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Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

montemagno.com

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Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#11

Post by koolba »

johnold wrote: post #7
robot12345 wrote: post #3

I wonder why author didn't just bought dumb trainer and put the daily bike on it getting same opportunities but riding the bike he has used to? Cyclists typically do that.

That’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing. Why aren’t people just getting bikes and then putting them on trainers? You can get the whole trainer workouts and still have a bike that you can ride outside.

> That’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing.

The short answer is that people are idiots. The same people that spend thousands on a Peloton are the ones that previously were spending comparative amounts at “spin classes”, which are nothing more than riding a bike while someone yells at you. At best, it forces them to do the workout so they don’t feel like their money is being wasted.

I’ve long proposed a fitness program where you pay some exorbitant fee, say $500/month, to work out alone and you get a rebate for each workout. I bet it’d have incredible results.

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#12

Post by mikestew »

wittyreference wrote: post #8
johnold wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing. Why aren’t people just getting bikes and then putting them on trainers? You can get the whole trainer workouts and still have a bike that you can ride outside.

I don't know about what the Peloton experience is like, but: My bike is on a trainer, and I see the following down-sides: a) My bike on a trainer is really loud. Can't do it early; can't do it when the baby is sleeping, etc. b) It's a moderate pain in the ass to hook and unhook. Not a huge pain in the ass, but I certainly didn't do it any time of the year it was feasible for me to bike to work. c) It's dirty. I mean,…

Additionally, I think folks are assuming that you're the only cycling nut in the house. If there are two or more, then an easy-to-adjust bike is essential. If you think your non-mechanically-inclined partner is going to grab a hex wrench every time he wants to hit the "trainer", you will be sadly disappointed. Hell, if you think I, who used to be a bike mechanic in his misspent youth, am going to grab that hex wrench you'd be sadly mistaken. You stick a road bike on a trainer, and there will be exactly one person that ever uses it.

Summary: a dedicated indoor bike immensely reduces the friction of getting a ride in.

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#14

Post by mikestew »

koolba wrote: post #11
johnold wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing. Why aren’t people just getting bikes and then putting them on trainers? You can get the whole trainer workouts and still have a bike that you can ride outside.

> That’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing. The short answer is that people are idiots. The same people that spend thousands on a Peloton are the ones that previously were spending comparative amounts at “spin classes”, which are nothing more than riding a bike while someone yells at you. At best, it forces them to do the workout so they don’t feel like their money is being wasted. I’ve long proposed a…

The short answer is that people are idiots.

They can be at times. Often they'll make it obvious by asking questions like, "why don't they do it the way I think it should be done?"

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#15

Post by wittyreference »

platelets2020 wrote: post #10

The author conveniently left out the cost of the tablet, which is included in the Peloton price. Adding the tablet pretty much doubles the cost of this "DIY build".

Not if you already have a tablet or smartphone. Which, you know... probably most people in the "looking for an indoor cycling bike" market do.

Never mind that even if they didn't, purchasing an ipad that you occasionally stick on your bike is still a far, far higher utility than a tablet affixed to your bike that only works for biking. Those are not of equal value.

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#16

Post by JamesMontemagno »

platelets2020 wrote: post #10

The author conveniently left out the cost of the tablet, which is included in the Peloton price. Adding the tablet pretty much doubles the cost of this "DIY build".

Hey there! Yeah, that is a good point for sure. I would say though that while I already owned the tablet it would also work just fine with any smart phone. That is a good cost and could be considered.

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#17

Post by JamesMontemagno »

robot12345 wrote: post #3

I wonder why author didn't just bought dumb trainer and put the daily bike on it getting same opportunities but riding the bike he has used to? Cyclists typically do that.

Good question! I have in the past put a trainer on my road bike. They are a bit pricey for decent ones and when I tried them in the past I just really didn't like it as much. I also didn't like putting on and off trainer.

That said I really bought this setup as a spin bike for spin classes. Which to me I don't want to put stress on my road bike and I want that resistance in the fly wheel.

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#18

Post by JamesMontemagno »

platelets2020 wrote: post #9
m00x wrote: post #2

Great DIY project. It's definitely missing some of the Peloton features like Wattage metering and he didn't include the tablet in the price. With the 6-8 weeks delivery estimates for Peloton, it's definitely worth the build.

DIY project? He purchased a brand new, off the shelf spin bike and put a cadence sensor on it. I'm not sure when it happened, but the bar for saying things like "built" has become so low that we get titles and "projects" like these.

I guess I consider it DIY as it is combining the Bike, Tablet, and Sensor together instead of buying an all in 1 package that restricts you to a specific service.

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#19

Post by wittyreference »

koolba wrote: post #11
johnold wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing. Why aren’t people just getting bikes and then putting them on trainers? You can get the whole trainer workouts and still have a bike that you can ride outside.

> That’s what I don’t get about this whole peloton thing. The short answer is that people are idiots. The same people that spend thousands on a Peloton are the ones that previously were spending comparative amounts at “spin classes”, which are nothing more than riding a bike while someone yells at you. At best, it forces them to do the workout so they don’t feel like their money is being wasted. I’ve long proposed a…

Do you think that working out entirely alone vs. with a trainer is the same thing? Do you think there are some people that would derive a differential benefit by going with one vs. the other?

Do you think that working out entirely alone vs. with a group is the same thing? Do you think there are some people that would derive a differential benefit by going with one vs. the other?

Do you think that emulating being with a group would have value for those that would otherwise value working with a group?

Do you think that anyone who falls into the "works out better with a group and a trainer, or an emulation thereof" must be an idiot? Or do you think that category simply doesn't exist?

From my experience in competitive powerlifting, working out by myself, working out with others, working out with a coach, working out with an app yelling at me, are all very different endeavors, with different outcomes. Maybe I'm just an idiot.

Re: Building a $400 at-home DIY spin bike for Peloton and Apple Fitness+

#20

Post by daniellarusso »

platelets2020 wrote: post #9
m00x wrote: post #2

Great DIY project. It's definitely missing some of the Peloton features like Wattage metering and he didn't include the tablet in the price. With the 6-8 weeks delivery estimates for Peloton, it's definitely worth the build.

DIY project? He purchased a brand new, off the shelf spin bike and put a cadence sensor on it. I'm not sure when it happened, but the bar for saying things like "built" has become so low that we get titles and "projects" like these.

At least it was not a ‘life hack.’
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