Here are my top five reasons why I prefer my Keiser M3i bike over a Peloton bike:
The most frequent questions I get about using the Peloton App with my Sunny Bike are about how to measure resistance. The questions generally go something like this:
- Is there anything similar to the Wahoo cadence sensor that will measure resistance?
- Should I buy these power pedals? (tip, these pedals are expensive but if you put them in your Amazon cart you will receive a notification when they run their flash sales where you can sometimes save up to 75%)
- How do I convert Peloton resistance when using my own bike with the Peloton App (conversion charts below).
- Is knowing your resistance worth the extra money to buy the Peloton bike?
- How do I measure resistance on my Sunny?
- How do I convert Peloton resistance to my Sunny, Keiser M3i, Echelon or NordicTrack?
- Why didn’t you just buy a Peloton?
My answer is always the same. Let go of not knowing. Work hard. Get sweaty. Let your fitness do the talking (and BUY THIS disco ball to bring some excitement to your workouts!). 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 with several resistance charts at the bottom:
What works for me?
I did it. I bit the bullet, gifted my Sunny Spin Bike (kitted out with Wahoo speed and cadence sensors) to a dear friend and bought a brand new Keiser M3i. It was a big purchase for me and I didn’t do it without a lot of research. I spent weeks deliberating between the Keiser and Peloton. They have very similar price points but in the end I chose the Keiser. Read on to find out why!
The 2nd most popular question I get (the first being about my disco ball) is about shoes and cleats. For the first couple of years after purchasing my Sunny I just wore my running sneakers and slipped my foot into the toe cage. It seemed fine and I was content but I did have a lingering curiosity. After 525 rides on my Sunny I upgraded to a Keiser M3i which, like the Sunny, had toe cages on one side of pedal but also allowed me to “clip in” on the other side. I finally took the plunge and bought some cycling shoes but holy smokes, the whole process was very confusing!! Only certain shoes are compatible with certain cleats that are only compatible with certain pedals. In fact, I initially even bought the wrong type. Ugh. It was like learning a whole new language! I thought I would share what I learned:
My readers are always on the lookout for a quality Peloton resistance conversion chart. A copy of a resistance chart to complete the “Peloton Hack” is probably THE number one request I receive. As I noted in my earlier “How to Measure Resistance with the Peloton App” post, the questions usually sound like this:
- How do I convert Peloton resistance to my Sunny or Keiser M3i?
- Is it worth it to buy these fancy power pedals (pretty cool, check them out!)?
- Is there anything similar to this Wahoo cadence sensor that will measure resistance?
- How do I measure resistance on my Sunny?
- How do I convert Peloton resistance when using my own bike with the Peloton App?
- Should I just give up on life and buy one of these? (Just kidding…)
Read on to learn more about resistance and see various Peloton conversion resistance charts for Sunny, Keiser, Echelon and NordicTrack spin bikes!
Hi gang,
Since upgrading from my Sunny to a Keiser M3i (after 525 rides, thank you very much) I started noticing people posting online these really cool looking graphs from mPaceline. Intrigued I signed up for the free trial and then moved on to the yearly plan (it was something like $25 for the year). mPaceline is a cycling and running workout App designed to help you visualize your exercise/training metrics. The App works best if you are taking spinning or running classes that provide metrics on your class performance. It’s primarily focused on individuals that own a Peloton Bike, Tread or owners of 3rd-party equipment that use the Peloton Digital App with attached power and cadence meters (like my Keiser).
Anyway, I started writing a post about all the things I enjoyed about the app but felt like I was falling short describing the awesomeness of this Peloton hack so I reached out to “RiderPaul”, the developer behind mPaceline, and asked that he author a guest post for my readers. I actually met Paul AFTER creating a dedicated mPaceline Facebook group after looking for some like minded users. Come join – it has grown very fast and full of tips, tricks and helpful advice!
Below, Paul provides some basic information about mPaceline as well as equipment advice for those getting started with Peloton.
Over to you, Paul: