ok, my wife has decided she wants a spin bike, probably to use with the peleton app or some similar set up. I know zero about these ! Any advice/recommendations welcomed!
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Spin bike advice wanted
- Thread starter ScotsSkier
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I dove deep a few years ago into the Pit of Internet Research Doom and Indecision, and ended up with a Kettler Racer 7 (or 8?). Disclosure that since I'm lightly sponsored by Trek, they did offer me a nice discount, but I didn't even ask about that until I made the call to order -- I had decided the Kettler was the one.
Awesome rig. Plusses are electronically adjustable resistance for repeatability, plenty sturdy, quickly adjustable for my wife and my disparate sizes, holds the clipboard that I use to hold books while I ride (not by design, just by happenstance) AND IT COASTS, which is rare in a spin bike.
The only minuses are that the tactile feedback on the resistance dial is too light, and there is no display to show your current wattage. So if you're into pretending that watts on a spin bike have any correlation to watts on an actual outdoor bike, no dice with this one.
Awesome rig. Plusses are electronically adjustable resistance for repeatability, plenty sturdy, quickly adjustable for my wife and my disparate sizes, holds the clipboard that I use to hold books while I ride (not by design, just by happenstance) AND IT COASTS, which is rare in a spin bike.
The only minuses are that the tactile feedback on the resistance dial is too light, and there is no display to show your current wattage. So if you're into pretending that watts on a spin bike have any correlation to watts on an actual outdoor bike, no dice with this one.
My only advice would be make sure it's compatible with zwift or any other app you want to use.
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I just bit the bullet and got a Peloton for the wife. It was delivered on Saturday. We haven’t set it up yet, but does seem to have a lot to offer.
I’m going to give it a shot for at least 2 weeks as well. Typically I ride my old road bike in the fluid trainer, but honestly, it’s boring as hell. Maybe this will kick start me in some fashion too.
Anyway, no specific advice based on experience with the machine. But worst case scenario, it goes on Craigslist for 50% of list and I get to bank another “I told you so.” Could come in handy one of these days ...
Good luck.
I’m going to give it a shot for at least 2 weeks as well. Typically I ride my old road bike in the fluid trainer, but honestly, it’s boring as hell. Maybe this will kick start me in some fashion too.
Anyway, no specific advice based on experience with the machine. But worst case scenario, it goes on Craigslist for 50% of list and I get to bank another “I told you so.” Could come in handy one of these days ...
Good luck.
We have a Peloton and it is fantastic
Spend the $$ : we have a Schwinn Spin ? - 15 years old used by 2 several times / week.
Money well spent.
Money well spent.
I go to spin classes at my gym, probably have done over 200 over the years (which has several locations with different bikes) as well as there is a peloton in my office gym which I've put in about 25 (recorded) workouts with 4 or 5 of their different instructors. (note I do this just for fitness, I don't have as much real outdoor real road biking xp).
One gym location has the Schwinn carbon blue bikes which are the "newest" bike i've been on; and the older gym has much older generation SPIN precor branded bikes which isn't much to talk about.
The new carbon blue ones feel like they are the smoothest, however it depends on maintenance and condition, some do seem beat up. It feels the most natural and is the most adjustable.
The real gym bikes, even the 10year old ones are much more solidly built than the Peloton. If you really get up and push, the Peloton has much more give and may tilt or wobble if you're really cranking versus the gym bikes which have a lot more metal and weight to stabilize them. Some of the adjustibility isn't as wide as the gym bikes.
The saving grace of the Peloton is the convenience and all the recorded sessions which greatly lower the barrier of entry to do a workout.
A real live gym in person trainer will be more motivating though than the Peloton. Despite cycling through all the Peloton instructors some of their music tastes still are a bit suspect, and don't exactly always match their sequences to the music as much as my gym's in person instructors. If you use it, it is good, and you don't need the extra time and hassle and timing to get to the live class for better or worse.
However, depending on the psychology, the extra burden of sign up for classes, driving to the gym and the whole production that gives extra value to the workout and is a forced commitment device and complete the whole class. The ease and availability of something for some people makes it too easy to change your mind and procrastinate on your workouts or quitting 10min in.
Do watch out for the right pedals, the peloton-at least the ones installed do have compatibile spd pedals that are the same for the ones in my gym. I am not sure if that is standard peloton; I think peloton may use LOOK out of the box.
One gym location has the Schwinn carbon blue bikes which are the "newest" bike i've been on; and the older gym has much older generation SPIN precor branded bikes which isn't much to talk about.
The new carbon blue ones feel like they are the smoothest, however it depends on maintenance and condition, some do seem beat up. It feels the most natural and is the most adjustable.
The real gym bikes, even the 10year old ones are much more solidly built than the Peloton. If you really get up and push, the Peloton has much more give and may tilt or wobble if you're really cranking versus the gym bikes which have a lot more metal and weight to stabilize them. Some of the adjustibility isn't as wide as the gym bikes.
The saving grace of the Peloton is the convenience and all the recorded sessions which greatly lower the barrier of entry to do a workout.
A real live gym in person trainer will be more motivating though than the Peloton. Despite cycling through all the Peloton instructors some of their music tastes still are a bit suspect, and don't exactly always match their sequences to the music as much as my gym's in person instructors. If you use it, it is good, and you don't need the extra time and hassle and timing to get to the live class for better or worse.
However, depending on the psychology, the extra burden of sign up for classes, driving to the gym and the whole production that gives extra value to the workout and is a forced commitment device and complete the whole class. The ease and availability of something for some people makes it too easy to change your mind and procrastinate on your workouts or quitting 10min in.
Do watch out for the right pedals, the peloton-at least the ones installed do have compatibile spd pedals that are the same for the ones in my gym. I am not sure if that is standard peloton; I think peloton may use LOOK out of the box.
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I don't think that this is what your wife would want, but on the broader topic, we have three LeMond Revmasters in the family. These were the bikes that our kids used at their ski academies, and in college a few years ago to spin. The bikes are rock solid, high grade, and are pro gym quality. Low maintenance.
They are also pretty boring. The pedals can be swapped out, the saddle as well. you can set up the geometry to match your road bike or MTB. Parts are available.
The no frills workhorse. I ride with a TV, or laptop nearby.
They are also pretty boring. The pedals can be swapped out, the saddle as well. you can set up the geometry to match your road bike or MTB. Parts are available.
The no frills workhorse. I ride with a TV, or laptop nearby.
Ultimately it's an examination of the peloton CLASS and peloton experience as much as it is about the bike you choose.
I would say I would prefer live instructors in person even if they are on the 10year old crappier bikes over the peloton experience. But if you're busy or can't make the timing; real classes might not work; so the peloton business fills that market opportunity;
It's a consideration of what's the alternative? I would suggest the best alternative is to buy gift certificates to the spin studio or gym for live in person classes;
I would say I would prefer live instructors in person even if they are on the 10year old crappier bikes over the peloton experience. But if you're busy or can't make the timing; real classes might not work; so the peloton business fills that market opportunity;
It's a consideration of what's the alternative? I would suggest the best alternative is to buy gift certificates to the spin studio or gym for live in person classes;
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Some other apps you'll want to consider are TrainerRoad, Zwift, and Rouvey (formally Cycleops Virtual Training). I've used all three, and they each work well and have a little different bent from each other and Peloton. I haven't used Peleton, but my wife wants one too. I believe you can use the Peleton app without buying the bike now. I wouldn't want to buy a bike that only worked with one app, and one I needed to pay a monthly subscription just to ride. Then again, if it gets used, it's worth it, especially if the results are like in the commercials.
For bikes, I've bought a couple used Cycleops Indoor Cycles off CL, a 300 Pro and 400 Pro which are older versions of these:
https://www.cycleops.com/catalog/indoor-cycles
Cycleops makes a fantastic, rock solid indoor cycle, some of which include a built-in PowerTap power meter (it's the same company). That's a big deal for cycling geeks, and will probably mean little to the Peloton market. I'm the former and my wife is the latter, so who knows, maybe we'll end up with a Peleton someday.
Thread Starter
TS
Thanks Guys! Yes, my wife is sold on the peloton as well, but really struggles to justify spending $220 on the bike and $39/month subscription at this stage. i suspect that their bike is probably marked up by $100o as well......
yea, the bike is not top notch, but remember it also has a mounted touchscreen tablet that's semi-optimized to be just right for the classes with the built in metrics integration and all the stats tracking and that's the extra that you're paying for.
Ultimately if you use it, it's great. If it becomes a glorified coatrack then not so great.
I will say the tablet audio itself is not great, you will not be able to hear the beat. Definitely suggest to use with headphones or to attach to speakers.
I don't know your wife's experience with spin classes, but if you can, you should try to demo both live classes as well as see if you can find a peloton that you can demo and try a workout on there; before dropping $2000+ on it sight unseen.
Ultimately if you use it, it's great. If it becomes a glorified coatrack then not so great.
I will say the tablet audio itself is not great, you will not be able to hear the beat. Definitely suggest to use with headphones or to attach to speakers.
I don't know your wife's experience with spin classes, but if you can, you should try to demo both live classes as well as see if you can find a peloton that you can demo and try a workout on there; before dropping $2000+ on it sight unseen.
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Just an opinion, but, before I would do a heavy investment in a Spin Bike, I would be checking Craigslist and spend a couple or few hundred $$$ on a very heavily discounted spin bike. We all know human nature wants to make a big investment, just hoping that our good intentions will transition into excellent results. We all know that reality is far different than good intentions.
It takes a very dedicated person to spend the required time training alone in the basement. Much more a mental barrier than physical.
4200-300
It takes a very dedicated person to spend the required time training alone in the basement. Much more a mental barrier than physical.
4200-300
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QFT
I know myself well enough that when it was time for a new indoor bike, I bought a new high quality Kettler.
Not because I thought I'd use it to attain some level of pre-season fitness or anything, but simply because I know I'll use a quality piece of equipment a lot more than a mediocre unit.
And it should last another 15 years, if the first one is any indicator, after which I may well be using the machines in the fitness center at some Senior Living Center. Argh!
I bought my first set of Kettler rollers like thirty years ago. They were actually round. 
good gear is with the money.
good gear is with the money.
And, that's where the Peloton seems to have found some magic. It sounds like the entire package is motivating enough that many are using it who otherwise wouldn't.
Thread Starter
TS
LOL! Yes, getting one off CL to try it as a first step would be my normal MO as well! And still hoping to persuade Mrs ScotsSkier to go that route (hence the request for suggestions so I can do some looking around on CL) but she will make her own decision ! And to be fair she is much more disciplined about using the gym ( we have one in the house) than me ( I hate gyms.....) so I know she will use it as the treadmill is not helping her knees. She, like me, does struggle with the $39/ month for peloton tho, the app is rather more reasonable...
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If she has never taken a spin class before, definitely I would recommend to just spend $50 or $100 and do an introductory class or 3 from a in-person spin studio with a live instructor. Usually the gyms heavily discount for a new participant so it should be much cheaper than that. At a minimum, one can then feel what a top-of-the-line bike and class should feel like, and a live instructor will also help with proper first time setup (show up earlier). Then, you can better compare how peloton mimics the experience. Hopefully there is a way where you can locate a peloton to just try out for a bit, or see if you can find someone that you can pay a nominal fee to try it out.
Lots of people like it as obviously there's a whole industry; BUT others feel it is the stupidest thing ever to follow someone else's pace and someone else's music you can go outside to bike in real life with your choice of music your choice of cadence and no stupid dance moves. There are people I see that come once, do 1 class and never come back again, even with the nicest most "popular" instructor at my gym. Others are regulars that I see over and over again.
I would definitely not buy off of CL. Even the commercial bikes that have maintenance contracts and maintenance logs get wonky over time; buying a used home level bike is just a recipe for unsuccess in my opinion.
Lots of people like it as obviously there's a whole industry; BUT others feel it is the stupidest thing ever to follow someone else's pace and someone else's music you can go outside to bike in real life with your choice of music your choice of cadence and no stupid dance moves. There are people I see that come once, do 1 class and never come back again, even with the nicest most "popular" instructor at my gym. Others are regulars that I see over and over again.
I would definitely not buy off of CL. Even the commercial bikes that have maintenance contracts and maintenance logs get wonky over time; buying a used home level bike is just a recipe for unsuccess in my opinion.
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I have Bought three LeMond Revmaster bikes, all used, all via CL. These are heavy duty bikes. As I had posted, they were the workhorses at my kids' three different ski academies. The most that I have paid for one was $250. A tiny fraction of the cost new.
The least was $100, for one that was almost unused. A soon to be divorced woman was selling it. Her husband had bought it, turns out as his girlfriend had suggested it. Wife found out about the GF later, husband moved out. She told my son that "I just want the effing thing out of my house now." Good deal!
This would be like selling your husband's new Remouns for $50.
As I said, boring bike. No programs. Wear a heart monitor and ride. Watch something else. Watched a Paris-Roubaix documentary yesterday.
Point is that I personally have had good luck buying this way. Would do it again, no question. Pro/commercial grade are easy to maintain, as well.
The least was $100, for one that was almost unused. A soon to be divorced woman was selling it. Her husband had bought it, turns out as his girlfriend had suggested it. Wife found out about the GF later, husband moved out. She told my son that "I just want the effing thing out of my house now." Good deal!
This would be like selling your husband's new Remouns for $50.
As I said, boring bike. No programs. Wear a heart monitor and ride. Watch something else. Watched a Paris-Roubaix documentary yesterday.
Point is that I personally have had good luck buying this way. Would do it again, no question. Pro/commercial grade are easy to maintain, as well.
Speaking of craigslist: I bought my two cycleops indoor bikes for something like $650 and $800. They retail for $2500-3000. They are better built than even the best commercial spinning bike and have a built-in PowerTap power meter that's worth $600 or so itself.
Here's the latest greatest Cycleops Phantom 5 in Denver for $950:
https://denver.craigslist.org/spo/d/cycleops-phantom-5-indoor/6432056779.html
And, a 400 Pro like I've got in Cheyenne listed at $800:
https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/bik/d/cycleops-400-pro/6439626923.html
On the Peloton, here's a great review posted in CL Denver that gives context why folks like it so much:
Peloton Spin Bike - Personal Review from Denver Owner - $1500 (denver, co 80212)
make / manufacturer: Peloton
Hello! I sold our spare Peloton on here and was overwhelmed with emails and questions (50+). Everyone asked me Pros and Cons to the Peloton so I'm posting my review of the Peloton so future people who are trying to find a used one have some insight!
The Con- The price and monthly subscription of $39. But I'll dive into the pros to the subscription and bike price as well (in comparison to other options, it's still expensive). That literally is the only con.
The Pro: They have combined everything perfect about technology and biking (working out in general as well) into one package.
The screen and the WiFi capacity (people ask if streaming issues or delays and we've had zero, literally not a single time we've had a delay in live stream or it auto syncing to WiFi after turning it on).
The live classes where you have instructor telling you per the beat of the music where to have your cadence and residence. It's amazing how well the classes keep you engaged and motivated because of this.
Competition- we have short attention spans. Hence why no home work out devices other than Peloton works. With the live screen you compete head to head with all the other live riders by your output (combining cadence and residence). You can shut it off but you ride way harder knowing someone way older than you is inching up on you for their output total). You sync it to Strava and other apps to challenge friends.
The biggest pro to the subscription and why we only now have one Bike. Unlimited users per Bike!! So you get it and for us it's really only $19.50 per month as we share one Bike and have separate profiles. You can't share a gym or spin class membership cost!
Reale Value! We got people begging to buy it for $1850 to save the shipping and setup fee. So you'll have zero issues selling if something changes in your life and you need to sell.
Lastly: I have 5+ bikes. Ranging from fat tire, road, city cruiser, mnt, etc and love riding outdoors and hate working out indoors or a gym. But in Denver when it gets dark earlier than when I leave work, I love having this as my backup option to go for a ride. In Summer it's prefect for busy days I don't have time to ride to golden or load up mnt bike.
Anyway, happy to answer any other questions! They did share a $100 off code if that would be of any help in pushing you over the edge to buy! I live in Berkeley area of town if anyone rides their road bike to golden or has a fat tire and wants to ride in summit county on weekends!
$100 code K78T2F
https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/d/peloton-spin-bike-personal/6398150166.html
Here's the latest greatest Cycleops Phantom 5 in Denver for $950:
https://denver.craigslist.org/spo/d/cycleops-phantom-5-indoor/6432056779.html
And, a 400 Pro like I've got in Cheyenne listed at $800:
https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/bik/d/cycleops-400-pro/6439626923.html
On the Peloton, here's a great review posted in CL Denver that gives context why folks like it so much:
Peloton Spin Bike - Personal Review from Denver Owner - $1500 (denver, co 80212)
make / manufacturer: Peloton
Hello! I sold our spare Peloton on here and was overwhelmed with emails and questions (50+). Everyone asked me Pros and Cons to the Peloton so I'm posting my review of the Peloton so future people who are trying to find a used one have some insight!
The Con- The price and monthly subscription of $39. But I'll dive into the pros to the subscription and bike price as well (in comparison to other options, it's still expensive). That literally is the only con.
The Pro: They have combined everything perfect about technology and biking (working out in general as well) into one package.
The screen and the WiFi capacity (people ask if streaming issues or delays and we've had zero, literally not a single time we've had a delay in live stream or it auto syncing to WiFi after turning it on).
The live classes where you have instructor telling you per the beat of the music where to have your cadence and residence. It's amazing how well the classes keep you engaged and motivated because of this.
Competition- we have short attention spans. Hence why no home work out devices other than Peloton works. With the live screen you compete head to head with all the other live riders by your output (combining cadence and residence). You can shut it off but you ride way harder knowing someone way older than you is inching up on you for their output total). You sync it to Strava and other apps to challenge friends.
The biggest pro to the subscription and why we only now have one Bike. Unlimited users per Bike!! So you get it and for us it's really only $19.50 per month as we share one Bike and have separate profiles. You can't share a gym or spin class membership cost!
Reale Value! We got people begging to buy it for $1850 to save the shipping and setup fee. So you'll have zero issues selling if something changes in your life and you need to sell.
Lastly: I have 5+ bikes. Ranging from fat tire, road, city cruiser, mnt, etc and love riding outdoors and hate working out indoors or a gym. But in Denver when it gets dark earlier than when I leave work, I love having this as my backup option to go for a ride. In Summer it's prefect for busy days I don't have time to ride to golden or load up mnt bike.
Anyway, happy to answer any other questions! They did share a $100 off code if that would be of any help in pushing you over the edge to buy! I live in Berkeley area of town if anyone rides their road bike to golden or has a fat tire and wants to ride in summit county on weekends!
$100 code K78T2F
https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/d/peloton-spin-bike-personal/6398150166.html
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