Ever been to a spin class? Me neither. All the yelling, am I right?! People love spinning, though. If you’re one of those people, this bike may interest you.
For starters, it’s basically like taking a spin class except you don’t have to leave your house. It’s my understanding that some popular spin classes fill up quickly, meaning you can’t get a bike. In this case, you’re using your own bike and the spin class is being broadcast live from a studio in New York.
Second, the live spin classes each feature a leaderboard that shows who’s pedaling the hardest. And if your friend has a Peloton bike, the two of you can use your bikes’ built-in webcams to taunt each other. If you have multiple friends with Peloton bikes, congrats! You run with a well-heeled crowd of in-shape people.
The webcam sits atop an enormous (by exercise equipment standards) 21.5-inch high-definition, sweat-resistant, Android-powered touchscreen that pipes in the live classes in real time. On-demand classes are also available so you can work out whenever you want, but the idea here is that the live classes will give you an extra jolt of motivation thanks to the instructor, the leaderboard and the live-chat features.
The bike itself features a magnetic flywheel (no bike chain), magnetic brakes (no brake pads) and is made of carbon steel – “the Peloton bike merges high-design with modern technology–and there’s nothing else like it,” says the company.
All the high-design, high-tech goodness doesn’t exactly come cheap: For early investors, the bike will cost $1,500 and up, plus shipping plus up to $39 per month for access to live spinning classes (early backers who put up at least $1,000 will get free classes for a year).
Yes, this is a Kickstarter project, so the company has to raise $250,000 over the next month in order for this thing to go into production. Delivery dates are being estimated for as early as November, but this is Kickstarter, where delays seem to be the norm, not the exception. Still, the bike looks cool, and I’m always looking for any excuse to wear my super-tight bike shorts (if you know me personally, you can’t un-see this image now – sorry).
The Peloton Bike: Bring Home the Studio Cycling Experience [Kickstarter via Engadget]