Mrs. NMH bought ours about a year and a half ago. She is an avid cyclist, but between kids, jobs, and the fact that we can't really ride outdoors for 4-5 months of the year where we live, she was looking for a way to get on the bike more.

First, I will concede that the marketing is slick, and the price tag makes this not for everyone.

Second, comparing this to the average stationary bike in your local gym, or the one you might have collecting dust in your basement, is not even close to a fair comparison. This is a top-of-the-line spin-bike with a good flat-screen monitor attached. That certainly accounts for much of the purchase price. The more relevant comparison is to attending spin classes. For us, Peleton is much better because (a) we pay one fee per month for all of us (me, wife, daughter) to take unlimited classes (versus each paying for each spin class); and (b) we don't have to leave the house.

Probably the most important aspect for me is that the Peleton actually got me on a bike. I had an old road bike and a newer mountain bike that I rode pretty infrequently, in part because I could never get my legs in cycling shape. With Peleton, you get a variety of instructors, class lengths, music styles and ride types, all on-demand. You also get gamification - in-ride leaderboards, monthly challenges, tracking personal bests - that absolutely works for me. In fact I even saw another rider on the leaderboard in my ride just this morning with a v-sabre avatar, and you can bet I started working harder. The instructors and gamification cause me to work WAY harder than I ever did on an ordinary stationary bike. All of this plus the not-having-to-leave my house part and I'm finally now on a bike a few times a week, and way more inclined to get out and ride outside when the weather is good. I even did a 30-mile charity ride last fall, that I never would have dreamed of signing up for in the past.

If you're a super self-motivated cyclist, love the the social aspect of live spin classes (I'm a misanthrope), are on a tight budget, or have no real interest in cycling, then it's not for you. But it's been an amazing purchase for our family.

Also, the original twitter images were hilarious.
[Post edited by North Main Hokie at 02/01/2019 09:30AM]