Everything You Need To Know About Buying a Peloton in 2023

Have you been curious about Peloton? We'll help you navigate the popular workout bike.

Mackenzie Biehl has a million reasons why it's hard to find time to exercise: She works 50+ hours a week in sales and marketing. She's a co-host for her local TV channel. She serves on the board of directors for The Alzheimer's Project. She runs a popular blog. And oh yeah, she has a toddler too. But none of those stop her from working out — or should we say, strapping in — thanks to her Peloton bike, an indoor spinning bicycle that allows people to live-stream workouts or choose from an on-demand list. It's a love affair that started when Biehl made the purchase in October 2018.

Related: Best Peloton Theme Rides

"It's a time-saver," she says of the 20-minute workouts she chooses to do 4x a week from the comfort of her own home. "It's hard to find an excuse for not walking 20 feet to work out. And once we clip in, we're three touches away from starting a workout."

Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, co-founder and CEO of HerCampus, can relate. She and her husband were gifted a Peloton bike as a joint gift from their parents for the holidays, a few months after they welcomed their baby daughter. "I used to love going to spin classes, but the time to get there, park, get into the studio, wait for the bathroom, make my way in and get my bike set up early enough before class starts, and then make my way out afterwards just isn't worth it to me anymore," she tells Parade.com. "I need to be as efficient as possible these days."

With a nursing baby, Lewis found the bike to be especially helpful as she dealt with questionable schedules most days. "I typically don't have a sense of my timing very far in advance since it depends on when the baby sleeps, or when she nurses," she shares. "Going for a short run used to be a way I could work out when I only had a little bit of time, but I had a lot of issues related to breastfeeding that made me unable to run comfortably this whole year so that wasn't an option." So the 30-year-old Newton, MA-based Lewis straps in three or four days a week, hopping on for a 15- or 20-minute class before getting ready for work, or before a call when she's working from home. "I get a great workout, rather than having to skip that day," she says.

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Other Peloton fans include celebrities like Hilary Duff, Ellen DeGeneres and Michael Phelps. "It's hard," DeGeneres revealed. "But I keep doing it because it's addictive! It's a fantastic way to exercise." With so much Peloton popularity popping up everywhere, we wanted to take a closer look at the bike and how it works. Here are the answers to the top questions about the bike:

Related: Best 30-Minute Peloton Rides

What are the total costs involved in owning a Peloton?

The cost of a Basic Peloton Bike is $1,445, plus $44/month subscription for unlimited live and on-demand classes. The Peloton Bike+, which includes a rotating screen and more speakers, is $2,495 plus the $44/month subscription. The Peloton Digital app is free to all Bike and Tread owners, or $12.99/month plus tax for non-Bike or Tread owners. It provides access to all Peloton content anytime, anywhere, on any equipment.

Related: Worried About the Peloton Pricetag? Here's How I Saved $1,680 With the Bowflex C6 Bike

Do you need to buy certain shoes for the Peloton bike, or can you wear any pair?

The Peloton Bike uses LOOK Delta clip-in pedals, so you'll need a pair of compatible cycling shoes to ride. If you don't want to use clip-in pedals, their customer experience team can help with alternative solutions. (See our recommendations for the best indoor cycling shoes.)

Related: The Best 20-Minute Peloton Rides

Do any accessories come free with the bike?

You can purchase sets of accessories (Peloton shoes, weights, headphones, or more) for extra costs (starting at $159), or you can purchase the accessories a la carte. See all the options and prices here.

How often are new videos uploaded?

Peloton produces up to 48 classes per day.

How many videos are there to choose from?

There are thousands of classes available in Peloton's on-demand library across cycling, running, walking, bootcamp, strength, cardio, stretching, yoga, meditation, outdoor, etc. There are 90+ live weekly classes to try.

Related: Best Peloton Meditations

What are the class durations?

Class lengths range from five minutes to 90 minutes.

How many calories can you expect to burn in one class?

Calorie expenditure varies and depends on numerous factors including a specific individual's age, height, weight and gender.

Related: Funniest Peloton Memes and Tweets

How many Peloton instructors are there?

There are 34 Peloton instructors. You can learn about them here!

Can you ride a Peloton bike while pregnant?

You should consult with your doctor or health care provider to determine what is safe for your individual circumstances, but Peloton does offer prenatal classes, including prenatal core basics and prenatal recovery rides.

Next up, here’s how you can save $1,680 on a Peloton bike. 

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