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Peloton started with a connected spinning bike. It takes advantage of the Soul Cycle fad ($30/class) and sells people a $2000 bike and a $40/month subscription

Peloton started with a connected spinning bike. It takes advantage of the Soul Cycle fad ($30/class) and sells people a $2000 bike and a $40/month subscription (for live streams of classes) with the idea that they will save money over time. More recently they released the treadmill.

tyrust 8y ago
>with the idea that they will save money over time Is this actually a stated goal or are you being facetious?
- gkoberger 8y ago
  Spin classes are expensive ($34 + $3 shoes + $2 water), and some people do them daily. If you use it daily for 2 months, it's easily "paid" for itself. Or, another way to look at it is "Don't let a high per-class cost stop you from getting healthy"
  - tyrust 8y ago
    >"Don't let a high per-class cost stop you from getting healthy" There are much cheaper ways to get healthy. But I guess this company is targeting people that have already purchased the idea that they need to pay a ton to make progress. Sidenote: >$3 shoes + $2 water Bring your own shoes and water, that will definitely pay for itself lol.
    - darkerside 8y ago
      Decent cycling shoes are ~$100, plus cleats for another $15. So it'll pay for itself after about 50 classes... just like a Peloton!
    - dmix 8y ago
      Being part of the high quality online classes, with a professional class bike, integrated directly with a personalized app... it's a complete experience. Trivializing it down to buying shoes and a road bike would be ignorant to how the average person purchases products (for emotional experience first, not some robotic rational process measured in dollars per ROI).
    - TaylorAlexander 8y ago
      I bought a $20 stainless steel water bottle 4 years ago and now I have water with me all the time. I can’t imagine wasting a disposable plastic bottle every time I’m thirsty, that’s insanely wasteful.
    - gkoberger 8y ago
      Everyone has different ways of getting healthy. You're right, you can get fit for exactly $0. But if you're the type of person that dreads the gym and puts it off, an upbeat fun workout with friends can make a difference. Having a cheaper alternative is moot if you don't actually bring yourself to do it. There's something to be said for saving money, sure, but there's also something to be said for acknowledging what actually works for you rather than fighting it.
  - manigandham 8y ago
    What? Fitness is just "do more, eat less". Do some pushups, run up some stairs, and stop eating sugar. That'll get you healthier than 90% of people. And it's free. It's ridiculous how much complexity and BS has been added on top that people seem to think they need to get healthy.
  - zjaffee 8y ago
    People also buy 12 dollar cold pressed juice everyday, that doesn't mean Juicero was going to be a successful business.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    I’ve never been a part of a for profit gym. I had free memberships at the Y and corporate gyms for over ten years as a part time fitness instructor and also taught at country clubs, and large churches. It wasn’t until my wife started teaching fitness classes part time at commercial gyms, that I got an up close and personal idea of how scammy they all felt. The classes where I use to teach were all free with memberships.
dixie_land 8y ago
I recently got one. Can't comment on the money side of things since I didn't take regular studio cycling before. (And let's say price is not an issue for any readers here on HN) However, the product itself is very well put together. It is a really good studio grade bike to begin with, and the classes are constantly updated. The leaderboard and all keeps you motivated and I do find myself doing more cardio now I can utilize 20 30 or 45 mins for a quick workout (as opposed to driving to the gym, parking and change etc.)
- bbgm 8y ago
  I got one this year. When I had a membership at a gym, I didn’t really use it. Now I am on the bike 5 times a week. So it works for me and they’ve done a good job.
Shivetya 8y ago
that just seems like a staggering up front cost to be combined with a monthly service. Actually it appears you are locked into an initial 12 month contract. Reading reviews on their site it doesn't seem to be widespread acclaims, some of the negative reviews are pretty amazing. This cost structure is higher than some gym programs and many of those went to month to month which encourages them to keep delivering a good service. Basically they offloaded the risk to the customer which is the opposite of the old razor blade business model. Reminds me a bit of that Juice Squeezer that failed. However I doubt Peloton is losing anything on the stationary bicycles or treadmills.
raverbashing 8y ago
> and sells people a $2000 bike and a $40/month subscription (for live streams of classes) with the idea that they will save money over time. I can't say this phrase without cracking a laugh. Really. $40 is an ok gym membership. All the treadmills and bikes you can ride.
- lccarrasco 8y ago
  That's ignoring trasportation costs and time
- tedunangst 8y ago
  Most gyms make you pay extra to have somebody yell "the pain is an illusion" at you, though.
  - michaelsbradley 8y ago
    Not necessarily. At many YMCAs (in the US at least), unlimited group exercise classes are included with a monthly membership. 3 days/week, I teach an early-morning cycling class at a Y in St. Louis, using a "canned" format named SPRINT: https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-training/les-mills-sprint/ https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-tr...
    - scarface74 8y ago
      The Les Mill movement to canned classes was one of the main reasons I stopped teaching classes part time. But to each thier own.....
      - michaelsbradley 8y ago
        Understandable. I've found that I neither have the drive nor time (busy software developer) to create my own playlists and workout plans. I greatly respect instructors who do that week in and week out! I find what LM puts together to generally be pretty good. I also teach their BODYPUMP and CXWORX formats (used to teach GRIT as well). By experience, I've learned that to keep class participants happy, it's best to rotate material every 2–3 weeks. That keeps me and them from getting too bored of a workout, but also allows them time to master technique and discover areas in which they can push a little harder. LM publishes new stuff every 3 months, and I've built up substantial catalogs of quarterly releases, so it works out pretty well.

tyrust 8y ago

>with the idea that they will save money over time Is this actually a stated goal or are you being facetious?

gkoberger 8y ago
Spin classes are expensive ($34 + $3 shoes + $2 water), and some people do them daily. If you use it daily for 2 months, it's easily "paid" for itself. Or, another way to look at it is "Don't let a high per-class cost stop you from getting healthy"
- tyrust 8y ago
  >"Don't let a high per-class cost stop you from getting healthy" There are much cheaper ways to get healthy. But I guess this company is targeting people that have already purchased the idea that they need to pay a ton to make progress. Sidenote: >$3 shoes + $2 water Bring your own shoes and water, that will definitely pay for itself lol.
  - darkerside 8y ago
    Decent cycling shoes are ~$100, plus cleats for another $15. So it'll pay for itself after about 50 classes... just like a Peloton!
  - dmix 8y ago
    Being part of the high quality online classes, with a professional class bike, integrated directly with a personalized app... it's a complete experience. Trivializing it down to buying shoes and a road bike would be ignorant to how the average person purchases products (for emotional experience first, not some robotic rational process measured in dollars per ROI).
  - TaylorAlexander 8y ago
    I bought a $20 stainless steel water bottle 4 years ago and now I have water with me all the time. I can’t imagine wasting a disposable plastic bottle every time I’m thirsty, that’s insanely wasteful.
  - gkoberger 8y ago
    Everyone has different ways of getting healthy. You're right, you can get fit for exactly $0. But if you're the type of person that dreads the gym and puts it off, an upbeat fun workout with friends can make a difference. Having a cheaper alternative is moot if you don't actually bring yourself to do it. There's something to be said for saving money, sure, but there's also something to be said for acknowledging what actually works for you rather than fighting it.
- manigandham 8y ago
  What? Fitness is just "do more, eat less". Do some pushups, run up some stairs, and stop eating sugar. That'll get you healthier than 90% of people. And it's free. It's ridiculous how much complexity and BS has been added on top that people seem to think they need to get healthy.
- zjaffee 8y ago
  People also buy 12 dollar cold pressed juice everyday, that doesn't mean Juicero was going to be a successful business.
- scarface74 8y ago
  I’ve never been a part of a for profit gym. I had free memberships at the Y and corporate gyms for over ten years as a part time fitness instructor and also taught at country clubs, and large churches. It wasn’t until my wife started teaching fitness classes part time at commercial gyms, that I got an up close and personal idea of how scammy they all felt. The classes where I use to teach were all free with memberships.

dixie_land 8y ago

I recently got one. Can't comment on the money side of things since I didn't take regular studio cycling before. (And let's say price is not an issue for any readers here on HN) However, the product itself is very well put together. It is a really good studio grade bike to begin with, and the classes are constantly updated. The leaderboard and all keeps you motivated and I do find myself doing more cardio now I can utilize 20 30 or 45 mins for a quick workout (as opposed to driving to the gym, parking and change etc.)

bbgm 8y ago
I got one this year. When I had a membership at a gym, I didn’t really use it. Now I am on the bike 5 times a week. So it works for me and they’ve done a good job.

Shivetya 8y ago

that just seems like a staggering up front cost to be combined with a monthly service. Actually it appears you are locked into an initial 12 month contract. Reading reviews on their site it doesn't seem to be widespread acclaims, some of the negative reviews are pretty amazing. This cost structure is higher than some gym programs and many of those went to month to month which encourages them to keep delivering a good service. Basically they offloaded the risk to the customer which is the opposite of the old razor blade business model. Reminds me a bit of that Juice Squeezer that failed. However I doubt Peloton is losing anything on the stationary bicycles or treadmills.

raverbashing 8y ago

> and sells people a $2000 bike and a $40/month subscription (for live streams of classes) with the idea that they will save money over time. I can't say this phrase without cracking a laugh. Really. $40 is an ok gym membership. All the treadmills and bikes you can ride.

lccarrasco 8y ago
That's ignoring trasportation costs and time
tedunangst 8y ago
Most gyms make you pay extra to have somebody yell "the pain is an illusion" at you, though.
- michaelsbradley 8y ago
  Not necessarily. At many YMCAs (in the US at least), unlimited group exercise classes are included with a monthly membership. 3 days/week, I teach an early-morning cycling class at a Y in St. Louis, using a "canned" format named SPRINT: https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-training/les-mills-sprint/ https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/high-intensity-interval-tr...
  - scarface74 8y ago
    The Les Mill movement to canned classes was one of the main reasons I stopped teaching classes part time. But to each thier own.....
    - michaelsbradley 8y ago
      Understandable. I've found that I neither have the drive nor time (busy software developer) to create my own playlists and workout plans. I greatly respect instructors who do that week in and week out! I find what LM puts together to generally be pretty good. I also teach their BODYPUMP and CXWORX formats (used to teach GRIT as well). By experience, I've learned that to keep class participants happy, it's best to rotate material every 2–3 weeks. That keeps me and them from getting too bored of a workout, but also allows them time to master technique and discover areas in which they can push a little harder. LM publishes new stuff every 3 months, and I've built up substantial catalogs of quarterly releases, so it works out pretty well.