Peloton quality seems good. Not quite commercial spin bike quality but I expect it will fine for long term use one or more riders in a family. The pedals use an older Look cleat rather than typical spin bike cleats so make sure you order the cleats. The cleats work well with road shoes but not MTB shoes. I would love to see a dedicated topic on Nate’s view of the Peloton business model, but we can leave that for another day. I don’t think it really competes with TR.
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Consider getting TR for the training (and the awesome team of people), and Zwift to race or tackle “PRs” for diversity in motivation when you need it. Same setup, multiple options.
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I have been a TR user for around 2 years now and also had a peloton. I ended up selling the peloton for only a few hundred less than purchae price as I realized I was more of a structured trainer person and after a while I was tired of the instructors. I would rather look at bar graphs and watch netflix, amazon.
I think as most people have said it but I think they both can work for what you need depedning on what you want.
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Last update on this thread, then I’ll probably have 100 questions on TrainerRoad/smart trainer stuff in other topics.
I got my Cycleops H2 from my LBS. Had a great deal I couldn’t pass up. I had all intentions of setting it up on my full suspension MTB, but had kind of considered a road/gravel bike for a more permanent and efficient setup. Walked in and he had an entry level Giant ToughRoad in my size, prior year model, and gave me a steal on that! So now I’ve got a dedicated setup and a sweet gravel rig that I never thought I’d “need”. All in with the smart trainer, NEW BIKE, Apple TV, and some other various accessories, I’m still less than the cost of the Peloton!
Done a few rides on TR, Zwift, and trying out some free trials and various open-source tools. Pretty overwhelming the amount of apps out there. So far I really like the TR/Zwift combo (one on computer one on Apple TV). But the open-source tools definitely intrigue me as well. A bit harder to look at if you will, but packed with some really cool features (specifically Golden Cheetah and Maximum Trainer).
Thanks to @KRino for the one-month trial! I’m all set up to roll into the full year subscription when that’s up!
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That’s an awesome set-up! Love the paincave.
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Don’t forget a cooling fan, you will seriously want one in addition to the ceiling fan.
(Apologies if you already have one)
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Already have one on the way! Should arrive today.
An article from the New York Times in advance of Peloton’s IPO. 2019 revenue has more than doubled from 2018, but losses increased by about a factor of 4.
Reading the comment section was the the most interesting part as there seem to be very passionate Peloton users out there, at least among NYT readers. If one wanted the spin class experience, they could combine the Peloton iPad app, a top end trainer, and a decent bike that could also be ridden outdoors and come out ahead of a Peloton spin bike purchase. I guess that is too many decision points for some.
There’s a lot of truth to this, people don’t like to think much and I know decisions are overwhelming. And I think, generally, spin people don’t really want to be bike people, they’re happy in their little world.
Another vote for this.
Hmm… I don’t see how a $8000 road bike mounted to a smart trainer is cheaper than a $2000 Peleton. Anyway, riding TrainerRoad requires setting up your bike, putting wear on the chain… etc… whereas the Peleton is ready to go. Out of the saddle is just better on a Peleton because it’s designed for that; Riding a trainer out of the saddle it just awkward. Trainer Road is incredibly boring; How folks are able to stay on 1.5 to 2 hours; I’ve tried it, but in the long run, it’s way too monotonous. The Pelleton helps at least to mix things up a bit. The TR subscription is expensive when you consider that it’s $15 per household member, but all you are getting it a set of workouts to follow… instruction is very minimal and you have to read some text off the screen. With the Pelleton, you get real life instruction. The TR programs are all cookie cutter… nothing is taylors to yourself where the Peloton allows more freeform. On the flip side… I really do wish Peleton had more structured training options like TR. The main problem with TR is getting bored to death… and riding your expensive road bike indoors which is really designed for outdoors.
If you’re going to own a bike anyway because you love to ride, I don’t understand how you’d want a peloton along with it. That’s the disconnect. For most people here, it’s probably not an either/or. It’s probably Smart Trainer + Trainer Road + Zwift/Netflix vs. Peloton Bike + Peloton sub because they already own a (many) bike(s). JMO.
Similarly, I don’t know why I’d want a Wahoo smart bike unless all I planned to ever do was ride Zwift or TR.
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The reason is that I love to ride my bike outside with the moving air, scenery, sensation of speed… leaning around corners… the nimble responsiveness of the light weight carbon fiber frame… the smooth click of switching through the gears. All that is lost indoors… so, on the indoor trainer, you have noise, you have stress on your chain & drivetrain, you still need to add air to your tires, and the bike just doesn’t feel as solidly planted and comfortable indoors on a trainer as a Peleton… not to mention the extra time to remove the wheel, calibrate or otherwise set up the trainer… The Peleton is ready to go… all set up for you; and it’s silent and smooth. I really don’t like the lack of versatility with the Peleton though… for example, not being able to run trainer road etc… but it seems they make their money off the subscription and not the bike, so it is what it is. I really would love to try that wahoo bike and see how it compares.
Hey Joseph, WTTF!
TR gives you Highly detailed, tailored & structured training to make you faster on the same bike when you’re out on the road. Like most TR users I prefer to spend my cash on the best road/MTB/Gravel bike possible then add a smart trainer to give me the best of both worlds.
Some people prefer the gamification of training (Zwift) or the Peleton approach. Many people prefer a data driven, analytical approach to their training, which is why TR is so popular.
I think you do TR a disservice by referring to the plans as cookie cutter, try reading up on plan builder, or look in to the outdoor workouts options. You could also subscribe to the podcasts and get a real insight into the work and knowledge behind the plans that are available, it’s incredible how much carefully researched effort goes in to every part of the TR experience. But be careful, you may well get hooked on TR 
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I built my FTP to about 320 on Peleton, then I switched to Trainer Road. I did two 8 week sessions… The first, I completed with no issues, but when I took the ramp test for the second, I saw my FTP dropped and found I was less and less able to complete the sessions. By the end of it, my FTP had dropped to about 250. I’m not sure what the cause, but I am blaming the lack of coaching, lack of tailoring the workouts to what I need and physical state, and also extreme boredom. I have gone back to Peleton and my FTP has starting to go back up again, but I still have a lot of work to do. I’d like to give Trainer Road another try… you know, it what all the “cool kids” are doing, but it’s just not working and sooo boring and lacking in coaching. I have listened to the Pod cast quite a bit, but I still don’t see much quality coaching; how do you read your body, how to train certain muscles, what kind of training drills you should do in certain situations? They sound like athletes talking about themselves, but not trainers & coaches.
used beater bike: say $600 (if it’s for trainer use, all you need is something with shimano sora or some other low-end group on it).
powermeter: say $600
dumb trainer: $350
that’s a lot less than a Peleton, and you could ride it outside as a backup bike, to boot.
An FTP drop from 320 to 250 in something like 16 weeks is a dramatic decrease. Maybe in line with what I’d expect to see if someone stopped riding altogether.
How did you assess your FTP at 320 and what was your assessment result and methodology eight weeks later at the completion of your first block? Sixteen weeks later?
What plans/training were you doing for each of the eight weeks?
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How did you determine this FTP?
If you could complete the first sessions and DROPPED your FTP, the second 8 weeks should have been able to be completed.
Something is not lining up here. No matter what program you used, things are not lining up.
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You can replace this pair by a mid-range smart trainer for $600-800 and save even more.
I did the general build Mid Volume. I took the ramp test at the beginning to set the FTP to 320. The workouts were hard, but I completed everything including the 2 hour runs averaging 240 ish. Given I was completing the intervals and the longer workouts, I felt the FTP was pretty accurate. The rested for a week and took the next ramp test and got 250. I did not believe that it was accurate so I kept it at 320 for the next 8 weeks, but my ability to complete the workouts was declining… after the first few intervals, I could no longer sustain threshold for the duration. Definitely it was not doing nothing for 16 weeks… but my legs just felt burnt up, and I sense some loss of muscle mass; perhaps the 2 hour sweet spot runs were burning into muscle tissue. Not sure, but switching back to the Pelleton does seem to be helping me to rebuild some of that strength. I am setting my zones with an FTP at about 270 now and not really having any difficulty. Also, I’ll note that my average heart rate was indicative of the lower power… I just felt that my legs were cooked… but aerobic capacity to spare.