Peloton
Peloton Interactive is an American company founded in 2012. Its whole business model connects fitness products, including the Peloton bike and treadmill, with the latest technology. The gap in the market was spotted by founder John Foley who was often too busy to get to his cycling classes at the gym.
Peloton tapped into a common complaint, often made by busy working people, that they couldn’t make fitness classes at their gym due to work demands or they were working from home and hated working out alone. The Peloton business idea was to design exercise equipment with touchscreens that meant you could stream live classes-at home.
It was certainly a hit and by June 2021 it had 5.9 million members. It was particularly popular during the pandemic as people were stuck at home which also had to become their workout space.
Peloton Bike
The Peloton bikes are stationary bikes that connect you live and on demand to a huge range of classes. You can also compete in bike rides with others and watch a live leaderboard to really meet that competitive need. The leaderboard ranks you based on your output. The key point is that you can ride the bike itself and access the classes or be off the bike and still access classes that cover a range of different types of exercise from yoga, to bootcamp. For home use the Peloton bike is available in two options, the original Peloton bike and the Peloton bike +. There is also the commercial Peloton bike - made specifically for businesses and gyms.
The Peloton bike+ offers a rotating 360-degree screen so that you can access classes on and off the bike. The screen is 23.8 “, anti-reflective and the bike itself has a small footprint. The bike is perfect for those who want to cycle at home, compete against others or simply access the thousands of classes that are available. The Peloton bike differs from the Peloton + as the screen tilts, it is 21.5,” so smaller, but still provides access to thousands of classes.
Both bikes offer individual profiles, will provide metrics on power, cadence, resistance and heart rate, training programmes and challenges, workout history, and if wanted, scenic rides with curated music. Positive feedback from users focusses on the smooth pedals, electromagnetic resistance, responsive tablet, great stats generated from your ride time, speed, distance, cadence, all personal metrics and of course the live classes! You will also be invited to community events.
Peloton Classes
On the subject of classes it is probably worth saying that these aren’t any old classes, many of the instructors are celebrities themselves and there are classes that cover strength, cycling, running, rowing, yoga, meditation, stretching, walking, outdoor and cardio. All workouts can be performed on the bike, treadmill or a mat. Cycling classes vary hugely and include 60-minute rides, 30-minute interval and arms workout, 30-minute low impact ride, just to name a few. The key selling point is that as a cyclist working out either at home or in a commercial setting you feel as if you are part of a cycling community. Live cycling classes come from studios in New York and London, some live classes in the past have been known to attract c 20,000 riders.
Peloton for Commercial Businesses
Possibly with the return to work post pandemic, Peloton have launched offerings for commercial businesses, to place Peloton bikes in hotels, corporate offices, gyms, educational establishments and multifamily units. Commercial Peloton bikes in hotels have been really popular as guests can continue their workouts when travelling on business or pleasure.
The Peloton commercial offering is the original Peloton bike. For commercial settings there are packages available including access to exclusive commercial software for unlimited riders, extended 3-year warranties, dedicated commercial support and added extras like a pair of 2ib bike weights, bike mat and dual sided pedals that allow for use with athletic or cycling shoes.
Peloton Treadmill
The Peloton treadmill offers a 23.8” touchscreen, speeds of 0-20 kph and of course thousands of classes to access where you can compete on leaderboards against thousands of other runners. Made from high quality carbon steel with front facing stereo speakers, the tread is also trying to create a community of runners as the bikes do with cycling. It is important to note that the tread has a lock to prevent unauthorised access.