If you aren’t pedaling the hardware, you may consider the Peloton subscription (which you likely already have on your tablet or phone) a sunk cost. If the companys original vision was to create an ecosystem where hardware drive software, then reality has changed. Is the digital experience compelling enough to stand alone?
That’s where definition of value comes in. Is the app worth it? It’s not necessarily about price tags.
How Much Is Peloton App Without Bike
Rethinking Peloton Without the Bike
What are you getting in exchange for the monthly fee? If you take away the bike, you’re left with a community and library of classes. Those who likes forced accountability through built-in metrics will miss them.
For others, this could be a nice complement to other workouts. Does the app provide a full solution or simply a pile of videos? That’s the idea behind their base plan, which they call Access ($29 per month).
The Access Plan Basics
That give you access to nearly everything. You can join cardio classes, meditation, strength training, yoga, and more. The great thing about this plan is that it’s all about volume, you have daily new content, and thousands of instructor available to you.
Most people will stick to this tier because the value is volume; you’re paying for daily updates and access to thousands of trainer. If you enjoy working out at home with just some dumbbells or taking walks in your livig room, this tier is the sweet spot. In other words, it’s a premium video library with some ability to get real-time feedback.
Upgrading to Peloton Plus
For an extra forty-four bucks per month, there’s Plus: that gets you access to some special programming and live fitness classes, something worth noting if you prefer the energy of working out alongside others in a studio setting. You get called by name; instructors can adjusts the pace at will. It’s all more direct, with a feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself.
That’s especially true if you’re someone who needs external encouragement to get moving. It is also something that makes the experience better even without a bike. For the most part, Access versus Plus is a matter of timing; do you want to work out as soon as there’s a class?
Or whenever it’s convenient for you? Another great perk of not having to have the bike to use the app are flexibility. It’s not like you’re tied to any one device or even place.
Flexibility and Discipline at Home
Want to do a yoga flow in the bedroom? Sure. Can you do a strength class in the kitchen?
Go for it. Run in the park? Why not?
The app will track your heart rate if you opt to wear a compatible monitor, but doesn’t requires that you do so. On the one hand, you have all kinds of flexibility, which means you’ll be able to mix things up. On the other hand, it also means you need to bring some discipline yourself.
You will need to builds your own structure when the bike isn’t dictating cadence or resistance. You can get the same quality from the content (production value, music and instructor) on whatever equipment you have. In fact, many cyclists prefers other types of classes even over cycling classes.
Community and Social Features
You don’t need a piece of Peloton hardware to get an effective yoga workout with Ally Love or a strength session with Ross Edgley. Both of those modalities work equally well in the app as they does cycling, and perhaps even better if they shed that bias towards cardio. The app-only experience does retain community elements, you can participate in challenges, send kudos to friends and view their workouts.
If your friends is using bikes, though, and you’re not, you’ll only get a glimpse of some of the more detailed data points that they’ll see (cadence and output versus duration and possibly heart rate). Depending on how much you care about competition, this might not matter all that much, but it’s something to keep in mind. The social aspect remain, but with less detail for app-only user.
Final Verdict on Subscription
So in conclusion, yes, the Peloton app without the bike is indeed a real fitness device, and no, it’s not a watered-down version of the complete package. Rather, it’s a totally separate thing that you’re paying for instruction and content instead of metrics. For two bucks less per month than Netflix, the Access plan at 29 dollars represents a solid bet if you can get your lazy ass to strap on some headphones and get moving.
The bike is the accelerator; the app is the engine. You don’t necessarily need to run the engine by itself, but it’ll do just fine. It should of been noted that the subscription is actualy worth it.
Even if you dont have a moddern bike, it feels luxurius. Naturally, this plan works better then others.
