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Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+
- m00x 6y agoGreat DIY project. It's definitely missing some of the Peloton features like Wattage metering and he didn't include the tablet in the price. With the 6-8 weeks delivery estimates for Peloton, it's definitely worth the build.
- platelets2020 6y agoDIY project? He purchased a brand new, off the shelf spin bike and put a cadence sensor on it. I'm not sure when it happened, but the bar for saying things like "built" has become so low that we get titles and "projects" like these.
- JamesMontemagno 6y agoI guess I consider it DIY as it is combining the Bike, Tablet, and Sensor together instead of buying an all in 1 package that restricts you to a specific service.
- daniellarusso 6y agoAt least it was not a ‘life hack.’
- JamesMontemagno 6y agoYeah, I don't consider my post a hack or constructing the bike from scratch at all. That would be super impressive IMHO. I just did a bunch of research, found the lowest minimal requirements in what I was looking for in a spin bike and wrote about it :)
- robot12345 6y agoI wonder why author didn't just bought dumb trainer and put the daily bike on it getting same opportunities but riding the bike he has used to? Cyclists typically do that.
- mikestew 6y agoBecause the author wanted to build an indoor spin class bike, not a road bike on a trainer. Now, you're not wrong. When I was racing I'd take a bike very similar to my race bike (because when you race, you don't just have one bike), stick a trainer tire on the rear wheel, and the trainer had power and cadence readings built-in. The trainer also cost considerably more ten years ago than the author spent recently. Maybe the author just has the one bike and doesn't want to unhook all the shite if there's a freak winter day when it is not rainy and cloudy in Seattle. Maybe the author is just a dorky geek that likes to build stuff. Maybe if I were still a hardcore cyclist, I too would try and see how much lipstick that $300 pig will hold. 'cuz I'll admit that my first thought was, "what, you didn't try to cobble a power meter onto that thing? Hold my beer..."
- multjoy 6y agoWith the advent of pedal based power meters, there’s literally nothing you can’t get power out of.
- johnold 6y agoThat’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing. Why aren’t people just getting bikes and then putting them on trainers? You can get the whole trainer workouts and still have a bike that you can ride outside.
- wittyreference 6y agoI don't know about what the Peloton experience is like, but: My bike is on a trainer, and I see the following down-sides: a) My bike on a trainer is really loud. Can't do it early; can't do it when the baby is sleeping, etc. b) It's a moderate pain in the ass to hook and unhook. Not a huge pain in the ass, but I certainly didn't do it any time of the year it was feasible for me to bike to work. c) It's dirty. I mean, the bike. I dislike washing the tires so I can bring it indoors even a couple of times a year, never mind if it's coming in and out constantly. And never mind the fact that even washed, my wife sure as hell isn't letting me bring that into a corner of the bedroom. d) My bike has exposed chains and gearing that, if I'm not mistaken, the Peloton and similar bikes do not. I've got a toddler. e) Indoor exercise bikes are usually reasonably set up to let you have somewhere to put your phone, or ipad, or kindle, etc. Bikes on a trainer do not. When I'm working out indoors, that makes a big difference for me. This hasn't been enough to convince me to buy a Peloton, but I can certainly see why someone with more disposable income (or square footage) would.
- multjoy 6y agoHe stuck a cadence sensor on a spin bike... If you want a trainer hack, this is a trainer hack: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/how-you-can-use-your-indoor-trainer-to-ride-in-grand-theft-auto-456625 https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/how-you-can-u...
- wittyreference 6y agoA cadence sensor and an ipad holder.
- randmeerkat 6y agoA cadence sensor, an ipad holder, _and_ a seat cover.
- postpawl 6y agoAll you really need to know is whether you’re keeping the pace up with your current resistance settings. The cadence sensor shows you that. A speed sensor wouldn’t be accurate unless you could also figure out resistance (requires a $500 power meter...).
- enduser 6y agoThe Schwinn bike (same hardware as Bowflex C6) has a power meter built in too, not just cadence, so it can calculate speed and works with apps like Zwift.
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- multjoy 6y agoPutting a cadence sensor on a bike is not a hack. It is literally the task for which it is designed.
- cheeze 6y agoThe leather pad IMO feels awful as well. Highly highly recommend getting the 550 dollar sunny with magnetic resistance if you want to do something like this
- platelets2020 6y agoThe author conveniently left out the cost of the tablet, which is included in the Peloton price. Adding the tablet pretty much doubles the cost of this "DIY build".
- wittyreference 6y agoNot if you already have a tablet or smartphone. Which, you know... probably most people in the "looking for an indoor cycling bike" market do. Never mind that even if they didn't, purchasing an ipad that you occasionally stick on your bike is still a far, far higher utility than a tablet affixed to your bike that only works for biking. Those are not of equal value.
- JamesMontemagno 6y agoHey there! Yeah, that is a good point for sure. I would say though that while I already owned the tablet it would also work just fine with any smart phone. That is a good cost and could be considered.
- everyone 6y agoYou could get a really nice new actual road bike for $400
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- nradov 6y agoYou really can't. If you want a new drop bar road bike the cheapest models start at $500. And they aren't very nice to ride; the group sets in that price range are kind of crap.
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- xwdv 6y agoPeloton has 0% financing and now you can own the old version of the bike (which is more than adequate) for only $49 a month, which is similar to the price of a decent gym. Most software devs make more than that per hour. There’s really no reason to be this cheap if you want to invest in your health.
- JamesSwift 6y agoWell sure there is. Theres like 1500 reasons up front and 30 reasons per month after that. I went the DIY route for my wife (though used a slightly nicer sunny bike - the B1805) and its a great setup (or at least she says so). The only thing you miss out on is leaderboards and 1-to-1 resistance settings.
- Barrin92 6y ago>Most software devs make more than that per hour. if your definition of software dev ends at the borders of California, then yes. Otherwise, not so much. And even then, although I could afford it I'm not paying 50 bucks per month for a bike for the same reason I don't buy 7 bucks bottled water, because I don't want to flush my money down the drain
- dragonwriter 6y ago> > Most software devs make more than that [$49] per hour > if your definition of software dev ends at the borders of California, then yes. Otherwise, not so much. The Bureau of Labor Statistics disagrees: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/... ”Quick Facts: Software Developers “2019 Median Pay: $107,510 per year / $51.69 per hour”
- Barrin92 6y agoYou might also consider that outside of California doesn't mean that software development ends at the American border. Here in the UK, the average salary is somewhere between 30k-40k a year.
- beloch 6y agoIt's interesting how exercise machines are starting to become game input devices and online class portals. Peloton obviously deserves a lot of credit for popularizing the idea, but the hardware required to do similar things outdates Peloton. e.g. Pretty much any Concept2 rower you see in a gym or home that has been made in the last couple decades has a monitor that can provide realtime data to a computer via USB. I have one of these in my home that is older than Peloton but still connects to a computer just fine. If you actually have a Concept2 rower so old that it doesn't have USB, you can always upgrade the monitor (Concept2 sells upgrades). The hardware has been under our noses for a long time, but it seems like we're only just now starting to make decent software to make use of it, although I'd say rowers are still a bit behind at present. It does seem like an under-served market.
- wj 6y agoHow do you like the Concept2 and rowing machines in general? I would prefer a treadmill but I don't have a good space for one. Do you get a decent cardio workout with it?
- nradov 6y agoYou can certainly get a good workout on a rowing machine. Most of the cheaper brands aren't very durable but Concept2 is solid. If space is an issue, there are treadmills with decks that fold up.
- ar_lan 6y agoConcept2 rowers make for amazing workouts. Great cardio, and it's truly full-body. I love mine. Granted, I love rowing too though.
- beloch 6y agoFolded out, a rower is probably a little longer and skinnier than most treadmills. Concept2's do come apart in the middle for storage and they're light enough that moving them around isn't a big chore. There's a reason why Concept2's are used by gyms, for training by Olympic rowers, and also for indoor rowing competitions. They're indestructible. I've had one for about 15 years and all I've done is oil the chain and clean the rail. Every treadmill I've had gave up the ghost after a year or two of regular use. The quality of workout you get with a rower is fantastic. It's great cardio and works a lot more muscle groups than a treadmill. Doing HIIT workouts on a rower is highly effective. Two caveats: 1. It is possible to hurt yourself if you row with poor form. Take the time to learn how to row properly. 2. When you start, you will get blisters. Then you will develop calluses. If you don't want calluses on your hands, stick to running.
- somethoughts 6y agoHere are some fun Exercise + Game Console DIY projects for the holidays: * Turning a Treadmill Into a PS4 Controller So I Exercise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmABK2Chwe0&t=4m40s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmABK2Chwe0&t=4m40s * I played Breath of the Wild with a Ring Fit Adventure Mod - Controller Bending https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4wGalssNls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4wGalssNls https://www.controllerbend.com https://www.controllerbend.com
- rubicon33 6y agoIf you're into gaming + exercising I very very highly recommend you consider getting an Oculus Quest 2 (or, if you are anti-facebook, a Valve Index). There are so many great games which will really get your heart pumping! - FitXR - Thrill of the Fight - POPULATION:ONE (lot's of very fast climbing if you know how to play well) - Pistol Whip - Until you Fall The list goes on and on. There's many more than I share here.
- dukeofdoom 6y agoAbout 20 years ago. My university gym had a bike with a screen. You would paddle in a virtual 3D world terrain. It wasn't that immersive, kind of blocky. But I used to have a 100 inch projector in my home theater, and a recumbent exercise bike. Totally immersive, and awesome playing games and working out in such a setup.
- snowzach 6y agoI actually did something similar with a really cheap micro-controller+Arduino with an OLED screen and an Echelon Fit stationary bike. It connects via Bluetooth and displays Peleton compatible stats. https://github.com/snowzach/echbt https://github.com/snowzach/echbt
- JamesMontemagno 6y agoWhoa! This is awesome!!! I know what I am doing for my holiday hack :) Added it into my post!
- safetyengineer 6y agoCould've bought the real deal if they weren't an Apple drone.
- unemphysbro 6y ago300fy time :)
- chaostheory 6y agoAlternatively, you could buy an Oculus Quest 2 for $299 and a Magene Cadence Sensor for $20 https://www.amazon.com/Magene-Cycling-Cadence-Buletooth-Wireless/dp/B08252X8VS/ https://www.amazon.com/Magene-Cycling-Cadence-Buletooth-Wire... Then download this game for Oculus Quest https://www.virzoom.com/ https://www.virzoom.com/ video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyJU0vRtug4&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyJU0vRtug4&feature=emb_logo
- loeg 6y agoMy head sweats a lot cycling; I wouldn't want to try and wear a VR headset while exercising.
- jniedrauer 6y agoI really can't wait until this problem is solved. High volume training will become much easier.
- twiceaday 6y agoCould crank the ac if you have it. Helps me.
- loeg 6y agoI sweat a lot cycling outdoors at 45°F, too.
- month13 6y agoMy head sweats a lot playing VR, I couldn't imagine the torrent of sweat mixing them together.
- chaostheory 6y agoMine does as well. There are plenty of VR headset cover options depending on what you want. I would try it before dismissing it, because it doesn't sound like you've even tried VR. I use silicone covers and I have a small towel on my neck. It works fine. There are other options as well.
- aa_memon 6y agoI was recently thinking what it would take to do an open source, reasonable priced version of https://www.tonal.com/ https://www.tonal.com/
- clintboxe 6y agoA huge problem with spending $400 is the build quality of the bike. I went down this exact same route last December. I bought the same Sunny bike in the link, an Apple Watch, a Wahoo cadence sensor, and an entry-level iPad. The Sunny bike broke after 3.5 months of regular usage, right at the start of Covid quarantine. I ended up replacing it with a high quality ~$2k Keiser M3i. The Keiser has been great the last 7 months.
- postpawl 6y agoI’ve got the belt drive one with the leather pad for resistance (SF-B1002) and haven’t had any issues. I’ve been impressed that it feels like an average spin bike you’d find at a gym (for $400!). Did you have the magnetic version?
- clintboxe 6y agoThis is the same bike I had. The drive belt eventually frayed/snapped. Sunny customer support was terrible and I got way more help trying to fix it on a Sunny owners Facebook group.
- cheeze 6y agoI've had the slightly nicer model of Sunny (with magnetic resistance) and it's been great. I'm ~200 and do a lot of standing riding and haven't noticed any issues. I've only had it for ~3 months so maybe a few weeks down the road I'll have issues
- mupuff1234 6y agoI've had the same sunny bike from begining of March and after -250 rides I have to encounter an issue.
- nateburke 6y agoIt's tough to know if your aerobic training program is working without being able to track average watts keeping heart rate consistent, or vice versa. Tracking average cadence can work, but resistance needs to be chosen carefully and held constant
- servercobra 6y agoI did a similar build about a year ago, though with nicer Sunny bike that set me back about $600. I have the Wahoo he mentioned and it works perfectly. I also grabbed chest heart rate sensor so it actually displays in the Peloton app, but it really isn't necessary unless you're very focused on staying in zones. I'm at about 150 Peloton rides and couldn't be happier. It's slightly annoying to not be able to compete with the leaderboard (since the app doesn't know resistance), but generally I'm watching the recorded classes so I'm fine save ~$1500 plus the higher monthly Peloton fee. I'm interested to test out how Fitness+ compares!
- JamesMontemagno 6y agoNice! I went back and forth on the different Sunny bikes to be honest. My biggest issue so far with Fitness+ is that it doesn't sync up with the cadence sensor as I wrote about. If you have an Apple TV then that is ideal as you can use your phone for the cadence. I really like the Apple Watch integration, i have a video on the blog. I am enjoying the 1 month trial and hope they improve it.
- mleonhard 6y agoI read the last paragraph and felt disappointed: > Links to third party sites may contain affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned on this site.
- freedmand 6y agoI ride on Zwift using an old Schwinn Airdyne bike I got for $25 on Craigslist. It works great! I connected a bike computer magnetic pickup to the fan wheel, spliced it into a headphone cable, and plugged the headphone into a USB sound card connected to my laptop. On my laptop, I can monitor the microphone input and see each revolution of the fan wheel as a pulse. I wrote a program to convert these pulses to power (using Airdyne conversion formulas I found online) and then broadcast a Bluetooth power meter compatible with Zwift.