Peloton Tread Review – 2019

Updated: 4-19-2019

Peloton is a new brand in the fitness industry but they are climbing in popularity, fast. The Peloton Tread is their only treadmill that comes in at a whopping $4k+ depending on the package and additional accessories you purchase with the treadmill. But the high price point doesn’t seem to be holding this company back because they are steadily selling more equipment (bikes and treadmills alike) and making a pretty big impact on the home gym equipment industry.

Peloton is a successful fusion of tech and fitness which seems to be the way the world is headed when it comes to home fitness. Personally, I’m loving it! But not at the current price point. Realistically, Peloton is a brand targeting their efforts at high-income households. As an average middle-class American, I’d consider purchasing any Peloton a splurge. It’s do-able, but is it practical? Only your budget will tell.

Just about every aspect of the Peloton is great! It’s a sturdy treadmill with a powerful motor and a simple interface that is incredibly intuitive and easy to use. They also have developed an outstanding subscription service that gives you access to running classes and other floor exercises for cross training. But at such a high price point, I was left a little underwhelmed by the features. Here are what I believe are the shortcomings of this four thousand dollar piece of equipment:

• The Tread comes with a 2 HP motor. There are a few concerns with this rating.


• The unit ‘HP’ means horsepower. This is a rating used to signify the max output of a motor at any one time, without a load being carried. Treadmills typically rate their motors with the unit ‘CHP’ which stands for Continuous-duty Horsepower. This rating indicates the output of a motor in continuous motion, also holding a load (aka, a person). Therefore, 2 CHP is more powerful than 2 HP.


• Whether they rate their motor with the unit HP or CHP, a ‘2’ is still incredibly low. Most treadmills in this price range have at least a 3.8 CHP rating and more commonly, a 4.0 CHP motor. That’s twice the motor power. This becomes very important if you’re looking to put 10+ miles a week on your treadmill.


• Peloton provides a 12 month warranty on their treadmill motor, with the option to buy an additional extended warranty. With other treadmill lines, you can expect a larger motor and a lifetime warranty on the motor.


• The Tread is incredibly loud. At a jogging pace of 5 mph, the motor and belt whir constantly. It’s much louder than any other treadmill we’ve run on.

Those are my biggest concerns. That being said, you might not care at ALL about those things and still want the Tread because (and I’ll be the first to admit it)it is a really good looking treadmill!

Price

The cost the Peloton Tread starts at $4,295. Multiple packages are available for purchase and will affect your purchase price.

You’ll Want The Peloton Tread If:

• You’re looking for a subscription-based, home workout program - A major draw to the Peloton brand is their community and live studio classes. And if you miss a live class, there are thousands of on-demand classes which you can access. The community aspect of Peloton is pretty inspiring, too. You can join groups, compete against others, and interact with people in the same class.


• You’re not worried about budget - The Peloton is an expensive home treadmill. If you’re looking to get more features for less cost, there are more practical options available.

You have a dedicated workout space - This treadmill is both very heavy and will take up plenty of space in your home, so be sure you have the needed space before committing to the Tread. Those with low ceilings may not be comfortable on the higher incline levels when using the Tread, as some users have mentioned that it is an issue. Peloton also recommends placing the Tread on a hard, flat surface. No carpet, no treadmill mats. These can get caught in the undercarriage of the treadmill during incline/decline functions.

Main Specs - 7/10

• Motor Size: 2 HP
• Running Area: 20” W x 67” L
• Weight Capacity: 300 lbs
• Folding: No
• Footprint In Use (W, L, H): 36.5” x 72.5” x 72”
• Incline Range: 0% to 15%
• Max Speed: 12.5 MPH
• Treadmill Best For: Walkers, Joggers, Runners
• Electrical Requirements: 120V, 15 Amp breaker

Motor Size - The Peloton runs on a 2 HP motor. This is a major draw back. With such a high price point, we expected a higher rated motor. HP motors only test for peak performance and not for continuous performance (CHP). It is relatively underpowered when compared to other treadmills in its price range.

Also, for such a small motor, it is very noisy, especially as you go up in speed. This machine is not one you can use quietly without disturbing the family. In fact, if you live in an apartment, the noise alone will likely make you very unpopular with your neighbors.

Running Area - The Tread running surface is designed with 59 individual aluminum slats with a rubber overmold, running on a ball bearing rail system. As for the running area, it measures 20” wide and 67” long. While we are fans of the length, the 20” can feel a bit cramped if you are used to a 22” wide belt.

Weight Capacity - 300 lb weight limit

Folding - N/A

Space / Footprint - 36.5” wide, 72.5” long, and 72” tall

Max Speed - The max speed on the Tread is 12.5 MPH. Peloton has designed the Tread to change speeds by using a knob you spin, rather than the more traditional buttons. Spinning the knob will lower or raise your speed by 0.1 increments. If you press the button in the middle of the speed adjust knob, you can change speeds by whole integers. You can also set custom quick-select options that appear on the screen when you turn the speed adjust knob to jump to speeds you use more frequently.

Incline - The incline range on the Tread is 0 - 15%. Peloton has also designed the Tread to change incline levels by using a knob you spin. Spinning the knob will lower or raise your incline by 0.5 increments. Pressing the button in the middle of the knob, will change incline levels by whole integers. However, the Tread is slow to adjust incline due to its smaller motor.

You can create custom quick-select incline options much like you can with the speed settings.

**Knobs for incline and speed control - This is new. Most treadmills have (-/+) keys and whole integer keys for speed and incline control. The knob seems to be a substitute for visually cumbersome buttons. I like where they are going with this! Originally, I didn’t think this was as practical but having used the Tread for a few months, I can admit I was wrong about that assumption. The knobs roll very smoothly. Once you’ve got the feel of it, you can quickly adjust speeds without having to look down to see what you’re doing.

There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to accidentally adjusting speed and incline. Even when your Tread is lying dormant, if you walk past it and bump a knob, the belt is going to start moving.

Features - 7/10

• Display: 32” HD touchscreen
• On-board Workouts: 1 (manual); Subscription-based workouts sold separately.
• Speakers: Yes
• Fans: No
• Heart Rate Monitoring: Bluetooth chest strap, sold separately.
• USB port: Yes
• Audio Jack: Yes; and Bluetooth capable.
• Water bottle cubbies: Yes
• Device holder: No
• HDMI: No

Other Features:

Web Cam

USB for charging headphones

Bluetooth Headphone Connectivity

Connect to the internet via wi-fi or ethernet

Screencasting capable

Extra fitness equipment available for an additional cost

On-Board Workouts - The Peloton Tread has no pre-installed programs. When you first turn it on, you can either “just run” in manual mode or you can try out a few of the Peloton DIgital sample classes. The Tread is designed to pair with Peloton Digital, a home fitness program with live studio treadmill classes, outdoor running videos, and full body floor exercises. If you subscribe to Peloton Digital, the number of classes and workout programs you can do on the Tread are virtually endless. The subscription is $40 per month and gives you one user profile.

“Free” is a setting that allows you to run on the Tread without a motor to power the belt. This function acts more led a sled push than a manual-use treadmill. To keep the belt moving, you have to lean against the handrails.

Display - The Tread has a large 32” 1080p HD touchscreen for a display. The screen tilts up and down to accommodate users of varying heights but does not pivot side to side (which would be nice for the floor exercises). However, you can screencast to an Apple TV, Roku, or Chrome cast. This display does not pair with Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, or other television streaming services.

There is also a camera in the middle of the touchscreen, which is there so when you workout with a friend, you can see each other. As there was no one we could test this with, it’s hard for us to say how effective this feature is on the Tread.

The touchscreen can become less responsive if sweat or grime build up. Cleaning the screen mid-workout is sometimes necessary.

Streaming tv shows cannot be done on this display.

Speakers - The Tread has good speakers built-in under the touchscreen. They are generally good enough to hear the instructor and enjoy the music with the workout. I prefer pairing my Bose headphones (a unique feature to the Tread) via Bluetooth.

Fans - The Tread doesn’t have fans. This is a feature I wish it had and one more reason I choose to stick with my NordicTrack 2950.

Heart Rate Monitoring - One purchase option for the tread comes with a chest strap heart rate monitor. Otherwise, heart rate monitoring is an additional purchase. So many treadmills (NordicTrack, Sole, Proform, etc) come with a chest strap for heart rate monitoring so this is another small disadvantage to the Peloton Tread.

Other Tech Features

• Peloton app compatible
• USB for charging headphones
• Bluetooth Headphone Connectivity
• Connect to the internet via wi-fi or ethernet
• Screencasting capable
• Extras available with pricier packages

Build Quality - 8/10

• Warranties - 1-year limited warranty coverage
• Belt - Slat belt
• Cushioning - N/A
• Customer Support - Phone, live chat, email
• Return Policy - 30-day return window

Warranties - The Tread warranty is shorter than most high-end treadmill warranties.

• 12 months of coverage on the HD touchscreen
• 5 years protecting the Frame
• 12 months coverage on the parts of the Tread
• 12 months of labor coverage
• The motor (2 HP, remember?) only has a 12-month warranty

This warranty coverage is considerably shorter than other high-end treadmills with similar price tags, like the Commercial X32i or the Life Fitness T5. With the short warranty coverage, our concerns around the longevity of the Peloton brand as a whole continue to be reinforced.

Belt - The slat belt is interesting to run on! It seems that there aren’t any downsides to this form of tread and this factor will come down to preference.

Cushioning - There is no cushioning on the Peloton Tread. Running on this tread deck is similar to a hard-packed running path or paved road. The Peloton Tread website says multiple times that their tread belt is “shock-absorbing” and we want to be clear that there are much better options out there if you need a treadmill that actually cushions your run. We know this is important for injury recovery and certain body types.

Bottom Line Review Of The Peloton Tread

The Peloton Tread is a fun new product from an innovative company. While it's sturdy and reliable, its price point is extremely high. From companies that are more established like NordicTrack, ProForm, and Sole, you can get a treadmill will comparable features at a lower price point.

The Peloton Tread is still going to be an intriguing option to users who love the Peloton bike or the Peloton’s design style. The Tread is visually appealing and could be a glimpse of how treadmills are designed in the near future.

Best Place To Buy The Peloton Tread

Currently, the only place you can buy the Peloton Tread is through Peloton directly.