My Peloton Bike Alternative; A Great Money Saving Hack

The Peloton Bike! I saw the commercials and was hooked. Over 10,000 on demand group spinning classes right in the comfort of my own home? You mean I never have to find someone to watch my kids, get in a car and drive to the gym? A dream come true – sign me up! (Plus, I am assuming that it must come with a housekeeper because everyone’s homes seem so neat and tidy.)

Then I saw the price tag…almost $3,000 right off the bat when you add delivery, special shoes, a $468 yearly subscription, etc. Crikey! I wish I could afford it – I really do but I already have a graveyard of exercise gadgetry and workout DVDs in my house (do P90X and Insanity ring a bell to anyone?). I didn’t want to splurge on a Peloton bike only for it to gather dust in the corner like my old treadmill. What if I didn’t like it? What if I got bored of spinning after a few months? What if its screen stopped working – would I have to return the whole bike? For me and my track record, it was too much of a gamble and I needed to dip my toes back into exercise with a less expensive bike.

So what did I do?

After loads of research (Amazon reviews, fitness blogs, etc.) I created my own Peloton experience by using the Peloton App with a Sunny Spin bike and some simple alternative add-on gizmos. It saved me almost $2,400. So far it works great and I am really enjoying my Peloton workouts. In fact, I just celebrated my 250th ride on my Sunny. This is how I did it…

Wahoo Speed Sensor for Peloton; Setting the Right Circumference

Since publishing my original post about using the Peloton App without the bike, I frequently get asked where to place the Wahoo speed sensor on my Sunny bike and how to set the proper circumference.

This is how to do it…

Peloton Bike vs. Keiser M3i using the Peloton App; The Ultimate List of Pros & Cons

Hi Gang,

Its been almost two years since I started using the Peloton App with my Sunny Bike and my Wahoo cadence and speed sensors. What an amazing experience. I am in the best shape of my life and more importantly I have proven to myself that I have a passion for spinning – I am so happy with the variety of Peloton class options, have exercised my butt off and the bike didn’t turn into a clothes hanger.

Now its time for me to consider an upgrade. Why? For no reason in particular. My Sunny still works great. I just want to move to more of a commercial grade bike. I have stashed away $100 per month for the past two years and I am deciding between a Keiser M3i and of course, the Peloton.

After doing a LOT of research comparing and contrasting the two spin bikes – thought I would share what I found.

Using the Peloton App without the Bike; Everything You Need

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 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

How to Measure Resistance with the Peloton App

The most frequent questions I get about using the Peloton App with my Sunny Bike are about resistance. The questions generally go something like this:

How do I measure resistance on my Sunny?
Is there anything similar to the Wahoo cadence senso r that will measure resistance?
How do I convert Peloton resistance when using my own bike with the Peloton App?
Is knowing your resistance worth the extra money to buy the Peloton bike?
How do I convert Peloton resistance to my Sunny or Keiser M3i?

My answer is always the same. Let go of not knowing. Work hard. Get sweaty. Let your fitness do the talking.

I chalk it up to FOMO (fear of missing out). But if you absolutely, positively need to know your Peloton resistance, I have some advice:

What works for me?

Preload your Peloton App Classes

Great news. Peloton just announced that you can now preload classes with the Peloton App. This is great if you have WiFi issues (the dreaded buffering) or you want to take the classes on on the go.

Me, the Peloton App & My Sunny Bike; A Love Story (in video)

Hi all!

I get a lot of emails from folks that have read my “Peloton for Less” blog post with questions about the various bits and bobs that I use with the Peloton App and my Sunny bike alternative.

While I’ve included some pictures to my earlier posts, I thought it would be helpful to add a few videos of me on my Sunny 1509.

My 250th Ride Using the Peloton App; I Got a Shout Out!

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?!”

Wahoo Cadence & Speed Sensors with the Peloton App

Hi everyone,

I get a lot of email asking about the Wahoo cadence and speed sensors that I mentioned in my earlier “Peloton on a Budget” blog post so I thought I would write a post dedicated to all things Wahoo.

When taking a Peloton class, knowing your cadence number is a must. While riding, Peloton instructors shout out how fast you should be pedaling – this is what is known as your “cadence.” The actual Peloton bike and other bikes like the Keiser M3i display your cadence. For everyone out there using the Peloton App with a budget friendly bike (like me), you need to get a cadence sensor. But with so many on the market, its difficult to know what to buy.

The Latest Peloton App Updates; My Thoughts

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.