The Peloton bike is all the rage right now for indoor cycling, but there is a Peloton alternative I love and use at my own house!

Indoor cycling is an amazing, non impact cardiovascular workout. Indoor cycling bikes are different from traditional upright stationary bikes or recumbent bikes in that they were created specifically for an indoor cycling class setting. They typically have either felt pad or magnetic resistance that allows you to increase or decrease pedaling resistance. Workouts on an indoor cycling bike are meant to be similar to what an outdoor road bike workout would feel like – but indoors!

While there are many companies that make indoor cycling bikes and Peloton alternatives, Peloton has become the most popular over the past year. They manufacture a great quality bike and have a great workout system and community to back it up.

I truly have nothing bad to say about the Peloton indoor cycling bike.

Yet, when it came time for me to purchase my own indoor cycling bike, I chose a Peloton alternative.

I’m here to tell you why!

In addition to being a certified Pilates teacher and licensed physical therapist, I’m also a certified indoor cycling instructor. I have spent a good amount of time on an indoor cycling bike and I knew what I needed – and more importantly, what I didn’t need – in a good quality bike.

Let me start by saying I do NOT feel that you need any fancy equipment to get great home workouts! Most of the time a mat and your body are all you need.

That being said, we have been on lockdown and away from the gym for over six months. The Denver winter is around the corner, which means my outdoor hikes, walks and jogs will be on hold for a while. With cold, short days looming and no gym access, I realized I needed a cardio option at home to help me sweat and keep my sanity 😀.

First off let’s talk about what you get when you purchase a Peloton bike. You’ll get the bike itself, some accessories (depending on the model) and access to their online community of classes, instructors and stats. Bikes cost between $1900 and $2500 and then you are required to purchase their monthly app access for an additional $39/month.

While I have no problem with the bike, after a month of research I realized I did not need all the extras that came with the Peloton bike. I didn’t like the foot clips that came with it so I would need to buy the ones I wanted anyway. I didn’t need the entire system of classes and stats. I didn’t need the big screen that came with it to follow classes live.

With my schedule I would be lucky to be on the bike 30 minutes at a time a few times a week.

In addition to that, I can buy the Peloton app for $12/month and have access to all the classes and instructors as well!

So I can purchase my own bike with the things I want (like pedals that I chose) for $1500 LESS and still have access to the classes!

What I miss is the live class action, leaderboard stats, competition, community and personal best stats the Peloton system offers.

I’m totally and completely fine with that. It’s not motivating to me personally and I think honestly it would stress me out a little having to follow along and be on the bike at a certain time for certain live classes 😀.

So if you are used to doing classes in person 3-5x/wk, you love that comraderie and online social groups, you want to see all your stats and compete with others, you may want to look into it.

If you just want an awesome bike and want to save some money, do what I did and buy the Schwinn IC3! It’s $600-$700 and has everything I want and need.

Or you can upgrade to the Schwinn IC4 and get magnetic resistance versus felt pad resistance AND you get bluetooth connectivity that allows you to have access to all the awesome extras Peloton offers!

You can’t really go wrong with either.

I hope that helps you see there is a Peloton alternative out there and you can see what bike works best for you and your lifestyle. My video below goes into more detail about why I chose the Schwinn IC3.

Happy riding!