dmanthree

Just curious; how did you get the music onto the iPod without iTunes?

dmanthree

The benefit of controlling both the OS and hardware is becoming pretty obvious with Apple's move to their own silicon. Window on ARM is still a fantasy and available only via the early adopters/testers program. I've moved to an M1 Macbook and it's very fast, and really stable. Even Zwift runs perfectly on it. ;-)

msu2001la

I have owned a Peloton since 2020. My wife rides it. She loves it - does 4-5 classes a week and has been doing that regularly as a substitute to a monthly gym membership (which we both dropped in 2020). My wife has zero interest in riding bikes outside, even for casual/transportation, but definitely not for fitness.

I, on the other hand, have used "her" Peloton bike exactly twice. I actually kind of like it and the classes are a good way to get in a high intensity short workout, but I would much rather ride on Zwift (when I'm not riding outdoors). The Peloton bike is pretty nice and has a huge screen, but I find it frustrating that there's not more adjustments for the fit. I can raise/lower the seat and handlebars, but the only fore/aft adjustment is the seat, so there's no real way to adjust for reach, which feels way too short for me. I prefer the "virtual simulation" environment of Zwift, but I'm no stranger to spin classes and did many "back in the day" at my local gym as a way to stay in cycling shape during the winter, and I find the Peloton spin classes to be pretty good for what they are.

The Peloton was $1900. It's not cheap, but in the context of bike purchases I do not find this cost to be outrageous. For comparison, the core of my Zwift setup includes a smart trainer ($900), flat screen TV ($600) and Apple TV ($200). I also spent $300 on a rocker plate which was admittedly unnecessary. In the context of how much I spent on my current carbon fiber bike and carbon fiber wheelset, plus the many purchases of tires, chains, cassettes, computers, various "upgrades", etc I think the Peloton pricing is just fine.

The Peloton subscription cost is $40/mo, which is significantly more than $15/mo for Zwift. The subscription does provide access to a bunch of other classes (yoga, strength training, stretching, etc) that can be accessed from anywhere, and I do frequently use that, so there's some value in it for me there too.

Bottom line - Peloton isn't going to attract serious cyclists. They aren't trying to. Zwift isn't going to attract non-cyclists looking for a Peloton alternative either. They also aren't trying to.

genejockey 

Right. They're only in the same market if you define that market broadly enough.

PeteHski

Yeah, they are both in the "cardio exercise" market. They don't have much else in common to be honest. The standard Peloton bike is a manual gym style spin-bike. The Peloton bike+ has a bit more cross-over appeal with its accurate power measurement and ERG mode etc.

But if you are a cyclist looking to simulate real life cycling, then Peloton is not really an option. Likewise, if you are a gym rat looking to burn some calories then Zwift and all the associated hardware would be an unnecessary pita.

blacknbluebikes 

The Peloton stock chart is the most terrifying downhill ride in cycling history. I'd say January 2021 was "Mt. Ventoux radio tower." (is that Froome running on the side of the road?)

tempocyclist

Just googled their share price. Ouch! 😲

PeteHski

That's pretty much the story of all tech stocks on the US market. It's all gone right down the pan since November.