Using The Peloton App Without A Peloton Bike (My Fitness Journey | Part 2)

(If you missed “Part 1” of this post from last week, hop back here and catch yourself up!)

This post was originally published in the spring of 2021. It’s now the spring of 2023 and I’m STILL obsessed with my Peloton “Dupe” Bike! So, I wanted to update a few things and re-share this post!

**As of January 2024, Peloton has changed their app and how it operates. I wrote an entire update HERE**

I had always heard about “spin” classes and was always intrigued by them. However, there was no way in the whole entire world that I would ever have just gone to an in-person spin class. Something about it really fascinated (but let’s be honest: terrified) me though.

So in December of 2020, when I was looking for a way to get back into exercising, I decided to look into getting an exercise bike.

To Peloton Or Not Peloton – That Is The Question

Of course – there is one name in the game when it comes to exercise bikes: PELOTON. So many influencers talk about their Pelotons and how much they love them – but let’s be honest: they are way out of my price range.
The basic Peloton bike is currently priced at $1445 and the Bike+ starts at $2495.
Peloton is obviously the biggest name in the exercise bike game, but there are a lot of new “versions” that have recently surfaced (playing off of the grand success of the Peloton) – I’ve seen advertisements for the NordicTrack, MyXFitness, and Echelon – and I’m sure there are more!

But, here is what has always made me interested in the Peloton “world” – not only is it an amazing piece of exercise equipment, but you get literally thousands of live and on-demand classes to go along with it. Talk about never getting bored.

From all of their advertisements (and I promise, after you read this post, you’ll suddenly have Peloton ads coming out the wazoo), you would simply assume that in order to utilize the amazing library of classes, that you had to have a Peloton bike. No Peloton bike = No Peloton classes. But: SURPRISE! That isn’t true at all!

Somewhere along the line, I had seen someone mention (very quietly and just in passing) that it was possible to use the Peloton app separate from the Peloton bike. I decided to do some research and lo and behold, you could!

My Setup

So, I went ahead and created my “home gym” with a little help from Amazon. This is exactly what I bought:
The Sunny Health and Fitness Magnetic Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Bike with 44 lb Flywheel and Large Device Holder, Black, Model Number: SF-B1805
For underneath the bike, I got:
Supermats Heavy Duty Equipment Mat 13GS Made in U.S.A. for Indoor Cycles Recumbent Bikes Upright Exercise Bikes and Steppers (2.5 Feet x 5 Feet) (30-Inch x 60-Inch) (76.2 cm x 152.4 cm)
And lastly, I grabbed this to guide my rides within the Peloton app (more on this in a minute):
Wahoo RPM Cycling Cadence Sensor

From there – I simply downloaded the Peloton app onto my iPad and I was ready to ride.
Literally, it is that easy.

How To Pimp Out A Basic Bike

Since the bike I purchased is pretty basic – I purchased the Wahoo RPM Cycling Cadence Sensor as an add on. To be honest, I used the bike for about a month before I bought the cadence sensor and even after I pressed the “order” button, I still truly wondered if I needed it.
After several months (and now 2+ years) of using my bike plus the cadence sensor, I must say, it is a fabulous little add on!

There are two basic terms that cycling instructors call out: “cadence” and “resistance”. “Cadence” is simply how fast you are peddling, while “Resistance” is how hard it is to peddle (like going up a hill vs. peddling on a flat road). On a fancy, Peloton bike, it tracks both of these metrics and gives you your numbers on your screen. However, since I did not buy a Peloton bike, I do not have those metrics for me to see.
Adding the Wahoo RPM Cycling Cadence Sensor solves half of that problem. Once you have it set up and paired to the Peloton app via bluetooth, your cadence number will appear on your screen.
As far as resistance? After a few rides, I began to get a feel for what the different numbers “felt like” and I’ve simply gone off of that.

Tips and Tricks and Advice

Find and follow a good guide in setting up your bike
I did not do this at first, I simply hopped on the bike, made sure I could reach the pedals, and off I went. And that’s how I ended up injuring my back and in so much pain that I could barely move the Monday before Christmas in 2020. Thankfully, our chiropractor got me in and he was able to fix me right up. He couldn’t say for sure that it was my brand new bike that had caused my problem (I had been riding consistently for almost 3 weeks by that point), but it sure seemed likely.
Don’t let this potential outcome scare you though! Just, learn from my mistakes.
After taking some time off and making sure I was good and healed, I followed this YouTube tutorial on how to set up the bike properly and haven’t had a single issue since.

Make sure to stretch before and after each ride
I do a few stretches on my own before each ride and then I take a 5 minute post-ride stretch class on the Peloton app after each ride. That stretching has made all the difference in the world for me! I’m rarely so sore that I can’t walk after getting off the bike – even after a super intense HIIT ride – and I attribute all of that to stretching!

Instructors I love
Bradley Rose, Hannah Corbin, Jenn Serman, and Denis Morton are my absolute favorite cycling instructors (and I’ve taken classes by every instructor at this point). If you are new to Peloton and not sure where to start with your bike – I’d start with a class by one of these instructors! Of course, everyone loves something a little different and every instructor presents themselves and runs their classes differently – after a few rides, you’ll quickly figure out who you love and who you’d rather pass on (that’s the beauty of the Peloton app!)

Find the right time of day
I love a good routine and feel like my day runs best when we nail that routine. I have two kids – ages 8 and 4 – I homeschool my daughter, I run a full-time wedding photography business, I help my husband with his business, along with all the other things that come with being a stay-at-home wife/Mom – in other words: I am busy.
In other words: finding the right time to exercise is half the battle.
I’ve tried several different times of the day, but ultimately have discovered that first thing in the morning is the perfect time for me. My children are fairly early risers – they typically get up between 6:30-7am. While they are capable of entertaining themselves in the morning while Mommy’s exercising – I prefer to exercise while they’re still sleeping. This means that my alarm goes off at 6am every day. Does it always work out perfectly? No. In fact, just this morning, Leander decided to wake up early, so they both ended up on the 3rd floor with me, while I was finishing my class, fighting over a toy. So, it’s not perfect, but we make it work.

Tips for using the iPad
If you are using the Peloton app on an iPad (like I am), just know that when you rotate the screen from horizontal to vertical, you get a slightly different experience. Different options are presented – you can see who you are riding with and their top tags, different metrics on your ride, as well as give high-fives easier depending on if you are watching horizontally vs. vertically.
It literally makes me laugh out loud over how long I used the Peloton app before I realized that switching the orientation of my screen would present me with a slightly different experience. So, don’t be like me – try using your iPad both horizontally and vertically to figure out which orientation you prefer!

Setting up your Cadence Sensor
If you get a cadence sensor – and specifically the Wahoo RPM Cycling Cadence Sensor that I have – please note: You need to turn your iPad upright (vertically) in order to set it up. I didn’t know this and I was convinced that I had gotten a defective sensor because I could not get it to connect (until about an hour of frustration later, I happened to turn my iPad upright and was suddenly presented with the menu to connect it). It’s such a silly thing (and hopefully it’s something that gets fixed soon), but until then, just know that the only way to connect your cadence sensor for the first time is to utilize the menu that only shows up when your iPad is upright.
Once you’ve connected it – it should automatically appear every time you begin peddling and taking a class (if it doesn’t, there is an option on the right side of the screen to “show” the cadence metric).

The Cost
Peloton offers a one-month free trial in order to use their app. After that, the cost for someone who does not have a Peloton bike is $12.99 a month (as of the date that I am writing this post).
Honestly, that is a fantastic value for everything you have access to within the app. Look at it as a gym membership (only better, because you can access and use this membership from the comfort of your own home. No showering off in the gym showers after a sweaty workout – YES!)

Other Accessories I Use
Two other things I have that I’ve found helpful along my exercising way:
Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness Tracker (I love my Fitbit! I love the accountability it adds to my life in the form of it’s step-counter. I can easily glance down and see how active I’ve been that day. I love that my text messages show up on it (freeing me from always feeling like I need my phone in my pocket) and I love that it’s waterproof! I’ve worn mine through plenty of waterparks!)
Arboleaf Digital Bluetooth Smart Scale (Derrick and I have had the same super old, super cheap scale since we got married and I knew it didn’t work properly. So, I grabbed this scale based off of it’s super great reviews and we have loved it so far! It tracks so many metrics: body fat %, body type, visceral fat, body water %, muscle mass, bone mass, BMR, BIM, metabolic age, as well as body weight. It’s been a super handy tool to use to track progress!! Plus, it links easily to my Fitbit – so win-win!)

Are these things necessary? Nope! But are they helpful? Yep!

Here’s the Bottom Line:

If I’ve learned anything about exercise, it’s that you have to find something you love. Maybe “love” is too strong of a word – you have to find something you enjoy, or at the very least, you don’t hate.
For me? After trying to be a runner for years, I finally came to the conclusion that I simply hate running. It’s not for me! I never found that magical “runner’s high”, I would get bored so easily, and I simply did not like it. Which, is simply a recipe for failure. I’m never going to commit to something long-term that I hate – that just doesn’t make sense! Sure, I can power thru for a certain amount of time, but eventually it just is not fun any more.

Knowing this: it just makes me even more excited that I discovered cycling! Because I really enjoy it! Using the Peloton app means that it’s always different, it keeps me engaged, and I never quite know what I’m getting myself into.

If you have any questions I can answer for you – feel free to drop them in the comment box below!
And if you join Peloton (or are already a loyal Peloton user) – find me and let’s be friends! My username is karabbey.

*This post contains affiliate links. Making a purchase from a link within this post will not add anything to your purchase, but it will provide me a small kickback!