Peloton Bike+ review

A swivelling 23.8 inch screen and a rep tracker, against a subscription that outlives the hardware discount.

The verdict: The Bike+ is the best executed class bike on the market and the argument against it is arithmetic: the membership costs about six hundred dollars a year forever. Buy it if instructor led classes are what makes you train and the whole household will use one membership. Skip it if you are a cyclist training for outdoor riding, because a smart trainer under your own bike costs a third as much and puts you in your own fit.

Best Class Bike

Peloton Exercise Bike+, indoor stationary cross training bike

~$2,695

An indoor cycle with a 23.8 inch full HD swivel touchscreen, a custom workout generator, Live Rep Tracker using movement tracking and personalised weekly plans through the All-Access Membership.

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Specifications

Spec	Detail
Screen	23.8 inch full HD swivel touchscreen, 360 degrees of movement
Tracking	Live Rep Tracker using the movement tracking system
Workouts	Custom Workout Generator building sessions around goals, schedule and starting point
Membership	All-Access Membership at $49.99 per month
Content	15 plus workout types including cardio and strength

Specifications above come from Peloton's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

The swivel screen turns the bike into a base for strength and yoga, which is what makes one membership cover a household's whole training rather than only the cycling.
Class based motivation genuinely works for people who do not respond to a training plan, and consistency beats optimisation.
The Bike+ is well engineered and quiet, with a belt drive and magnetic resistance that need almost no maintenance.
Automatic resistance in classes removes the fiddling that stops people following an interval structure on a manual bike.

Where it falls short

Six hundred dollars a year of membership does not stop, and after five years it exceeds the price of the bike.
The bike's saddle and fit are not your road bike's fit, so it does not prepare you for a long outdoor ride the way a smart trainer does.
Its power figures are its own. They are consistent and they will not match a power meter on your bike, so do not carry an FTP between them.
Hardware depends on the company continuing to support it, which is a real risk with any screen based connected machine.

What owners report

Published owner reports are strongly positive about build quality, quietness and the class experience. Households report that one membership covering several people is what makes the cost defensible.

The consistent criticism is the subscription and what the bike becomes without it. Reports from cyclists frequently note that they moved to a smart trainer once they started training for outdoor events, which is a useful signal about who the product is genuinely for.

Who it suits

People who need instructors and a class schedule to train consistently.
Households where several people will share the membership.
Anyone who wants a self contained bike with no setup and no bike of their own.

Who should skip it

Cyclists training for outdoor riding, who need their own fit and their own power numbers.
Anyone unwilling to pay a subscription indefinitely.
Riders who already use Zwift or TrainerRoad, where a trainer or a Keiser costs less and does more.

Alternatives worth considering

For Real Cyclists

Wahoo KICKR V6 Smart Indoor Trainer

~$849

A third of the price, and it puts your own bike and your own fit under you with resistance accurate to within one percent. You supply the bike and the app subscription, and you get numbers that transfer outdoors.

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No Subscription

Keiser M3i Studio Plus Indoor Bike

~$3,490

Eight hundred dollars more up front and nothing per month. A commercial bike that broadcasts standard Bluetooth and ANT plus data to any app, with no screen and nothing that can be discontinued.

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Common questions

Is the Peloton membership worth it?

It depends entirely on whether the classes are what makes you train. At $49.99 a month it is roughly six hundred dollars a year, and it does not stop. For a household where several people ride, that is defensible. For a solo cyclist following a training plan, it is money spent on content that goes unopened.

Peloton Bike+ or a smart trainer?

A smart trainer puts your own bike, saddle and fit under you and produces power numbers you can carry outdoors. The Bike+ gives classes and needs no bike. If you ride outdoors, the trainer is the training tool. Our Peloton versus Wahoo smart trainers comparison covers it directly.

Does the Bike+ power match my bike's power meter?

No, and you should not expect it to. Every indoor bike calculates or measures power its own way. Keep separate FTP figures for indoors and outdoors rather than trying to reconcile them. Our FTP calculator works from a test on whichever machine you are actually using.

What happens if I stop paying?

Peloton states the membership unlocks the content and applicable features, so the practical answer is that you keep a well built stationary bike and lose most of what you paid for. Factor that into how you value the hardware.

Is it good for cycling fitness?

Yes, for aerobic fitness and leg strength. What it is less good at is preparing you for the specific demands of riding your own bike outdoors: position, handling, and sustained steady efforts rather than class intervals. Our smart trainer versus spin bike comparison covers the difference.

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This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.