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Peloton S-1

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Re: Peloton S-1

#171

Post by jacobjuul »

uptown wrote: post #106
SCAQTony wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps a better investment would be to buy a road bike for $2,000. Spend $245 on a trainer and gear. Finally, get the subscription to the classes, and now you have both Peleton classes and a road bike.

Perhaps. How do road bikes on trainers handle out of saddle riding? Many spinning classes involve out of saddle riding.

Modern trainers handle it just fine. I used to be a professional cyclist and would log about 20 hours inside/week during winter.

You can also get a roller with resistance, that is probably the best investment I ever made.

For people in the US I recommend http://www.insideride.com/ and in Europe the equivalent is this: https://www.elite-it.com/en/products/home-trainers/rollers/q...

Re: Peloton S-1

#172

Post by reitoei »

pattisapu wrote: post #168
thrav wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“You can do everything an iPod can do with a _____ for a fraction of the price.” I can’t even remember what the competitors were, because none of that matters if it’s not effortless to use.

I was a naysayer about smartphones/iPhones -- why would I want all these things globbed into one thing instead of my beautiful modular setup now? Here, too, I thought -- it's an Android tablet bolted to an exercise bike. Not saying that either the Peloton or the iPhone were epoch-shattering brilliances. Just noting that, as you suggest, sometimes putting together things that used to be separate is, well, a good and u…

It's all about the experience. Same as all early Apple "i" products... the same tech was already out there, Apple just polished it way better than everybody else.

Re: Peloton S-1

#173

Post by michaelt »

thrav wrote: post #166
pattisapu wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have it and I like how the whole package works together -- in particular, how certain teachers are very careful to show how to keep good form for your back etc. When I see a guy on the same exact machine as me, showing bad form like a slightly curved back or whatever with the heels, and then correcting to the proper form, referencing the same bike, on a giant Android tablet in front of me, that is very helpful. And…

“You can do everything an iPod can do with a _____ for a fraction of the price.” I can’t even remember what the competitors were, because none of that matters if it’s not effortless to use.

An exercise machine that's effortless to use, you say? :-p

Re: Peloton S-1

#175

Post by michaelt »

gamblor956 wrote: post #47
Alex3917 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the surface this is basically the Juicero of fitness equipment. If you want a good piece of workout equipment, buy a Concept2 erg. If you want a bike, you can get a carbon-frame bike for the same amount of money and then just get a trainer for it. Ostensibly there is zero reason for this to exist. The one argument in its favor is that youth sports are usually very heavily subsidized by masters sports. So if you we…

This is nothing like Juicero. Peloton addresses two real needs in the exercise marketplace: home-based classes, and high-quality exercise machines. It simply combined both into one product. There is huge demand for the former, especially from white-collar workers with high demands on their free time, and a a fair amount of demand for the latter. At $2000, a Peloton bike is $1000 to $2000 cheaper than the cheapest car…

  At $2000, a Peloton bike is $1000 to $2000
  cheaper than the cheapest carbon-frame
  bike I could find on Google
That's pretty weird because I get "13 of the best carbon fibre road bikes - from £599 to £10,000" [1] ($732 to $12,200) as the first Google result for "carbon-frame bike"

Unless of course you're ignoring every sub-$4000 bike as "bad cheap carbon" but that's not what your post says :)

Of course, if you're buying a bike exclusively to use on an turbo trainer, I'm not sure I see the logic to getting a carbon frame anyway - it's not like the weight or bump handling makes any difference.

[1] https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/254002-13-best-carbon-f...

Re: Peloton S-1

#176

Post by goatinaboat »

slap_shot wrote: post #36
jimbob45 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like you're onto something. They take an iPad, slap it on an exercise bike, and charge $2000 for it. I could do that for the cost of the parts. The only thing protecting their business model is their exclusive patent on the idea. Perhaps the patent system is what is truly at fault here?

Comments like this remind of the top comment when Dropbox was announced on HN[0]: "For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software." No, it isn't just an ipad slapped on an exercise bike. And…

The HN crowd is spectacularly ill-equipped to understand Peloton. It’s an actual physical product! Used by people who exercise! A business model that doesn’t involve evading regulation nor stealing personal data!

Nah it’ll never catch on /s

Re: Peloton S-1

#177

Post by piva00 »

haser_au wrote: post #147
scarface74 wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re assuming that people who buy a Peloton want to ride outside. Also, half the purpose of Peloton is the tracking and app integration.

No, some people have $2,000+ road bikes that have never seen the road or been outside. They just set them up on a trainer with sensors ([1][2][3]) in their living room. [1] https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/tacx-vortex-smart-... [2] https://www.99bikes.com.au/accessories/indoor-trainers/smart... [3] https://www.pushys.com.au/accessories/stationary-stands/smar...

No idea why they would spend US$2,000+ on them, most of this price is for improvements on weight and drag reduction, if you aren't moving the bike then there isn't really a point. Except for the wheels and tyres as rolling weight has some impact on your pedalling, I really don't understand.

Re: Peloton S-1

#178

Post by Traster »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #134
gniv wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's exactly why bubbles form and lead to economic cycles: people get too confident and overextend themselves. In this particular cycle, more companies seem to be using this profitable business model: charge huge margins for your product and sell it on credit. Bikes, SUVs, higher education (phones, too, but that's not new). When the economy hits a blip -- say, due to a trade war -- people start losing their jobs, d…

> people get too confident and overextend themselves. It sounds like you are stereotyping Peloton purchasers into one group, then assuming that the majority of them can't afford nice things. What if you look at it from the flip side and say "people buying $2.4k in-house bikes have a lot of money and all is well in the world"?

People with lots of money don't buy on credit because the credit is expensive. So it really comes down to whether most purchases are on credit or not. US consumer debt peaked in 2008/9, dropped until 2014 and started rising again - it's now higher than 2008/9.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-consumer-debt-is-now-br...

Re: Peloton S-1

#179

Post by mtberatwork »

gamblor956 wrote: post #67
Alex3917 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bikes are usually 20 - 35% off when the next years models come out, which e.g. is this week for Cannondale. You can easily get a carbon Synapse for less than 2K from almost any bike shop that sells them, or even REI. It’s an endurance bike, but for doing low cardio you wouldn’t necessarily want a race bike anyway.

You can easily get a carbon Synapse for less than 2K from almost any bike shop that sells them, or even REI. True, REI has the Synapse on sale for $1700 right now not including delivery. Once you add a trainer of the equivalent functionality as the Peloton trainer, you're looking at $2500 spent. Add in a screen, and you're looking at $2700 for a small screen or $3500 for a similar-size screen as on the Peloton.

But when you decide to join your local cycling club or even get outside for a spin, you are good to go with the Cannondale ;) ... not so much with your stationary Peloton. Also, the highest priced CycleOps trainer on REI's site right now is $420. So $2120 with trainer...as for the screen, most people buying carbon road bikes and trainers probably already have a working flat-screen to spare.

Re: Peloton S-1

#180

Post by dillonmckay »

pattisapu wrote: post #167
pattisapu wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have it and I like how the whole package works together -- in particular, how certain teachers are very careful to show how to keep good form for your back etc. When I see a guy on the same exact machine as me, showing bad form like a slightly curved back or whatever with the heels, and then correcting to the proper form, referencing the same bike, on a giant Android tablet in front of me, that is very helpful. And…

Okay, my grammar still sucks. But anyway, let's talk more about form, in language as in life. In my 20s I had injured myself several times, from lifting and running around Ann Arbor. After one extreme and almost paralyzing injury I went to a neurosurgeon. The neurosurgeon gave me the choice of surgery or strengthening my core and perfecting my form in exercises going forward. Fancy exercise stuff is cheaper than surg…

A bike that goes nowhere is much safer than the alternative, in the US, at least.
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