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:
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.
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!
I did it! 500 rides with my trusty Sunny Bike and the Peloton App (with the help of a global pandemic…). There were no shoutouts from the Peloton instructors, no balloons or fanfare but just a GIANT sense of accomplishment! I am SO happy to have hit this milestone. I am in the best shape of my life and have found a new community of friends along the way.
Now that I have hit the 500 ride milestone I have decided to upgrade my bike. My Sunny still works great but I have decided to buy something a bit fancier now that I have proven to myself that I am in this for the long haul. Believe me, the Sunny was well worth my initial investment – per my math, it came out to about $0.75 per ride! Not too shabby. Using your own bike with the Peloton App has a lot of advantages, price being one of them.
After a lot of debate between a Peloton and a Keiser M3i, please read on to see why I decided to buy the Keiser….
Since publishing my original post about using the Peloton App without the Peloton bike, I frequently get asked where to place the Wahoo Speed Sensor on my Sunny spin bike. And how to set the proper circumference.
This is how to do it…
I get a lot of emails asking me to respond with a simple list of all the bits and bobs needed to use the Peloton App with your own spin bike (meaning, without the actual Peloton bike). Well, in addition to replying to those emails, I thought that I would post my advice here, too.
Of course, my detailed review of the Peloton App with all the lovely pictures and videos can be found in my super popular Peloton Alternative post!
Here is my list
Very exciting news! I got my 1st shout-out from Miss Ally Love during my 250th ride with the Peloton App. I normally only take on-demand classes but with such a milestone, I rolled the dice, crossed my fingers and took a live class hoping to hear my screen name.
Half-way through the class, I was delighted to hear Ally exclaim, “MomJeans1973. 250th on the App. What’s up?!”
Peloton has made some awesome updates to its app and I want to share the news. There are new ways to display metrics, shout outs for at home riders, the ability to see and high five other rides and currently a 2 week free trial. Bottom line, the updates are fantastic!
If you read my earlier blog post about using the Peloton app with a less expensive Sunny bike, then you already know that I use a Wahoo cadence sensor and a Wahoo heart rate monitor to get my cadence and heart rate metrics. You can use the same sensor and monitor to view your metrics right on the app. Very cool.
Well, its been 6 months since I started my Peloton journey with my inexpensive Sunny bike and I could not be happier. I cannot say enough good things about the Peloton App.
I have lost weight, I am sleeping better than ever and I am much more energetic. The classes are interactive and communal but at the same time very intimate. Also, the instructors rock – they are very motivational, although I like some better than others.
I get a lot of email asking about how all the components of my “Peloton App Setup” are holding up so I thought I would post a review about some of the items that I recommended in my original post “My Peloton Bike Alternative; A Great Money Saving Hack.”
Here is what has worked well and what you can skip: