I cycle 4x a week at Equinox, making it hard for me to get to other cycling classes and studios (hard time-wise and motivation-wise). Peloton has been my on my radar since its opening and I finally checked it out! I used FitReserve to snag a spot but for new riders, your first class is free.
[photo cred: peletoncycle]
The thing that sets Peloton apart from other studios is that people can purchase their own Peloton bikes and ride from home, remotely connecting into the NYC studio. This option ain’t cheap, the bike is $1,995 and then $39 per month for classes. This is a good option for an avid cyclist who isn’t near a spin studio, moms/dads who can’t leave the house for a workout, rich people, I don’t know. It’s definitely a cool concept. So while we were riding in the studio, people were riding across the country from their homes. The bikes are equipped with a tablet and at-home users can see the ride from their screen (different from the screens in the studio which show you your numbers). Below is what an at-home screen looks like.
[there are bikes in the lobby that you can test]
Peloton has a gorgeous entrance with a little clothing shop. You sign in at the front desk then head back through a sitting area with a coffee shop back to the locker room. The locker room is really nice and has a beautiful sleek design. It was very crowded before the class (I got there at 6:27 which was not enough time!) and I had to scramble to find a locker, most were taken or out of service. I ran through the locker room and got into the class at 6:30 on the dot. Apparently I was the only one not on my bike yet and got called out by the instructor (in a friendly way). I am usually SO on time and prefer to get to classes 10 minutes before the start but I was coming from work and you know how that goes.
I attended Jen Sherman’s 6:30pm Rhythm ride. By reserving my spot on FitReserve, I couldn’t pick a bike, I was assigned one. Crazily, I was assigned the center bike in the first row. Keep in mind the room has about 50 bikes and is stadium seating so I was really in the thick of things. Luckily I know what I’m doing but I imagine that would be really stressful for a newbie. I clipped in with my own shoes (although the studio does provide you rental cycling shoes free of charge) and had to set up my screen. So while trying to get through the warm up I was creating a login and password, again stressful, but also totally my own fault for being late.
After I figured that out I could really get into the ride. The big tablet-style screen in front of each bike gives you all your stats; cadence, watts, resistance, calories, rank in the class, and power output. It’s really helpful to see all these numbers as you’re going through a ride. It keeps you on track with what the instructor is saying and you can tell how hard you’re pushing yourself.
My instructor Jen was AWESOME. She has really great energy, was specific about what numbers you should be hitting, made some funny jokes along the way and had great form that we could try to mirror. She positively called out a lot of people in class, which kept it personal. She also gave shout outs to remote riders which is kinda cool and different. Her music was fantastic, totally my style (pop, top 40, mashups, high energy).
The bikes are very different than what I’m used to. They are extremely smooth and make literally no sound at all. I can see why people would like this, especially for at-home riders, but I didn’t love it. It’s probably because I wasn’t used to it and am so accustomed to Schwinn indoor bikes. I used my own cycling shoes but I recommend using the provided shoes, the SPD side of the bike clips are loose and my feet kept moving around (I confirmed with a friend that if you use their clips that won’t happen). The bikes are very nicely designed but I didn’t feel 100% comfortable on it, I’m sure if I was a regular that would change.
The studio is BEYOND nice. The entire space is really well designed; after a class if you need to kill time there is a comfy sitting area with a coffee/smoothie shop.
It’s very nice and unlike other one-off studios that are typically cramped and bare bones. I was very impressed. The actual cycling studio is nice, it’s stadium seating (or biking, I don’t know what to call it), has a lot of bikes (50?) and has excellent sound and the temperature was good. The mic system was super clear and I never had an issue understanding what the instructor was saying. There are different colored lights going on throughout the ride which gives the room a bit of a clubby-feel. Not necessarily my style for a workout but it was fine.
After class I showered there since I had dinner plans down the street. The showers are pretty but have zero water pressure. The products are top notch and there are orchids in the locker room, pretty nice, right? They have free hairbands, face wipes and other such necessities. Also they give you free water and towels. One of my pet peeves is expensive studios that then charge you for water or towels, drives me bananas! Thank you Peloton for not doing this.
Overall, the standout of Peloton is the gorgeous studio. The class was really good, I liked Jen a lot and I got a good sweat. My one con of this class was that I didn’t love the feel of the bikes and also really hate doing pushups on the bike, we did this for a bit in the class. There was also a small weights section on the bikes which while that goes against how I was taught to teach cycling, it was fine. I will never like push ups on the bike though, I just won’t.
Peloton pricing is on par or maybe slightly cheaper than other NYC cycling studios: $30 per class although it drops all the way to $22 if you buy the biggest package, pretty good.I think it’s a unique experience and a very nice studio; if you’re in the area, you might as well try it once (for free!).
If you go, let me know what you think!
