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On the surface this is basically the Juicero of fitness equipment. If you want a good piece of workout equipment, buy a Concept2 erg. If you want a bike, you ca

On the surface this is basically the Juicero of fitness equipment. If you want a good piece of workout equipment, buy a Concept2 erg. If you want a bike, you can get a carbon-frame bike for the same amount of money and then just get a trainer for it. Ostensibly there is zero reason for this to exist. The one argument in its favor is that youth sports are usually very heavily subsidized by masters sports. So if you weren't on a varsity sports team in high school or college and didn't learn how to work out properly, then it's easily 5x more expensive to do so as an adult. So maybe there is some value in having someone to teach you how to do basic cardio.

Judgmentality 7y ago
> Ostensibly there is zero reason for this to exist. It's a lot more convenient to exercise in your living room than go outside or go to the gym. I thought Guitar Hero was stupid and people should just buy a guitar, but people loved it.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  GH is $50, not $2000
Brendinooo 7y ago
It's way too expensive for me and I have no interest in doing cardio indoors, but I think you're missing out on the value of the digital side of the product. I think exercise bikes and treadmills are dreadfully boring, but what Peloton offers is exactly targeted at that problem. Adding an array of things to do and a social aspect has to be a big deal, and if that's all packaged together in a high end package that "just works", and works really well - that seems like a winning formula. There's a lot of fitness subscription services out there, but there's more money to be made on hardware in general. So as long as there's a market for people to pay two grand for a stationary bike and whatever dollars a month for a subscription, it's a winning business model. I'm guessing it stacks up against the SoulCycles of the world very nicely.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  I can watch Netflix or YouTube (exercise motivation vids or general interest vids) on my tablet to keep me busy while I stationary bike.
gnopgnip 7y ago
A spin bike is not really the same thing as a bike on a trainer because of the social aspect, and the classes. And the cost of a Peloton and the subscription is less than traditional spin classes. I am surprised that people are willing to spend 2x-10x as much as competing products when you look at the total cost.
- discreteevent 7y ago
  Zwift adds the social to a bike on a trainer. The big advantage of a bike on a trainer is that it's the bike you will use on the road so the fit etc is exactly the same when you do get out (I realise there's a huge market for indoor only) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwift https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwift
  - birken 7y ago
    It is also a disadvantage. The peloton bike is heavier (IE sturdier), has more grip options, takes up less floor space (the peloton is about a foot shorter than my actual bike, not including any potential trainer that would be required), is much more easily adjustable (if multiple people are using it), and is purpose built for the function it serves. I only have experience with one type of trainer, so this may be trainer dependent, but the peloton is also much quieter than the type of trainer I've previously used. Not to mention that when I want to go out and ride I don't need to detach my bike from the trainer, or when I want to get a workout I don't need to attach my bike to the trainer. As somebody that is primarily a bike commuter, the accessibility alone is worth having 2 bikes. And if you are going to have 2 bikes, why not buy an indoor bike that is specialized for the task.
- scarface74 7y ago
  Isn’t a big assumption that people actual desire “to be social”? I’m a former part time fitness instructor who spent 15 years in gyms all across the metro area, only ran outside for races with friends, and they were my social circle, but now as an older married man in my mid 40s, I have no interest in the gym scene. I like having a home gym with cardio equipment and weights. But as far as spending more than the functional equivalent, do you have the cheapest house that would give you shelter? The cheapest car? The cheapest phone?
gamblor956 7y ago
This is nothing like Juicero. Peloton addresses two real needs in the exercise marketplace: home-based classes, and high-quality exercise machines. It simply combined both into one product. There is huge demand for the former, especially from white-collar workers with high demands on their free time, and a a fair amount of demand for the latter. At $2000, a Peloton bike is $1000 to $2000 cheaper than the cheapest carbon-frame bike I could find on Google, and more than $3000 cheaper than a racing or tri-bike. For indoor use, you'd also need a trainer, adding another $600-$2000 to the cost (depending on the trainer you get). Generally, the people I know that have carbon fiber frames also have several other bikes, each for a different niche, and the Peloton would slot right into the indoor spin use case.
- Alex3917 7y ago
  Bikes are usually 20 - 35% off when the next years models come out, which e.g. is this week for Cannondale. You can easily get a carbon Synapse for less than 2K from almost any bike shop that sells them, or even REI. It’s an endurance bike, but for doing low cardio you wouldn’t necessarily want a race bike anyway.
  - gamblor956 7y ago
    You can easily get a carbon Synapse for less than 2K from almost any bike shop that sells them, or even REI. True, REI has the Synapse on sale for $1700 right now not including delivery. Once you add a trainer of the equivalent functionality as the Peloton trainer, you're looking at $2500 spent. Add in a screen, and you're looking at $2700 for a small screen or $3500 for a similar-size screen as on the Peloton.
    - mtberatwork 7y ago
      But when you decide to join your local cycling club or even get outside for a spin, you are good to go with the Cannondale ;) ... not so much with your stationary Peloton. Also, the highest priced CycleOps trainer on REI's site right now is $420. So $2120 with trainer...as for the screen, most people buying carbon road bikes and trainers probably already have a working flat-screen to spare.

Judgmentality 7y ago

> Ostensibly there is zero reason for this to exist. It's a lot more convenient to exercise in your living room than go outside or go to the gym. I thought Guitar Hero was stupid and people should just buy a guitar, but people loved it.

lonelappde 7y ago
GH is $50, not $2000

Brendinooo 7y ago

It's way too expensive for me and I have no interest in doing cardio indoors, but I think you're missing out on the value of the digital side of the product. I think exercise bikes and treadmills are dreadfully boring, but what Peloton offers is exactly targeted at that problem. Adding an array of things to do and a social aspect has to be a big deal, and if that's all packaged together in a high end package that "just works", and works really well - that seems like a winning formula. There's a lot of fitness subscription services out there, but there's more money to be made on hardware in general. So as long as there's a market for people to pay two grand for a stationary bike and whatever dollars a month for a subscription, it's a winning business model. I'm guessing it stacks up against the SoulCycles of the world very nicely.

lonelappde 7y ago
I can watch Netflix or YouTube (exercise motivation vids or general interest vids) on my tablet to keep me busy while I stationary bike.

gnopgnip 7y ago

A spin bike is not really the same thing as a bike on a trainer because of the social aspect, and the classes. And the cost of a Peloton and the subscription is less than traditional spin classes. I am surprised that people are willing to spend 2x-10x as much as competing products when you look at the total cost.

discreteevent 7y ago
Zwift adds the social to a bike on a trainer. The big advantage of a bike on a trainer is that it's the bike you will use on the road so the fit etc is exactly the same when you do get out (I realise there's a huge market for indoor only) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwift https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwift
- birken 7y ago
  It is also a disadvantage. The peloton bike is heavier (IE sturdier), has more grip options, takes up less floor space (the peloton is about a foot shorter than my actual bike, not including any potential trainer that would be required), is much more easily adjustable (if multiple people are using it), and is purpose built for the function it serves. I only have experience with one type of trainer, so this may be trainer dependent, but the peloton is also much quieter than the type of trainer I've previously used. Not to mention that when I want to go out and ride I don't need to detach my bike from the trainer, or when I want to get a workout I don't need to attach my bike to the trainer. As somebody that is primarily a bike commuter, the accessibility alone is worth having 2 bikes. And if you are going to have 2 bikes, why not buy an indoor bike that is specialized for the task.
scarface74 7y ago
Isn’t a big assumption that people actual desire “to be social”? I’m a former part time fitness instructor who spent 15 years in gyms all across the metro area, only ran outside for races with friends, and they were my social circle, but now as an older married man in my mid 40s, I have no interest in the gym scene. I like having a home gym with cardio equipment and weights. But as far as spending more than the functional equivalent, do you have the cheapest house that would give you shelter? The cheapest car? The cheapest phone?

gamblor956 7y ago

This is nothing like Juicero. Peloton addresses two real needs in the exercise marketplace: home-based classes, and high-quality exercise machines. It simply combined both into one product. There is huge demand for the former, especially from white-collar workers with high demands on their free time, and a a fair amount of demand for the latter. At $2000, a Peloton bike is $1000 to $2000 cheaper than the cheapest carbon-frame bike I could find on Google, and more than $3000 cheaper than a racing or tri-bike. For indoor use, you'd also need a trainer, adding another $600-$2000 to the cost (depending on the trainer you get). Generally, the people I know that have carbon fiber frames also have several other bikes, each for a different niche, and the Peloton would slot right into the indoor spin use case.

Alex3917 7y ago
Bikes are usually 20 - 35% off when the next years models come out, which e.g. is this week for Cannondale. You can easily get a carbon Synapse for less than 2K from almost any bike shop that sells them, or even REI. It’s an endurance bike, but for doing low cardio you wouldn’t necessarily want a race bike anyway.
- gamblor956 7y ago
  You can easily get a carbon Synapse for less than 2K from almost any bike shop that sells them, or even REI. True, REI has the Synapse on sale for $1700 right now not including delivery. Once you add a trainer of the equivalent functionality as the Peloton trainer, you're looking at $2500 spent. Add in a screen, and you're looking at $2700 for a small screen or $3500 for a similar-size screen as on the Peloton.
  - mtberatwork 7y ago
    But when you decide to join your local cycling club or even get outside for a spin, you are good to go with the Cannondale ;) ... not so much with your stationary Peloton. Also, the highest priced CycleOps trainer on REI's site right now is $420. So $2120 with trainer...as for the screen, most people buying carbon road bikes and trainers probably already have a working flat-screen to spare.