A few months ago my wife and I bought a new Treadmill. We did some shopping around and decided to go with a Peloton Tread. Below is my full review of the Peloton Tread.
At first we were really turned off by the subscription model for the classes and thought that we would just enjoy the scenic runs. But boy were we wrong. Once we got the the treadmill and started using it, we found that the classes were great. The were super motivating and entertaining.
The Tread Itself
The Peloton Tread is very different than any treadmill that I have ever used before. I’ve been a runner (although a slow one) for a long time. I’ve even written a couple of books on running. I used to hate the idea of a treadmill and would much rather be outside running. When you have kids, sometimes you just can’t get outside and run. This treadmill has a 32″ screen that sits right in front of your face. When the classes start, it actually feels like the instructor is in same room as you. The tread is also a slat tread which is completely different than the rubber band treads that I was used to. So instead of having a piece of rubber that moves around a stationary and bouncy base, the Peloton Tread has 59 solid slates that move around the tread making it feel more like running outside.
I did some searching for slat treads to see if I could find any other treadmills with them for a better price than the $4k price tag of the Peloton, but I could not. Running on a slat based treadmill is way closer to being outside than a standard, bouncy rubber band tread.
The Treadmill has rolling nobs on each side, one for speed and one for incline so you can spin them to adjust your speed or incline. There are also “jump buttons” in the middle that either increase the incline by 1% or the speed by 1 mph, making it fast to go from your jog to your run.
The Screen is pretty amazing. It’s 32″ big and right in your face. Before I tried it out for myself I thought that it was just a bit overkill. But now after using it, I couldn’t imagine using anything smaller. Having the big screen gives you the feel of being fully immersed in the run. If you’re doing a scenic run, you feel almost like you’re outside. If you’re doing a class you get the instructor right there with you. The screen also shows the song that’s playing, all of your run stats (calories burned, speed, pace, incline, PR, etc.) and a leaderboard so you can high-five others virtually running with you or try to compete agains those who have ran this class before.
Classes
I’ve never been one for classes. I kind of though fitness classes were a joke and for the weak-minded, but now that I’ve tried them, they are be far my favorite way to run on the treadmill. The classes are absolutely like Netflix for fitness. You can search for classes by activity (yoga, bootcamp, running, stretching, walking, cardio, strength and more!), duration, music genre, instructor, difficulty level (beginner, intermediate, advanced), type (intervals, speed, hills, fun-run, and more!).
The classes are fun, the instructors are great and they are motivating in a way that isn’t annoying. There are for sure some instructors that you like more than others, but that’s true with anything in life. But I’ve tried many of them out and there aren’t any that I don’t like. With literally thousands of classes to choose from and more everyday, you will never get board.
Scenic Runs
In all fairness I almost never use the scenic runs. But there is a mode where you can choose from almost anywhere you could imagine and go for a run. The runs appear to be made by either a walker or biker using a gimbal to get relatively stable footage of a path or trail through mountains, beaches, forests, city streets and more. These are sortable by location as well as by duration. Just recently I did a 15 minute one scenic run as a recovery run through the mountains.
The App
I use the Peloton App on both my iPad and iPhone. I love that I can go back and track my progress, see how much better I’m running now that before. I’ve also casts my workouts (when not running) to the TV so I can do strength training as well. The app is also good for traveling on the go. There is also audio only running classes so you can do your Peloton run class outside when the weather is nice. Click here to download the Peloton App.
Discounts
Use my referral code for $100 off of accessories when you buy either a bike or tread.
Get $100 off accessories when you buy the Bike or Treadmill using my referral code: JDT2MK
https://www.onepeloton.com/referrals/JDT2MK/social-share
Other Referral Codes and Discounts can be found at https://www.wethrift.com/peloton