Today’s blog post is an update on my original Peloton review to ask the much asked question, ‘Is the Peloton bike worth it?’ I wrote my first review when I’d had the bike for just a couple of months so it was shiny and new and exciting. Of course my review was going to be glowing!
But I’ve had my Peloton for 7 months now. Do I still love it? Do I still use it? And is the Peloton bike worth it?
If you’re here for the Peloton £100 referral code then it’s here.
If you purchase via the link above then you’ll get £100 off accessories when you buy a Peloton Bike or Tread. I highly recommend using your £100 to purchase some weights as I’m LOVING the Peloton strength classes.
I bought my Peloton bike in June 2021 after a ridiculously long time spent umming and arrrhing about whether or not I should buy it. They’re so expensive and I thought that buying another expensive workout gadget was just another distraction. Instead of actually working out I was watching YouTube videos about people working out on Pelotons! I didn’t need more gadgets, I just needed some motivation to workout! But no matter how much money you throw at a gadget, it’s not going to magically motivate you.
So what do I think now and do I think the Peloton bike is worth it?
If you haven’t read it yet, you can find my original Peloton review here.
Do I still love it?
Absolutely 100% still love it. In fact, I’d say I love it even more now than I did 7 months ago. I feel fitter and stronger than ever before and I put this down to the Peloton bike. I’m actually enjoying exercising for the first time in my life!
I feel a bit gutted if we go away and there isn’t a Peloton bike to use!
I went on a cruise in March and I even used the Peloton bike on the cruise ship, that’s how much I love it! In fact, I had some of my PB’s cycling at the front of the ship looking out over the Mediterranean Sea!
How often do I use it?
I aim to use my Peloton bike 4 times a week. While I’d love to use it everyday, I’m still a normal human with a busy life and sometimes life gets in the way.
I have three young children (who don’t always sleep through the night!) and I’m busy with work and we go away most weekends so I definitely don’t beat myself up when I don’t use it.
The guilt of not exercising…?
One thing I really love about having the Peloton bike is that I don’t feel that guilt for not exercising.
When I’ve had gym memberships in the past I’d feel really guilty about not using my membership as much as I could. I was paying £50 a month, I needed to get my money’s worth!
But with the Peloton I don’t get this feeling. It’s all psychological of course, but our thoughts have so much impact on our actions!
I think it’s because I know the bike is here to stay. I don’t get this feeling of, ‘I paid £50 for 30 days, quick, use it as much as I can for the next 30 days!!’
The Peloton is here forever. It isn’t going anywhere so if I don’t want to workout today then it doesn’t matter, I’ll just use it tomorrow or the next day. And it’s this relaxed feeling towards it that makes me want to use it more.
Do I still think the Peloton bike is worth the money?
The original Peloton bike is currently priced at £1,350 and the app membership for classes is £39 a month per household.
This is a tricky question because for some people that won’t be a big spend, but for others that’s an unthinkable amount of money.
For me, it was a lot of money for an exercise bike but it was worth every single penny.
Sam and I previously paid over £110 a month for a family gym membership which we each used once or twice a week (we always had good intentions to use it more and take the kids swimming but it rarely happened!) So for us it’s really only one year of gym membership fees plus the app membership.
The app is £39 a month and with us both using that I actually think it’s really good value.
After the year is up the bike will have paid for itself (or that’s how I’m justifying it) and then £39 a month is an amount I’m happy to be paying for great classes.
Is the Peloton app worth it?
YES! It’s so good!
I know there are millions of free online workouts but the Peloton classes are brilliant. You can join challenges so you have set workouts each week, meaning there’s no scrolling and searching for a class you might like.
It also means you don’t get any adverts or get halfway through a workout and the instructor stops and tries to sell you their nutrition plan or something for 20 minutes!
I also like the predictability of the classes. They’re all the same but different with similar equipment needed. You just know where you stand with them all!
It’s great that you can use the app on your phone, tablet or smart TV as well as on the bike or tread. You can also have two people using the same account on different devices. Sam and I have our own profiles but it’s part of the same account so I wasn’t sure if it would work with us both using it at the same time but it does!
Another great feature on the app is that you can create a ‘stack’. Let’s say you wanted to do a 20 minute ride followed by a 10 minute arms class then a 10 minute strength class then a 10 minute stretch and then 10 minutes of meditation, you could create a stack so you can move seamlessly from one class to the next without any scrolling or searching.
Does the Peloton bike motivate me to exercise?
You definitely need some self motivation…but I do feel like the bike motivates me a lot, much more than any other online class.
The initial steps to get on the bike and start a workout are nice, so that really helps.
If you compare it to going for a run, for example, a Peloton ride is much nicer (especially in the winter months!)
Going for a run requires you to wrap up warm, go outside where it’s usually cold and dark and wet, leave the cosy comfort of your house, battle the elements and jump straight into a huffing puffing difficult exercise.
But the Peloton bike doesn’t have any of these.
The Peloton is in the comfort of your home. Most rides start gently with great music and chatty instructors who almost make you forget you’re exercising.
The barrier to entry is so low that you really don’t need a lot of motivation to initially get on the bike and get started.
Motivation to give it my all
I’ll admit that some days I do get on the Peloton bike and think, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m just going to have an easy ride and enjoy the music.’ But most days I really want to push myself.
Something that really motivates me to push myself is seeing myself improve. I get a tiny bit better with almost every workout so that keeps me coming back for more. You get an overall ‘output’ score after each ride which is based on the length of your ride, how fast you go and how much resistance you apply. With every single ride it’s possible to get a little bit better!
I also find a heart rate monitor really motivating. I try and keep my heart rate in Zone 4 and when it dips into Zone 3 I’ll up my resistance and work a little harder!
Why is the Peloton better than the gym?
This is one of the main things that makes the Peloton bike worth it for me because it’s so much better than the gym!
This will be different for everyone but for me:
- Long term it’s cheaper
- I can workout whenever
- I save time as I don’t need to drive to the gym
- I don’t use any fuel driving to the gym
- I can workout with the kids at home (don’t need to wait for Sam to get home from work)
- I can wear anything
- No one can see me
- My home is cosy and safe and warm
- I can position a fan right in my face!
- I can roll straight out of bed and onto the bike
- I can roll straight off the bike and into the shower
- It’s great for my kids to see me exercising
What Peloton workouts do I do?
The beauty of the Peloton workouts is that there’s so many to choose from depending on your mood. But they’re really organised nicely so you won’t spend half an hour searching for the perfect one!
Previously I would have spent lots of time preparing a workout plan for myself. I would have researched exercises and spent ages thinking about it!
But I don’t do that now! I basically just jump on the bike when I’m ready to exercise and I find a class that suits my mood and the length of time I want to workout for. Being able to search by class length really helps. I then narrow it down by instructor or music type.
I like to do:
- 30 minute ride followed by
- 10 minute strength
Sometimes I’ll get on the bike and I really can’t be arsed so I’ll just do a 20 minute pop ride with Cody Rigsby (his rides are quite gentle and he chooses fun pop music so they’re great for the days when I can’t be bothered!)
Other days I’ll get on the bike and feel full of energy so I’ll do a 45 minute endurance ride (OK, this has only happened a handful of times!)
Sometimes I’ll look at the rides my friends have recently done and look at which classes they’ve had high scores in and I’ll do those. Or I’ll try and beat my friend’s scores!
But usually I’ll do a 30 minute HIIT ride and then a 10 minute strength class focusing on a different area of my body each time.
At the moment I’m doing a ‘Crush your Core Challenge’ with Emma Lovewell and there are four short core workouts each week for four weeks.
Finding friendly competition
Sam has properly started using the Peloton bike too and I find this friendly competition really motivating. I’m always checking out his scores and seeing if I could beat him!
It’s not really competition as we do different rides and like different instructors. Sam is also much fitter and stronger than I am so I could never compete, but if he’s using the bike it instantly makes me want to get on it too!
Sometimes I won’t be in the mood but seeing Sam’s endorphin rush after his rides gives me extra motivation to get on it myself.
This maximo fitness mat is super thick so it’s perfect for yoga classes on our bumpy slate kitchen floor.
Is Peloton apparel worth the money?
If you become a total Peloton fan-girl or fan-guy (like me!) you can also buy Peloton apparel. There are lots of nice leggings, shorts, sports bras, tops, jumpers, jackets and joggers.
When you’ve got a Peloton you’ll get a referral code to share with friends and family. If someone uses it to buy the bike or tread then you’ll get £100 off apparel and they can use that £100 to buy accessories such as weights.
If you’re looking for a £100 Peloton referral code then I have one here.
For women, if you’re going to buy anything I’d recommend getting the leggings.
The quality is brilliant and the material it buttery soft and really thin. They’re a joy to ride in and feel great for exercising or casual daywear.
Peloton referral link
If you’d like to use my Peloton referral link for £100 off Peloton accessories here.
Why did we move our bike inside?
If you read my original Peloton bike review you will have seen that we used to keep it outside in the summerhouse. We moved it inside into my office in November because it was just too cold out there. We do have a heater in the summer house but then it got too hot and was difficult to get the right balance.
We’ll probably move it back into the summer house in the summer because it was really nice to open up the doors and get a nice breeze in on hot days.
Moving the bike requires some man power because it is heavy but it comes apart into three pieces (the seat, the screen and the main body) so it is manageable.
We both preferred the bike being on a hard wooden base outside as it gets a bit wobbly on the carpet. Not wobbly enough to fall over or anything but we both prefer it being on something solid.
Is the Peloton bike worth it?
Like I’ve said before, buying a Peloton bike won’t instantly make you workout. You do still need some motivation to use it.
But for me, the Peloton bike is worth it and it’s definitely the best thing I’ve bought for myself.