I did it. I bit the bullet, gifted my Sunny Spin Bike (kitted out with Wahoo speed and cadence sensors) to a dear friend and bought a brand new Keiser M3i. It was a big purchase for me and I didn’t do it without a lot of research. I spent weeks deliberating between the Keiser and Peloton. They have very similar price points but in the end I chose the Keiser. Read on to find out why!
Keiser M3i vs Peloton
After doing a LOT of research comparing the Keiser M3i and Peloton – I chose Keiser. Why, you ask? Well, it came down to four things: (1) the screen, (2) technology, (3) durability, and (4) the monthly fee.
The Peloton Screen
I did not want to be tied to the Peloton’s built in screen. What if I break the screen? I think I could have bought a small island with the money I have spent on replacing my cracked cell phone screens. And what about bike envy when Peloton launches the next model? We just witnessed this when Peloton released the model where the monitor swiveled. Very cool but what a headache for everyone when they went through the exchange process (a global pandemic disrupting the supply chain certainly didn’t help matters). Plus, I think the Peloton screen is too close to my face when I am out of the saddle – I like having the classes on my 65″ flat screen instead. It is much more enjoyable in my opinion.
The Technology
And right about the time I was making my decision the news broke that Peloton was ending its software updates for bikes with the first generation of its monitor. Geez. What if I bought a bike and in a few years they stopped supporting it? What if it simply stopped working or started slowing down like my old laptop? Would I have to return it?
Plus, you can only use the Peloton tech for Peloton classes. With the Keiser and my TV, I have the ability to take other spin classes. As much as I love Peloton, I also love the content over on Apple Fitness+.
And finally, this may sound ridiculous but you do not need to plug in a Keiser! You need to run two different cords into an outlet with a Peloton. You don’t see that on the commercial and it didn’t work well with my space. See, no wires!
Durability
The fact that the Keiser is a commercial-grade spin bike with exceptional durability and quality was also a factor. The Peloton is more of a residential exercise bike with built-in social features (high fives and leaderboards, neither of which I enjoy). If you want to geek out on all the stats, check out this spreadsheet comparing all of the pros and cons between a Keiser and a Peloton. It contains 3 tabs (i) side by side overview comparison; (ii) cost breakdown; and (iii) warranties.
Monthly Fee
You know that I Iove to save money. It’s $13 a month if you use the Peloton App without the Peloton bike and $40 a month with the Peloton bike. All the same content.
For the first 100 rides or so I used this Keiser/Peloton Resistance chart to monitor my resistance. Keiser’s range is 1-24 and Peloton 1-100 so I needed something to reference.
Later I learned about the mPaceline App that I run on my iPhone and place on the tray on my bike (some use an iPad). It has very many cool features – I use it mostly to monitor my cadence, resistance, HR and zones during Power Zone classes and that is that is just a small sample of what this app can do. The little computer on the Keiser (the size of a deck of cards) speaks to the mPaceline App. I was so impressed I started an mPaceline Facebook Group that currently has well over 3,000 subscribers. Here are some images from the app. All the same stats that you get from Peloton. In fact, many people that have the Peloton use the app as well.
I hope that this helps. Drop me a line if you have any questions!
Happy spinning!
Beth
Disclaimer: My Sipping & Shopping blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
My Facebook Groups!
- Facebook.com/groups/AppleFitnessPlus
- Facebook.com/groups/mpaceline
- Facebook.com/ Sunny Riders’ Peloton App Group
Yay! I also bought the Keiser and use the Peloton app – free for a year from my insurance – United. Exact same reasons as you. And I use your linked conversion when I ride. Just use my double monitor setup in my home office – one screen is the ride and the other is the conversion
Hi Ryneg,
That’s great! Don’t you love the Keiser?
Have you tried mPaceLine wit my your setup? It’s great for resistanCe (instead of the conversion chart) but it’s not free.
Happy spinning!
Beth
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Hi Beth, Great site so thanks for your blogs and posts – I have a question around the Keiser M3i. Context – I have a Keiser M3 that I have used since 2014 with Sufferfest videos. Since 2018 I have used it with the Peloton app, making my own resistance chart and using the Keiser display data. Then I added a Wahoo cadence tracker and use the Wahoo optical heart rate band, both of which you can pair with iPad so their data appears on screen in your peloton class. I am looking to change the bike and lean towards… Read more »
Hi Simon,
Great question. It does not display in-app or on the TV. At least not when I tried.
I use the mPaceLine app on my phone (some use iPad) and place it on the built in media tray. I can see zones, cadence and power. It’s a great app and the owner is constantly improving- I don’t use a fraction of what the app has to offer.
Happy spinning!!
Beth
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