Peloton experiences

[Tgilaura]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a recurring topic. I did a search but couldn’t find anything recent.

I m toying with the idea of getting a peloton, but because they are so hugely expensive, I wanted to ask around for personal experiences.

Before I had my baby, I used to run regularly - usually 5x a week. However, I ve found it really hard to get back into this, as usually by the time she’s asleep it’s getting dark and I don’t want to run in the dark.
I like the idea of something at home where I can just jump on and get a good workout which is why I m drawn to this as an idea.

Questions I have:
Are they good for post baby weight loss?
Are the classes enjoyable and suitable for beginners?
If I ve never done exercise bikes before, would you recommend?
Are they quiet to use?
Anything negative I need to know about them, or anything amazing I may not have come across?

Thanks for any and all experiences. 😊

I've got a £100 off code if anyone wants it (I get £100 in clothes if you use it).

I started using my husbands when dc2 was about 5 months. I started the post-natal programme which was AMAZING- sorted my diastasis from pregnancy 1 which I thought wouldn't ever close. Slowly built up to the cycles and weight classes. I now mix it up with cycles, outdoor guided runs, barre, weight and Pilates (about 30-45 mins a few times a week) and it's really motivated me to keep what I'm eating in check and I've lost 2 stone,now smaller than pre- pregnancy and really toned (not skinny fat). But as previous poster said, my diet needed a serious change, I'd be chained to the bike if I tried to out-exercise it! Best money ever spent. Means I don't lose my husband to the gym every day and I can exercise once the children are down.

Oh and I have a standard one but I bought the swivel attachment for the screen for about £40

I love mine too. We bought it in the first lockdown and it's been in regular use ever since. Bought it on Klarna and paid it off over a year so now just pay the monthly sub of £39 which seems good value to me with 3 of the family using it most days. Dd is at university so mainly uses the app with a normal spin bike or does the strength classes. I'm all about the bike, but also use the outdoor walking classes, strength classes and occasionally yoga. Dh uses strength, outdoor running and bike classes.

As others have said, if you're buying new from Peloton, make sure you use a referral code to get money off accessories - we put that towards a bundle with the shoes, mat, lightweights and heart rate monitor. They also sell refurbished ones direct on eBay which come with a year's warranty. I think I'd be tempted to do that if I was replacing mine. I'd be a bit nervous about buying privately as the warranty isn't transferable.

I joined the UK Ladies Facebook group to get a feel for it before I bought. You can get a referral code from the mods there and they then use the vouchers they get in return for prizes in their challenges. It's a really motivating group and well worth joining.

For my part, I'm in my 50s and while I haven't lost weight, feel miles better in terms of my health and general flexibility.

Has anyone consider/purchase the NordicTrack? It seems quite a bit cheaper and offers more classes.

Thank you for all the continuing experiences. It’s sounding really promising and I think it’s something I’d like to give a go.

Final questions if anyone can tell me 😊

Can I still use a referral code if I do the 30 day trial?
How much space do you need around them? I don’t have loads of space with my toddlers stuff everywhere. I can see the footprint is 1.2 x 0.6 but is that really sufficient?

thank you everyone!

Love mine. It sits on the peloton mat which is slightly (not much) bigger than that footprint. It's in the living room in a little alcove so no more room around it. There's a couple of post-ride stretches I can't do next to it but otherwise it's absolutely fine.

Please ignore the mess but this is the size of it
I have the mat next to it for yoga/weights

I love mine had it since 2020. Love the classes, I also do some of the other classes to mix it up. Can use headphones so not very noisy at all (if in room can hear wheel moving)

You don't really need a peloton, I got a fab spin bike for £250 and I just put the iPad on it with my lees mills subscription!

How comfortable is the saddle on the Peloton bike?

Love mine. Never exercised before and now am constantly doing it for the past 3 years.
You won't regret it!

@Rick23 it wasn't comfortable for me, it's shaped more like a man's saddle - I just put a gel seat cover on it when I use it, and DH takes it off (and moves the seat farther from the handlebars, and raises it as well.

@FiftyNotNifty you don't need to use the Peloton shoes, you can use any that have 3 bolt Delta cleats - 2 bolt SPD cleats won't clip in. DH uses a pair of Nike shoes with Delta cleats on our Peloton (I use the Peloton shoes, they are stiffer than his which are softer and mostly mesh).

Thank you! I've also seen online that you can wear normal trainers if you have toe cages fitted, I'm wondering if that's how the gym does it, must investigate!

Toe cages might work for a gentle ride but for anything more strenuous than a flat jog I'm having trouble envisioning how you would stay in the pedals... you get pretty active up and down on the bike!! Using clips means you can really use all your muscles by pulling up as well as just pushing front/down like you might with toe cages and you're really securely fastened to the pedals which I think gives you a better workout. I am no expert though.

the saddle hurt me in the first week so i added a gel cover and now it is perfect.

Absolutely love mine - it's got me exercising properly again which I haven't done in over 10 years.

Love the bike classes, but I've also been really (pleasantly) surprised by the variety and quality of the other classes available (strength, boxing, yoga, pilates, barre, bootcamp). I really like the variety of class lengths as well and the ability to 'stack' them to do whatever workout I fancy doing that day - I often do a 20-30 min ride, followed by 10-20 min strength/ core/ pilates etc and then a 5/ 10 min stretch to finish.

I had a referral code when I got mine for £200 off (so I essentially got the shoes free + £100 off the bike) and the referrer gets £100 off apparel, but it is only £100 off apparel for both at the moment.

Which one did you get?

@boymama82 sorry that question was for you! Much more my price range

I love Peloton! You can try the app for free on a months trial.

My DH had a bike for years (since 2016) and I never used it as I didn't have the shoes. I just used his membership for the other classes. I use the app for the treadmill, don't have a Peloton tread, just a bog standard reebok one. I'd love a Peloton treadmill but they don't fold.

I recently got spin shoes and started using the actual bike. I really enjoy the bike classes.

The instructors are good fun and I feel like the classes go quickly. I don't use them as much for weight training anymore as I've started heavy weightlifting with a barbell, which is more effective for muscle building but the strength classes were great as a starting point for me. Good for mobility and fat burning.

There are so many classes to choose from. I like the barre ones and stretching.

How do you do strength training on a bike?

I've been using a spin bike with the peloton app for a long time now and love the classes. My bike is really good and the only thing I miss out on is the leaderboard, which I'd really like to join. I'm holding on for the next black friday sale and will probably take the plunge then.

Be careful buying second hand as the warranty isn't transferable and I've heard repairs are pretty pricey. You can get a refurbished bike from Peloton direct on eBay which includes a 12 month warranty. I'd definitely consider that.

If you wanted to try a cheaper spin bike with the app first, I can strongly recommend https://www.jtxfitness.com/jtx-cyclo-6-indoor-exercise-bike - I've had it since Aug 2020 and it's still going strong. The Peloton app subscription is just £12.99 a month after you've had a free trial. Worth every penny.

The strength (and many other classes) are done off the bike. I love the different classes and you'd think I was on commission how I rave about Peloton.

You don't, the screen swivels so you can do strength training classes off the bike, or you download the Peloton app to your phone, iPad or other device. They are separate classes to the cycling ones. You do them with dumbbells.

Or there are bootcamps that are half cycling and half strength/hiit. You'll be on the bike for say 5 mins, then you get off and you're on the mat for 5 mins doing exercises (eg. Burpees, dumbbell presses, cleans etc) and you keep doing that.

Well. I took the plunge and ordered one!
I couldn’t resist the 30 day trial - so here’s hoping it’s everything I m looking for in a new exercise regime! 😍
Thank you for all your experiences and contributions - it’s been invaluable advice.

Enjoy OP!!

I've had mine for just over 2 months and I absolutely love it. I absolutely hated exercise and could never get out of the house to go for a run or go to the gym (DH works away!) and peloton has absolutely changed all of that for me.

I'd never done a spin class before so I started with the 'You can ride' beginners program which is on there. Now I feel a compulsion to go on my bike every day and genuinely want to plan it in to my day, even if it is 9pm and I just want to go to bed after a day at work and then an evening with the kids!!

We went away last week and I really missed it so I started the yoga program from my phone whilst we were away. There's so much available to you!