When It Comes to SoulCycle At-Home Bike vs. Peloton, It's All About Preference and Cost
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Over the past year, the global pandemic forced many of us to embrace home workouts. And rather than ditching them to return to the gym, you might be looking to upgrade your home set-up to include a top-of-the-line indoor bike like a Peloton or SoulCycle bike so you can keep spinning and sweating in the comfort of your own home. If so, you’re not alone.
According to Peloton’s 2020 Q4 shareholder letter, home workouts skyrocketed in popularity, with riders averaging 24.7 monthly workouts per connected fitness subscription versus 12 in the same period last year. And, when the SoulCycle at-home bike launched in limited markets in early 2020, demand far outweighed forecast, forcing the company to accelerate their national rollout to meet that demand, a SoulCyle spokesperson told Bicycling.
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The cost of these popular bikes makes purchasing one a commitment, and the opinions of dedicated fans on both sides make it an even more difficult decision. To help you cut through the clutter, we break down the key differences between the two bikes based on cost, bike specs, what to expect from classes, and overall experience.
Why should you trust this comparison? Our editors have extensively tested the SoulCycle At-Home Bike, Peloton Bike, and Peloton Bike+. Our thorough reviews of each of those products (plus more research including insights gathered from Facebook groups and combing through Reddit threads for more feedback) are utilized here.
Cost of SoulCycle At-Home Bike vs. Peloton
First thing’s first: It’s an investment. You can do a few things to cut down on cost, but at the bare minimum, you should budget for a bike, a monthly membership, and shoes. The good news is, there are a few options at varying price points to choose from, and both SoulCycle and Peloton offer one-, two-, and three-year financing options for the cost of the bike purchase if approved.
SoulCycle At-Home Bike: $2,500, includes shipping and assembly
Equinox+ Membership Cost: $40/month + tax (free with active Equinox+ membership)
Package options include:
Soul Basics: $135, includes a mat, candle, and two hand weights.
Soul Fundamentals: $225, includes one pair of shoes, socks, a mat, and set of hand weights.
Soul Quintessentials: $375, includes one pair of shoes, socks, a mat, set of hand weights, and Jaybird wireless headphones.
Read our full review here Buy the At-Home Bike here
Peloton Bike: $1,895, includes a 12-month warranty, delivery and assembly
Peloton All Access Membership cost: $39/month + tax
Package options include:
Bike Essentials: $150, includes one pair of shoes, one set of bike weights, and headphones
Bike Works: $250, includes one pair of shoes, one set of bike weights, headphones, heart rate monitor, and bike mat
Bike Family: $450, includes two pairs of shoes, one set of bike weights, two pairs of headphones, two heart rate monitors, a bike mat, and two water bottles
Read our full review here Buy the Bike here
Peloton Bike+: $2,495, includes a 12-month warranty, delivery and assembly
Peloton All Access Membership cost: $39/month + tax
Package options include:
Bike+ Essentials: $200, includes one pair of shoes, one set of bike weights, and reversible workout mat
Bike+ Works: $300, includes one pair of shoes, one set of bike weights, bike mat, reversible workout mat, one set of resistance bands
Bike+ Family: $500, includes two pairs of shoes, one set of bike weights, bike mat, reversible workout mat, one set of resistance bands, yoga blocks, yoga strap, and two water bottles
Read our full review here Buy the Bike+ here
SoulCycle Vs. Peloton Bike Specs
The footprint of both the Bike and Bike+ is four feet by two feet (Peloton has a handy guide that outlines how to fit it in small spaces), with the Bike weighing in at 135 pounds and the Bike+ coming in at 140 pounds. The SoulCycle At-Home Bike is slightly bigger—roughly five-feet long and two-feet wide (to give you plenty of room for Soul’s famous on-bike choreography) and 142 pounds to keep it steady no matter how into the moves you get. So, when considering your purchase, think about the space you have and the types of classes you want to do.
Both the Peloton Bike and SoulCycle come equipped with stationary 21.5-inch touchscreens, which create an immersive studio-like experience, and the Peloton Bike+ features a slightly larger 23.8-inch rotating screen. This makes off-the-bike workouts, especially boot camp-style classes or post-ride stretching, easier to follow along with from a distance.
The handlebar height, seat height, and fore-aft of the saddle on all three bikes are adjustable, but the Peloton Bikes fit riders between 4’11” and 6’5” and up to 297 pounds, while SoulCycle supports riders between 4’10” and 6’10” and up to 350 pounds. As with many indoor cycling bikes, all three feature two water bottle holders in the front for easy access to hydration (necessary for any ride), and a spot for weights under the seat. However, the SoulCyle At-Home Bike’s weights are slightly more easily accessible in wire racks, versus the plastic Peloton weight holders.
Audio Features
In order to recreate that in-studio feeling at home, audio is a key component. If you live in an apartment, or just don’t want to bother others in your home with the noise of your workouts, you can easily connect wired or wireless headphones to both platforms.
On the SoulCycle Bike, you can adjust the volume on the touchscreen or via buttons on the side. It features 2X8W speaker with 15W woofer to immerse yourself in the music and beat-based choreography.
The Peloton Bike features 2x10 watt sound system, while the Bike+ boasts 4-channel audio with 2x3 watt tweeters and 2x10 watt woofers. This results in higher-quality audio, but if you plan to use headphones, the OG Bike audio suffices. Volume is controlled by buttons on the side. One nice feature of the Peloton Bike+ is the ability to adjust the volume of the music and the instructor—you can either choose to play the music or the instructor louder.
What to Expect On Each Platform
SoulCycle: Your metrics—cadence (rpm), power (watts), and distance (miles)—are provided at the top of the screen, but no resistance. You can call up a picture-in-picture view of a “form rider,” who will demo proper form and who you can follow along with throughout the ride as the camera pans from the participant to the instructor, who sometimes hops off the bike. During live rides, you can see what other riders are in the class and where they are located, but it’s not a metrics-focused leaderboard. If you don’t want to see any metrics during your workout, one swipe of your finger hides it all.
One added bonus of the SoulCycle platform is that you can connect your Netflix or Disney+ account and ride (and get a low-impact workout) while you binge your favorite show. Not interested in watching anything? You can also choose Free Ride, which provides elapsed time and metrics only and allows you to just pedal.
A potential negative is that you can only access SoulCyle classes on the bike, you’ll need a tablet, TV, or Smartphone to take advantage of other Equinox+ classes such as Rumble Boxing, Precision Run, and PURE yoga.
Peloton: Your metrics, cadence, power output, and resistance run along the bottom, while time shows at the top. If you take an FTP test within the platform, you will also see your FTP zones. On the left side, you can see music (what song is playing) and your HR zones if paired to an Apple Watch on Bike+ and the new Strive Score. On the right side is the leaderboard. All of these stats can be hidden from view.
For the competitive among us, there is a leaderboard of all-time stats as well as a “here now” view, which shows how your efforts compare to the metrics of people currently in the class. The Bike+ boasts a feature called Auto-Follow. While the Bike requires you to adjust the resistance by turning a knob, the new digitized experience on Bike+ allows you to opt-in to automatic resistance adjustments based on the instructor’s cues.
You can also conveniently cue up (almost) everything offered with your Peloton digital membership such as bike bootcamps, strength training, and yoga, right on the bike’s screen. Exceptions include outdoor runs/walks and treadmill runs.
One downside is you can’t use the bike for other entertainment options such as Netflix or Amazon Prime video. You can, however, opt to just ride (and watch something on a different screen in the room) or ride along real bike routes
To help you dig through all the options, both platforms have smart filtering tools that sort classes based on your interests i.e.: class length and music type, and you have the ability to preview class playlists before making your selection.
Class Comparison
This is what you’ll really want to think about when making your selection of SoulCycle vs. Peloton. Are you interested in SoulCycle’s cult-classic, beat-based rides or are you looking for more metrics-focused classes that include HIIT?
Like the platforms on most indoor cycling bikes, both SoulCycle and Peloton let you choose from on-demand and real-time rides, which typically range from 20 to 90 minutes, with shorter 5- and 10-minute warm-up, cool-down, or upper body-only classes also available.
SoulCycle: In general, this platform focuses on music, on-the-bike choreography, and positive vibes. During class, you’ll focus on cadence and resistance as necessary. The main focus of each class is following along to the beat of the music with choreography including tap-backs, push-ups, and on-bike crunches, and Soul’s instructors calling out motivational mantras. After your ride, you’ll get a summary of your stats including a beat-match score.
Peloton: In general, this platform focuses on more structured workouts like HIIT, climbing, low-impact (high cadence, low resistance), and even power zone rides based on functional threshold power. Instructors guide you through sprints, hills, and flat roads by calling out cadence and resistance metrics to hit. The classes also follow along with music, but the playlists are mostly there for energy, not necessarily to dictate the workout.
It’s worth noting that you can only access on-demand classes on the SoulCycle bike (some live rides are available for 24 hours), as the live classes are filmed in-studio with the on-demand rides having more of a produced feel.
All Peloton’s live classes are available on-demand shortly after the live ride. Peloton’s library offers a wide variety of pre-ride warm-ups and post-ride cooldowns and stretches, which aren’t offered on Soul’s platform. If you’re looking for the occasional beat-based class, Peloton also has a limited library of Groove Rides that follow the beat of the music and include choreography similar to that of SoulCycle, but there are few options relative to other class types.
Gear You’ll Need
Both bikes require a similar setup. They do come with clipless pedals which means you’ll need cycling shoes (both are compatible with look Delta cleats but Soulcycle will also pair with SPD cleats), a mat to set the bike on to protect your floor from any potential scratches from the bike and dripping sweat and light weights for workouts that include an arms portion. You’re also able to connect Bluetooth devices, such as heart rate monitors and headphones, on either platform if you want to be tuned in to your metrics or tune out your surroundings.
SoulCycle vs. Peloton, Which Is Right For You?
We’d love to give you the answer, but it honestly all comes down to personal preference. Consider your budget and the cost of each bike and accessories. You should also be honest with yourself about how often you plan to use it (once per week vs. five times per week results in a different cost per class), and who plans to use it. Households with multiple users will benefit most.
Then think about what style of riding is right for you. Are you a die-hard SoulCycle fan, ready to sweat and dance choreo to the rhythm in a dark room with a grapefruit-scented candle? Then the SoulCycle At-Home Bike is your vibe. Plus, SoulCycle guarantees delivery in one to three weeks.
If you’re more into metrics and competing on a leaderboard than beat-based classes or want the option of bike bootcamp classes, you’ll want to opt for Peloton. Peloton recently refocused efforts on production to improve bike delivery time with the purchase of PreCor, so you can currently expect to get a bike in under two weeks.
You really can’t go wrong with either bike—they are both sleek, sturdy, and will provide a great workout no matter your fitness level (plus take your home gym to the next level).
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