It was love from the very first spin
Busy Quebec parents have enjoyed their Peloton purchase from the very first spin
The Peloton, a trendy stationary bike designed for home use, has had its share of detractors. Most of the initial backlash on social media was related to its hefty price tag and upwardly mobile demographic (the base model without accessories or discount sells for $2,950.) But more recently its holiday ad campaign came under fire for featuring a husband surprising his wife with a Peloton bike for Christmas. Critics remarked that giving an already slim woman an exercise bike sends the wrong message about body image.
Lindsay Mccusky of Beaconsfield, Que., relates to the comments about the big price tag but doesn’t share the same sense of indignation about the ad campaign. Parents to a toddler and a preschooler, she and her husband Adam Barrette struggled finding time to get to the gym. They bought a Peloton four months ago and couldn’t be happier with their investment.
“After months of deliberation, we finally decided to get one,” Mccusky said. “For us it’s a big expenditure, but it’s become our thing and it’s nice to do as a couple.”
The unit looks like the spin bikes found in fitness studios, but comes equipped with a 22-inch touchscreen tablet that connects via the internet to live and on-demand spin classes. Using the Peloton app (membership is $49 a month), cyclists can join in on classes in real time, taught by instructors at Peloton’s studio in New York City, or choose from thousands of archived classes that can be enjoyed at any time. Classes can be chosen by instructor, type of music, length and/or intensity and level of instruction — novice to veteran.
Mccusky is a fan of the on-demand classes, which she taps into when the baby naps or any other time she can get away for a quick workout. Barrette, who travels extensively for work, prefers the competitiveness of the live classes where he can compare his efforts to the thousands of others who tune in from home. As cyclists log in, their name, age (by decade), location (by city) and workouts stats are displayed to everyone on the ride. The leaderboard shows the cyclist with greatest energy output, along with, in descending order, everyone else trying to catch up. It can also be filtered by age and gender so cyclists can see how they compare to their peers.
Instructors are featured fullscreen with a small number of class members in the background. It’s not uncommon for instructors to give a shout out to cyclists at home who are at the top of the leaderboard and to those working hard to displace them.
For most cyclists joining in on the ride, the stats are the thing. Real time personal stats are displayed on the touchscreen: cadence, level of resistance, energy output and heart rate if the cyclist wears a monitor. It also shows the leaderboard and the relative position of the cyclist taking the class at home.
Riders can also view the stats of their previous personal best, which tends to amp up engagement.
For those who want a less competitive ride, it’s possible to toggle off the stats and enjoy the experience without being bombarded with a bunch of numbers.
It was Barrette who pushed to get the Peloton.
He used the bike frequently in hotels during his business travels thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Mccusky was home with the kids while he travelled, making it difficult to get out of the house for a workout. Work and a young family has changed their lifestyle considerably from the days when they played intercollegiate sports.
The Peloton bike allows them to work out with a minimum of fuss and bother.
They bought the whole package — bike ($2,625), shoes (two pairs at $165 each), heart rate monitor ($65) and home delivery and set up ($325). And because Peloton doesn’t sell or deliver to Quebec, they had the bike shipped to a friend’s house in Ottawa. Total price tag, including tax and a small discount: $3,638.60.
“I loved it right away,” said Mccusky, who tried it for the first time when it arrived at her house.
She hadn’t taken a spin class in more than 10 years, so she started with a beginner ride. Since then she’s been on the bike five times a week, most of the time for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Some people have tried to get around the steep price tag by Diy-ing their own version of the experience with a cheaper bike, the Peloton app and their own tablet propped up on their handlebars. But anyone who is motivated by the steady stream of personal metrics and chasing cyclists higher up on the leaderboard will miss that extra bit of motivation that comes with being plugged into the complete experience.
As for whether giving a Peloton bike to your spouse as a Christmas present will result in outrage or joy, only you know best.