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.
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, etc. plus a $468 yearly subscription ($39 per month). Yikes! 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.
After loads of research (Amazon reviews, fitness blogs, etc.) I created my own Peloton experience by using the Peloton App with my own bike (a Sunny Spin bike) and some simple add-ons like Wahoo cadence and speed sensors. 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…
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?!”
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.
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.
Comedian Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) posted some absolutely hilarious tweets about the Peloton bike. I had to share!
I just streamed my first Peloton class today from their new London studio with UK based instructor Leanne Hainsby! She is super energetic, I love the accent and she is serious competition to knock Emma Lovewell, my current favorite Peloton instructor, out of the No. 1 spot. She also left me drenched in sweat. I look forward to taking many more classes with Leanne. This is all virtual, of course, I did not hop on a plane to Peloton’s London studio, although that would be nice. 🙂
It’s been just over 12 months since I started using the Peloton App with my own bike and I thought it was time to share an update to my original review. The post includes my interview with ABC News New York.
I am happy to report that with the Peloton App and my wonderful Sunny bike I have now lost 22 pounds, am fitter than I have been in years and am in a much better mood (according to my family)! The variety of Peloton spin classes is awesome, the instructors are great and all the other options the Peloton app has added over the past year like weight training, boot camp, ab workouts, meditation and yoga are simply amazing. I even think the production value is great compared to some classes I have tried on YouTube. Overall, super psyched that I “converted’ my Sunny bike into a Peloton.
If you are a first time visitor, my comprehensive review and step-by-step guide to my Peloton App alternative can be found in my original “Peloton for Less” blog post. It chronicles how I pined for a Peloton bike but after seeing the price tag how I MacGyvered (yes, that is a word) an alternative with my Sunny 1509, some Wahoo sensors, and other bits & bobs that make my method not only an absolute money saver but also turns me into a sweaty mess. This post is a scaled down summary of what has worked, what hasn’t and how everything is holding up after 12 months.
Have a I used the Peloton App every day for 12 months straight? Heck no! Life gets in the way (like sick children, work or deciding to stay in bed instead of working out). There have even been stretches where I simply haven’t worked out for no reason in particular. When there has been a lull in my routine I am happy that I am only spending $12.99 on the app and didn’t take the plunge and go all in with the expense of the actual bike and an additional $40 monthly subscription. I can’t imagine the guilt!
Christmas is right around the corner and I predict that the Peloton bike to be this year’s No. 1 gift for home exercise enthusiasts. Although, I don’t know how they will sneak it under the tree – it’s like those Lexus commercials with the car in the driveway with the big red bow…
Peloton’s annual Christmas commercial went absolutely viral. Check out these articles:
Peloton is undoubtedly the leader in the spin-at-home movement but as we know, not everyone can afford to buy a Peloton bike and then pay its $39 monthly fee. (I can’t, that is for sure but it would be the best Christmas gift to ever receive…as long at they also pay the monthly fee.) That is where the genius of their Peloton App comes into play. For only $12.99 per month, you can access all of the same live and on-demand classes on their own less expensive bike. If you follow my blog, I’ve been preaching about how great the Peloton App is for a while now. It’s amazing.
If you are thinking of giving someone an exercise bike this Christmas but can’t go all in with the Peloton, there are many other types of bikes out there that can be paired with the Peloton App. I tried a bunch before I bought my Sunny and here is what I found.
If this is all too overwhelming, head on over to my brother-in-law’s Alternative Christmas Gift blog for some weird and wild stuff!
So grateful to Nina Pineda and ABC News “7 on Your Side Team” team for interviewing me about my low-cost Peloton App alternative. It was loads of fun! In case you missed it, here is the short video of my 30 seconds of fame.