Peleton type bikes

greenfrog2006
greenfrog2006 Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Looking to get this type of bike with monitor for days i cheat to bad or just cant get to the gym. But $39.99 a month for the trainers is more than my gym membership. Is there another type that has good loaded work out programs or reasonable monthly costs?
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Replies

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I have a good road bike that I put on a trainer for the winter. The total cost of the setup is about $1500. (I chose a basic trainer from Kinetic.)

    Now I've start taking spin classes, which use dedicated spin bike from https://spinning.com/. I can see the advantage of buying such a beast for home. It is quieter, takes up less space, and is also cleaner (no greasy chain) than a road bike on a trainer. Getting one from Spinning would be way cheaper than Peloton. You'd be giving up the online coaching, however.

    But: there are lots of free indoor training videos on YouTube!

    You can go even cheaper by searching "exercise bike" on Amazon. I assume some of these are really junky, but I note that it is much cheaper to build an exercise bike than a treadmill or elliptical-- way fewer moving parts.
  • tbilly20
    tbilly20 Posts: 154 Member
    A decent road bike, equipped with a Wahoo trainer, and connected to Zwift, willgive you an amazing workout. Choose between a multitude of course and workouts, take on challenges, or join group rides. This setup certainly makes riding a bike indoor tolerable. I have a cyclops spin bike as well, and it was moth-balled the second Zwift came out. Subscription is $15 per month, but well worth it.
    A spin bike is cumbersome, and as started above, with a smart trainer setup, you have a bike to ride when the weather is nice! Setup can vary wildly in price and $1500 is a very basic start. My trainer was $1299 alone. The more you spend on a stable/reliable setup, the more likely you are to use it.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    If you have a bike, a smart trainer will give you an equally good workout for a lot less. You can get a very good trainer like the Wahoo Kickr Core for under $1000, and there are even cheaper options:

    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/11/trainer-buyers-recommendations-guide.html

    Personally, I ride on a set of rollers with a resistance unit, because I find it less boring than a stationary bike/trainer, but I can understand why some people like trainers. I'm considering getting one for my wife.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    I don't think the peloton bikes are worth the money. most good bikes come with a programmed menu for work outs. I'd think any of them would be just fine. I just purchased a lemond gforce bike for roughly the same cost as a peloton. no monthly fees and better quality in the bike imo. we're happy with it so far.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    As a cyclist, it's kind of baffling to me why anybody sound buy a Peleton. My instinct is to use the bike I/you already have, and put it on a trainer, maybe with Zwift. The obvious pros are that it takes less money and space, you get to ride a bike you love that fits you perfectly, etc. But Peleton's target market isn't avid cyclists, it's people who want to use (indoor) cycling for fitness and weight loss. And it seems to work for the people it's aimed at, people seem happy with them.
  • bshedwick
    bshedwick Posts: 659 Member
    edited December 2018
    +1 for Zwift. I think Peleton bikes are over priced. You can get a really good smart trainer and a good road bike for the cost of the Peleton bike.

    I bought myself a Wahoo Kickr Core for Christmas for under $750
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    edited December 2018
    My brother has a Peleton. His whole family uses it. Often. They love it. And, I must say, it has been a great thing for them.
    They don't ride outside, and I don't think they would. Not as much, anyway.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    tbilly20 wrote: »
    Setup can vary wildly in price and $1500 is a very basic start. My trainer was $1299 alone.

    Then you'd be really envious of my sub $900 setup 😉. My Specialized road bike I bought 11 years ago new for $800 and a dumb trainer with a known power curve (virtual power) I found on clearance for $25 ($300srp)

    It works really great on traineroad and the virtual power is accurate enough - the math works with how fast I am on the road. Been going strong for 7 years, when I don't have kidney stones...
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    trainers inside are ick. they are noisy, dirty, ect. everything on your bike gets on your floor. if you have pets or kids they can get into oily dirty parts or hurt on the chain. ect. just no ty.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    astartig wrote: »
    trainers inside are ick. they are noisy, dirty, ect. everything on your bike gets on your floor. if you have pets or kids they can get into oily dirty parts or hurt on the chain. ect. just no ty.

    I see some “woo’s,” but I think this is true of a road bike on a trainer. A dedicated spin bike (e.g., from spinning.com) is cleaner, quieter, and more compact. (One gear, belt drive, no outdoor tires, etc.) It is also more solid, if that matters.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    astartig wrote: »
    trainers inside are ick. they are noisy, dirty, ect. everything on your bike gets on your floor. if you have pets or kids they can get into oily dirty parts or hurt on the chain. ect. just no ty.

    I see some “woo’s,” but I think this is true of a road bike on a trainer. A dedicated spin bike (e.g., from spinning.com) is cleaner, quieter, and more compact. (One gear, belt drive, no outdoor tires, etc.) It is also more solid, if that matters.

    I agree that spin bikes are cleaner and potentially less of a hassle, I just personally don't think that that's a big enough reason for me (among various other people I know/know of) to buy one. While I don't have children, when I had a dog, she took next to no interest in the bike. And yes, she was a very curious dog who got into a lot of things. Then again I also have a spinning wheel and those are also, "but think of the children and pets who could get hurt" devices.

    The tire issue can easily be taken care of by getting a trainer tire, getting an old/cheap wheel and cassette dedicated to inside use and putting a trainer tire on it, or getting a direct drive trainer. Cost is also a major factor, and being able to set up your spin bike so that it replicates your road or TT bike is another.

    Then again, I also like that Zwift and TrainerRoad can control my trainer which makes riding inside more interesting.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    astartig wrote: »
    trainers inside are ick. they are noisy, dirty, ect. everything on your bike gets on your floor. if you have pets or kids they can get into oily dirty parts or hurt on the chain. ect. just no ty.

    I see some “woo’s,” but I think this is true of a road bike on a trainer. A dedicated spin bike (e.g., from spinning.com) is cleaner, quieter, and more compact. (One gear, belt drive, no outdoor tires, etc.) It is also more solid, if that matters.

    More compact is misleading.
    While a spin style bike takes up a smaller footprint, it's another device. Meaning a spin bike plus your outdoor bike(s) take up more room than your bike(s) and a trainer.
  • tcaley4
    tcaley4 Posts: 416 Member
    The may be a little bit off subject. But did I see on their TV commercial, that when the girl got on the bike that she clipped in?
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    tcaley4 wrote: »
    The may be a little bit off subject. But did I see on their TV commercial, that when the girl got on the bike that she clipped in?

    From what understand (and would hope) you can put any pedals that you want on most of the better spin bikes you can put on whatever pedals you want. I'm pretty sure a lot of them just come with dual sided pedals that allow you to clip in with with SPD cleats.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    scorpio516 wrote: »
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    astartig wrote: »
    trainers inside are ick. they are noisy, dirty, ect. everything on your bike gets on your floor. if you have pets or kids they can get into oily dirty parts or hurt on the chain. ect. just no ty.

    I see some “woo’s,” but I think this is true of a road bike on a trainer. A dedicated spin bike (e.g., from spinning.com) is cleaner, quieter, and more compact. (One gear, belt drive, no outdoor tires, etc.) It is also more solid, if that matters.

    More compact is misleading.
    While a spin style bike takes up a smaller footprint, it's another device. Meaning a spin bike plus your outdoor bike(s) take up more room than your bike(s) and a trainer.

    Right - I was thinking the same thing. My bike trainer takes up next to no space when my bike isn't on it. My rollers also don't take up a lot of space.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    I own a Peloton bike. It is the best money i have ever spent. The community is awesome and the classes are the best. It gives you a good burn. Honestly wish i bought it sooner. I bought the bike never taking a spin class. Peloton is the best of the bunch.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    astartig wrote: »
    trainers inside are ick. they are noisy, dirty, ect. everything on your bike gets on your floor. if you have pets or kids they can get into oily dirty parts or hurt on the chain. ect. just no ty.

    I see some “woo’s,” but I think this is true of a road bike on a trainer. A dedicated spin bike (e.g., from spinning.com) is cleaner, quieter, and more compact. (One gear, belt drive, no outdoor tires, etc.) It is also more solid, if that matters.

    Yeah it seems like people are using woo for "this isn't what I want to hear."

    For me, hardwood floors make any mess from the chain a non issue, it's just so easy to clean. With carpets, that could be a big deal.

    I think what it really comes down to for most people is whether you plan to ride outdoors or not. Some people aren't comfortable being near fast moving cars, and that's perfectly ok. People who ride outdoors just don't see enough value in something like this, as a general rule. If you're not going to ride outdoors, then a road bike and a trainer don't make as much sense.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    tcaley4 wrote: »
    The may be a little bit off subject. But did I see on their TV commercial, that when the girl got on the bike that she clipped in?

    I believe they come with dual sided SPD pedals. They sell overpriced shoes too
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    scorpio516 wrote: »
    tcaley4 wrote: »
    The may be a little bit off subject. But did I see on their TV commercial, that when the girl got on the bike that she clipped in?

    I believe they come with dual sided SPD pedals. They sell overpriced shoes too

    Can't edit ..
    Totally wrong - comes with Look Delta pedals
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    edited December 2018
    The "spinning.com" bikes in my gym have toe clips on one side and SPD on the other. Peloton bikes have Look clips. I spoke to the Peloton salesperson who told me it would void the warranty to swap the pedals to SPD.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    The "spinning.com" bikes in my gym have toe clips on one side and SPD on the other. Peloton bikes have Look clips. I spoke to the Peloton salesperson who told me it would void the warranty to swap the pedals to SPD.

    This is me doing some head tilting. As if changing pedals is a major operation.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    lol wut

    It takes five minutes to change pedals. You should be able to use whichever ones you like. That's just bizarre.
  • cathyloufit
    cathyloufit Posts: 7 Member
    There is a site called Studio Sweat on Demand that has wide range of online workout classes including spin. It is a lot cheaper. Also there are some reasonably priced spin type bikes on amazon. I bought the Sunny B1805 and added a Wahoo Cadence to it. There is a place to hold a tablet or phone in the handlebars. Or I just cast the workout to my TV and it works great. This combination works great and is much cheaper than a Peloton.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    cathyloufit wrote: »
    There is a site called Studio Sweat on Demand that has wide range of online workout classes including spin. It is a lot cheaper. Also there are some reasonably priced spin type bikes on amazon. I bought the Sunny B1805 and added a Wahoo Cadence to it. There is a place to hold a tablet or phone in the handlebars. Or I just cast the workout to my TV and it works great. This combination works great and is much cheaper than a Peloton.

    An honest question here, because I've seen people mention it on Amazon as well. Why do you feel the need to measure cadence on your spin bike?
  • cathyloufit
    cathyloufit Posts: 7 Member
    Many spin classes use increase or decrease in cadence as part of the class. Similar to sprint training in running. The classes I have taken here are flexible in using cadence and/or heart rate.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    cathyloufit wrote: »
    Many spin classes use increase or decrease in cadence as part of the class. Similar to sprint training in running. The classes I have taken here are flexible in using cadence and/or heart rate.

    Ah I see - learn something new every day!
  • cathyloufit
    cathyloufit Posts: 7 Member
    Yes. The spin classes use a combination of ever changing cadence, hr and resistance. Also you move between sitting and standing on the pedals while you are at it. It can definitely be a great workout!

  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I don't doubt that it can be a great workout, cadence is just not something that I pay attention to when I train for cycling related things (not uncommon from what I can tell). I used to pay a lot of attention to HR, but my primary metric is power.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    I don't doubt that it can be a great workout, cadence is just not something that I pay attention to when I train for cycling related things (not uncommon from what I can tell). I used to pay a lot of attention to HR, but my primary metric is power.

    I was doing the Swift Tour of London yesterday, and was conscious of this conversation.

    What I found was I was watching my cadence as it related to power output, essentially accounting for my own capacity as I approached key points in the event.

    More awareness than anything else, but it was helpful.

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