Peloton bike, any good?

eamon

Hi, I have seen these and while they look god, is it that good in the real world? I work long and random hours due to my job as a driver. When I get home I a) don't feel like spending nearly an hour getting ready to go to the gym and b) can't always get child care for the kids. I know a) could be classed as a cop out but even b) on its own is a big stumbling block. I think if I had this at home I would find it much easier to find 30 minutes once the kids are in bed and I love cycling but feel I need more structure than just a normal exercise bike gives. My question is what are the good and the bad, if you have 1 would you recommend it or are you thinking it's an overpriced gadget? It's a big investment to have sitting and not being used but if I use it, and possibly my partner would also, and it gets me back in shape it's worth the outlay. I am 40 and need to loose weight plus up my fitness and I want to do it now as at my age if I let it go on it's only going to get harder and also getting married in July and I don't want to look like I do now in the photos! Thanks

tazg101

Looked into this myself and there is plenty of Peloton 'DIY' setups by searching online. You can subscribe to the App directly for all the workouts so you can save £££

eamon

Thanks, I did see that as an option but most were saying that you weren't getting the 'full' experience as it didn't seem to gel together, plus if you need to buy an iPad, decent bike, sensors etc the cost can still mount. Was hoping to get some thoughts from real world users rather than reviewers that you never know if they're being paid lol. I'd go and look at them but they seem to only be on display in London at the moment which is quite a trick from Leicester...

davepuma

The advert is slightly misleading in that they make you think you'll get one-to-one training from the "instructor".  You'll be in a class of thousands so you have to ask yourself what your £2k is getting you.  A turbo trainer and a Zwift subscription would make more sense.

eamon

I know it's not 121 training and have thought about a tt and zwift but if I add the cost of a decent road bike and tt (would need to be a quiet tt as it'll go in the lounge) you will be getting close, admittedly I would also have a road bike. Just trying to work out my best option, also which I think the other half would use etc.

booyaka

any old bike will do for zwift/sufferfest etc.

Mate of mine got a £20 bike from gumtree and uses that on the turbo trainer - also from gumtree - £80.

mr:w

Get a half decent bike you can use on the road when the weather's decent - should be able to find something for £300-ish.

Get yourself a turbo trainer tyre (£15 new), a turbo trainer (£50-ish used), a speed & cadence sensor (£35-ish used) and an ANT  USB stick (£8 new). Sign up to zwift or similar (£13 a month) and get going.

If you really want to get yourself fit, you can get yourself an heart rate monitor (£20-ish), work out your zones and add that into the mix.

There are hundreds of prebuilt workouts if you want, ranging from 30 mins to several hours, as well as events (such as Zwift tours) or you can just free ride. I've been using zwift for a couple of years and it's probably the most user-friendly out of the TrainingPeaks, Sufferfest, TrainerRoad etc offerings.

Currently using it for triathlon training and while a 3hr ride can get a bit boring, it's preferable (imo) to being outside in the cold and wet getting my bike covered in salt and other nastiness and allows me to complete a specific targeted training session.

FWIW, I run zwift on a 10 year old Macbook Pro and it's not crashed once in 2 years.

                                                                                                                                       

p9ul

Ditto the above.

Zwift lets you do training whenever you want and the weather outside doesn't matter, so I can do it before or after work and I'm not affected by how many hours of daylight are left.

Although I'd add a fan to the list of kit you'll need - and a sweat towel!

mr:w

Sorry, forgot the fan - essential! Oypla floor stander from amazon works for me, £35 and plenty of breeze just on lowest setting.

Upgraded my turbo earlier this month to direct drive, really does transform the whole experience.

                                                                                                                                       

chile62

£2k for the peloton bike and £39/month unlimited classes is a lot of money.  I would be looking at a Wattbike Atom £1500 and a zwift subscription instead if I was deadset on an indoor bike.