I FREAKING LOVE IT.
I obviously expected to enjoy this bike, otherwise I wouldn’t have purchased it, but I am surprised at HOW MUCH I am enjoying it.
Cardio has never been my favorite workout activity, but with this combo I really looking forward to my cycling workouts.
I love how quiet the bike is and I can already tell my heart rate is improving and I can pedal faster at a higher resistance already.
My favorite instructor from the Peloton app is Alex T. I think he is PHENOMENAL and his Club Bangers class is so difficult while also being so much fun.
I still have a lot of bookmarked classes to do, but the Greatest Showman ride was also great and I like Ally Love’s classes to.
Because biking is less impact and less eccentric movement than running, I feel like it really hasn’t impacted my recovery or readiness for my strength workouts at all.
Why We Chose a Bowflex Over Peloton
The price of the Peloton wasn’t too much more than the Bowflex C6, but what really deterred us from purchasing was the Peloton membership when you have a Peloton bike. Since a lot of my workouts are strength training in the gym, I didn’t think I would do enough cycling classes per week to justify the monthly membership cost.
The great thing about having the Bowflex bike is that you can do any cycling membership you want. I’m currently trying the Peloton app, but will test out others and do a review after a few months!
But honestly, the Peloton app is pretty awesome so I see myself sticking with it in the end.
Another perk of the Bowflex bike is that you can clip in cycling shoes or use your regular shoes. I do see myself buying cycling shoes eventually, but it’s nice that anyone could hop on the bike without needing their own shoes.
So far I alternate between using the Peloton app on my phone (mostly due to laziness) and casting to the TV we have in front of the bike. I actually prefer this over having an attached screen because it makes the bike seem smaller and take up a little less pace.
Downsides To A Bowflex
Two main things:
- The resistance numbers are different from the Peloton resistance numbers. Luckily, the kind people on the internet have made a handy conversion chart and now I pretty much have it memorized.
- There isn’t an exact readout of your cadence on the Bowflex screen. When you connect to the Peloton app it projects your exact cadence there, which is awesome, but if you were just using the Bowflex you would see a range that your cadence is in not an exact number. There’s plenty of cadence meters out there you can purchase, but it would be something else to purchase.
That’s really all I can think of!
What Bike Should You Choose
The one that is the best fit for you, your monthly budget and your workout schedule!
If you want to feel like you’re apart of the “Peloton community”, have a totally seamless interface and essentially replace the need/want to ever go to a spin class outside of your home again — get the Peloton.
If you want to do a few spin classes a week, be able to skip a few months of spin workouts without feeling guilty and don’t want to be locked into one app (or to be able to watch Netflix while you spin) — maybe look into other options.
Honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong with either because the apps out there make it so easy to get started and so much fun.
Let me know any other questions or if you want a month follow up!