I‘m SO excited to share this post with you (I know, like usual!) because it is the beginning of a story that has been unfolding the last year, and the culmination of a lot of research that I am happy to share with others in my position!  If you have been following along for a while, you know that a little less than 2 years ago, I really began to take control of my health (you can read more about that here).  There is more to that story that I need to share here soon, but exactly one year ago, I decided to start some exercise also as a part of my routine.  I wouldn’t be telling you the full story if I did not include that beyond dance (which I DO believe is an athletic activity!) and skiing, I literally never participated in a single athletic event in my entire life.  No sports, no running, nothing– I was always very into dance and the fine arts and just didn’t have time or much interest in much else. I truly might be the least athletic person I know, by interest, motivation, and skill!  But I was committed to making a change to my entire health habits for the sake of my energy and my kids, so I did.

I am going to share that full story in another post as well to get to the point here…the early winter led me to want a way to bike inside, and a close friend invited me to try her stationary bike with the Peloton App. I really knew nothing about it beforehand other than that some people I really love to follow on social media used it and that I LOVE biking outdoors.  That was it.  Since that trial ride 1.5 months ago, I have been opened to a whole new world (did you sing that??😂) of Peloton and cycling, and I have fallen hard!  Today, I am going to share my main gear and will be back later with more details!

I knew I wasn’t going to invest in a Peloton bike or the monthly price of the app if you own the bike- Michael isn’t interested in cycling, and we wouldn’t spend that money on something for one person. But I also knew I loved the app experience from that trial ride (I began with the Hamilton ride, which was the perfect choice for me!), and I figured my love of biking could carry to an indoors bike, so we started researching.  After a few days of weighing factors, it was clear to us what the right bike for me was:

We chose the Schwinn IC4 and I LOVE it!!  This bike tracks some metrics and has a console to show them, which is a huge difference from many other bikes in this price range (and a major bonus if you want to use something like the Peloton app because some of those metrics sync to the app!).   It has a magnetic fly wheel which I like because they are accurate and low maintenance, and also has a lot of adjustments to make it fit just right.  There was so much I didn’t know about cycling bikes a few weeks ago- so don’t be shy with questions if you have them!  A little heads-up  though:  it goes out of stock from Prime quickly and then is only available from more expensive sellers…so you might need to keep an eye on it for a few days for it to come back in stock at the lower price through Amazon prime!

Supermats Heavy Duty Equipment Mat  This is the heavy duty mat I have underneath my bike at home and it’s great!  It prolongs the life of the bike by preventing wear and tear, and also protects your floor/carpet underneath.

Portable Mini Fan   This is a super inexpensive fan that’s so nice to have for high-intensity rides!  It fits in a perfect spot on my IC4 between the console and tablet holder.

Apple AirPods Pro   These are great wireless headphones to use while riding! I use them to listen to the instructor through the Peloton app, and I love them because they really help me immerse myself in the workout and cut out distractions.  If you don’t follow an app/program, you can also use your riding time to listen to music or catch up on an audio book or podcast!!

Apple Watch Series 6   There are so many different health trackers out there, but I’ve just been using my Apple watch to track my activity for a few years now, and I just love it. The IC4 comes with a heartrate monitor that I use because it connects with the Peloton app, but my apple watch still tracks my workout overall and my other activity throughout the day.

An Echo Dot is a great way to play your videos/app with MUCH better sound than your tablet if you don’t want to splurge for airpods! You can connect via bluetooth and still get your music loud and pumping!

Lightweight Bike Water Bottle  While you can use any water bottle, I got this light weight bottle that will fit in the bike water holders for easy access during my rides!

Peloton App This is the BIGGEST aspect of my Peloton dupe…I can recreate the experience of having a Peloton (with a much cheaper bike!) by using the Peloton App for all of their classes and rides for around $13/month (which is way less than the app you use if you have the Peloton bike)!! If you’re considering the app, you can get a 2 month free trial to see if you like it before you sign up!  Peloton classes are paired with so many options of instructors, styles, activity levels, and music (the part that really excites me!), and I have loved such a wide variety so far- but until you experience it, it really doesn’t make “sense”, so I highly recommend that free trial!

So my first impression is that I LOVE the bike- it is silent, fun, and a really enjoyable activity for me- but I know the Peloton app is a lot of why I enjoy it! I highly recommend it all!  If you have any questions about cycling, bike choice, or Peloton, I am new to it all but would love to answer what I can!  Let me know and I can share the questions in a follow up post!