Peloton Live Spin Class
Discussion
So I was asked by a none cycling mate what this was all about as they are running saturation TV ads so , having an afternoon free, I contacted their UK operation. Now let me say from the outset this was purely a fact finding mission, I have no problem with the company, their products or marketing techniques. I just wanted to understand how it works.
Here is the first chat with a nice patient lady called Amanda:-
Amanda
We have over 10,500 classes available on demand
and we have over 25 instructors
Our subscription is £39 per month and gives you access to all our content
We offer 12-15 live classes daily which then gets added to the on demand classes. We also include beautiful scenic rides and off the bike workouts like yoga, strength & conditioning, outdoor running and stretching!
Me: is that 25 instructors in the UK? What size is a typical class?
Amanda
It total in the UK and US
We have between 800-100,000 members in a class
This is all online and you can stream a class from the UK live or on demand
Tell me what made you look into Peloton today?
Me: Your tv advert implies a very small class
Amanda
But you don't take the class in the studio, we film from the studio
You take the class online on your bike!
Me: yes but your advert shows the instructor talking directly to 2 users, how is that possible with 800 in a class
Amanda
If you do a live class the instructor can see who is online taking that specific class!
You can get a shoutout!
So if it is your first ride or 100th the instructor can see that
Me: Ok so how many users in a live class?
Amanda
Between 800-100,000
It varies a lot
Me: So your advert and the video that is playing on your website is a bit misleading
Amanda
I'm not sure I agree
But fair enough
This is the first time I am getting these questions actually
Me: Your advert plainly implies an almost one to one with the users and that cant be the case with a class of 800 to 100,000!
Amanda
Yes, we have between 800 to 100,000 taking the ride online at the same time all over the UK and the US
The instructor is in a separate studio filming live to peoples homes
I wanted to find out more about the interaction between instructor and those taking the class so went back for more chat:
Peloton
Hi! Can I help you out today?
Me: Hi a couple of questions
Amanda
Hi there!
Me: Does the bike support Ant+ sensors?
Amanda
It dose
Me: And does the instructor see the power etc
Amanda
You mean your power output?
Me: yes and heart rate
Amanda
No, only you
They can see if you are completing your first ride or 100
They can also see the leader board
But everything else is just for you
Me: Ah ok, at our local gym the instructors interact a lot with us, if someone is flagging they encourage them, if someone is struggling they sometimes suggest backing it off a bit, I guess your instructors can't really do that?
Amanda
They encourage all members!
But also that we are all different
Our instructors will encourage you to get the cadence to a specific number and change your resistance to get there
Me: I understand that but they do that as a group rather than individually telling me, 'speed up!'
Amanda
Correct
We are offering a solution for people to attend live classes from their homes
This is if you don't have time..
You have children
or there is no gym near you
Or you don't like to sweat next to other people
So I think I have it sorted; basically you sit on your bike at home watching an instructor, although they are live streaming the only interaction with the instructor is the possibility of a 'shoutout' so really you could watch an exercise DVD and get the missus to pop her head round the door once in while and give you a 'shoutout'
Has anyone tried one?
Here is the first chat with a nice patient lady called Amanda:-
Amanda
We have over 10,500 classes available on demand
and we have over 25 instructors
Our subscription is £39 per month and gives you access to all our content
We offer 12-15 live classes daily which then gets added to the on demand classes. We also include beautiful scenic rides and off the bike workouts like yoga, strength & conditioning, outdoor running and stretching!
Me: is that 25 instructors in the UK? What size is a typical class?
Amanda
It total in the UK and US
We have between 800-100,000 members in a class
This is all online and you can stream a class from the UK live or on demand
Tell me what made you look into Peloton today?
Me: Your tv advert implies a very small class
Amanda
But you don't take the class in the studio, we film from the studio
You take the class online on your bike!
Me: yes but your advert shows the instructor talking directly to 2 users, how is that possible with 800 in a class
Amanda
If you do a live class the instructor can see who is online taking that specific class!
You can get a shoutout!
So if it is your first ride or 100th the instructor can see that
Me: Ok so how many users in a live class?
Amanda
Between 800-100,000
It varies a lot
Me: So your advert and the video that is playing on your website is a bit misleading
Amanda
I'm not sure I agree
But fair enough
This is the first time I am getting these questions actually
Me: Your advert plainly implies an almost one to one with the users and that cant be the case with a class of 800 to 100,000!
Amanda
Yes, we have between 800 to 100,000 taking the ride online at the same time all over the UK and the US
The instructor is in a separate studio filming live to peoples homes
I wanted to find out more about the interaction between instructor and those taking the class so went back for more chat:
Peloton
Hi! Can I help you out today?
Me: Hi a couple of questions
Amanda
Hi there!
Me: Does the bike support Ant+ sensors?
Amanda
It dose
Me: And does the instructor see the power etc
Amanda
You mean your power output?
Me: yes and heart rate
Amanda
No, only you
They can see if you are completing your first ride or 100
They can also see the leader board
But everything else is just for you
Me: Ah ok, at our local gym the instructors interact a lot with us, if someone is flagging they encourage them, if someone is struggling they sometimes suggest backing it off a bit, I guess your instructors can't really do that?
Amanda
They encourage all members!
But also that we are all different
Our instructors will encourage you to get the cadence to a specific number and change your resistance to get there
Me: I understand that but they do that as a group rather than individually telling me, 'speed up!'
Amanda
Correct
We are offering a solution for people to attend live classes from their homes
This is if you don't have time..
You have children
or there is no gym near you
Or you don't like to sweat next to other people
So I think I have it sorted; basically you sit on your bike at home watching an instructor, although they are live streaming the only interaction with the instructor is the possibility of a 'shoutout' so really you could watch an exercise DVD and get the missus to pop her head round the door once in while and give you a 'shoutout'
Has anyone tried one?
Have a read of the following article - it would have answered many of your questions
https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15408338/bike-p...
edited to add - I only found this article after being pounded by the ads over Xmas & wondered what it was all about
https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15408338/bike-p...
edited to add - I only found this article after being pounded by the ads over Xmas & wondered what it was all about
Edited by J886ATV on Tuesday 15th January 17:16
To be honest you can't beat attending real Les-Mills sweaty classes with decent instructors.
Go regularly and build up rapport with the other students/instructors.
It breaks up the day and certainly wakes you up.
I've probably done about 150+ classes now at the local authority gym in Beverley.
Good crowd, some pleasant ladies and locker room banter.
Virtual or any form of online thing would bore me rigid.
Zero motivation and minimal calorie burn.. etc..
Go regularly and build up rapport with the other students/instructors.
It breaks up the day and certainly wakes you up.
I've probably done about 150+ classes now at the local authority gym in Beverley.
Good crowd, some pleasant ladies and locker room banter.
Virtual or any form of online thing would bore me rigid.
Zero motivation and minimal calorie burn.. etc..
peterperkins said:
To be honest you can't beat attending real Les-Mills sweaty classes with decent instructors
You so can, I much prefer my home gym setup.peterperkins said:
Virtual or any form of online thing would bore me rigid.
Zero motivation and minimal calorie burn.. etc..
Depends what works for you, although minimal calorie burn for online training? You’re talking bZero motivation and minimal calorie burn.. etc..
ks. Sufferfest, TrainerRoad et al will quite happily surpass a class.You might also what to have a look at the below link of what One Peleton tried against Shane Millar. The public backlash on twitter was quite funny.
https://road.cc/content/news/253747-indoor-cycling...
https://road.cc/content/news/253747-indoor-cycling...
bigdom said:
Depends what works for you, although minimal calorie burn for online training? You’re talking bks. Sufferfest, TrainerRoad et al will quite happily surpass a class.
I'm doing interval training on Zwift and agree - the entire point of the virtual software is that you can have a tailored built-in or completely custom program to work exactly how you require.ks. Sufferfest, TrainerRoad et al will quite happily surpass a class.Regarding Peleton - I read the Verge article a few weeks ago and it nailed it really. The average customer probably doesn't care that the hardware is incompatible with TrainerRoad/Zwift etc, because they have bought into the whole package.
Edited by Gareth79 on Tuesday 15th January 18:12
Well I have my Peloton arriving on Monday so i'll let you know how it goes. I also tried the treadmill in the US over christmas and its rather nice. When ti gets to the UK it would also be of interest to us.
The back story of this is that I have had gym memberships for years with at least 2 gyms; David Lloyd and Pure (total about £100/month). One at my office and one near(ish) my home. I was a competitive swimmer in my teens, played a good standard of rugby and golf and then broke my back. Since then my inherent fitness has got me by but 20 years after the break i'm a very solid 17st and really need to lean down as my back is becoming more painful.
I have always taken the view that if i am a gym member then i'll just automatically go but in reality I don't actually like the gym; particularly in Jan when the new joiners are all there. I would find every excuse for myself to justify not going and allowed this to go on for years. I will easily have covered the price of this bike and the treadmill in gym memberships and I can probably say if i've got to 3 figures between them in the number of times i've crossed their thresholds then I would be surprised. It's rather embarrassing really. It had to stop so I was looking for a change to make.
Anyway I do love spin classes and find they're the only ones that really get me working hard. The lack of impact is also appreciated. As mentioned we were in Houston over christmas and my wife saw the Peloton ad. She suggested that this could be what I was looking for so we went to the Peloton shop (there were two near us actually) and tried it out. I have to say that it's an extremely well put together thing. It's the Apple of home cycles and clearly generates the fanatical customers too! I genuinely believe I can get on the bike and do a class on a very regular basis. A 45 min class will mean 46 mins of my time taken up where its an hour and a half if was to go to the gym as a round trip. That does make a difference to me as i've already got a very busy work life and a wonderfully time-consuming 3yr old son!
So, the order is in and the bike arrives on Monday. I'll do my first class that evening and probably my second the following morning before heading to the office. I'll update on here on Tuesday when I have a chance.
Cheers
James
The back story of this is that I have had gym memberships for years with at least 2 gyms; David Lloyd and Pure (total about £100/month). One at my office and one near(ish) my home. I was a competitive swimmer in my teens, played a good standard of rugby and golf and then broke my back. Since then my inherent fitness has got me by but 20 years after the break i'm a very solid 17st and really need to lean down as my back is becoming more painful.
I have always taken the view that if i am a gym member then i'll just automatically go but in reality I don't actually like the gym; particularly in Jan when the new joiners are all there. I would find every excuse for myself to justify not going and allowed this to go on for years. I will easily have covered the price of this bike and the treadmill in gym memberships and I can probably say if i've got to 3 figures between them in the number of times i've crossed their thresholds then I would be surprised. It's rather embarrassing really. It had to stop so I was looking for a change to make.
Anyway I do love spin classes and find they're the only ones that really get me working hard. The lack of impact is also appreciated. As mentioned we were in Houston over christmas and my wife saw the Peloton ad. She suggested that this could be what I was looking for so we went to the Peloton shop (there were two near us actually) and tried it out. I have to say that it's an extremely well put together thing. It's the Apple of home cycles and clearly generates the fanatical customers too! I genuinely believe I can get on the bike and do a class on a very regular basis. A 45 min class will mean 46 mins of my time taken up where its an hour and a half if was to go to the gym as a round trip. That does make a difference to me as i've already got a very busy work life and a wonderfully time-consuming 3yr old son!
So, the order is in and the bike arrives on Monday. I'll do my first class that evening and probably my second the following morning before heading to the office. I'll update on here on Tuesday when I have a chance.
Cheers
James
It has, so far, raised from investors US$995m and, at the last fund raise round (Aug 18), was valued at US$4.15bn
AIUI it was a loss making concern at the last fund raise round
https://www.ft.com/content/c01d5252-96bb-11e8-b67b...
It is expected to do US$700m revenunes for it's year ending Feb 19 and is heading towards an IPO sometime later this year...
(zwift has raised US$165m so far)
AIUI it was a loss making concern at the last fund raise round
https://www.ft.com/content/c01d5252-96bb-11e8-b67b...
It is expected to do US$700m revenunes for it's year ending Feb 19 and is heading towards an IPO sometime later this year...
(zwift has raised US$165m so far)
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 17th January 21:32
JPJPJP said:
It has, so far, raised from investors US$995m and, at the last fund raise round (Aug 18), was valued at US$4.15bn
AIUI it was a loss making concern at the last fund raise round
https://www.ft.com/content/c01d5252-96bb-11e8-b67b...
It is expected to do US$700m revenunes for it's year ending Feb 19 and is heading towards an IPO sometime later this year...
(zwift has raised US$165m so far)
I expect they will sell it once it peaks with the early adopters and before it shrinks back, I love the presentation by over enthusiastic twenty somethings; live streaming exercise classes- we had that in the 70s, it was called television. On demand classes- yep had that as well in the 80s once VCRs became affordable. The only interaction that users get with the instructor is a 'shoutout' if it is their first or multiple of 100 workout. Other than that its like a Mr Motivator tape.AIUI it was a loss making concern at the last fund raise round
https://www.ft.com/content/c01d5252-96bb-11e8-b67b...
It is expected to do US$700m revenunes for it's year ending Feb 19 and is heading towards an IPO sometime later this year...
(zwift has raised US$165m so far)
Edited by JPJPJP on Thursday 17th January 21:32
Re-invent the wheel, dress it up with spin (sorry!) , attract investors to get it rolling (sorry again!) then flog it before it runs out of steam probably having never made a profit.
At least they seem to have a pretty good returns policy.
Do think long and hard about whether a top-end turbo trainer (Neo, Kickr etc) would be more flexible. You won't get the person in front of you like a spin class, but you might still get the same motivation with something like Zwift. Say £800 for the trainer and you'd have £1,100 to buy a nice road bike you could take out for a ride if you fancied.
Do think long and hard about whether a top-end turbo trainer (Neo, Kickr etc) would be more flexible. You won't get the person in front of you like a spin class, but you might still get the same motivation with something like Zwift. Say £800 for the trainer and you'd have £1,100 to buy a nice road bike you could take out for a ride if you fancied.
I bought a half decent exercise bike about a year ago and use it at least three times a week. I get a spin class up on youtube and find it really helps motivation so I completely get the Peleton concept and wouldn't dismiss it at all. I really look forwards to it and it must be good exercise as I'm far fitter when I go to the MTB trails.
Do let us know how you get on James, I'm tempted but not sure what it'll add to what I'm currently doing.
Do let us know how you get on James, I'm tempted but not sure what it'll add to what I'm currently doing.
Interesting thread this. I'm probably Peloton's target market because I migrated from spin classes to riding a road bike, then found a turbo trainer too much hassle (taking bike on and off, maintenance and wear, wife not able to use etc).
Unfortunately I think £2K plus a £39 / month subscription is too high a price point for most. I want to be able to train with power and for that to translate into results when I'm riding outside.
I didn't really explore Peloton at the time, but 6 months ago I bought a Wattbike Atom and am an avid subscriber to The Sufferfest (£1350 investment in the Atom, which could be resold fairly easily, £8 p/m for The Sufferfest apps). It's not without its minor flaws, but I've made good use of it so far and will keep on doing so over winter.
Interested to see how the chap who has ordered one gets on. Seems to be carving out a niche for those who want a spin class in their home and can afford it, but not really a cycling trainer per se.
Unfortunately I think £2K plus a £39 / month subscription is too high a price point for most. I want to be able to train with power and for that to translate into results when I'm riding outside.
I didn't really explore Peloton at the time, but 6 months ago I bought a Wattbike Atom and am an avid subscriber to The Sufferfest (£1350 investment in the Atom, which could be resold fairly easily, £8 p/m for The Sufferfest apps). It's not without its minor flaws, but I've made good use of it so far and will keep on doing so over winter.
Interested to see how the chap who has ordered one gets on. Seems to be carving out a niche for those who want a spin class in their home and can afford it, but not really a cycling trainer per se.
i stayed in a hotel in Dubai that had two in a small room next to the gym. I hadnt heard of it before but went on it 3 times.
thoughts:
its a spin bike, which isnt a real bike
the classes are ok, i did the 'pro' ones which had none of the waving your arms.
its better than a bike with zero interaction.
i have NO IDEA why you would buy this over a bike/turbo or a watt bike both linked to zwift.
C
thoughts:
its a spin bike, which isnt a real bike
the classes are ok, i did the 'pro' ones which had none of the waving your arms.
its better than a bike with zero interaction.
i have NO IDEA why you would buy this over a bike/turbo or a watt bike both linked to zwift.
C
Cycling training without power isn't cycling training, it is aerobic exercise. I get that.
I can't see what Peloton has that a decent (much less than £2k) spin bike and free youtube spinning videos has
But, if people are buying it and using it, I am pleased for all concerned.
Let us know how your first sessions have gone James B
I can't see what Peloton has that a decent (much less than £2k) spin bike and free youtube spinning videos has
But, if people are buying it and using it, I am pleased for all concerned.
Let us know how your first sessions have gone James B
JPJPJP said:
Cycling training without power isn't cycling training, it is aerobic exercise. I get that.
I can't see what Peloton has that a decent (much less than £2k) spin bike and free youtube spinning videos has
But, if people are buying it and using it, I am pleased for all concerned.
Let us know how your first sessions have gone James B
Peleton does have power (dont know how accurate) I can't see what Peloton has that a decent (much less than £2k) spin bike and free youtube spinning videos has
But, if people are buying it and using it, I am pleased for all concerned.
Let us know how your first sessions have gone James B
i have actually used this platform, and all it is a a spin bike, with a 21 inch ipad strapped to it and a subscription to their own training sessions.
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