet ups. It does seem as if you’re joining a community as soon as you get set up. 

The data metrics are also what you’d expect — calories, output, distance... counts of your rides... tons of info if the data part matters to you.  Some classes are "live" and you can potentially get shout-out's from the instructors on these but my classes have all been on demand.  New classes update daily too.  My husband rides a lot now as well and he opts for free rides with scenic backgrounds versus the structured classes that I do.

I also love how even when I keep riding after the “class ends” my distance, output and calories keep updating so I don’t lose out on the numbers when I ride a little more. We’ve only had streaming issues a few times with classes pausing and I think that’s more been our internet than device error. 

I can only speak for the bike console and don’t know anything about the treadmill experience but I am beyond thrilled with my purchase and am 100% proud to be a member of the Peloton pack.  

Happy to answer questions or give more detail to anyone thinking of making the investment. From what I can say so far - you won’t regret it!