The Real Cost of the Peloton
Like anyone who’s going to spend over $1,000 on something, I did my research before getting my Peloton to figure out exactly what the bike and membership to stream classes on it would cost me. The home fitness giant makes it clear on Peloton’s website: the base bike costs $1,445 , while the Bike+ costs $2,495 . An all-access membership costs $44 per month, and shipping and installation were free. However, there are other costs associated with a bike that I didn’t consider before I got mine.
Peloton’s Additional Needs and Costs
Even though I teach cycling, I have always hated cycling shoes. I don’t like getting the pedals in and out, and I don’t like the feeling of being tied to them in just one place. I prefer to have a strap that covers my regular sneakers, and every bike at every gym I’ve ever taught or taken a class at had pedals with clips on one side and straps on the other. This is not the case with Peloton, which has small pedals that can only be used with clip-on shoes. I discovered this the first night I got the bike and was disappointed, but after losing all that money earlier in the day, I didn’t want to buy the shoes that the company sells separately for $125 . Luckily, any Delta compatible cleats will work with the bike, so I ordered a pair of cleats from Amazon for $40; Overall, you’ll likely spend between $39 and $55 on the shoes if you don’t already have a pair of Delta bike cleats.
This price isn’t too steep, but if you also hate cycling shoes, this could be a bigger issue that you need to keep in mind, especially if you’ll have multiple users on your bike, each needing a different shoe size.
I also noticed that my bike wobbles a bit on uneven floors, which is more noisy than destabilizing. I bought a cheap pad from the dollar store to put under the front of the bike and that solved the problem temporarily, but long term you should put a mat under the bike to protect the floor. Peloton sells one for $75 ; Amazon sells similar ones for about $30 .
Finally, Peloton offers a number of classes that use hand weights, and the bikes come with small holsters for them, but those also cost extra. In this case, it’s probably best to buy branded ones to make sure they fit perfectly in the holster. The last thing you (and your floor and surrounding valuables) need is unsecured loads during a hard ride. Light weights cost $25 .
Other Peloton Accessories
When you make a big purchase, you want to get the most out of it and really savor it. Peloton offers a variety of accessories to make cycling more fun and efficient. They are optional, but tempting:
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A cycling desk that lets you watch shows or work on your computer while you ride, like this one for $59.99.
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A small fan that attaches securely to your handlebars and keeps you cool, like this one for $28.49.
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A phone holder (because there’s really nowhere to put your phone on a Peloton), like this one for $12.99.
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A swivel screen mount that allows you to adjust your view, for example, for $32.99.
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A more comfortable seat if the standard one doesn’t suit you, like this one for $33.99.
Peloton Total Costs
I ended up spending about $50 on extras for my bike, which isn’t that big of a deal in the long run, although I could (and should) have spent more (and still could). Depending on how often you plan to use yours and what you want to do with it, you could end up spending a lot more than you originally expected. Once you get yours, spend some time keeping track of how often you use it and what problems you encounter before purchasing a whole host of accessories and goodies for it in advance.