Let me start off by staying no, this is not a sponsored post. I saved up and bought the Peloton bike with my hard earned money and I pay the monthly membership 100% on my own. With that being said, I can’t tell you guys how many questions I have gotten throughout the months and (in particular) these past few weeks about the Peloton so I thought maybe a review was due.
Since the Coronavirus hit, we have all been stuck at home, gyms have been closed and we are all going crazy without some form of exercise so I completely understand why I’ve gotten so many questions about my home gym equipment. If you guys haven’t seen my full setup, you can check it out here. I didn’t go into depth, more so a little overview so you could get the feel of all the different equipment I use in my home and now I’m going to start doing posts with a little more detail on each.
I love my setup because each of my three main “smart” pieces of equipment complement each other perfectly which I’ll get into in a future post. For now, lets review the Peloton and get to some questions you’ve asked me for a while!
WHY DID YOU WANT A PELOTON?
When I decided to create a home gym I wanted one piece of cardio equipment and one strength. I’ve always hated cardio but I actually tried out the Peloton at a hotel on a work trip a year or so back and I loved it! Made me realize I could actually enjoy cardio so I knew I’d want to get it for home eventually.
IT’S A BIG INVESTMENT! IS IT EVEN WORTH IT?
IF you use it, absolutely! I paid it off in it’s entirety which was about $2500 if I remember correctly but I do believe they have a financing option if it helps make you feel more comfortable justifying such a large payment. I can’t stress enough however, do not take on any extra debt that you can’t afford! Trust me, it’s not worth it.
DO YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR A SUBSCRIPTION?
Yes and that is where it could compare to something like a regularly stationary workout bike. It costs $39 monthly and you get access to all classes and the app which features other workouts such as yoga, strength, running and more.
IS THE BIKE BIG AND UGLY?
I’ve actually gotten this question a LOT haha! For someone who’s a stickler for home decor and obsessed with the way her home looks, I actually love the look of the bike if you can believe it. Granted, I do have a whole room dedicated to my “home gym” but even if I didn’t I would have zero problem putting the bike in my bedroom or living room. It has a different chic/modern look to it and it’s actually really slim! Lay out a yoga mat and that’s essentially the size that you will need.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET STARTED?
Once you have the bike, you just need cycling shoes to clip in and a power outlet (to plug the bike in). It’s that easy! I went with the “Works Package” because it essentially came with everything I needed to get started. I got the bike mat (so you don’t ruin your floors), shoes, weights, headphones and some other goodiess.
SHOULD I GET ONE? PROS, CONS?
Cons: The Peloton bike is an investment. It’s an expensive bike and you need the monthly membership to stream classes. There’s less of an opportunity to meet other people like you could at a gym but they do give you ways to communicate with other riders.
Pros: The subscription is multi-purpose – being able to stream so many additional classes like the tread workouts, strength workouts, yoga classes definitely adds value to the cost of the membership. There’s zero commute time to get to the gym… and well,.. no germs 😉
IS IT A GOOD WORKOUT?
I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a studio cycling person so I’m not quite sure how it compares to that experience but I can say it’s better than any kind of cardio I’ve ever had experience with in the past. The rides are challenging and invigorating with plenty of modifications. Anyone at any level of fitness can use the Peloton which is what I love. There are days I’m feeling super alive and well and want to do an intense workout and then there are days I’m struggling and can barely make it through. Sometimes I opt for a long class and other days I’m all up for a quick 15 minute low impact ride. It’s as easy/hard as you want to make it.
HOW IS DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION?
Ok so when I purchased the Peloton, they were doing a white glove delivery service which was awesome. They came in, installed it, set it up and showed me how to use the bike immediately. With the growing health concerns right now with the Coronavirus a friend of mind said they aren’t doing that right now but doing a drop off and you set it up on your own. Shouldn’t be too difficult regardless.
ANY DOWNSIDES?
There is one downside to the classes that I’ve found. You cannot pause classes. It honestly has drove me crazy more times than I can count. I know, I know you’re probably asking why in the world do you need to pause a workout once you start? Well, when you workout at home sometimes (unfortunately) distractions happen – doorbell rings, important phone call, or your dogs get into a fight. Not even joking. But yea, if you miss a little of the class, there’s no way to rewind so just make sure when you’re in it, you don’t have any distractions.
WHERE CAN YOU USE THE APP?
You can access the app on any devices with Airplay (Apple TV), Chromecast, or Amazon Fire TV. And there’s a Peloton App for Apple Watch now too!
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Do you like working out at home? If not, this might not be for you.
Is this only temporary? If you are only doing this because of the current Coronavirus Pandemic and then are planning going back to your regularly scheduled programming I wouldn’t suggest forking over such a huge investment for a few months time, if that makes sense. The whole point to this is to have a method of working out at home when a gym or studio isn’t really for you. If you don’t mind paying for two separate gyms/studios, by all means be my guest but that’s just my opinion!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I’ll be honest and say, there isn’t a day I have regretted purchasing my Peloton (or investing in my entire home gym)! I’m so happy with the bike especially since I’ve never found any type of cardio that I enjoyed until now! I also have never met one person who owns a Peloton who hates/regrets it, so there’s that.
Hope this gave you guys some insight and helped in your decision either way!
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