Peloton exercise bike

Ok, serious post.....I used to do a reasonable amount of cycling at home (mountain biking first, then succumbed to a road bike too). I sold them when we moved to DC and bought entry level replacements (more than happy with them both) but since moving to Chicago I rarely go out to ride for pleasure as a) Illinois is as flat as a pancake so there is no such thing as mountain biking and b) Chicago's urban sprawl makes road cycling more of a combat sport than a fun pastime. I do ride 12 miles home from work most nights, but again, with the Chicago weather this is not a pleasant activity.

What I'm after is a static bike that does simulated rides around the world rather than something that does spin classes. Looking through this thread it seems I need a Zwift sub and a smart bike as opposed to a Peloton?
 
Ok, serious post.....I used to do a reasonable amount of cycling at home (mountain biking first, then succumbed to a road bike too). I sold them when we moved to DC and bought entry level replacements (more than happy with them both) but since moving to Chicago I rarely go out to ride for pleasure as a) Illinois is as flat as a pancake so there is no such thing as mountain biking and b) Chicago's urban sprawl makes road cycling more of a combat sport than a fun pastime. I do ride 12 miles home from work most nights, but again, with the Chicago weather this is not a pleasant activity.

What I'm after is a static bike that does simulated rides around the world rather than something that does spin classes. Looking through this thread it seems I need a Zwift sub and a smart bike as opposed to a Peloton?

We have both a Peloton and a smart trainer with Zwift rigged up to it, and what you're looking for certainly looks more akin to the Zwift experience.

The "simulated around the world" may be the sticking point, as although you can explore London, Richmond, NY, Paris and Yorkshire as well as Wattopia (Zwift's own volcanic world), they're simulated worlds rather than real life replications on each area.

Here's a screenshot (not mine) from a Central Park ride:-

1609778588955.png
 
For me it’s the argument that Peloton is a 2k spin bike. It’s a nice spin bike, but it’s not a £2k spin bike. You’re paying a massive brand premium because of the Peloton experience. But you then pay that premium by paying nearly 2.5x the subscription rate of non-peloton owners, which to me is a bit backwards. I would expect a £2k spin bike to be industrial reliability and massive warranty but there is lots that can go wrong with them and QA issues regularly reported.

But like you say it is what works for you, the bike looks nice and works with their software. If you don’t mind the cost and the subscription fee and only getting a 12 month base warranty then I’ve no problem with it, but if you just had 2k to spend and wanted the best spin bike you’d be hard pressed to recommend them.
I agree, you're paying for the screen.
I've a friend with the actual bike and he's had some minor pedal issues but he's put over 11,000 minutes on it in the past 8 months plus they fixed it for him.
I bought the keiser because it wasn't tired to one platform
 
Ok, serious post.....I used to do a reasonable amount of cycling at home (mountain biking first, then succumbed to a road bike too). I sold them when we moved to DC and bought entry level replacements (more than happy with them both) but since moving to Chicago I rarely go out to ride for pleasure as a) Illinois is as flat as a pancake so there is no such thing as mountain biking and b) Chicago's urban sprawl makes road cycling more of a combat sport than a fun pastime. I do ride 12 miles home from work most nights, but again, with the Chicago weather this is not a pleasant activity.

What I'm after is a static bike that does simulated rides around the world rather than something that does spin classes. Looking through this thread it seems I need a Zwift sub and a smart bike as opposed to a Peloton?
Yes , zwift would be the way to go I would think
 
Ha ha no but it’s literally a case of buy a bike with a spec you like, add a tablet holder and a cadence sensor and away you go. You can skip the tablet part and cast your phone to your tv or just use your phone if you want (can get phone holders).

I really like it.


https://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.u...oor-cycle-exercise-bike-with-free-lcd-monitor

That’s the bike I have, but I wouldn’t pay that for it, as I said a glut of this model available on Facebook marketplace eBay etc mostly in as-new condition. I’d rather have magnetic resistance and belt driven but it’s not noisy to run, it’s smooth and I enjoy using it. I seriously considered peloton, all the clones and turbo options and for me this fit best

I was more surprised that the peloton app was so cheap on iPad compared to a bike sub. If it was the other way round I may have been swayed.

People look down on spin class as women’s exercise but it’s a great workout

Looks very similar to the one I'm looking at!


Is magnetic or friction resistance much of a muchness or is one much better?
 
Looks very similar to the one I'm looking at!


Is magnetic or friction resistance much of a muchness or is one much better?
From the research I did before buying mine, magnetic is better as the friction pads can wear out. I'm happy with the one I bought anyway.
 
Magnetic is better than resistance pads because it feels better; resistance pads can wear down but they are very cheap (like £10) and last a few years. But resistance systems are cheaper so cost less up front.
 
I had bought my bike off eBay after a few weeks searching paid for it yesterday with a view to picking it up today. Given last nights announcement we did a mad dash across london to pick it up last night.Cracking looking bike - I will set it up in the next couple of days, can’t wait to get started.
 
Magnetic is better than resistance pads because it feels better; resistance pads can wear down but they are very cheap (like £10) and last a few years. But resistance systems are cheaper so cost less up front.
Yes, big difference in ride quality. That said, only matters if you're using it, so anything better than nothing.
Plus I think b you'll be able to sell one of these if you ever want to upgrade
 
I don't get Peloton, and certainly not at that price, it seems a gimmick/ good marketing to me and extremely hard to justify unless you're loaded. But even then, it's still hard to justify. £2,000 for an ok trainer bike?? But then £40 a month too is insane, for indoor biking/ training only? Madness.

Option 1) Peloton, over two years that's going to cost nigh on £3,000, and it's not going to work outside.

Option 2) You could by a £800 road bike, a £400 mountain bike, a Kickr smart £1,000, two years of zwift (Nov-March) months only, £13 x 10 = £130. 2 years of strava £100 and £500 worth of cycling gear. Same cost, 10 x as many bases covered.

For that you can do any workouts using wahoo apps, ride on zwift, ride outside on roads, ride in the woods, right around the street, plan routes on strava, compete with yourself or others. Jesus, after the first year you could probably join an gym and a spin class too, all for the same cost as similar years of peloton and that bike.

Why anyone would want to be inside, sweating their nuts off, using peloton when it's sunny outside on a nice summers evening is crazy to me. Can't beat a good ride and pint/ cake on day off, and Teesside is an excellent area for riding.

*note on Option 2, if you get hooked then you will use any excuse possible to buy a new bike, it will hurt your wallet more, but it will be good for your health as you will want to get out more and more.
 
I don't get Peloton, and certainly not at that price, it seems a gimmick/ good marketing to me and extremely hard to justify unless you're loaded. But even then, it's still hard to justify. £2,000 for an ok trainer bike?? But then £40 a month too is insane, for indoor biking/ training only? Madness.

Option 1) Peloton, over two years that's going to cost nigh on £3,000, and it's not going to work outside.

Option 2) You could by a £800 road bike, a £400 mountain bike, a Kickr smart £1,000, two years of zwift (Nov-March) months only, £13 x 10 = £130. 2 years of strava £100 and £500 worth of cycling gear. Same cost, 10 x as many bases covered.

For that you can do any workouts using wahoo apps, ride on zwift, ride outside on roads, ride in the woods, right around the street, plan routes on strava, compete with yourself or others. Jesus, after the first year you could probably join an gym and a spin class too, all for the same cost as similar years of peloton and that bike.

Why anyone would want to be inside, sweating their nuts off, using peloton when it's sunny outside on a nice summers evening is crazy to me. Can't beat a good ride and pint/ cake on day off, and Teesside is an excellent area for riding.

*note on Option 2, if you get hooked then you will use any excuse possible to buy a new bike, it will hurt your wallet more, but it will be good for your health as you will want to get out more and more.

We've already established that Zwift and Peloton are two completely different things.

There's also plenty of reasons why people would choose to do a spin class (which is what Peloton is) rather than head out on a bike ride, even in summer. For example, what if you have a new baby or limited time, a peloton class is far more intensive than heading off on a bike ride for a couple of hours.

You're comparing two different things, and like many others on this thread, projecting your own judgement on what constitutes value for money onto other peoples individual circumstances.
 
I don't get Peloton, and certainly not at that price, it seems a gimmick/ good marketing to me and extremely hard to justify unless you're loaded. But even then, it's still hard to justify. £2,000 for an ok trainer bike?? But then £40 a month too is insane, for indoor biking/ training only? Madness.

Option 1) Peloton, over two years that's going to cost nigh on £3,000, and it's not going to work outside.

Option 2) You could by a £800 road bike, a £400 mountain bike, a Kickr smart £1,000, two years of zwift (Nov-March) months only, £13 x 10 = £130. 2 years of strava £100 and £500 worth of cycling gear. Same cost, 10 x as many bases covered.

For that you can do any workouts using wahoo apps, ride on zwift, ride outside on roads, ride in the woods, right around the street, plan routes on strava, compete with yourself or others. Jesus, after the first year you could probably join an gym and a spin class too, all for the same cost as similar years of peloton and that bike.

Why anyone would want to be inside, sweating their nuts off, using peloton when it's sunny outside on a nice summers evening is crazy to me. Can't beat a good ride and pint/ cake on day off, and Teesside is an excellent area for riding.

*note on Option 2, if you get hooked then you will use any excuse possible to buy a new bike, it will hurt your wallet more, but it will be good for your health as you will want to get out more and more.


Refer to my post above. Spin classes are absolutely nothing like cycling indoors or out. They’re just not comparable to things like zwift, or doing cycle routes. The only thing In common is a rough bike shape.

Around costs I agree peloton is pricy but if people can afford it that’s up to them, but it’s a specific type of exercise that appeals to people which is why peloton does so well as it’s very slick and out of the box.

There are cheaper competitors to peloton but their software isn’t as good and classes aren’t as good and they’re usually not that much cheaper, just cheaper
 
I don't get Peloton, and certainly not at that price, it seems a gimmick/ good marketing to me and extremely hard to justify unless you're loaded. But even then, it's still hard to justify. £2,000 for an ok trainer bike?? But then £40 a month too is insane, for indoor biking/ training only? Madness.

Who should people be justifying the cost to ?
 
Refer to my post above. Spin classes are absolutely nothing like cycling indoors or out. They’re just not comparable to things like zwift, or doing cycle routes. The only thing In common is a rough bike shape.

Around costs I agree peloton is pricy but if people can afford it that’s up to them, but it’s a specific type of exercise that appeals to people which is why peloton does so well as it’s very slick and out of the box.

There are cheaper competitors to peloton but their software isn’t as good and classes aren’t as good and they’re usually not that much cheaper, just cheaper

You can take the afternoon shift of countering the same statement over and over again Fair, I'll do mornings .....
 
Liz/ Fair,

No, I get that, I know they're not the same, it's extremely obvious. I'm saying one is extremely expensive (for the average person), for such a limited single option. It's priced well out of budget for most people I would expect.

I'm just saying the average person could do spinning as and when they like at classes, or on a cheaper spin bike, and still have a ton left over to actually do some real cycling on the road or up the hills etc, or even have £500 left over for a golf membership or a season ticket etc. The same way you could spend £200 on a road bike and not get an indoor trainer etc.

I wonder how many people using a 2k spin bike and subscription have ever actually been out on a road or mountain bike with the right gear etc.

If people like spinning, enough to spend 2k and £500 a year, then good luck to them, at least they're doing something.
 
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I got into ZWIFT at the end of the summer - I was a bit sceptical at first but I thought, at least I'll be doing something through the winter months (I have a road bike and was out pretty much every day through summer). I set up my Hybrid on the Wahoo Kickr and I haven't looked back. Not a hint of boredem, I've seen some decent fitness gains and the workouts are varied and numerous. I would say that for me, ZWIFT definitely compliments the real thing!
 
I've hooked one of my bikes up to my projector in the cinema room, for Zwift, whilst it's icy, created just about the best pain cave going :LOL:.
But it's still nothing like as good as being outside on the country roads, so I've spent a few quid on some better winter gear, not risking the ice though, like some nutters do. Might give rouvvy a try too, that looks quite good.

At least with Peloton you do get a 3k limit for two years, real cycling gets addictive and stupidly priced, very quickly! This isn't going to help my point, but I've got my eye on a £5k road bike, which I'm sure 99.9% of people would think is lunacy, suppose it's all relative to what means you have though.
 
his isn't going to help my point, but I've got my eye on a £5k road bike, which I'm sure 99.9% of people would think is lunacy, suppose it's all relative to what means you have though.
Statto: What are you looking at? I'm planning another bike but can't deide between a Gravel and a Mountain....Have told Mrs W yet :ROFLMAO:
 
Liz/ Fair,

No, I get that, I know they're not the same, it's extremely obvious. I'm saying one is extremely expensive (for the average person), for such a limited single option. It's priced well out of budget for most people I would expect.

Yet they've pretty much sold out, so there's obviously a market there. Some people choose to spend $$$ on video games, others on a peloton, others on gambling, others on a handbag. Just because you don't see the value, doesn't mean others dont.
I wonder how many people using a 2k spin bike and subscription have ever actually been out on a road or mountain bike with the right gear etc.

Does it matter ? How many people who are using a 2k spin bike have ever been out on a speedboat, or played table tennis - it's an equally valuable comparison.

My wife has a peloton, she also has normal bikes, however she likes spin classes and doesn't equate a ride into town on her Pashley with a basket on the front, or a ride into the country on her road bike, as a replacement for a peloton class.
 
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