Peloton. Is it worth the hype?

I hopped on the Peloton bandwagon about 18 months ago… back when Corona was just a refreshing Mexican beer. I bought it because 1. The adverts were everywhere. They sucked me in with their motivational music and sleek cinematography. 2. Because I was spending a small fortune attending spin classes. £75 a week to be precise. It still baffles me how London studios can charge £25 a session. It’s pretty outrageous. 3. Because my nearest spin class was 45 minutes away turning a 45 minute classes into a 2hr15 day trip. Whereas if I had a bike in my house, it would take me approximately 45 seconds to get to it and I could cycle in my pants. So that was me sold.

What even is a Peloton?

If you have no idea what I’m talking about then here’s a basic description: it’s an at-home, interactive spin bike. You follow along with an instructor in either a live class or on saved (on demand) classes. You can also interact with your fellow cyclists by chasing them on the leader board and even virtually high-fiving them. At the end of each ride, you can see your stats. These include the distance cycled, where you ended up on the leader board, calories burnt, your output and your energy used. These are all saved onto your bike so you can see your progress at any point. On top of this there are a ton of off-bike classes that you can do. All the saved classes are available to you 24 hours a day. If you don’t want an instructor ride, there’s also outside, scenic rides where you can choose a location in the world and cycle at your own leisure. It’s basically a giant fitness video game! FYI You can see the instructor but they can’t see or hear you, not yet anyway! Who knows if that will become an option in the future.

Cost

I have the original Peloton, not the new fancy version. Although if you’re thinking of getting one, get the new one. Purely because, along with other upgrades, the screen moves which makes it easier to do the floor workouts - Peloton isn’t just about the cycling these days. It’s a fitness empire with classes ranging from spin to strength, yoga to Pilates and everything inbetween. This makes the monthly subscription a slightly easier pill to swallow. More on that shortly.

Bike cost (without accessories)

The original, the one I have is now £1750. I paid just under £2k for it. Which I justified by working out that that was about 7 months’ worth of spin classes.

The plus (the newest version) is £2295. Everything about it is a bit better. If I could swap my old one for the new one and just pay the excess, I probably would. But the old one will also do me just fine.

You can pay monthly, without a deposit and interest free. Or you can bite the bullet and buy it in one go.

Monthly subscription

This is £39 and can be used by up to 4 people in your household. This includes access to everything. Theo, Dawn and I all use the same subscription so that works out at £13 a month each. Much cheaper than a gym subscription. Slightly annoying when you pay so much for the bike. But it is what it is.

The accessories

There are a number of things you can add to your package and I have to say, most are worth the money. Firstly, the mat. Get the mat. It stops the bike from wobbling, it absorbs some of the sound, and, if you have wooden floors like me, protects them from getting scuffed. (We’ve just moved the bike into the spare room so need to put the mat down!)

The weights.

You might as well get these as they fit perfectly onto the bike. I’d suggest getting the 3lb ones, don’t go lighter, there’s no point. If they feel too heavy to begin, they won’t after a few weeks.

The shoes.

I have the official Peloton ones coz I’m a sucker for branding. Theo has some that we got from a bike shop. They were half the price and just as good,so I’ll leave that decision to you.

The ear phones.

Don’t bother if you have wireless earphones. I have AirPods and T has beats by Dre. Both connect to the bike via bluetooth. Although I like to have the sound on full blast without earphones alongside my multi-coloured disco light coz ya know, vibes!

The heart rate monitor.

Don’t bother if you have an Apple Watch or fit bit as both can connect to the bike via the app on your phone. So you can see your heart rate that way.

Ps: if you use my referral code you get £100 off of accessories 42TDN5

The delivery

The guys who delivered the bike rolled up in their branded van and set everything up for me. Everything about this brand is super sleek. They were very helpful and showed me how to use everything. Although I’d obvs Youtubed every tutorial out there in prep thanks to my over excitement. They also set the appropriate height of the bike. Anyone who has done spin before knows that this is really important. If the bike is too high or low, and the handles too close or far, your whole form can be compromised. Once they had set up I was ready to go.

I was lucky to get my bike prior to Armageddon (otherwise known as COVID-19) so my bike was set up for me and everything explained in detail. Anyone receiving their bikes now need to read the instructions that come with the bike and attach their own screens. Peloton take safety very seriously. It’s really not rocket science, just takes a little patience and concentration.

Instructors and classes

There are a lot more instructors now compared to when I got the bike. But I’ve kinda stuck to my faves. Even though we have a British crew now, I have to say the Americans are my fave. I think I just find them more motivating. Us Brits are a bit too polite. Whereas the Americans aren’t afraid to shout and swear at you (in a highly motivating way of course). So here are my favourites:

Jess King (@jesskingnyc)

Jess is, without doubt, my favourite female instructor. Honestly, I think she is bloody amazing. Firstly, her instructions are so clear. I feel like I’ve learnt the most about form and technique from her. She is always an absolute beast. You never do a JK ride when you want an easy day. Her “Sweat Steady” rides are iconic. I always beat my personal best with her. Her music choice isn’t always my fave, but she’s the only instructor that I find that doesn’t matter with. I am there for the Jess King experience. I always feel I’ve done myself proud after completing one of her rides.

Alex Toussaint (@alextoussaint25)

If you like hip hop, Alex is your guy. His tunes are always off the scale. Although, randomly, the thing I love most about Alex is his counting! That’s right, he’s great at counting. By that I mean that he is always, always on point when counting you into the next part of the ride. He’s taught me the most about rhythm on the bike. His rides are bloody tough but really easy to follow. He rarely messes up. He’s also Theo’s fave.

Robyn Arzon (@robinnyc)

Robyn is the Head instructor for Peloton. She also looks remarkably like JLo which is a bonus. She’s great. Very motivating and always pretty tough, which I like. I have to say, her favourite ride of mine is the Greatest Showman one. If you’re a fan of the film then you will love this. Not quite sure how I sing and sweat at the same time but I do. She also has some great hip hop rides.

Cody Rigsby (@codyrigsby)

So Cody reminds me of my good friend, Mark Rogers. I think this is the main reason I love him. Well, that and his Britney rides. They are epic. Cody is great if you want a real feel good ride. I’ve never found any of his rides Jess King tough, but I’ve always come off his rides feeling pumped and joyous. He’s a great story teller too and boy, does he have some stories to tell! His random dance moves inbetween instructions crack me up. He’s an all round fun dude.

Ally Love (@allymisslove)

Ally is all about positivity and I fully appreciate that. She is also a great instructor. Her Whitney Houston and Prince rides are pretty epic. She’s very engaging and is a great motivational speaker, without being too cringe. Her music is always on point.

Like I said, there are a ton of instructors and the ones I like might not be for you, but that’s the great thing about having so much choice.

Emma Lovewell (@emmalovewell)

Emma is a bloody brilliant instructor. All of her instructions are so clear. I’ve done pretty much all of her Groove rides. These include a little spin class choreography, nothing crazy, but it makes the class go super quick. Her music taste is also right up my street.

Kendall Toole (@fitxkendall)

Kendall is a vibe. She makes you work half but is super fun too. Her rides really get you working. She has some great music choices too.

Tunde Oyeneyin (@tune2tunde)

Tunde is a beast!! My god her classes are tough but also absolutely EPIC!!!! Her HIIT and hill classes are killer but incredibly rewarding. All I will say is, Good luck!!!!

How many classes should you do a week?

The best thing about having the bike at home is that you can do as many as you want. Although don’t forget about your all important rest days. If you ignore these you‘ll probably injure yourself. There’s some great recovery day classes which help to flush the legs out. This aids recovery.

For me, it depends what other training I’m doing. If I’m swimming or doing power yoga, I’ll tend to just do a 20 min cycle on top. If I’m not doing anything else that day, I do a tough 30 minute cycle followed by a 10 minute arms class. Let me just touch on that a minute. I always used to do 45min class, which tended to be a combination of cycling and arms. That was until my friend, Yvette, told me that she had seen a huge difference by doing a pure 30 minute cycle followed by a separate 10 minute arm class. So I started to do that about 3 months ago and have seen a huge difference in my strength and arm definition. This has also had such a positive impact on my swimming and yoga.

Self motivating

This is key. If you’re the kind of person who needs to go to a gym to work out, that’s absolutely fine, but the bike may not be for you. You def need to be a bit self-motivated otherwise it will just become an expensive clothes horse. The great thing is that once you start it becomes addictive. Even more so when you start to see results. Set yourself goals, in fact, let the bike set them for you. There’s always a monthly goal award you can join. Whether it be how many miles you do or how any times a month you ride. You get virtual medals for your results which I love coz I bloody love a medal! Ha! You can also add your friends, or follow people. I don’t really do this. That’s why I haven’t told you my user handle. I like to keep myself to myself on the app. I’m good at motivating myself and this is my one thing I like to keep separate to my social. I don’t like the thought of loads of people seeing how good or bad my ride was today. Because sometimes it’s just about doing your best.

Once you hit a mile stone ride. That can be your first, 10th, 50th, 100th and every 50th ride above that. Make sure you do a live ride as you may get a shout out from your favourite instructor. And, as cheesy as it sounds, I find that soooo motivating and pretty cool. Peloton also randomly sends some of their customers free t-shirts and water bottles, just coz, and I think that’s such a nice touch.

Is it worth the hype?

So I think it’s clear to see that my answer to this is a big YES! I bloody love my Peloton. It’s definitely been a great investment for me. Even more so now that all the gyms are closed. It really has been a saving grace for me. There really is no excuse to not work out when you have everything you need at home. And it’s not just about exercise, it’s also a community. At a time when we haven’t been able to see our friends and family, it’s actually been really nice to see a familiar face on the screen. Almost like a virtual sweaty hug.

Let me know what you decide!

Love & Lipstick,

Lisa x