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Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

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Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#251

Post by elzbardico »

brailsafe wrote: post #235
dlp211 wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You aren't just buying an indoor "replacement" of an outdoor activity. You are also purchasing a coach/work out buddy. It's this latter part that is the differentiator between a normal indoor trainer/treadmill and what Peloton sells.

Right, because treadmills are exactly a boring replacement for an outdoor activity, and you need to augment that to convince people it's different and you should consoom their version.

They may be boring for you, because you have your own experiences, your own inclinations, your own way of seeing stuff.

It's perfectly reasonable to believe that there must be people for which treadmills are incredible.

I like riding and running outside, sometimes really early in the morning when the sea is good for surfing. But I can understand people who would consider the few miles I have to run or ride to the beach utterly boring to ride or run a few days a week.

Other than the different asshole drivers trying to kill me from time to time, there isn't much variety in my outside rides tbh. I can understand someone preferring riding a Peloton bike under nice air-conditioning, with their favorite music in the background, under the watchful eyes of their cat, while watching they kids playing outside.

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#252

Post by jankyxenon »

mysterydip wrote: post #123

Does anyone here actually use Peloton equipment? My spouse wants one of the bikes but I'm wary of having a subscription to a company with questionable future longevity.

Try to do a live spin class if you're not sure. Barring that - ride a spin bike.

It's about as engaging as indoor cardio can be, but if indoor cardio is highly objectionable or boring for someone it's hard to get over that.

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#253

Post by jankyxenon »

iamricks wrote: post #149

I got downvoted the other day for calling Peloton a Ponzi scheme, look at the "TROUBLING INSIDER SELLING AND PLEDGING" slides and the quotes like "We have built a team that I believe is ready to run a $500 billion company. Pick a number. A FAANG-style leadership team" that the CEO was making.

You have to be clear if you're talking about Peloton as a financial investment or as a consumer product.

As a product - there's real value there. If it's been oversold as an investment, that's a different issue.

But millions of people are willing to pay $1000+ as an initial investment, then $40/month into perpetuity. With presumably good gross margin on both.

That's a good business

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#254

Post by jankyxenon »

klelatti wrote: post #54

Open question. How easy would it be for Apple to build a Peloton competitor from scratch? Are there any real barriers to entry?

The barriers are the investment in diverse, engaging instructors and developing a well integrated product.

Neither are insurmountable for Apple, but then really given the amount of cash that Apple has - very few businesses are out of reach for them.

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#255

Post by jankyxenon »

muh_gradle wrote: post #112

A lot of Peloton in the news lately. Is there anyone that owns a Peloton machine that can comment on what they like and dislike about Peloton? Have you guys noticed a decline in the product, software, classes?

I'm a satisfied customer - one of my favorite products. Based on that I would assume there's a solid business here. Did the valuation get too far from fundamentals - I dunno and I don't care as long as they stay in business.

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#256

Post by mikestew »

kawsper wrote: post #236
spookthesunset wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends on the climate of where you live. Some places just don’t have the right kind of weather year round.

What weather would make your bicycle unrideable? I can only think of heavy snow if you don't have fat tires, or maybe sun and 40+ degrees celcius.

PNW black ice. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I ended up on the ground with torn tights and a bleeding elbow, wondering what the hell just happened. Now if it is between 30F-39F, I’ll just skip that ride.

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#257

Post by 908B64B197 »

ranrotx wrote: post #193
shmatt wrote: post #191

The fact is. Not every company can be a $12B company. Peloton might be a super successful $1B company, who slowly tries to creep into new areas for growth. And it sounds like Blackwell understand this, and instead of pushing for Peloton to focus internally on its product and get rid of the extra fat, they want a fast sale to a not-really-smart company. So they can at least get some ROI People talk about monthly fees…

Their apparel brand is a joke. It’s run by Foley’s wife. Unless I messed something, what experience or qualification does she have in apparel? Never mind the fact that I’ve maybe seen only 3 people in the real world wearing anything that is Peloton branded (no, the free Century t-shirt doesn’t count). Personally, I find their apparel to be a little loud and obnoxious, but that’s just me. As a consumer, I don’t see wh…

Apparel makes sense.

It’s very high margin and the company is in a great position to market to fitness conscious people. But I don’t see it ever being more than a side business.

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#259

Post by CamperBob2 »

brailsafe wrote: post #238
Larrikin wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dislike running outside and live somewhere that is freezing cold almost half the year. I use my treadmill daily. Even if I'm not doing a proper guided run workout, I'll just hop on the treadmill and walk for a couple hours while watching TV instead of just sitting on the couch. It's easily the best purchase I made during the pandemic. I'm not convinced the expensive peloton machines are worth it, but I'm rarely goi…

Well, that's more or less what I was saying in a sense, though I'm a little surprised that anyone would prefer that experience to running outside, supposing it wasn't mid-winter. I personally would prefer to spend the money on snowboarding or something, or living somewhere without winter, or somewhere more interesting to run, but I'm sure there are circumstances that you favour living in that place for.

It sounds like you're fortunate enough to live in an area with good outdoor air quality. There are many places where aerobic exercise without a good HEPA filter in the room with you is almost certainly a net negative for health and longevity.

Also, as others have suggested, Peloton is really a social network... or at least they should think of themselves that way, if they want to make money. Arguably they shouldn't be in the hardware business at all. They are trying to run two radically different businesses, each of which is hard enough on its own.

Re: Peloton – A call for action [pdf]

#260

Post by cercatrova »

dustymcp wrote: post #209
DrBazza wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it seemed more like a niche product Yes. The Peloton 'model' reminds me of the gym model, at least in the UK. You always get a bunch of people sign up in 'fat' January for 12 months. They go to the the gym for a few weeks and stop. But continue paying £50pm or whatever for the next 11 months. Peloton feels similar in that people are made to want the shiny thing in the TV adverts, find that they don't have a room wi…

Being a cyclist All my life i never understood those bikes you dont get fresh air or the navigation fun of finding new ways to explore :)

It's right there in your house, you can hop on and hop off whenever you want, you don't have to finish your trip like with a regular bike where you'd have to bike back home. Lots of reasons, primarily being the convenience of it.
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