Want to Join the Cycling Revolution? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Peloton Exercise Bikes

It seemed as if you couldn’t go onto Instagram in 2020 without seeing someone riding or talking about Peloton. The stationary bike craze was definitely helped by the fact that gyms were closed and people were forced to turn to at-home workouts.

Even without lockdowns, Peloton is still a cult workout tool and the brand has cemented itself as a titan of the exercise industry. If you’ve heard the hype and have been toying with the idea of investing in a Peloton yourself, here’s everything you need to know about it.

How Does It Work?

The concept is super simple but effective. First, you purchase the Peloton bike, which costs upwards of $2,000 so it’s definitely an investment. Peloton also offers the option to pay the price of the bike off in instalments, with a zero per cent interest rate per annum. Depending on the length of time of this financing, it could be a little as $60 per month.

On top of this cost is the monthly membership which gives you access to all of the workout class content. This fee varies depending on the Peloton bike you have but the cheapest option is $59 per month. This workout library includes cycling classes as well as strength, stretching, yoga and running tutorials, which you can complete at any time of the day or night. You only need one membership per household and all users can share the same membership.

The final cost is the shoes. This style of bike requires special shoes that clip into the peddles and while the bike comes with one pair of shoes, if multiple people are using the bike, you’ll also need to invest in a few more pairs of Peloton Cycling Shoes, which cost $189. But, there are also a few bundles offered by Peloton that include the shoes and work out to be more affordable.

Now, you’re ready to ride.

The Bikes

Peloton Bike

The Peloton Bike is the original piece of equipment that started the Peloton phenomenon. This is the best place to start your Peloton journey and is the cheapest option, costing $2,295, or, if you’re paying it off in instalments, it can be as low as $59 per month (over 39 months). This baby has a 21.5” HD touchscreen that tilts to accommodate height differences, as well as two-channel audio with 2×10 watt speakers.

The bike itself is quite compact, coming in at 4ft x 2ft — making it smaller than the average yoga mat. The seat and handlebars are also adjustable, so you can tailor them to your comfort needs and you can connect your smartwatch or heart rate monitor to the device through WiFi or Bluetooth.

Your final cost related to the Peloton Bike is the monthly membership, which costs $59 for this bike. If you opt out of this membership, you don’t have access to the classes or Peloton content.

Peloton Bike+

The step up is the Peloton Bike+, which retails for $3,695, or if you’re paying off monthly, can be as low as $75 per month (over 43 months), and this one has a few more elevated details. For starters, the Bike+ has a bigger screen — coming in at 23.8” — which is also anti-reflective and can be rotated 360º, making it easier for you to swap between different classes.

The size of the bike is the same as the original, but the Peloton Bike+ includes 4-channel audio with tweeters and full-range drivers that deliver studio-quality sound. The addition of Apple GymKit integration means you can track your cycling workouts and it syncs your metrics.

As for the membership, you’re looking at $75 each month to access the workout class library and this cost is ongoing for as long as you want to access this content.

For more information, head to the Peloton website.