The backgrounds story

At the beginning of 2021, I was still a happy runner, hitting my 5km mark on the treadmill every other day. Those were happy days, and I was waiting for the weather to get a bit warmer, so I could switch from the indoor to the outdoor runs.

As soon as the sun warmed up the ground and outside temperatures hit 5-10 C above zero mark, I was out covering the same 5km distance. Of course, the run outside was completely different in comparison to the treadmill run. I enjoyed it more for sure, even though it was more strenuous for me on my joints in general.

After a couple of runs, I started feeling some discomfort in my ankles. I had to stop all the runs (outdoor and indoors) altogether. It was a sad reality for me when I realized that I better not run for some time if I wanted to enjoy my upcoming hikes and long walks during the summer.

I have consulted with doctors, and they suggested switching from high to low impact sports. One of the options was to ride a bike. I had the old mountain bike that I rode occasionally. The idea of the stationary bike was set in my mind.

Why Peloton?

As I do with any new product or service I consider purchasing, I did the same with stationary bikes - tons of research. I asked around. I watched a lot of videos comparing different brands of bicycles. I even tried some of them in the stores.

Out of all of them, I landed on two - Peloton and Echelon. The first was a good quality product with the accompanying services. The latter was appealing from the cost of owning one. So after consulting with some of my friends, I decided to go with a Peloton.

These are my pros for getting a Peloton bike:

  • Very well known brand
  • Live and pre-recorded high-quality classes
  • Community support to stay motivated
  • Non-bike classes, e.g. meditation, strength, running, etc.

There were a couple of cons as well:

  • Somewhat expensive monthly subscription - $52
  • The price of the bike is more than $2k

I was surprised that the original bike price dropped $600 since it was released and was well below the $2k price mark. On top of that, one of my friends shared his promo code that gave me $125 off on the bike accessories that I gladly used for two pairs of bike shoes. The monthly subscription cost was slightly offloaded by cancelling my Headspace meditation since Peloton also had meditation tracks.

In the end, it was a mutual decision with Olena to ramp up our fitness activities and invest in the bike and all the classes and programs it offers.

First impressions

The first impression of the bike was great. We received our bike two weeks after the online order. Two delivery men brought it to our home gym, which we organized in the basement of our house. They installed the bike and gave us quick instructions on how to activate it. The overall experience from the delivery was positive for sure.

The next part was installing cleats on the shoes, learning how to adjust the bike, and giving it a test ride. We spent a couple of hours adjusting and trying everything. I can tell you that everything that I was listing in the pros for the bike above all of it did not disappoint.

Conclusion

The process of doing research, asking around, gathering pros and cons, ordering the bike, accepting the delivery and a first ride. All of it was a smooth experience for us. If I were doing it again, I think I would make the same choice.

I’m already working out following my new morning routine. Instead of a treadmill run, I’m going to bike, do some strength exercises and meditation. It’s exciting, and I can’t wait to share more updates from my Peloton bike experience.

P.S. Hit me up in the comments if you got yourself a Peloton bike or just have any questions. You can also use my referral code, so you can use $100 with your bike or treadmill purchase (not valid after bike purchase, though!). You can also apply this referral code, so you can use Peloton App for 60 days (new app users only).

Add me to your Peloton account if you want to ride together. My account is onecanuckhere.