7 ms·

Will the new factory fix their treadmills? Re https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26846641 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26846641

tw04 5y ago
As I said in that thread: there was never anything wrong with their treadmills. They function exactly like all of their competitors treadmills WRT: dangerous for pets and small children. On top of the safety key which was easily removable, they've now added a PIN on top - so if pulling out the magnetic key is too much effort you don't even have to do that.
- ibero 5y ago
  In that very thread the top comment thread is specifically about the treadmills lacking a "guard or plastic covering on the bottom that stops the tread from pulling something underneath." that too me is something that would fall under a "factory fix."
  - tw04 5y ago
    Which was a silly suggestion, and if you look at their competitors (nordic track being the primary) - they have no such plastic guard. Their fix is a pin, you can return the treadmill if you don't like that option. The only thing that plastic guard will do is create a spot for clothing and fingers to get caught.
    - fastball 5y ago
      Yes, a plastic guard creates opportunities for catching fingers and clothing, but (unsurprisingly) people think this is preferable to their child's head getting caught in the treadmill[1]. A child was killed by one of these things. It is absolutely a massive design flaw that this treadmill lacks a protective guard and/or an automatic cutoff that triggers when it sees an unexpected level of resistance. You know, like if a child's head gets caught in it. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onXNnlCYJ4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onXNnlCYJ4Y
      - tw04 5y ago
        Which, again, happens with all treadmills, because they are dangerous. Which is why there is a security key and a giant warning to keep small children and pets away from it. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4350594/Girl-3-seriously-injured-freak-treadmill-accident.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4350594/Girl-3-seri...
        fastball 5y ago
        It doesn't happen with all treadmills, it happens on treadmills without a guard. You pointing to other flawed designs doesn't make Peloton's design less flawed.
        tw04 5y ago
        I'd challenge you to find me 10 treadmills that have the guard you speak of. I have personally looked at probably 2 dozen treadmills in my life while shopping. Run on hundreds in gyms across the globe. I can't think of a single treadmill I've ever come across with a plastic guard across the bottom. I have no doubt a few exist but I would be absolutely shocked to find out they exist in a meaningful enough number to be anything but a rounding error.
        fastball 5y ago
        I'd challenge you to do the opposite, because my experience is apparently the antithesis of yours. I have run on treadmills in gyms all over the world as well and I can't remember using a single one that didn't have better protection from sucking small things into it than the Peloton. Every treadmill I've used (as far as I can recall) either had a much more enclosed back or a (usually metal) bar to prevent exactly the situation that occurred in the video I posted.
        29athrowaway 5y ago
        Most treadmills are advertised as gym equipment rather than home equipment. Most gym areas have restrictions such as not allowing kids under a specific age (I can't remember the exact number, I think it was 14). Even gyms in residential buildings have this restriction. Now, many treadmills don't have enough space under them to enable the kind of stuff that Peloton treadmills do to pets and kids ("sucking" them under the treadmill and killing them).
- theli0nheart 5y ago
  You are engaging is incredibly irresponsible behavior, and your claim is untrue. Peloton’s treadmills have an elevated backside and no under tread guard to prevent being pulled from underneath the machine. Kids have died from this defect. You are threatening the safety of young children by helping spread this lie.
  - dang 5y ago
    Please make your substantive points without falling into the flamewar style and especially without escalating to personal attack. When someone else is wrong, it suffices to supply correct information. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - theli0nheart 5y ago
      I knew I'd probably get flagged for this, and I'm sorry for devolving this thread. A close friend's child was severely maimed as a result of this defect, so when someone with nothing at stake shares an opinion that "nothing is wrong", it struck a nerve. Only sending love. Edit: This is the first time in over a decade on HN that I've posted an apology and been downvoted for it. Is this kind of followup against site guidelines or discouraged? I'm trying to understand what I've done wrong here. This feels incredibly toxic.
      - dang 5y ago
        I'm sorry to hear about your friend's child. That would be the kind of detail that would make the original comment much more meaningful and relatable, though of course it's also a sensitive thing that one might not want to include. I wouldn't worry about the occasional errant downvote; if it isn't a noticeable pattern, it's best to remember that misclicks are a thing, and just move on. People will usually give corrective upvotes in such cases (https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=corrective%20upvote https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor...). If it does become a noticeable pattern, then it's best to reflect on what in one's comments might be giving rise to it, because the odds in that case are that there's something worth adjusting.
- alexaholic 5y ago
  It’s not the function, but the form that’s wrong with those treadmills
alexaholic 5y ago
Dear people who are downvoting me: I’d appreciate if you shared some thoughts in the comments. Otherwise, you’re just being meaner than I was in my original comment.
- renewiltord 5y ago
  I’ve responded to a few of these “share if you’re downvoting” comments and usually they’re just a vehicle for an argument. But whatever, I’ll do it this time too. I downvoted your comment because it bored me with how repetitive the idea it expresses is. I don’t need to go into every Apple thread and be reminded they have a walled garden, every Microsoft thread and reminded of their antitrust stuff, every Peloton thread and reminded of the treadmill. It was mainstream news in the US, dude. I have only so much time and I don’t want to spend it reading the same thing over and over again. Hence a downvote for boring me.
- catillac 5y ago
  I didn’t and don’t appear to be able to downvote, but your comment appears super orthogonal to the title subject, far enough afield to be considered trolling or just trying to drag Pelotons name through the mud in unrelated discussions. That to me would be what I would speculate led to the downvotes.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- sremani 5y ago
  Never Complain about downvoting - even if you think its unfair, its counter productive. Also, refraining (from complaining) will build the disagreement muscle and will check 'approval seeking' instincts. my 2 cents.
Zenst 5y ago
Well, the choice of location may offer some legal preference in case of future faults. I'm aware that Ohio has a safe harbour law to protect companies against data breach if they comply with certain criteria they outline. So may well be other such safe harbour legislation that would be favourable for liability mitigation and with that, insurance liability reduction. So may well be many nuances at play in this selection, or might even be down to some CEO living nearby and just wants to pop a made local/USA sticker on the product. Time will tell.

tw04 5y ago

As I said in that thread: there was never anything wrong with their treadmills. They function exactly like all of their competitors treadmills WRT: dangerous for pets and small children. On top of the safety key which was easily removable, they've now added a PIN on top - so if pulling out the magnetic key is too much effort you don't even have to do that.

ibero 5y ago
In that very thread the top comment thread is specifically about the treadmills lacking a "guard or plastic covering on the bottom that stops the tread from pulling something underneath." that too me is something that would fall under a "factory fix."
- tw04 5y ago
  Which was a silly suggestion, and if you look at their competitors (nordic track being the primary) - they have no such plastic guard. Their fix is a pin, you can return the treadmill if you don't like that option. The only thing that plastic guard will do is create a spot for clothing and fingers to get caught.
  - fastball 5y ago
    Yes, a plastic guard creates opportunities for catching fingers and clothing, but (unsurprisingly) people think this is preferable to their child's head getting caught in the treadmill[1]. A child was killed by one of these things. It is absolutely a massive design flaw that this treadmill lacks a protective guard and/or an automatic cutoff that triggers when it sees an unexpected level of resistance. You know, like if a child's head gets caught in it. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onXNnlCYJ4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onXNnlCYJ4Y
    - tw04 5y ago
      Which, again, happens with all treadmills, because they are dangerous. Which is why there is a security key and a giant warning to keep small children and pets away from it. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4350594/Girl-3-seriously-injured-freak-treadmill-accident.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4350594/Girl-3-seri...
      - fastball 5y ago
        It doesn't happen with all treadmills, it happens on treadmills without a guard. You pointing to other flawed designs doesn't make Peloton's design less flawed.
        tw04 5y ago
        I'd challenge you to find me 10 treadmills that have the guard you speak of. I have personally looked at probably 2 dozen treadmills in my life while shopping. Run on hundreds in gyms across the globe. I can't think of a single treadmill I've ever come across with a plastic guard across the bottom. I have no doubt a few exist but I would be absolutely shocked to find out they exist in a meaningful enough number to be anything but a rounding error.
        fastball 5y ago
        I'd challenge you to do the opposite, because my experience is apparently the antithesis of yours. I have run on treadmills in gyms all over the world as well and I can't remember using a single one that didn't have better protection from sucking small things into it than the Peloton. Every treadmill I've used (as far as I can recall) either had a much more enclosed back or a (usually metal) bar to prevent exactly the situation that occurred in the video I posted.
      - 29athrowaway 5y ago
        Most treadmills are advertised as gym equipment rather than home equipment. Most gym areas have restrictions such as not allowing kids under a specific age (I can't remember the exact number, I think it was 14). Even gyms in residential buildings have this restriction. Now, many treadmills don't have enough space under them to enable the kind of stuff that Peloton treadmills do to pets and kids ("sucking" them under the treadmill and killing them).
theli0nheart 5y ago
You are engaging is incredibly irresponsible behavior, and your claim is untrue. Peloton’s treadmills have an elevated backside and no under tread guard to prevent being pulled from underneath the machine. Kids have died from this defect. You are threatening the safety of young children by helping spread this lie.
- dang 5y ago
  Please make your substantive points without falling into the flamewar style and especially without escalating to personal attack. When someone else is wrong, it suffices to supply correct information. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - theli0nheart 5y ago
    I knew I'd probably get flagged for this, and I'm sorry for devolving this thread. A close friend's child was severely maimed as a result of this defect, so when someone with nothing at stake shares an opinion that "nothing is wrong", it struck a nerve. Only sending love. Edit: This is the first time in over a decade on HN that I've posted an apology and been downvoted for it. Is this kind of followup against site guidelines or discouraged? I'm trying to understand what I've done wrong here. This feels incredibly toxic.
    - dang 5y ago
      I'm sorry to hear about your friend's child. That would be the kind of detail that would make the original comment much more meaningful and relatable, though of course it's also a sensitive thing that one might not want to include. I wouldn't worry about the occasional errant downvote; if it isn't a noticeable pattern, it's best to remember that misclicks are a thing, and just move on. People will usually give corrective upvotes in such cases (https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=corrective%20upvote https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor...). If it does become a noticeable pattern, then it's best to reflect on what in one's comments might be giving rise to it, because the odds in that case are that there's something worth adjusting.
alexaholic 5y ago
It’s not the function, but the form that’s wrong with those treadmills

alexaholic 5y ago

Dear people who are downvoting me: I’d appreciate if you shared some thoughts in the comments. Otherwise, you’re just being meaner than I was in my original comment.

renewiltord 5y ago
I’ve responded to a few of these “share if you’re downvoting” comments and usually they’re just a vehicle for an argument. But whatever, I’ll do it this time too. I downvoted your comment because it bored me with how repetitive the idea it expresses is. I don’t need to go into every Apple thread and be reminded they have a walled garden, every Microsoft thread and reminded of their antitrust stuff, every Peloton thread and reminded of the treadmill. It was mainstream news in the US, dude. I have only so much time and I don’t want to spend it reading the same thing over and over again. Hence a downvote for boring me.
catillac 5y ago
I didn’t and don’t appear to be able to downvote, but your comment appears super orthogonal to the title subject, far enough afield to be considered trolling or just trying to drag Pelotons name through the mud in unrelated discussions. That to me would be what I would speculate led to the downvotes.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
sremani 5y ago
Never Complain about downvoting - even if you think its unfair, its counter productive. Also, refraining (from complaining) will build the disagreement muscle and will check 'approval seeking' instincts. my 2 cents.

Zenst 5y ago

Well, the choice of location may offer some legal preference in case of future faults. I'm aware that Ohio has a safe harbour law to protect companies against data breach if they comply with certain criteria they outline. So may well be other such safe harbour legislation that would be favourable for liability mitigation and with that, insurance liability reduction. So may well be many nuances at play in this selection, or might even be down to some CEO living nearby and just wants to pop a made local/USA sticker on the product. Time will tell.