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Comment by KFC_Manager | Hacker News Reader

They've executed so we'll on selling a $2000 exercise bike that locks you into their subscription content.

Anyone who has bought one can comment on what the alternatives we're when you purchased? The way they position the financing makes it feel like a monthly membership fee to a gym or something.

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I'm using the Peloton iPad app without their bike and loving it so far. All you need is any decent spin bike ($200-$600)[0], a bluetooth cadence [1] and heart rate sensor ($90)[2], plus their cheaper $20/mo app and you get most of the experience at a reasonable cost. You don't get the output number and can't compete on the leaderboard, but that's fine for me.

[0] I went with: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FCJH59R/

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-Cycling-Cadence-Sensor-Bluetoot...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-TICKR-Heart-Monitor-Bluetooth/d...

I use a high-quality spin bike at the gym with my iPhone clipped on. I kick my own ass quite fine without cadence or heart rate info. And I don’t pay Peloton b/c I recorded a dozen or so classes when I had a subscription and stream them from my own server.

I’m not their target customer but I do really enjoy the product.

Honestly, my wife got me into the SoulCycle style spin classes before our wedding a few years ago. I dug the workout, music, joint activity,group class a lot, but it gets really expensive. Typical class is $32 a piece. With my doctor wanting me to get at least 4, >45 min workouts a week, this added up really quickly. However, after 6 months of consistently going before the wedding I can say I have never had a better doctors visit, essentially "Keep up what your doing" Peloton allowed me to purchase the bike (yes it's in my apartment living room, facing a window) for essentially 2-3 classes a month (around $100). Its a bit easier to wakeup, cycle, shower, head to work during the week. Then my wife and myself still splurge on a group class during the weekend as a shared activity. Bonus points: The Peloton also casts to our SmartTV for Core/Yoga classes. We don't use it as much, but its pretty cool.

I use my road bike (~$1,500), a Wahoo Kickr Core ($900), and I pay for a Zwift subscription ($15/month).

I love a good spin class, but like my setup just as much. I can also take my bike off the trainer and ride it outside.

If you have a road bike already look into buying a trainer (I have a Cycle Ops Hammer) and use it with a program called Zwift. You can ride around a virtual world while watching Netflix or something.

I got hit by a car training for triathlon outdoors and now I do basically all my cycling indoors.

I never considered getting a peleton but we bought this [1] cheapish spin bike on amazon and the quality has been surprisingly good. Makes it really easy to get 30mins of exercise each morning and with the tablet holder I can watch a lecture while doing it.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07988PF5Z/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?ps...

I like doing spin for my cardio. My gym membership has some spin classes, but the bikes are not very good. Still, they are not bad for being included in my membership. I occasionally visit some spin 'studios' in town, but the price is high.

I was at hotel not long ago that some Peletons in the fitness room and I was blown away. The bikes are super nice. The classes felt like I was in a spin studio. I debated purchasing one, but decided I'm already spending enough on fitness at the moment.

I did not buy a bike, but for a while I used the app on a spin bike at the gym. I can attest to the experience being pretty great.

I wound up recording a dozen or so of the workouts so I can watch them on my phone without a subscription. The bells and whistles of heart rate and pace are meaningless to me.

I love this comment for showing me exactly why there's such a big split in reaction to the Peloton bike and similar products.

To me, heart rate and pace are the whole point and the music and instructor are the meaningless bells and whistles.

I don’t think it’s a split so much as Peleton appealing to different users with the same product. There are quite a few ways to get hooked: a teacher you really like (I only found one I could stand but he is great), a class you really like (I’m sure the country music classes have their devotees), live interaction with the instructor, and performance tracking (aiming for calories or watts or whatever).

A bike & start here: https://maximumtrainer.com/get-started.

Peloton - is it like the Juiceroo of 2019?

No. Well established with thousands of people paying.

disclaimer: I used to work for Peloton and still own some equity.

The company was started with the insight that working out at home is a much more pleasant and effective activity than going to the gym.

Pelotons business model is what I think Apple will eventually be forced to adopt. They sell a very expensive, thin-ish margin hardware product and up-sell you on their software + content + some merchandise. The hardware lock-in is real!! They also have a scarily obsessive, loyal and rich fan-base.

Apple has thin margins on hardware?

I think eventually there is a good chance they will be forced.

Nah, apple will play the extended financing game.

I think they will ride the debt cycle up and down if they go down that path, just like cars seem to.

I think PP meant that’s what Peloton does now and Apple will eventually adopt the same approach.

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