Here's how I've been taking Peloton spin classes at home without paying for an expensive Peloton bike!
I have been going to spin classes for a few years now and LOVE it. I was even able to spin through most of my pregnancy and then picked it up after I recovered from giving birth. Getting a #Peloton bike was so tempting when my local gym dropped their spin classes. They still kept very basic spin bikes in a studio so for a while I used the Peloton App ($12/month) and used my gym's bikes. This is the most affordable way to use Peloton workouts but the major down fall was that the bikes I used did not measure resistance so I really just had to gauge how hard I should be riding.
Why I chose and IC4 Over a Peloton Bike
If have looked into purchasing a Peloton bike, you will find that in your first year of owning one, you would spend at least $1,895 on the bike itself ($2,495 for their new model), an additional annual cost of $468 for the Peloton All Access Membership (required for bike owners, $39/moth), plus $25 if you'd like their lightweight dumbbells. This totals to at least $2,388 for the first year of owning a Peloton, or $2,988 for the new model. In comparison, if you go with the Schwinn IC4 bike like I did, you will spend $899 on the bike itself plus about $156 on the Peloton app ($12/month, first 30 days free) that you would use on your own device which the Schwinn bike will connect to via blue tooth. The total IC4 cost for your first year would be $1,055, with dumbbells included. That's at least $1,330 less than the Peloton in the first year, or $1,933 less if you were wanting the newer Peloton model.
One of the deal breakers for me in choosing the Schwinn over the Peloton is that Peloton's display and entire bike is wired to only connect to Peloton services and you pay MORE than double the price for the required Peloton All Access Membership compared to just the Peloton app. If anything ever happened to Peloton as a company or if at some point you wanted to stop paying the monthly membership fee of $39/month, my fear would be that I was left with a bike that was completely designed and connected to only function with Peloton. On the other hand, the Schwinn IC4 was designed to be compatible with the Peloton app and other apps and can be connected to you own device, including your smart phone. The Peloton app connects to my iPad or phone and works great for me! And I can move the iPad off the bike when I want to do a post-workout class on the Peloton App or when I take a spin class that requires cross training off the bike, such as the Peloton Bootcamp classes (I highly recommend!). The base Peloton bike model comes with a display that does not move, the new model turns 360 degrees.
If you decide to go with a Schwinn IC4, you most likely will have to calculate how your bike's resistance compares to a Peloton in order to use the Peloton App more seamlessly.
The Peloton app easily detects and displays your IC4's cadence, how fast or slow you are pedaling. So when an instructor says, "Pick your cadence up to 80", you can see your speed at the top left of the video. But instructors will also tell you what resistance you should be at, which makes it harder or easier to push the pedals. Schwinn designed the IC4 with 100 points of resistance to match the Peloton bike. That means when a Peloton instructor shouts out for you to be at a resistance of 25, you turn your resistance knob to 25 out of 100, 100 being the max resistance. This is the same way a Schwinn bike works, HOWEVER, most IC4 owners will tell you that their numbers are NOT equal in resistance to a Peloton bike. For some IC4 owners, it's only a minor difference. On my bike, its a 30 point difference That means when an instructor calls out 25, my bike's equivalent is a zero. And when they call out 40, my bike's equivalent is an 11. So a very significant difference. BU, IC4 owners have figured out how to calculate how their bike compares to a Peloton and we make simple charts for ourselves to look at during our classes so when an instructor yells a number, we know what we should be at. It may sound complicated, but it's really not and only requires effort when you first get your bike. I figured out all I needed to know by joining the IC4 Facebook Group. But I will share how to calculate how your bike's resistance compares to a Peloton bike below.
Calculating How an IC4 bike's resistance compares to a Peloton bike's resistance
If the device you have connected to the IC4 is an Apple device, you will need to download a free app called Kinetic. Kinetic will read your power output. That's how much power you output as you pedal the bike at whatever speed and resistance you have the bike set to. The higher your cadence and resistance, the higher your power output. You use the chart below to pedal your bike at certain cadences (speeds) and resistance points. You write down the power output number that the app reads when you hit that cadence and resistance. You then compare that number to what the Peloton's power output is at the same level and adjust as needed. If your bike resistance differs a lot from a Peloton like mine, these calculations will have you in a full sweat and you can just use my conversion chart that I showed above as a base (assume your bike is similar to mine), and adjust from there. But once you make your conversion chart, you won't have to mess with this again!
If you are a novice spin rider, this lingo might all seem intimidating and a Peloton might seem appealing because it is so user friendly and seamless. I do think a Peloton would be great for novice cyclists who have the money to spend, but even with the money to spend, I didn't think it was worth the cost. And now that I have used my IC4 for months, I am so glad I made the choice to buy it and save over $1,000 by doing so.
My Spin Workout Equipment:
Spin Shoes
Gel Seat Pad
Heavier Dumbbells
Workout Mat
Running Shoes
Straw Water Bottle
Yoga Blocks
Foam roller
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