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Peloton is a name almost synonymous with indoor cycling. This review of the Peloton Bike+ decides whether they keep up the hype with the newest addition. Keep reading to decide for yourself.
Updated: March 8, 2024
The Bike+ brings the same energy and content as Peloton’s original bike. This upgrade has awarded the ever-committed Peloton community with automatic training adjustments. This is great for users who don’t always want Peloton's hyper-focused, competitive atmosphere. This Peloton Bike+ review explores newly added features and the bike's tried and true functions and content.
The Peloton Bike+ has a welded steel frame. For improved aesthetics, it is ED-coated and powder-coated black. This makes the red accents striking. The plastic components on the Bike+ have received a darker tint, which looks even better than they did on the Bike.
The saddle is more comfortable than the saddles that come on NordicTrack’s studio bikes. It is adjustable vertically and horizontally, giving you plenty of customization. The vertical adjustment is made by loosening the knob on the rear post and tightening it once the saddle is at your preferred height. The horizontal adjustment can be made by flipping up a clip beneath the saddle. Once at your preferred spot, flip the clip back down to secure the saddle’s position.
The Bike+ has updated handles from the Peloton Bike. The rubbery texture is nice under the hands. The thickness of the grip varies for more options according to your hand size. I didn’t notice this variation too much and found every hand position comfortable. The handlebars are adjustable in height but not horizontally. The screen is quite heavy, which makes elevating the handlebars a little more difficult than lowering them. I had to wiggle the post loose, because it got a little stuck. No damage was done to the post or handlebars, so don’t worry if you find it harder to adjust than the seat.
The pedals are fine if you use Peloton shoes or other Delta clip-compatible shoes. Unfortunately, the Peloton bike is incompatible with the more popular SPD clips. You can contact Peloton’s sales team to get toe cages added to the pedals. We have toe cages on our Peloton Bike+. They are not as useful as Hybrid pedals, because they feel like an afterthought. My foot placement within the cages feels unstable. Peloton recommends using the original pedals for the best ride, but I recommend swapping them out if you want to use SPD cleats or toe cages.
The Peloton has 100 levels of resistance. You can also consider these levels from 0 to 100% resistance. The resistance is silent magnetic and digital. This makes your ride quiet and hands-free if you wish.
The resistance can be controlled with the red knob mounted on the frame. It can also be controlled from the screen. Even better, you can turn on automatic adjustments to match the trainer’s recommendations. If the pedals start flying away from you, you can press down on the resistance knob to brake the flywheel. It’s definitely easy to get swept into the enchanting content and work yourself a little too hard. I had no problem regaining my control over the pedals if my rotations per minute (RPM) were too high.
The Peloton Bike+ stays true to the Peloton model of making everything conducive to a great in-class experience. The brand is built around the content, and the Bike Plus’s construction will not pull you away from that experience. If anything, the Plus’s features add to the immersion.
The screen’s measurement is a precise 23.8”. One thing we have noticed about Peloton equipment in comparison to NordicTrack’s screens is the anti-reflective aspect. Peloton screens have very little glare and photograph extremely well. In my experience, this makes a bigger difference when viewing content from off the bike as you move around a lot more. While on the bike, it was easy to position the screen, so this would not have been an issue regardless of the screen’s anti-reflective properties.
The Peloton Bike+ has two small water bottle holders on either side of the handlebar post. They are plastic but decently supportive. They are roomy enough to accommodate a typical disposable plastic water bottle or a cycling water bottle (bidon). They are easy to reach during exercise.
The speakers on the Bike+ offer loud and clear quality. The bike is very quiet, so there is little noise to interfere with the sound. You can control the trainer and music volume separately if you do not like the original mix. I prefer the original sound, as it is just the right combination of instruction and music to keep my workout flowing and energized. The volume is adjustable from the side of the screen or on the screen itself.
The Peloton Bike+ is easy to connect with via Bluetooth. I could pair my headphones and use them to control the class volume. The Peloton Bike+ supports use with Apple or Wear OS watches. The Bike+ does have ANT+ wireless connectivity if you use other ANT+ equipment.
For an additional cost or included in one of the Bike+ bundle options from Peloton, you can add two 3 lb weights. These are stored at the back of the bike, just below the saddle. The weights are a pretty basic add-on for exercise bikes. NordicTrack includes them with the purchase of their bikes, which may be an advantage for some users. They add an upper body training element, but the low weight will likely be ineffectual for many strength exercises.
The Peloton Bike+ is an exciting experience that holds up to the clout Peloton has earned over the years. Its sleek design makes you feel posh and powerful before you even get on the bike. I can’t help falling victim to the brand name. Fortunately, the journey the bike takes you on doesn’t leave you unfulfilled. Peloton delivers exactly what it promises.
The classes are tons of fun, though you may find yourself drawn to some trainers more than others. There’s a certain degree of trust required if you are going to save yourself several minutes of browsing through the content library. These trainers know their stuff–exercise and music. I am tempted to keep scrolling to find a familiar playlist, but when I pick randomly, I rarely get disappointed by the songs. If you tend to be pickier, the Peloton interface makes it easy to filter their abundance of classes by music genre or trainer.
Peloton inspires competitiveness and a community that few other pieces of equipment achieve. I’m high-fiving strangers, all the while hoping to crush their stats to appear higher than them on the leaderboard. Sure, some of it is my personality type, not the Bike+. Yet, those bars at the bottom, telling me how fast to pedal and how high the resistance should be, feel like peer pressure. My legs are dying, but I crank the intensity up to sit right in the middle of the suggested range.
Now, on the Bike+, you don’t even have to do this yourself. You can use the automatic training adjustment to stay within the right resistance level. Suddenly, staying competitive (however you want to define it with thousands of people taking each class) on the leaderboard became much easier.
The only thing that takes me away from the experience is the toe clips. I don’t clip in with the exclusive Delta clips. That means my foot won’t stay properly balanced on the pedals. It’s almost a constant reminder of what I could have if I would spring for the elitist shoe. I’m being dramatic. The toe clips are fine. They aren’t the integrated hybrid pedals of the NordicTrack Commercial Studio Bike series, but they work. If you spring for the Delta clip shoes, they will work just fine. If you are going to use the toe cages, maybe trade the pedals out.
It is hard not to be nitpicky when reviewing what even people who have never pedaled one stroke on an exercise bike consider the top exercise bike. Does there have to be so much plastic? Why isn’t the logo painted/printed on like the cheaper Peloton Bike? These are valid questions and considerations, but the Bike+ is a premium exercise bike regardless of these missed details. It delivers. There’s only one catch–you have to have the subscription.
You can’t talk or write about Peloton without mentioning the content. Even with a set section for discussing Peloton’s awesome classes, it is already permeating the entirety of this review. Yet, it’s not what you pay for when buying the Bike+. The subscription is an additional $45/month for all access. You can use the subscription on your bike or any other Peloton equipment. If you have a non-Peloton cardio machine, you can still use it with limited capabilities. I use my account at home on my TV to do strength and yoga workouts. If you are an avid exerciser, you will probably get your money’s worth. You can even stack workouts together to do them in succession. Peloton is an expert at keeping you going if you take the initiative to get on the bike or open the app.
There is so much to the Peloton subscription that I can easily see why it has become such a consuming lifestyle. The platform lets you connect your watch, your Strava or Facebook accounts, and indulge in the social aspects of Peloton itself. There are hashtags and high-fives. It can be a little overwhelming. I almost felt like I needed a class on how to use all the features (they do have tutorials). My advice is to first focus on the exercise and then slowly build out to an experience as intense and social as you want it to be.
The million-dollar question is: do you need a subscription to use the Peloton bike? Short answer, no. Long answer: kinda. You can use the Bike+ without a subscription, but it turns into one expensive less-than-basic exercise bike. It is comfortable to ride and has silent magnetic resistance. Yet, the screen shows nothing. You have to guess the resistance and pedal while staring at the log-in screen. Overall, I don’t recommend the Peloton Bike+ without the subscription. It just isn’t worth the premium price without it.
The Peloton Bike+ is a game-changer for some. Its classes are absorbing and fun. It builds a sense of community around exercise stronger than any exercise equipment I have seen. It filled a gap in our socialization-starved lives when we needed it to, and it (mostly) successfully stuck around. The Peloton Bike+ delivers a premium studio-class experience from the comfort of your home. The bike’s construction is sturdy and comfortable to carry you through stacked workouts. It’s sufficiently adjustable, easy to move, and aesthetically pleasing. If subscription content is your thing, the Peloton Bike+ makes an excellent choice.
