Staying fit during a pandemic is about as easy as catching a greased hog with your bare feet. Luckily, some genius invented a tool to help us catch the hog: Peloton.
If you were hoping to maintain a certain level of fitness during the lost year (and willing to drop about $2,000 on a standard model), Peloton bikes have been a godsend. With gyms closed and sharing the air of other humans beings a questionable proposition, staying inside and Pelotoning your sweet, sweet bod off has become a welcome distraction from reality. This is why Peloton subscriptions have skyrocketed in the past 12 months (along with the alarming sound of our neighbors grunting for 45 continuous minutes just before lunchtime).
In stark contrast, bicycle manufacturers cut production in 2020, predicting a world where no one would want to step outside for a bike ride. Oh, how wrong they were. As people desperately sought any excuse to leave the confines of their homes (while still avoiding others) they turned to the humble bicycle in droves.
Between the two, pedaling became all the rage over the last year. But while Peloton bikes and bicycles may look like best friends on the surface, the experience of riding them couldn’t be more different. So when it comes to the tree-trunk-ness of your legs and the juicy swoll-ness of your calves, which machine works best? Today we go head-to-head in a race between the ultra-modern Peloton bike and the classic bicycle to see who will win fitness gold.
Cover Photo: Adam Weiss (Getty Images)
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However you slice it, getting fit is not only good for your mental and physical health, it’ll help sweep away the quarantine blues when it’s time to emerge from your hidey-hole. But with a truly accessible price point that feels like a mini-vacation away from the house, the tried and true bicycle remains one of the greatest fitness machines ever made. Plus, you can use it to pick up the dry cleaning you totally forgot about at the start of the pandemic. Now get out there and get your sweat on you sexy beast.
Overall Winner: Lowly Bicycle
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Peloton vs bicycle
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1. Price
As previously discussed, a Peloton bike can set you back $2,000-2,500, whereas a brand new rig from Retrospec will cost you 1/10th of that. It's a small barrier to entry. Why finance your fitness?
Winner: Lowly Bicycle
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2. Commitment
The unique feature of a Peloton is the in-machine app that connects you to online classes and real-time instructors. The monthly subscription is $39, which is not a bad price to pay if you need the outside motivation and accountability this provides. On the other hand, a bicycle asks little of you in the way of maintenance and probably won't cost you a penny the first year.
Winner: Lowly Bicycle
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3. Mental Health
Burning calories while oxygenating your body is great for your mental health. The flood of endorphins to your brain should give you a little buzz to carry you through the day. But there's something to be said for getting out of the house, and feeling the elements on your face, especially on a sunny day.
Winner: Lowly Bicycle
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4. Hazards
You'd think that exercising in the safety of your own home would come with zero hazards, but the US National Institute of Health found an average of 25,000 children are injured each year as a result of exercise equipment. What about adults? Nearly half a million injuries occur annually from exercise equipment, compared to only 50,000 from bicycle accidents. Weird, we would have thought it would be the other way around too.
Winner: Lowly Bicycle
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5. Time Efficiency
Finding time to exercise is the biggest obstacle to fitness for Americans today. When it comes to maximizing your time, the Peloton is hands down the superior experience. No setup time, no stopping for traffic, and no wait time between warming up and hitting max reps. It's a time-saver's wet dream.
Winner: Peloton Bike
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6. Dynamics
While traversing the outdoors demands greater focus, it also brings greater rewards. The dynamic landscape and scenery will stimulate and satisfy your brain in a way humans crave.
Winner: Lowly Bicycle
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7. Parking
One great thing about the Peloton bike is that once you find a spot for it in your home, you never have to park it again. With a bicycle, you're constantly having to find new places to park your ride and wondering if it will even be there when you come back out of the donut shop again.
Winner: Peloton Bike
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8. Fun
Ok, fitness is important, but there's also got to be an element of joy involved. Joy helps balance the pain of getting fit and will keep us coming back for more. Maybe neither one is fun since working out is such a chore. But we like to think there's something about gliding down the road on a smooth two-wheeler that feels just like flying. And flying is fun. Just ask the crows. But wait...Peloton has all those crush-worthy trainers who feel like your BFF.
Winner: Tie
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9. Technology
The wheel was invented way back in 3,500 BCE. Sticking two together in tandem didn't occur until 1817. Pretty cool, but also pretty ancient. Although you can't stream Netflix from it, the Peloton boasts a wide array of modern technology perfectly suited to the fitness guru of today. Bells and whistles are its bread and butter.
Winner: Peloton Bikes
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10. Professional Opportunities
While most hobby-horse users have no intention to take their fitness goals pro, let's look at the numbers. Right now, there are 34 Peloton trainers compared with 1,250 professional cyclists. So, for those of you crushing it so large on the pedals you were wondering what your chances of going pro are, leave the tight pants on and stick with cycling.
Winner: Lowly Bicycle
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11. Inclement Weather
Which machine delivers in the rain, shine, sleet, or snow? Bicycles are not like the USPS, but the Peloton is.
Winner: Peloton
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12. Results
We can speak from experience that resistance cycling your heart out is one of the most exhausting things you can ever do. It makes every part of your body burn with hellish torment. (Worth it.) The results are total body fitness, with an emphasis on legs - and both bicycling and Peloton deliver the goods. If you can hang onto your handlebars and ride like the devil, you'll have a tighter toosh in no time.
Winner: Tie
