One of the reasons Peloton bikes are so popular is that they’re more than an exercise machine: They’re a lifestyle. Unfortunately, this particular lifestyle also costs a pretty penny. What if you don’t have upwards of $1,900 to spend on exercise equipment? You can save money by choosing smart alternatives.
The Best Features of Peloton Bikes
Peloton-style bikes are sleek, stylish and state-of-the-art. Four main features make this type of equipment stand out:
Virtual classes: One of the biggest things that makes Peloton bikes popular is the online experience. You can access live group workouts, exercise to awesome videos, hang out with friends in a virtual community and follow your favorite instructors. And let me add that you can do it all in your pajamas.
Touchscreens: An essential part of the Peloton experience is a touchscreen that lets you interact with content as your working out. Most people use this to follow virtual instructors or imagine they’re mountain biking in the wilderness. This working mom may or may not secretly use it to watch Netflix and burn calories at the same time.
Ride customization: This part is pretty unbelievable. Some Peloton-style bikes control the way your workout feels as you’re riding. Online instructors may even be able to tweak these settings for the group. Let’s say you’re taking a virtual mountain biking class. As you “climb,” the bike makes you work harder for it, and “going downhill” gives you a chance to rest.
Fitness apps: At first, an exercise app doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. It may not take long before this is one of your favorite features, however. Keeping track of distance, speed, heartrate and other stats helps keep you motivated. You can see how active you’ve been today, this week, this month and this year.
Before you go shopping for a Peloton or similar exercise bike, take some time to think about which of these features is most important to you. That way you get a killer exercise option for less.
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My 3 Favorite Alternatives To Peloton Bikes
Choosing high-quality exercise bike alternatives can save you a LOT of money. They're not a Peloton, but they offer most of the features of one. Here are my three favorite options in a nutshell:
Bowflex C6: This bike has no membership requirement. You can use online workout apps and classes from YouTube for free, or sign up for whatever fitness subscription you want. Plus, solid quality for a budget price is hard to resist.
Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX3: What helps you save money here is that you can use your own tablet instead of buying a special touchscreen. With a $1,040 price tag ($1,400 with subscription), you’ve just saved almost $1,000.
ProForm Studio Bike Pro: With this option, you pay $39 monthly for a subscription but get the bike for free. It has all the top-tier features you expect, including adjustable touchscreen and resistance control. The catch is you have to keep the subscription for three years, bringing the grand total to $1,400 (still less than $1,900). If you can only afford to pay a little each month, this is a great solution.
Connected bikes are an awesome solution for helping busy moms stay in shape. You get a whole-body workout with on-demand virtual classes at any time of day. There’s no searching online for exercises or scheduling dance classes ahead of time. You just hop on the bike, turn on the screen and start burning belly fat!