My Budget Friendly Guide to Spinning at Home

Looking for a Peloton alternative? Read about my budget-friendly guide to spinning (and working out) at home, and why I chose not to get a Peloton bike.

First, let me say: I am not here to poo-poo the brand in any way. And honestly, I absolutely love the Peloton platform. You’ve probably heard that Peloton has a cult-like following. I’m going to have to agree with this statement.

What Peloton has done is create an amazing community of people from all over the world. The experience that the instructors bring to the workouts is probably my favorite part. They are uplifting in every way.

Ask anyone who has taken Peloton classes and they’ll tell you who their favorite instructors are. They are pretty much rockstars in the fitness industry.

Regardless of what type of instructor motivates you (positive, direct, inspirational), after a month of using the app, taking several different classes, with several different instructors, I am happy to report that each and every one of them was enjoyable.

Second: I have never really been a “workout at home” type of person. I enjoy working out in a gym. For me, it’s the whole atmosphere. At home, I can get distracted. I’ve tried YouTube videos for cardio, yoga and strength workouts and I just never felt like I got the same experience as being in a studio or gym.

Until now.

What is the Full Peloton Experience?

This is truly what all the fuss is about. To get the full Peloton experience, you need their bike (or treadmill) and their live streaming app. Currently, you can also use a FireTV to stream it to your television.

Every day, the Peloton studios has live classes that they stream (and record). Which means that if you have their bike or tread, with their iPad-like screen, and you join a live class, you are essentially taking the class live along with thousands of people around the world, and sometimes even in the live studio. You can also access the classes on demand.

If you like accolades, being able to attend the classes live, gives you the opportunity to be called upon by the instructors during the class. Additionally, you can compete on a leaderboard with others at the same time.

During any given Peloton class, the instructors will call out members by their usernames and cheer them on. Often you’ll here something like “Caligirl00000, congratulations on your 250th ride!”

What is the cost of a Peloton Bike?

Currently, the entry level price of a Peloton bike is $2,245. This does not account for the cost of live streaming the app ($19.49/mo).

Why I Chose Not to Buy a Peloton

After weighing the pros and cons of purchasing a Peloton bike, I chose to go an alternate route. Honestly, I just couldn’t justify the price. Some may argue, “But you’re worth it!” and yes, I will agree with you.

Depending on the the cost of a gym membership, one can argue that the price likely balanes out. Currently, the Peloton website touts that a bike and membership can be yours for just $58/mo.

When it comes down to it, the only thing I would be paying all that extra money for is the live-streaming. I love accolades as much as the next person, but not enough to pay triple or more for hearing my name called out a few times.

In my opinion, just having access to the OnDemand classes gives me a very similar experience, and I truly enjoy it as if I was in the studio or gym with the instructors.

Sunny Health & Fitness: A Peloton Alternative

After much research, I decided to buy a bike by Sunny Health and Fitness. This is my bike, which I put smack in my living room so that I can AirPlay the classes using my Apple TV.

I am loving this bike. The quality is very similar to any cycle bike I’ve used in a gym. It’s very sturdy, quiet, and so easy to use. The best part? It is almost 1/4 the cost of a Peloton (approximately $600 on Amazon). I actually scored it for even less on Marketplace from someone who just purchased it and was moving out of state; double-score.

Since I bought it second-hand, it was already assembled but as I said, we researched a lot of bikes. This one has thousands of positive reviews and assembly seems to be one of the many reasons.

Honestly, there are SO many great bikes out there that fit the bill; it’s really a personal preference. Here’s what I looked for (and my Sunny SF-B1805 checks every box) in a bike:

• Heavy duty frame
• Belt drive
• Fly wheel
• Manual brake
• Adjustable height
• Adjustable handlebars
• Tablet holder
• Cage pedals and eventually SPD compatible
• Magnetic resistance
• Quiet (since we currently live in a condo)

Using the Peloton App

There are two options when using the Peloton App. The first is the one I mentioned above, for live streaming. The second option allows you access to all of the onDemand classes, literally THOUSANDS of classes that include:

• Cycle
• Tread
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Strength
• Outdoor Running
• Stretching
• Cardio
• Bootcamp

This alone is worth $20/month. The thing is that you can still get all of this for only $12.99/month, it’s just not live streaming. Right now, there is also a 30-day free trial of the app. I have been using it for a month and I haven’t taken the same class twice.

Another great aspect of the app is the ability to filter through the classes to find the workout you want to do.

Filter by class, class type (beginner, intermediate, etc), instructor, length of workout, music genre (this is one of my favorite aspects), new, popular, trending…the list goes on. Here are a few screenshots:

When I say “list”, I mean currently if I search a Strength class with Hip Hop music, there are 292 classes.

Search Yoga, Yoga Flow, Beginner: 406 classes

Search Cycle, Pop Genre: 1,869 classes

You get the gist…

Equipment Needed to Spin at Home

Just 3 three pieces of equipment is all you’ll need to get a similar Peloton experience to the live-classes:

• Cycle Bike
• Cadence Sensor
• Phone or Tablet for the App

Why Do I Need a Cadence Sensor?

There are two measurements that the instructors use during each Cycle class: Resistance and Cadence. If you have the Peloton bike, these measurements are listed on your screen, easy peasy.

However, obviously if you don’t have the Peloton, you really don’t have a way of knowing if you are in the range they suggest when they tell you to increase the resistance a certain percentage or pedal at a certain cadence.

The cadence sensor attaches to your bike usually near or on the pedals. It’s a small sensor, about 2″ x 1″. With a cadence sensor, you are able to know if you are pedaling in the range that the instructors suggest.

In my opinion, I don’t think the cycling experience would be as enjoyable as if I didn’t know what my cadence was. As I mentioned, the seller I bought the bike from already had one on the bike. I just had to download the free app, then bluetooth the sensor; it took all of 3 minutes to sync, then I use the app when I ride.

You still have to “guess” your resistance setting, but when the instructors tell you what your cadence should be, it’s very easy to adjust resistance based on your cadence.

See the Wahoo app screen shot below:

What is the Cost of a Peloton Alternative

To recap, the cost of the Peloton bike and the live-streaming app = $2,245 + $20/mo.

My cost:

• Bike $400
• Cadence Sensor (included on the bike I bought) $39.95 new
• OnDemand App (free for 30 days) $12.99/mo
• Total: $453

All in all, I am SO very happy with my Peloton alternative set up.

I hope my budget-friendly guide was helpful! Drop a comment and let me know if it was, or if you have an alternative that works for you, too!