Thoughts on peloton
Replies
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If you are looking at a Proform bike, then they will likely include a free IFIT family 1 year membership. IFIT is amazing. I started with a treadmill, then got a rower and then finally a bike. My suggestion would be to try out IFIT and see if you like it. There are so many amazing trainers with outdoor and indoor programs. Also, depending on the type of bike, IFIT will take over and adjust the speed, resistance and incline.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
Meh...I don't think it's that. People have their own inherent biases when they enjoy something or like something and just because one person loves one thing doesn't mean another is going to find that thing of particular interest.
I'm a cycling enthusiast...I love to ride either road or mountain...doesn't matter to me other than what I'm feeling on a particular day. For me, my smart trainer along with Zwift was a game changer as far as indoor training is concerned. I could talk all day about cycling and my belief that it is the most fun and engaging way to exercise and how Zwift to some extent mimics that experience virtually and how great it is. As a cycling enthusiast, I also have numerous RL friends who do and feel the same, so where cycling is concerned, I live in my own little echo chamber. Outside of that, there are many who don't like to ride...don't find riding particularly enjoyable and for whom the nuances of something like Zwift for virtual cycling would be completely lost no matter how much I talked it up.
When you're talking specifically about a piece of exercise equipment, I think the waters can get pretty muddy as well. I would wager that for every Peloton owner who loves it and uses it regularly and talks about it, there are 2 or 3 or 5 or more people for whom their Peloton bike is being used as an expensive coat hangar. Nothing against Peloton there...it's just statistically the nature of exercise equipment and trends in popular equipment. If a scientific poll was conducted I'd wager that there would be a much higher percentage of owners of any one particular piece of equipment who would say "don't waste your money" as it will ultimately just sit there doing nothing relative to a much smaller percentage of users who love said piece of equipment and use it on the regular.
I feel like people who feel like they made a mistake buying their Peloton might be less vocal about it than those who talk about how it changed their life for the better. Who wants to loudly admit that they made a $2,000 mistake?
Watching the evolution of my brother-in-laws Peloton experience was interesting. He bought it in 2017 as a Christmas present for he and my SIL. He had it set up in his study to make it easier for him to get a workout in during lunch or taking a break from work. For the first few months, his FB news feed was Peloton, Peloton, Peloton and what workout he was doing or he had just completed this or that.
A bit later it was moved to their basement recreation room as it would be more accessible for the whole family vs. being in his study. My niece who was 13 about that time eventually became the only user. We visited in late 2019 and the basement had more or less become my 17 year old nephews "teen cave" and the bike was piled high with dirty laundry. I wanted to take it for a little trial spin so we had to move those clothes and whatnot.
My nephew is now getting ready to go off to college and my niece is into horseback riding and my BIL & SIL lost interest in the bike long ago. It is now sitting in a walk in closet off a hallway. BIL and SIL are now into the Mirror...which I don't understand that thing at all...
Not that I can talk...between my wife and I, we've had a treadmill, elliptical, air rower, dumb trainer, and now a smart trainer over the last 10 years or so. I'm the only one that uses the smart trainer, and I use it 2-3 times per week...everything else just sat there and was sold off (donated the dumb trainer to my mom...which I believe it is sitting in the corner of her garage not doing anything). Even with the smart trainer and Zwift, I can only do so much as ultimately I am keenly aware that I'm not actually going anywhere and that I'm staring at a screen.
I did a few runs on one of those treadmills with a screen that simulates great running routes. It was more fun than a regular treadmill, but I'd still rather run outside than do a simulated run through a national park or the Seattle pier district. Maybe someday we'll be able to create machines that break that barrier, but it hasn't happened yet.
(That said, if someone enjoy the atmosphere of a spinning class, Peloton may provide what they're looking for).0 -
Curious if it did auto-changes to incline for at least that aspect of running outside?
Of course I've never seen a treadmill that does downhill to add that realism.0 -
Curious if it did auto-changes to incline for at least that aspect of running outside?
Of course I've never seen a treadmill that does downhill to add that realism.
Yes, it did the automatic adjustments. But just to uphill and level -- we don't have the downhill technology yet, which is yet another reason why running outside still wins!0 -
Curious if it did auto-changes to incline for at least that aspect of running outside?
Of course I've never seen a treadmill that does downhill to add that realism.
I think that might eventually come with smart treadmills. Zwift does this with a smart bike trainer...both assents and descents as well as drafting and pulling, but as of yet they don't do so with a treadmill and you have to manually adjust incline which on Zwift would be extremely tedious and almost constant...but I think it's coming eventually.0 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
I feel like this would be true for most expensive purchases. Most people are going to do some research before they spend a couple thousand on a piece of exercise equipment, so the people who have them are a self-selecting group for whom the Peloton concept appeals. The much larger group of humans to whom it doesn't appeal are simply not going to buy one because we know it's not for us.
It may be totally true that those who have Pelotons love them, but it would be a mistake for someone to buy one on that basis, assuming they will also love it. You'd still want to carefully consider your own preferences and habits to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
I love the Peleton concept, but their equipment isn't actually all that great. You are starting to see stories online where Peleton owners have their equipment break and they can't get it fixed. They will eventually get it figured out, but there's nothing justifying the price for the equipment, other than the business model of community workouts.
I don't know who those people are... I happened to have an issue with the audio on my screen after 2.5 years. Peloton replaced it at no cost. I was well out of the warranty period. After five years my bike was still in pristine condition--I am an avid spinner and use the bike almost every day. To me, that is a decent piece of equipment.
Any piece of equipment is going to require care and maintenance. This isn't unique to Peloton. I also own a treadmill, which currently needs to have the bearings replaced. I am not writing reviews of the company complaining that they have somehow failed me as a consumer because it is difficult to have it repaired (which it is, given the manufacturer of my treadmill.)
It was all over the news a while back. I'm sure everyone's experience is different. I see this as a normal growing pain except some of the things that are breaking shouldn't break on something that costs nearly $4,000.
https://www.businessinsider.com/peloton-members-describe-customer-service-issues-for-broken-bikes-pedals-2020-9
For what it's worth, I had quite a bit of Peloton stock at the time the article came out. I love the concept of it and I think interactive fitness is going to be around for a long time. But as a startup, you better look a bit harder at where you're sourcing if you're going to charge that much for equipment. You are putting yourself at the top echelon of the fitness industry. They had better prove they are worth it other than the interactive aspect of it. Handling repairs is already a huge issue for others in the industry -- Bowflex and Nautilus come to mind. Concept2 and Rogue are at the other end of that spectrum, famous for great customer service. Peloton is at a dangerous point where they can't afford to be like Bowflex or Nautilus.1 -
There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.0 -
There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I watched that video. Unfortunate people can't take personal responsibility nowadays. Those kids were clearly not supervised.1 -
Does the Peloton treadmill have that magnet or other instant off key you are supposed to tie to your body in case you fall?
My mom never used that on her treadmills over the years. Then again I was never a little kid with them around either.
But it seems hang that up out of way of kids, and you've taken care of at least the accidental curious hands aspect.
I know, doesn't take care of the parent with headphones on to hear the trainer and not the kids aspect of accidents, or positioned in a way to allow sneakups or pointing to a TV on wall.0 -
It's like the thigh master of the 80's or any other fad, except its higher priced, more technical garbage cluttering up a house. In a few years it will be phased out by the next best thing. I can afford one but I wouldn't waste my money.1
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There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I watched that video. Unfortunate people can't take personal responsibility nowadays. Those kids were clearly not supervised.
Well yeah if they were supervised I guess someone would have stopped it. Idk though that thing pretty aggressively sucked him under - and kids are sneaky accidents can happen quickly. I imagine if you were running on it and a cat or dog got near it would not be good either.
I was just wondering if they were different than other treadmills. I’ve had a treadmill for years and it never occurred to me that my dog or cat could get sucked under it, so wondering if the design on this particular one is more dangerous somehow.0 -
Does the Peloton treadmill have that magnet or other instant off key you are supposed to tie to your body in case you fall?
My mom never used that on her treadmills over the years. Then again I was never a little kid with them around either.
But it seems hang that up out of way of kids, and you've taken care of at least the accidental curious hands aspect.
I know, doesn't take care of the parent with headphones on to hear the trainer and not the kids aspect of accidents, or positioned in a way to allow sneakups or pointing to a TV on wall.
They do have the key and that is the defence they are using - that if safety guidelines are followed there is no danger.0 -
There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I read about it when I saw their stock drop...but I don't know that it's necessarily fair to Peloton and I don't know that it necessarily goes to their specific design and there being a flaw of some kind which is why they are refusing to do a recall. Exercise equipment can be dangerous and weird as it sounds, treadmills in general can be the most dangerous of any stationary cardio equipment. I've seen plenty of people have mishaps in the gym on a treadmill...it's actually the only piece of stationary cardio equipment where I regularly see someone go flying off or having some issue. There were about 22,500 emergency room visits in 2019 due to a treadmill and there were 17 deaths related to treadmills between 2018 and 2019.
My understanding about the Peloton is that it has a safety key that must be inserted in order to operate the machine and users are instructed to remove that key when the machine is not in use. I personally wonder how many of the dozens of incidents of injury, including the child's death were attributable to that key being left in the machine while not in use and unattended. I would also be curious as to what the other dozens of incidents are...I've seen no details...but like I said, I've seen my fair share of people fall right off a treadmill either goofing around and not using the machine properly or users having the settings outside of their own personal abilities.
Without more details I'm a bit hard pressed to say this is a Peloton thing vs an exercise equipment can be dangerous thing. That said, I don't think the people speaking for Peloton have done themselves any favors and haven't handled it very well.2 -
There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I watched that video. Unfortunate people can't take personal responsibility nowadays. Those kids were clearly not supervised.
Well yeah if they were supervised I guess someone would have stopped it. Idk though that thing pretty aggressively sucked him under - and kids are sneaky accidents can happen quickly. I imagine if you were running on it and a cat or dog got near it would not be good either.
I was just wondering if they were different than other treadmills. I’ve had a treadmill for years and it never occurred to me that my dog or cat could get sucked under it, so wondering if the design on this particular one is more dangerous somehow.
I actually have a gate around my spin bike and my mountain bike because I don't want my pets injured or my equipment damaged. And plug is disconnected unless I'm using it. Feel bad for the kid in the video. That had to be horrifying! But wouldn't you also correct the kids behavior when they are playing around it. Kind of like stove, oven awareness. Don't touch it, it's hot.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I read about it when I saw their stock drop...but I don't know that it's necessarily fair to Peloton and I don't know that it necessarily goes to their specific design and there being a flaw of some kind which is why they are refusing to do a recall. Exercise equipment can be dangerous and weird as it sounds, treadmills in general can be the most dangerous of any stationary cardio equipment. I've seen plenty of people have mishaps in the gym on a treadmill...it's actually the only piece of stationary cardio equipment where I regularly see someone go flying off or having some issue. There were about 22,500 emergency room visits in 2019 due to a treadmill and there were 17 deaths related to treadmills between 2018 and 2019.
My understanding about the Peloton is that it has a safety key that must be inserted in order to operate the machine and users are instructed to remove that key when the machine is not in use. I personally wonder how many of the dozens of incidents of injury, including the child's death were attributable to that key being left in the machine while not in use and unattended. I would also be curious as to what the other dozens of incidents are...I've seen no details...but like I said, I've seen my fair share of people fall right off a treadmill either goofing around and not using the machine properly or users having the settings outside of their own personal abilities.
Without more details I'm a bit hard pressed to say this is a Peloton thing vs an exercise equipment can be dangerous thing. That said, I don't think the people speaking for Peloton have done themselves any favors and haven't handled it very well.
Yeah I was reading more about it and apparently it is higher off the ground, and the belt isn’t flat but has slats, so those two features together make it more dangerous than standard treadmills. So while people can fly off any treadmills, this is the only one they are aware of that can suck kids underneath it. That is why they issued the warning.
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There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I watched that video. Unfortunate people can't take personal responsibility nowadays. Those kids were clearly not supervised.
"The company told owners of the machine not to let children under the age of 16 use the treadmill and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the Tread+ at all times."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56790070
For a lot of people, having something in your house that children or animals can never be near (even if it isn't in use) isn't necessarily realistic. Yeah, people need to supervise their children. As someone with seven younger siblings, even with the best parents, kids are sometimes going to get into things. Any parent who can say that their child has never ever gotten into something in their house that they shouldn't have, even it if just meant causing a bit of a mess, is lucky.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I watched that video. Unfortunate people can't take personal responsibility nowadays. Those kids were clearly not supervised.
"The company told owners of the machine not to let children under the age of 16 use the treadmill and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the Tread+ at all times."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56790070
For a lot of people, having something in your house that children or animals can never be near (even if it isn't in use) isn't necessarily realistic. Yeah, people need to supervise their children. As someone with seven younger siblings, even with the best parents, kids are sometimes going to get into things. Any parent who can say that their child has never ever gotten into something in their house that they shouldn't have, even it if just meant causing a bit of a mess, is lucky.
I don't disagree with that. My problem is with personal responsibility and common sense. I'm sure lawsuits are already in the works.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I watched that video. Unfortunate people can't take personal responsibility nowadays. Those kids were clearly not supervised.
"The company told owners of the machine not to let children under the age of 16 use the treadmill and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the Tread+ at all times."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56790070
For a lot of people, having something in your house that children or animals can never be near (even if it isn't in use) isn't necessarily realistic. Yeah, people need to supervise their children. As someone with seven younger siblings, even with the best parents, kids are sometimes going to get into things. Any parent who can say that their child has never ever gotten into something in their house that they shouldn't have, even it if just meant causing a bit of a mess, is lucky.
I don't disagree with that. My problem is with personal responsibility and common sense. I'm sure lawsuits are already in the works.
If a company is negligent in their creation of a product and it kills people (I'm not saying that is what happened here), then a lawsuit can be an appropriate response. It's literally just a way to hold corporations responsible for their actions.
I don't know what warnings came with the Peloton treadmill or in what circumstances children or animals died or were injured. It's popular to blame consumers for all harm that comes to them or their families as a result of products and disparage any kind of legal action as ridiculous, but we don't have that many ways to hold companies accountable for their actions beyond the legal system. Peloton may have done everything right here, but there have been circumstances in the past where companies have been careless or negligent and I'm unsure what those disparaging lawsuits think should be done in those situations.
If the clear messaging was "children and animals should never be around this item, even when it isn't in operation," I don't even know why people would bring that into their house. That's just me. I wouldn't want that in my house since I have a dog.0 -
@cwolfman13 -- agreed on the company not handling the issue well. No matter if the parents were partly responsible, Peloton made themselves look very argumentative and uncaring. Not a good PR look at all.
Even though I've said I think the equipment is overpriced, that's not the value of Peloton. It's the interactive fitness element. The fact that people see others working in real time. They were the first to do it and they are (for now) way ahead of the competition. You are seeing others try to emulate what they are doing. iFit (which is the NordicTrack/ProForm people), Echelon (cheaper version, same concept as Peloton), Mirror and others.
It's obvious by the comments that Peloton isn't going away anytime soon. They will likely have to redesign their Treads. That will be costly as they were ready to introduce the new, lower cost tread (unless that one's a lower profile -- that might mean they actually knew about the potential dangers of the Tread+, which if that's the case, that could mean more bad news for them).
It will be interesting where this fitness segment goes in the future.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »There might be a recall in their treadmills - the US Consumer Protection Agency has advised against using them if you have kids or pets in the house. Kids apparently are getting sucked under them and one died. I watched a video on agency Twitter (not the death of course) and the kid got sucked under the belt and the treadmill actually moved over top of him - it was awful (he got out).
I know the bike is different but this can’t be good for their brand. Are their treadmills different than normal ones? It seems like maybe it is higher up and the belt is stronger but idk.
I watched that video. Unfortunate people can't take personal responsibility nowadays. Those kids were clearly not supervised.
"The company told owners of the machine not to let children under the age of 16 use the treadmill and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the Tread+ at all times."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56790070
For a lot of people, having something in your house that children or animals can never be near (even if it isn't in use) isn't necessarily realistic. Yeah, people need to supervise their children. As someone with seven younger siblings, even with the best parents, kids are sometimes going to get into things. Any parent who can say that their child has never ever gotten into something in their house that they shouldn't have, even it if just meant causing a bit of a mess, is lucky.
I don't disagree with that. My problem is with personal responsibility and common sense. I'm sure lawsuits are already in the works.
If a company is negligent in their creation of a product and it kills people (I'm not saying that is what happened here), then a lawsuit can be an appropriate response. It's literally just a way to hold corporations responsible for their actions.
I don't know what warnings came with the Peloton treadmill or in what circumstances children or animals died or were injured. It's popular to blame consumers for all harm that comes to them or their families as a result of products and disparage any kind of legal action as ridiculous, but we don't have that many ways to hold companies accountable for their actions beyond the legal system. Peloton may have done everything right here, but there have been circumstances in the past where companies have been careless or negligent and I'm unsure what those disparaging lawsuits think should be done in those situations.
If the clear messaging was "children and animals should never be around this item, even when it isn't in operation," I don't even know why people would bring that into their house. That's just me. I wouldn't want that in my house since I have a dog.
I'm probably the most jaded person on this thread cause I work in the legal field 😁 I have five dogs and I foster and keep gates around my bikes. But I don't think unattended children should be around any exercise equipment no matter the manufacturer. I'm actually okay with the way Peloton has responded.3 -
Hello MFP community!
I’m in the market for an at home spin bike and subscription and have been seriously considering a peloton. I’ve also looked into proform and I’m leaning towards peloton.
If you have some honest opinions about either brand or even a different brand, it would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers!
I bought one a month ago. I was relegated to teaching at home and was seated for 6 hrs non stop. I felt guilt and pulled the trigger and bought one.
I am absolutely addicted and have shredded all previous exercise routines with it. I am on it daily.
Before that I had purchased another stationary bike that now sits unused. Staring at the walls or watching TV while I go at it? I don't last that long..
Now I have Jess King whom I absolutely love pushing me. I am on this thing every day, doing 2-3 classes for a total of 40 minutes. My goal is to get up to an hour combined with different intensities. I bike with friends and I am drenched at the end of the workouts. The other night, I didn't to lose my week streak so I got on at 10:30pm and did 2 classes. I actually felt happier when the screen turned on. Peloton for me is massively psychological.
You can sync Strava, facebook, Spotify and fitbit. You can add friends. You can keep track of a ton of stats. You can join challenges to further motivate you. Once I finish a workout and I am exhausted, nothing beats doing a cool down ride with a familiar ride and your favourite tunes kick in.
My Peloton seems pretty solid but the other bike is way more solid. It makes a bit of a clicking noise when I pedal but I'm too busy trying to crush the workout. I paid extra for maintenance for an additional year. I also got a mat, shoes and earbuds. I dropped a small fortune (around 3500), but it has been beyond worth it. If I need to replace something busted down the road, so be it.
Yes it costs 50 a month but it offers a ton of content with dozens of instructors. Because I am at home teaching and not in schools, whatever coffee money I would have spent along with bus far is going towards this beast.
I would argue that they are justified setting whatever price the market will dictate. The array of content is huge, different personalities for different instructors, hundreds of classes, you could literally stay at home all day and do everything from cardio, weights, cycling, yoga to strength. People are paying hundreds a month for TV, cable, HBO, etc 50$ a month to use something daily for hours isn't that much and the returns for your health are way better...
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cwolfman13 wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
I feel like this would be true for most expensive purchases. Most people are going to do some research before they spend a couple thousand on a piece of exercise equipment, so the people who have them are a self-selecting group for whom the Peloton concept appeals. The much larger group of humans to whom it doesn't appeal are simply not going to buy one because we know it's not for us.
It may be totally true that those who have Pelotons love them, but it would be a mistake for someone to buy one on that basis, assuming they will also love it. You'd still want to carefully consider your own preferences and habits to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
I love the Peleton concept, but their equipment isn't actually all that great. You are starting to see stories online where Peleton owners have their equipment break and they can't get it fixed. They will eventually get it figured out, but there's nothing justifying the price for the equipment, other than the business model of community workouts.
I don't know who those people are... I happened to have an issue with the audio on my screen after 2.5 years. Peloton replaced it at no cost. I was well out of the warranty period. After five years my bike was still in pristine condition--I am an avid spinner and use the bike almost every day. To me, that is a decent piece of equipment.
Any piece of equipment is going to require care and maintenance. This isn't unique to Peloton. I also own a treadmill, which currently needs to have the bearings replaced. I am not writing reviews of the company complaining that they have somehow failed me as a consumer because it is difficult to have it repaired (which it is, given the manufacturer of my treadmill.)
It's nice to know what you could potentially be getting into though, especially when you're talking about spending a lot of money...doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the company "failing you".
When I was researching my direct drive smart trainer for purchase I discovered that the company who made the model I was looking at had an overall good track record (tons of positive reviews), but the particular model I was looking at had some defects in units made between certain dates...I believe it was somewhere towards the end of 2019 through Sept or October of 2020. It wasn't every unit, but it was clear from reading consumer reviews that the same issue was popping up with enough frequency to make me think. I also discovered through these reviews that while replacement did eventually happen, it took some time and was somewhat difficult because the primary market for this company is the UK and Europe and only sold this one particular model in the USA. There was also a note from the manufacturer stating they had resolved the issue and units manufactured after whatever date it was should no longer have said issue.
I ultimately did buy it, but all of that information was pertinent to me and my decision. In fact, overly positive reviews and nothing but, "this is the best thing in all the whole wide world" generally make me feel uneasy. Having as much information as I could helped me make an informed decision.
I was being facetious.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
I feel like this would be true for most expensive purchases. Most people are going to do some research before they spend a couple thousand on a piece of exercise equipment, so the people who have them are a self-selecting group for whom the Peloton concept appeals. The much larger group of humans to whom it doesn't appeal are simply not going to buy one because we know it's not for us.
It may be totally true that those who have Pelotons love them, but it would be a mistake for someone to buy one on that basis, assuming they will also love it. You'd still want to carefully consider your own preferences and habits to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
I love the Peleton concept, but their equipment isn't actually all that great. You are starting to see stories online where Peleton owners have their equipment break and they can't get it fixed. They will eventually get it figured out, but there's nothing justifying the price for the equipment, other than the business model of community workouts.
I don't know who those people are... I happened to have an issue with the audio on my screen after 2.5 years. Peloton replaced it at no cost. I was well out of the warranty period. After five years my bike was still in pristine condition--I am an avid spinner and use the bike almost every day. To me, that is a decent piece of equipment.
Any piece of equipment is going to require care and maintenance. This isn't unique to Peloton. I also own a treadmill, which currently needs to have the bearings replaced. I am not writing reviews of the company complaining that they have somehow failed me as a consumer because it is difficult to have it repaired (which it is, given the manufacturer of my treadmill.)
If a piece of equipment is difficult to repair or presents challenges in finding technicians who are capable of doing the repair, I think that's a very relevant factor to note in a review. It's certainly something I'd want to know before I spent thousands on a piece of exercise equipment.
It doesn't mean that a company has "failed you" (that's a very personal way to describe it), but it's a factor many consumers would take into account before making a purchase.
I was being facetious. My point was that it seems as though Peloton gets an overwhelming amount of unwarranted criticism compared to other fitness companies.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
I feel like this would be true for most expensive purchases. Most people are going to do some research before they spend a couple thousand on a piece of exercise equipment, so the people who have them are a self-selecting group for whom the Peloton concept appeals. The much larger group of humans to whom it doesn't appeal are simply not going to buy one because we know it's not for us.
It may be totally true that those who have Pelotons love them, but it would be a mistake for someone to buy one on that basis, assuming they will also love it. You'd still want to carefully consider your own preferences and habits to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
I love the Peleton concept, but their equipment isn't actually all that great. You are starting to see stories online where Peleton owners have their equipment break and they can't get it fixed. They will eventually get it figured out, but there's nothing justifying the price for the equipment, other than the business model of community workouts.
I don't know who those people are... I happened to have an issue with the audio on my screen after 2.5 years. Peloton replaced it at no cost. I was well out of the warranty period. After five years my bike was still in pristine condition--I am an avid spinner and use the bike almost every day. To me, that is a decent piece of equipment.
Any piece of equipment is going to require care and maintenance. This isn't unique to Peloton. I also own a treadmill, which currently needs to have the bearings replaced. I am not writing reviews of the company complaining that they have somehow failed me as a consumer because it is difficult to have it repaired (which it is, given the manufacturer of my treadmill.)
If a piece of equipment is difficult to repair or presents challenges in finding technicians who are capable of doing the repair, I think that's a very relevant factor to note in a review. It's certainly something I'd want to know before I spent thousands on a piece of exercise equipment.
It doesn't mean that a company has "failed you" (that's a very personal way to describe it), but it's a factor many consumers would take into account before making a purchase.
I was being facetious. My point was that it seems as though Peloton gets an overwhelming amount of unwarranted criticism compared to other fitness companies.
Because their TV ads are silly, that might be why.3 -
janejellyroll wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
I feel like this would be true for most expensive purchases. Most people are going to do some research before they spend a couple thousand on a piece of exercise equipment, so the people who have them are a self-selecting group for whom the Peloton concept appeals. The much larger group of humans to whom it doesn't appeal are simply not going to buy one because we know it's not for us.
It may be totally true that those who have Pelotons love them, but it would be a mistake for someone to buy one on that basis, assuming they will also love it. You'd still want to carefully consider your own preferences and habits to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
I love the Peleton concept, but their equipment isn't actually all that great. You are starting to see stories online where Peleton owners have their equipment break and they can't get it fixed. They will eventually get it figured out, but there's nothing justifying the price for the equipment, other than the business model of community workouts.
I don't know who those people are... I happened to have an issue with the audio on my screen after 2.5 years. Peloton replaced it at no cost. I was well out of the warranty period. After five years my bike was still in pristine condition--I am an avid spinner and use the bike almost every day. To me, that is a decent piece of equipment.
Any piece of equipment is going to require care and maintenance. This isn't unique to Peloton. I also own a treadmill, which currently needs to have the bearings replaced. I am not writing reviews of the company complaining that they have somehow failed me as a consumer because it is difficult to have it repaired (which it is, given the manufacturer of my treadmill.)
If a piece of equipment is difficult to repair or presents challenges in finding technicians who are capable of doing the repair, I think that's a very relevant factor to note in a review. It's certainly something I'd want to know before I spent thousands on a piece of exercise equipment.
It doesn't mean that a company has "failed you" (that's a very personal way to describe it), but it's a factor many consumers would take into account before making a purchase.
I was being facetious. My point was that it seems as though Peloton gets an overwhelming amount of unwarranted criticism compared to other fitness companies.
Maybe because they're currently the face of very expensive exercise equipment?
People are going to evaluate them differently than a $300 stationary bike or even a $1,200 treadmill. It just goes with the premium territory that they're attempting to occupy. If you promise people a literally life-changing luxury fitness experience, you're going to draw a certain type of attention.
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janejellyroll wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
I feel like this would be true for most expensive purchases. Most people are going to do some research before they spend a couple thousand on a piece of exercise equipment, so the people who have them are a self-selecting group for whom the Peloton concept appeals. The much larger group of humans to whom it doesn't appeal are simply not going to buy one because we know it's not for us.
It may be totally true that those who have Pelotons love them, but it would be a mistake for someone to buy one on that basis, assuming they will also love it. You'd still want to carefully consider your own preferences and habits to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
I love the Peleton concept, but their equipment isn't actually all that great. You are starting to see stories online where Peleton owners have their equipment break and they can't get it fixed. They will eventually get it figured out, but there's nothing justifying the price for the equipment, other than the business model of community workouts.
I don't know who those people are... I happened to have an issue with the audio on my screen after 2.5 years. Peloton replaced it at no cost. I was well out of the warranty period. After five years my bike was still in pristine condition--I am an avid spinner and use the bike almost every day. To me, that is a decent piece of equipment.
Any piece of equipment is going to require care and maintenance. This isn't unique to Peloton. I also own a treadmill, which currently needs to have the bearings replaced. I am not writing reviews of the company complaining that they have somehow failed me as a consumer because it is difficult to have it repaired (which it is, given the manufacturer of my treadmill.)
If a piece of equipment is difficult to repair or presents challenges in finding technicians who are capable of doing the repair, I think that's a very relevant factor to note in a review. It's certainly something I'd want to know before I spent thousands on a piece of exercise equipment.
It doesn't mean that a company has "failed you" (that's a very personal way to describe it), but it's a factor many consumers would take into account before making a purchase.
I was being facetious. My point was that it seems as though Peloton gets an overwhelming amount of unwarranted criticism compared to other fitness companies.
Some of it is honestly justified. Their CEO came out in 2019 and admitted that when they began, they were selling the bikes at a much lower price point. Until they jacked the price way up, they didn't sell bikes. It was nothing to do with how great the bikes were -- it was about the mystique of being a high-end exercise piece of equipment.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/peloton-ceo-says-sales-increased-raised-prices-2245-exercise-bike-132256225.html
When people that have done a lot of spinning look at their bike, they kind of chuckle that people are willing to pay double for something they could get at least as good from a company like Sole, that has been doing it a lot longer (or much better with a Keiser Bike).
Some of the criticism also comes from folks that wish they could afford one but can't. It's certainly within my fitness budget, but it's not my taste. While I say that, again, I think the interactive working in real time versus others is the huge value in Peloton. THAT aspect of Peloton is underrated by most, certainly not by me. I think their equipment will catch up to their IP (intellectual property) on the tech side, eventually. Echelon has tried to copy Peloton and hasn't caught on as well. My guess would be their interactive classes and instructors aren't near the quality of Peloton's. Likely has nothing to do with the equipment. Plus, Echelon (or at least they were) charging more for their monthly subscription and much less for the equipment. Peloton has been smart about keeping the pricepoint of their subscription lower and adding in other services like the subscription tailored to those that can't afford the equipment. Brilliant!
I work with startup tech companies (over 30 of them and counting over the years -- some now Billion dollar companies) -- it's the analyst in me talking out loud. I see their issues more as growing pains. A brilliant company that is relatively new will always have growing pains. The more successful, the more the pain. I'm working with one right now that is blowing up. We know the pain is coming soon (and the success).
I have a Concept2 rower (my exerciser of choice). Exactly what I find appealing about the Concept2 is that same ability to work interactively against others (even in real time). C2 rowers have that ability with added apps. It's the same appeal of Zwift for bikers.
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For what it's worth, their issues on the Tread aren't over -- not by a longshot. One child died. Their response has been basically to add a disclaimer -- don't have kids or pets around your treadmill. Honestly, from a risk perspective, that's moronic.
So this is like saying, single mom or pet owner with a pet can never have their kids or pets running free while they are on the treadmill? OK. I'd be willing to bet my house than no jury would agree that's a reasonable demand of consumers that expect their exercise equipment to be safe. What I see happening, eventually, will have to be, first, a redesign. That will be costly. For now, they are likely coming up with some sort of plastic retrofit around the sides and back of existing treadmill that will prevent injuries or death. If the new lower pricepoint Tread is lower to the ground (they are supposed to release it in May of 2021), that, to me, also indicates that they knew, possibly all along, that the Tread+ was dangerous. If that's ever discovered and they covered it up, they will take a huge hit financially. They will recover but that would be brutal PR.2 -
maja124moxie wrote: »I've had a Peloton bike now for 6 months. What I like about it is the ability to get a sweat on anytime of the day. It can be 4 AM or 9PM and I can get a good workout. It doesn't matter if it's snow on the ground or 100F, I can still get a good workout. It also provides a great low impact cardio that for someone that is out of shape helps get moving in the right direction. I found that with Peloton, it takes away a lot of excuses for me. I also enjoy the instructors a lot. Matt is my favourite!
If you like your Peloton, that's great but can you can get a "sweat on" with ANY type of exercise equipment that you can place inside your house.
I've got 2 such devices -- a LeMond RevMaster Pro spin bike and a Concept 2 Rower.
I can get a "sweat on" on either device 24/7 (regardless of the weather) whenever I like and it would be the same for any one who owns and has any piece of exercise equipment in their house, not just a Peloton.
Just saying . . .
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janejellyroll wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »lorrainemarie_214 wrote: »If you can afford it, Peloton is definitely amazing. The Peloton community is incredible, the bike is an amazing piece of equipment, and Peloton offers so many varied classes with different instructors, and they add new content every single day! I've had my bike for 2 and 1/2 years and it was absolutely worth the price. I love their non-cycling classes, too, especially their strength classes!
I think you'll find that people who have a Peloton love it. People who don't have a Peloton talk negatively about it.
I feel like this would be true for most expensive purchases. Most people are going to do some research before they spend a couple thousand on a piece of exercise equipment, so the people who have them are a self-selecting group for whom the Peloton concept appeals. The much larger group of humans to whom it doesn't appeal are simply not going to buy one because we know it's not for us.
It may be totally true that those who have Pelotons love them, but it would be a mistake for someone to buy one on that basis, assuming they will also love it. You'd still want to carefully consider your own preferences and habits to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
I love the Peleton concept, but their equipment isn't actually all that great. You are starting to see stories online where Peleton owners have their equipment break and they can't get it fixed. They will eventually get it figured out, but there's nothing justifying the price for the equipment, other than the business model of community workouts.
I don't know who those people are... I happened to have an issue with the audio on my screen after 2.5 years. Peloton replaced it at no cost. I was well out of the warranty period. After five years my bike was still in pristine condition--I am an avid spinner and use the bike almost every day. To me, that is a decent piece of equipment.
Any piece of equipment is going to require care and maintenance. This isn't unique to Peloton. I also own a treadmill, which currently needs to have the bearings replaced. I am not writing reviews of the company complaining that they have somehow failed me as a consumer because it is difficult to have it repaired (which it is, given the manufacturer of my treadmill.)
If a piece of equipment is difficult to repair or presents challenges in finding technicians who are capable of doing the repair, I think that's a very relevant factor to note in a review. It's certainly something I'd want to know before I spent thousands on a piece of exercise equipment.
It doesn't mean that a company has "failed you" (that's a very personal way to describe it), but it's a factor many consumers would take into account before making a purchase.
I was being facetious. My point was that it seems as though Peloton gets an overwhelming amount of unwarranted criticism compared to other fitness companies.
I think a big part of that just comes with the territory of pretty much being on the high end of everything else out there. Anything at an "elite" price point is going to get scrutiny as to whether or not it's worth it...what makes this product elite, what exactly am I getting here at this high of a price point, etc. Add to that the relentless marketing...you don't see a lot of the higher end exercise companies like Keiser (for spin bikes) or Concept 2 (rowing), for example, plastered all over social media and television...my guess is that outside of fitness oriented people who are really into these things, the average person hasn't even heard of those products. When you do that, yeah...you're getting your product out there, but you're also potentially opening yourself up to greater scrutiny and criticism.
The appeal of Peloton is it's interactive nature, and that component is definitely the future of exercise equipment...particularly high end equipment for home use, but the equipment itself IMO doesn't live up to the price point. The Peloton bike itself is good...not horrible by any means, but neither is it a $2,000 bike...I'd say more like $1,000-$1,200. I used to spin quite a bit in winter months and windy spring days before I got Zwift and a smart trainer and I've ridden some really nice spin bikes at that $2K price point and they blow the Peloton out of the water as far as an actual piece of equipment goes. But their interactive component is really good and right now Echelon is really the only decent competitor out there, so you're going to pay a premium for a decent bike to partake in that interactive component and hopefully have a little more fun with your indoor cardio.
For some, that premium is going to be worth it...for others it's not. For their current primary market, I don't think it even matters much. My in-laws bought it pretty much on a whim...they're loaded and $2K for them is practically nothing and when they bought it, it was also the "rage" Christmas purchase for pretty much everyone at their country club. And of course, much of their marketing is the country club and penthouse suite crowd. I'm sure that is also where a lot of the criticism, especially on social media and whatnot comes from. People who, for lack of a better term, are jealous or maybe just plain mystified that someone could drop $2K on a stationary bike. Likely they wouldn't know a high quality spin bike from a basic $300 stationary bike...but people get mad at people with money and get mad at the things that people with money can buy.
I don't personally fall into that latter group. I'm certainly not loaded, but I do pretty ok and a Peloton could fit the budget (though it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket). I already have about $6-7K wrapped up in three bikes and a direct drive smart trainer (not to mention gear and other accessories)...I just fall into the "it's not a $2K bike" crowd, and the premium just wouldn't be worth it to me.
That said, even a Keiser wouldn't be worth it to me either for different reasons. They make phenomenal spin bikes...it's just not my bag at $2K. Just like I'm sure a $3K carbon road bike isn't other people's bag...but I dig it. Ultimately, at that price point, most people are going to have to do some real thinking on it...whatever "it" is.
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