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Is it just me or is $40 a month too much for the content they provide? I would spend a couple thousand on fancy exercise equipment, or maybe get one as a gift f

• sharkweek 5y ago
  My partner might as well have joined a cult with how obsessed she is with not just the peloton but the culture of the peloton class. That being said, she argues she’s never felt healthier in her entire life and so I can’t complain if she’s happy!
  • zaptrem 5y ago
    I've heard the same thing about "Peloton Culture" elsewhere, but not a good explanation of what that culture is. Can a HN Peloton user elaborate?
    • tannedNerd 5y ago
      The peloton subreddit is a good place to start. It’s easier to see it in the posts than explain it.
    • ohgodplsno 5y ago
      Take HN's hive mind tech bro culture, and apply it to overpriced classes that are basically a youtube video.
      • jmeister 5y ago
        If you have even the tiniest bit of curiosity, there are users, on this very page, describing how it’s much much more than a “YouTube video”.
        • geodel 5y ago
          Of course, It is more than a "Youtube video" who are part of Peloton cult. It would be rather normal if cult members never describe cult as "Oh it is just a typical cult with some suspicious ideology, providing dubious benefits and led by a charismatic charlatan"
      • AlwaysRock 5y ago
        Unfortunately there are not good alternatives. I have a fairly nice bike at home and a standing desk that I can fit it under comfortably. I told my partner we don't need a Peloton because I could find spin class videos online. Nope. There really isnt any quality content out there. I guess I could just sign up for the Peloton platform with my own bike but I was surprised there wasnt at least a handful of Youtube videos of spin class instructors. It seems similar to Yoga where you can find incredible quality online but its really not.
        • deleted 5y ago
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        • ohgodplsno 5y ago
          You do not need spin class videos. There is nothing technical about stationary biking. Yoga ? Sure, poses might be tricky to understand. Calisthenics ? Same thing. But a stationary bike ? Pump the difficulty on a timer and play some loud music on your own. Congratulations on your very own spin class.
          • loudtieblahblah 5y ago
            These are people who need to consume and "belong" their way to fitness. These people always burn out once the gimmick wears off. Then they go searching for the next thing and the next. Throwing money hand over fist bc they cant figure out to eat better and put the proverbial foot to the concrete. I'm sure they were all convinced their apple watch was going to keep them on track. These are the people who ran out and bought those stupid finger-toe running "shoes". They thought the Wii Fit Board was going to revolutionize things. These are people who have perfectly matching and stylish gym outfits. they buy endless supplements to enhance performance or weight loss. Just go do some hiit. Lift some weights. Take a yoga class. Quit eating like a jackass. Nutrition and fitness can be complicated but beginner to intermediate changes aren't. 90% of people have an effort and habit problem. And the western world thinks in consumerism terms. That fitness is something you buy at the store and name drop the brand to your friends. And it's why they'll yo-yo their efforts all their lives before just giving up entirely
      • chucksta 5y ago
        Yeah, and a geo metro is basically a Ferrari
        • ohgodplsno 5y ago
          You're right, you can actually own a Geo Metro and drive it and fix it on your own, as opposed to the Ferrari which is nothing more than an expensive toy you cannot take out for anything useful. At least the Ferrari doesn't have a subscription (aside from the one you'll take at your gas station to make up for the 30L/100km that it gets)
          • chucksta 5y ago
            exactly, basically the same thing
    • sharkweek 5y ago
      I don't personally get it as I'm too cynical, but my partner says it's a very positive and encouraging culture. It's also gamed very well to encourage DAU so someone like my partner who loves getting her "dots" is incentivized to keep participating every day. I reiterate though, it's working well for her health journey, so I'm all for it.
      • biztos 5y ago
        Totally off topic, but TIL about DAU whilst forgetting what would abbreviate Daily Active Use(rs) and trying out the search things. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Acquisition_University https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Acquisition_University
    • snapetom 5y ago
      The positivity and encouragement is one thing, but it's also a very interactive and immersive experience. Sure, there's a large catalog of pre-recorded classes, with different instructors, different styles, different music, and different languages. However there's also live classes where you can be seen and interact with people. They also gamify the experience with a live leaderboard even if you aren't in a live class. The tech is also pretty well rounded. You can get pretty much all info that the bike has at any time on the app. During a workout, the Apple Watch communicates back biometrics. I'm a pretty cynical and skeptical person, but after just getting one, I can definitely see the appeal.
    • ttcbj 5y ago
      My wife fits the “almost in a cult” description. I think she loves the positivity, and feels engaged by the classes. She started with bike, but now also does peloton outdoor runs. She is focused on the Peloton power zone classes. For power zone, you take an FTP test every 6 weeks which measures your ability to produce power output over 20 minutes. The bike then knows your 7 power output zones, from easy effort to max output. Based on that, Peloton instructors design classes which are zone based, and drive improvement at whatever your level is. I tried powerzone after seeing my wife do it, and although it’s only a part of my exercise, I really like it. You can really see the improvement. I’ve never liked exercise classes in the past, but I like the powerzone classes and instructors. My wife also signed up for some third party website (I forget what) that is essentially like a team based and powerzone based training plan. It motivates her over longer periods. Having tried it, I think the peloton bike product is really good. It may have pulled forward a lot of demand and grown too much, but it offers a lot of real value.
    • loudtieblahblah 5y ago
      Pelton Culture is like Crossfit meeting the Cult of Mac. Its just where fitness and trendy luxury brand peacocking intersect.
• clpm4j 5y ago
  Specifically for the bike, if you're a "spin class person", then you're used to spending $20-40 per class - $40 for a month of unlimited classes with the best instructors in the business seems like a steal in comparison.
  • loudtieblahblah 5y ago
    Join a gym with a spin class 25-50/mo. Tops. 20-40 per class is robbery.
    • clpm4j 5y ago
      Right, but that just makes Peloton even more attractive because now I don't even have to go to a gym, and I can take classes anytime I want in the comfort of my own home on my own schedule.
      • loudtieblahblah 5y ago
        You could've done that anyways with a stationary bike and some personal motivation.
        • clpm4j 5y ago
          People who are really into spin classes do not lack motivation to exercise - they're in it for the classes - this is where people who equate Peloton to a stationary bike are completely missing the point. The classes are the point. The instructors (who are the absolute best spin instructors money could buy), the music, the programming/training - these are the things that users love about Peloton. If I just wanted to ride a bike then I'd do Zwift cycling, but that's a totally different activity. Spinning != cycling, and Peloton != gym equipment.
  • dave5104 5y ago
    This is me. I was previously going to a brick & mortar gym in the CA Bay Area and paying $120/mo for unlimited classes per month. Doing the math on the upfront cost of the bike, plus $40/mo for the class access, still made financial sense for me. (I also took advantage of a deal through my credit card that got me 3 free months of subscription, plus lots of bonus points to use for travel later.)
• muh_gradle 5y ago
  I'm pretty well versed in the fitness industry. Peloton, SoulCycle, Mirror value proposition never made any sense to me. With people going back to the office and gyms opening up again, people will want their normal fitness classes, gyms instead. EDIT: apparently some of you disagree. Change my mind.
  • tannedNerd 5y ago
    Perhaps don’t be so confrontational when people disagree you and you wouldn’t be getting as many downvotes? But it would be easy to see peloton fitting in with gym classes for people that like to work out everyday but adding 1hr around a gym class to travel and get ready on days that time may not be available
    • muh_gradle 5y ago
      The downvotes were before the edit.
  • FpUser 5y ago
    >"Peloton, SoulCycle, Mirror value proposition never made any sense to me." To be fair Peloton was doing ok before pandemic I think. They got disproportionally hyped since pandemic and now returning back to what is realistic value. Myself, I would not touch it with a wooden pole but that's just personal preferences - I do not participate in organized activities. Do everything on my own.
    • kevstev 5y ago
      The narrative around Peloton is kind of strange to me. They were doing pretty well before the pandemic, then the pandemic hits, and they spent like this hockey stick growth is permanent and not just a trend, and then went in odd directions- focusing their energy on Peloton stores that sell apparel, for one example. Using that growth to move into different fitness areas and expand on their core product- interactive gamification based fitness- would have made a lot of sense to me- heart rate monitors that actually work, maybe weights that can detect how many reps you did that show up on a weight class leaderboard, would all fit in with the brand's draw. Trying to become the next Lululemon, I mean its not the worst idea I have ever heard, but it kind of goes against the idea of a relatively low fixed cost business model that can scale infinitely with almost zero incremental cost per user. But the narrative that they are essentially a failed company, when they are still growing their user base, and haven't even really done much of an international expansion, is so far off from the reality that their management just spent money like drunken sailors on new businesses that no one wanted.
• sf_rob 5y ago
  I personally agree, but from their view is the competition/substitution another highly scalable virtual fitness subscription or is it a trendy cycling class (Soul Cycle, Orange Theory, etc)? If it's more the latter, then $40 could be compelling value. Yes, the classes aren't the same, but they're convenient and cheaper.
• ngngngng 5y ago
  It's a tough sell for me. I pay $40 a month for the whole family at the local rec center with multiple pools, water slides for the kids, an indoor running track and every piece of workout equipment you could want.
  • xadhominemx 5y ago
    Peloton sells classes, not equipment
  • nine_k 5y ago
    How much do you spend a month getting here, in fuel and in the time at the wheel? The Peloton's value for many is that the workout in within few steps and 30 seconds from being in the home office chair.
  • deleted 5y ago
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• FinalBriefing 5y ago
  It's a lot cheaper than a monthly gym membership, but way more than say, Apple Fitness and others offer. Having not used their software or hardware, I'd assume that for people purchasing a really expensive bike, $40/mo isn't bad. Still...it feels steep.
  • voisin 5y ago
    If Apple roles out GymKit more broadly to consumer devices, that will allow the average person to pay significantly less for both hardware and SaaS subscription. I imagine this would be a catastrophic event for Peloton.
  • ivanche 5y ago
    Waaat? How much is gym membership in the US then if $40 is much cheaper? Edit: Thanks everybody for the explanation. In my head, gym == myself + good ol' iron. It seems that that is cheap in the US as well as in Europe :)
    • jakeinspace 5y ago
      Between $10 and $300/month, depending on how fancy (or crosfitty) you want, and where you’re located. The really expensive gyms near me seem to be heavily populated by very attractive young people, so I guess that’s an ancillary benefit if you care about that. I wonder if they offer hot-person subsidies…
    • dvtrn 5y ago
      Depends on what you're getting out of the gym membership. If you're just going to the gym, walking on a treadmill and doing curls for a bit, gym memberships can be incredibly cheap. If you (like my SO) is going to the gym and using multiple provided amenities and training programs, that price can get very pricy very fast because those amenities are usually upcharged.
    • thebigman433 5y ago
      Gym memberships range from 10$ to hundreds, but the big thing is the class price. If you want to do classes on bikes/dancing/yoga/whatever, they are usually an absolute minimum of 10$/each, which is what makes the Peloton monthly attractive for people I think
• scsilver 5y ago
  We can justify almost any cost if it's the thing keeping us healthy.
• parkingrift 5y ago
  Pretty cheap compared to other spin classes or gym memberships.
  • marricks 5y ago
    Apples to oranges comparison, those provide the bike and the space.
    • inlined 5y ago
      You can make the comparison work if you amortize the cost. Soul cycle is $30/class; peloton is $40/mo and $1600 to get started. Assuming a 13mo year of 4wk months and 3 classes a week, soul cycle costs $360/mo and peloton costs $40/mo. In 5 months you break even and keep a workout bike that retails second hand for $1000-1300.
    • parkingrift 5y ago
      You can consider it apples to oranges, but this is the math consumers are doing.
• CountDrewku 5y ago
  No, it's ridiculously overpriced for the equipment and content. Buy a real bike and go outside. It's way more interesting and better for you. If you HAVE to stay inside for bad weather or something get a trainer for that bike. There are several youtube channels/patreon channels that film their mountain-biking/road biking and you can put those on and feel like you're riding along if you need that aspect. I feel like the type of people that fall for these electronic gadgets typically don't like exercising and are hoping they'll somehow get more motivated with digital content. Invariably, after a few months they quit using it just like every other exercise program they've started.
  • 21eleven 5y ago
    I have had my Peloton for a year now. I use it every day. It has transformed my health and my relationship w fitness. When I am on vacation I do Peloton audio based outdoor runs to keep my Peloton workout streak alive.
    • CountDrewku 5y ago
  • ubermonkey 5y ago
    "Do something else!" is not much of an argument. It really just points out that you're unaware of the distinction between what Peloton sells and cycling in general. Spin classes have their appeal and benefits that aren't the same as regular riding. A spin class is (typically) a high-intensity activity done for a fairly short period of time (say, an hour). An hour spent outside on your bike does not impart the same benefits, plus issues of weather and traffic detract (for some) from the overall appeal. I'm a serious road cyclist, so I kinda dismissed Peloton initially, because I figured because it looked kinda like a bad deal for road-cyclist indoor workouts then it must be the same thing, but it's really not. I have a fancy indoor riding setup using a Wahoo trainer and one of my bikes and an iPad, and that's PERFECT for the kinds of FTP-boosting workouts my coach sets up for me, but Peloton isn't in my market AT ALL. Just because it'd pedaling indoors doesn't make it the same thing. Spin has its own (typically well-heeled) devotees, and Peloton is pursuing that market. There is almost ZERO overlap between the sets of "my serious cycling pals who do indoor training" and "my friends who own Pelotons," which just highlights the difference.
• m4tthumphrey 5y ago
  Peloton subscriber here. £40/month is worth it. The quality of the classes is impeccable. It's like they've been produced with TV budgets! This price does also include the digital membership which has yoga, boxing and loads of other type of workouts. The bike (Bike+) is expensive but it's a solid piece of kit and does come with a 24 inch (Android) tablet. Edit: Forgot to say, the £40/month is per bike, not per member. So you can have your entire family using the bike for the £40/month.
  • inlined 5y ago
    It’s not even per bike, it’s per household. If you get the tread the subscription carries there too. So for $40 you get bike, bike boot camp, treadmill, outdoor running, running boot camp, HIIT, strength training, calisthenics, yoga, and meditation classes. Compare that to something like soul cycle at ~$30 per class or Orange theory at ~$200/mo/person
    • alistairSH 5y ago
      Or Apple fitness @ $10/month (per person).
      • 8ytecoder 5y ago
        Apple One is $30 for an entire family. That includes full music subscription with HD audio, TV+, games, 1Tb storage and fitness+.
        • inlined 5y ago
          AFAICT Fitness+ is more of a competitor to an app like Shred, which I just found less sticky. I'll pay more for a service I'll actually use.
      • TheRealNGenius 5y ago
        Or YouTube fitness videos @ $0/month (per 1.5 people)
  • 5y ago
• NovemberWhiskey 5y ago
  I don't understand how you expect the question of what "x" is worth to be anything other than subjective. It's like asking whether any other digital media subscription is worth it - my wife follows certain instructors and says she really enjoys the rides/classes - there is a certain element of "star power" in this space; the production values are excellent; the integration with the bike is top-notch.
• deleted 5y ago
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• bntyhntr 5y ago
  I got a spin bike that came with spot for an iPad or comparable device, and paid $10/month for a peloton digital subscription. Sure I don't get to be on the leaderboard, but I'm saving $30/month and my bike was $900 instead of ~$2000. My partner's work subsidizes the peloton subscription now though which is obviously even nicer. Bike would've been cheaper if I had bought before the pandemic but home gym prices went up, unsurprisingly
• 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
  I don't see it as rent seeking since there are production costs to these classes but $40 is way too high. $2 is more like it.
  • thebigman433 5y ago
    2$/month would pay for nothing essentially. You get unlimited classes for the 40$/month, which is cheaper than going to most fitness classes more than a few times. Even in the middle of my small town, drop in classes at the gym at 8$ each, on top of your monthly membership. Fwiw I dont own a Peloton, I prefer running, I just dont think its nearly as bad of a deal as people make it out to be
    • 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
      I'm not a user either but $40 at their current subscriber number comes in at a quarter billion dollars of revenue. How come everything else takes advantage of economies of scale but not virtual goods? $2 a month at scale would be great. Even greater if they allowed you to log into any of a number of fitness video services.
      • austinprete 5y ago
        From Peloton’s point of view (bottom line yadda yadda), you’d have to think that dropping to this price would 20X their subscriber count. Which is not to say that $40 is the correct profit maxima, but it almost certainly isn’t $2. Just because something can be offered cheaper at scale, doesn’t mean it should or needs to be.
• dehrmann 5y ago
  Still cheaper than a Soul Cycle class.
  • dymk 5y ago
    Isn't that in-person and doesn't require you to purchase an actual stationary bike?
• Delphiki 5y ago
  We initially bought a cheaper Schwinn IC4, subscribed to the Peloton app ($12.99/month), and used our 7 year-old iPad to get nearly the same experience (minus the Leaderboard functionality and probably other things). Eventually we wondered why we were even spending $12.99/month on it, as my partner only had a few instructors that she liked, and neither of us could understand, or get behind, the "Peloton culture". We ultimately canceled and now just ride the bike without a class.
  • cutenewt 5y ago
    I don't have an indoor bike, but I'd probably save money by playing one of these cycling YouTube videos in the background: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAYaLDjmVt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAYaLDjmVt8
  • kristjansson 5y ago
    Exactly, paying more for the content to motivate one to ride seems like an extravagance when one could, y'know, just ride the bike. +1 for the IC4, it seems like a much better piece of kit than it had a right to be at the (pre/early pandemic) price point - like $800 IIRC.
    • sushisource 5y ago
      Eh, I thought the same thing but I've really enjoyed the classes. For me it's not about motivation, it's about getting structure to your ride without needing to plan it yourself. You also get things like the strength classes, etc, which provide the same value. If you work out every day, planning what you're doing accrues nonzero mental load. It's nice to just pop on a class and know you'll get a decent core workout, or whatever. And I definitely wouldn't say I'm a member of the "culture", I get on, do a class, get off, that's it. The price is worth it for two people in the house I think.
  • kevstev 5y ago
    ha! Well the leaderboard and live stats and gamification where you can see where you are compared to your previous best at this point in a ride of the same length is IMHO what has made me get on the thing consistently and constantly push PRs. After being a couch potato for years, I am now on a 100 week streak and probably in the best shape of my life. High fiving people keeps me engaged through a class and prevents me from getting bored. Its kind of like saying "Quake is cool, but I don't know why I would ever want to play multiplayer..." If you have the motivation to keep yourself on a bike with just some headphones or a video on a tablet, more power to you, but there are many of us who can't do that. Add in that this has replaced my wife's multiple times a week soul cycle habit, with each class being $40, and Peloton is actually a significant cost savings in my home.
• AlwaysRock 5y ago
  The monthly cost on top of the high cost of the bike is why I didnt jump on the bandwagon, er, bicycle in 2020. I probably went to enough cycling classes pre pandemic that I was paying roughly 40 dollars a month in costs anyway but paying for an in person class is a lot different than paying for access to video content. I would get a bike tomorrow if that cost was $15-$25 a month.
• patwolf 5y ago
  I have the Tread, and I'm on the verge of cancelling my subscription. The $40 would be worth it if I was into the classes, but I tried them for a while and switched back to listening to podcasts while I run. It's disappointing to have such nice hardware that's so limited--can't watch youtube or listen to music directly on the device, no built in interval training, no way to pause a run... Now that I think about it, it's one of the least-capable treadmills I've ever owned.
• awillen 5y ago
  I've scrolled through these comments and am surprised to see no one's pointed out the alternative - it's $13.99/month for the content if you don't buy Peloton hardware. That is in fact as bonkers as it sounds - my wife has a $700 spin bike and just puts an iPad on the front of it. Because she didn't spend $2000 or whatever on the Peloton bike, she says a third of the price for the content.
• twistedpair 5y ago
  Schwin IC4 spinning bike $700 New Kindle tablet $40 YouTube $0 Has been working like a charm for years now. Feel fancy, just BT to connect the Peloton app to the bike if you want to attend an actual class. Note, that's a nice bike, you can get no name bikes from Amazon for $150.
• alistairSH 5y ago
  Not just you. I'm a cyclist and runner, who dabbles in yoga and other stuff. Currently, I have one of my bikes mounted in the basement on a $1000 Wahoo Kickr smart trainer and use Zwift for $15/month (which I cancel over the summer). When I do yoga, I want a live class because I want the instructor to adjust poses based on my skill/flexibility. Mindlessly cycling through sun salutations does nothing for me. A few family members who aren't fitness buffs have Pelotons. They all slowly stopped using them over time. So the bike is basically a very expensive coat rack.