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!
After 550 rides with my first love – this Sunny Exercise Bike – I’ve finally taken the plunge and treated myself to a Keiser M3i. It is a beauty! My Sunny was still in great shape and in fact, I gave it to a good friend. I just wanted something new and shiny now that I proved to myself that I am in this for the long hall. According to my calculations, I think spent about $0.75 per ride with over 500 rides.
Sunny Riders! If you are new here, here is a link to my blog post about converting Peloton resistance levels to a Sunny bike while using the Peloton App. I’ve included a BUNCH of Sunny/Peloton resistance conversion charts to this post, too. Happy spinning!
The 2nd most popular question I get (the first being about my disco ball) is about shoes and cleats. For the first couple of years after purchasing my Sunny I just wore my running sneakers and slipped my foot into the toe cage. It seemed fine and I was content but I did have a lingering curiosity. After 525 rides on my Sunny I upgraded to a Keiser M3i which, like the Sunny, had toe cages on one side of pedal but also allowed me to “clip in” on the other side. I finally took the plunge and bought some cycling shoes but holy smokes, the whole process was very confusing!! Only certain shoes are compatible with certain cleats that are only compatible with certain pedals. In fact, I initially even bought the wrong type. Ugh. It was like learning a whole new language! I thought I would share what I learned:
Hi gang,
Since upgrading from my Sunny to a Keiser M3i (after 525 rides, thank you very much) I started noticing people posting online these really cool looking graphs from mPaceline. Intrigued I signed up for the free trial and then moved on to the yearly plan (it was something like $25 for the year). mPaceline is a cycling and running workout App designed to help you visualize your exercise/training metrics. The App works best if you are taking spinning or running classes that provide metrics on your class performance. It’s primarily focused on individuals that own a Peloton Bike, Tread or owners of 3rd-party equipment that use the Peloton Digital App with attached power and cadence meters (like my Keiser).
Anyway, I started writing a post about all the things I enjoyed about the app but felt like I was falling short describing the awesomeness of this Peloton hack so I reached out to “RiderPaul”, the developer behind mPaceline, and asked that he author a guest post for my readers. I actually met Paul AFTER creating a dedicated mPaceline Facebook group after looking for some like minded users. Come join – it has grown very fast and full of tips, tricks and helpful advice!
Below, Paul provides some basic information about mPaceline as well as equipment advice for those getting started with Peloton.
Over to you, Paul:
Hi gang,
I have some exciting news. I created a dedicated Apple Fitness+ App Community on Facebook! I describe it as a safe place to help answer questions, discuss tips, tricks and share best practices while using the Apple Fitness+ App. Please join! More details below.
Are you from Boston and looking for that perfect holiday gift? Then look no further than my husband’s children’s book, Sully the Squirrel Explores Boston. It is a well-researched, humorous, and beautifully illustrated tour through the great and historic City of Boston told through the eyes of Sully the Squirrel, a curious little squirrel that has a passion for adventure and is nuts for history (get it?)! Read on for pictures.
Peloton recently announced that you could now finance the purchase of a new Peloton bike. Is it a good deal? Here are my thoughts:
Buy Without Financing: As detailed in my earlier Peloton App blog purchasing a Peloton bike without financing costs about $3,000 when you add in delivery, $468 class subscription fees for the first year ($39 per month), $125 for clip-in shoes, exercise mat, etc. Way outside of my budget.
0% APR Financing: While a 0% down APR sounds like a great detail, the devil is in the details. For qualified buyers, Peloton allows you to make 39 monthly payments of $64 for the Peloton Bike+ or $49 for the Peloton Bike (the original). In addition to the cost of the bike, shoes, etc. to qualify for the 0% financing you need to commit to a 39-month class subscription of $39/mo. totaling $1,521. By my math the grand total over the 39-month period will be almost a $4,053 – $4,455 commitment when you add all the extras.
As I have mentioned over the past couple of years, the Peloton App grants gets you access to all of the incredible Peloton classes from your phone, tablet, and TV. Whether its a cycling, treadmill, yoga, cardio or core class, the flexibility is great. Here is an updated list of how to connect to the Peloton App.
This 8-week hybrid workout will help you mix up your workout and get your body in bathing suit shape.
Because I would never want to abandon my Peloton APP rides completely, I’ve created a Peloton, Insanity MAX 30, and LIIFT 4 hybrid workout calendar. This hybrid workout is not for the faint of heart but it’s a great action-packed workout in under one hour.
UPDATE: It is a doozy!