Stuff - UK (2020-12)

GROUP TEST SMART EXERCISE BIKES

What’s the story?

For the benefit of anyone

not targeted by the tirelessly

upbeat ad campaign, Peloton

sells Wi-Fi-connected bikes

with touchscreen displays that

stream live and on-demand

spin classes hosted by eerily

flawless instructors.

The Bike+ is Peloton’s first

upgrade – and while it hasn’t

changed much on a superficial

level, it has received a couple

of hardware boosts that turn

it from a bike to a home fitness

centre. Most notably, the

screen – 2.8in bigger, sharper

and with better audio – can

spin 180° left or right, allowing

you to follow the yoga, strength

and HIIT sessions included with

the £39/month app.

The other major upgrade

is Auto-Follow, which lets the

on-screen instructor adjust the

resistance on your bike. So you

never have to touch the dial,

just keep up with the cadence

and wipe away the sweat.

Is it any good?

Peloton has cult-like status

because it offers a vast

collection of classes (and

hot instructors) for all abilities.

Auto-Follow pushes you

harder and allows fewer

opportunities to slack off;

you can cheat it, but that’s

your issue, not theirs. It’s not

unique to exercise bikes, but it’s

a welcome addition.

As for the on-and-off-bike

fitness classes, Peloton has

applied the same quality gloss

as the regular sessions, with

time factored in for swapping

your cleats for trainers (and

back again). You’ve always

been able to do a stretch or

strength session using the

bike’s display, but the simple

screen rotation means now

you actually might.

Once you factor in the £468

annual subs then add shoes,

weights and floor mats, you’re

nudging £3000; but we’ve

yet to find anything legal that

pumps us so full of endorphins

while also burning calories.

Price £2295 / stuff.tv/PelPlus

Key specs O 23.8in Full HD

touchscreen O Front and rear

speakers O Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi,

USB-C O 63kg

Peloton Bike+

STUFF SAYS Peloton owners look smug for a reason – and now the best is even better +++++

CLEAT ON ME
Cleats let you pedal
more efficiently,
but they’ll tear up
your new yoga mat
if you keep them on
for a HIIT session.

WATCH ’N’ LEARN

The GymKit app

allows you to sync

your Apple Watch

to the bike to use

its heart-rate

tracking skills.

CHIPS DON’T LIE

Your route to

fitness is powered

by a 2.5GHz

Qualcomm

QCS605 processor

with 4GB of RAM.

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