Peloton Treadmill Review – Is it Worth It? (2024)

A few months ago we finally got the Peloton tread. We had been debating this decision for months prior to purchasing it. If this is you, I hope this post help answer the big question – “Is the Peloton treadmill worth it?” with this Peloton Tread review!

If you’ve been around here for a while you know we’ve been using the Peloton bike for a couple years. You can check out my full Peloton Bike review here!

I’m not a biker but I have absolutely loved all of the workouts and pretty much all things Peloton since being introduced to it in 2016.

(Need a promo code? Use SMPC9C for $100 off any accessories!)

When they released the Peloton tread and all of the treadmill classes, I was so excited!

*This review has details on the current tread for sale. The tread we own is the former tread, the Tread+.

This post contains affiliate links.

I’m much more a runner (I’ve run a handful of marathons including Boston and countless half marathons, 5Ks and everything in between) so I was pumped to try out their tread workouts.

Can you use the Peloton app with any treadmill?

First things first. If you have a regular treadmill, try out the classes with whatever treadmill you own to ensure you like it!

We had a regular NordicTrack treadmill so I decided to start doing some of the tread workouts on our treadmill and just streaming it through my phone. I am not a huge fan of treadmill workouts because I’d rather just go outside but having the capability to do them at home while the kids sleep is huge so I tried them out.

Turns out, I LOVED them. In true Peloton fashion, the workouts fly by! The instructors keep you entertained and there’s enough variety in all of the classes to not feel like you’re taking the same class over and over.

I did my first tread workout back in October and then I spent the next 7 months spending WAY more time on our basic treadmill streaming Peloton classes than I did on our actual Peloton bike! I was seriously hooked.

What’s included in the Peloton Subscription?

There are so many varieties of workouts with the Peloton app. Once you have it, you can stream all of their classes whenever you want. They have a ton of different types of classes from yoga to stretching to strength work which I’ve done a lot of.

You don’t even necessarily need any of the Peloton equipment in order to benefit from their app! You can run outside or use a different stationary bike or treadmill or just do strength training. There’s tons of options!

There’s also bootcamp classes which have been my favorite. I love doing a mix of cardio and strength workout which is exactly what the bootcamp classes are.

If I’m short on time (or short on energy like during my 3rd trimester of pregnancy), I would do a 20 minute bootcamp workout. Those consist of a 10 minute run on the tread followed by 10 minute strength workout on the floor.

There’s a ton of 20 minute beginner bootcamp classes so this is a great place to start if you’re new to working out or running! I am planning on starting those again after I am cleared to workout after having this baby.

Peloton Family

One amazing thing that Peloton has recently launched is Peloton Family! They have “fit family fun” for the whole family.

One of my favorite instructors, Jess Sims was a former teacher and has created a lot of the classes which I love!

There’s 15 minute “Fit Family Fun” cardio and strength classes (ideally for kids 5 and up), 20 minute “Fit Family Strong” with 20 minute class (for kids 10 and up), “Fit Family Brain Breaks – think musical chairs and Freeze! games and lastly, family meditations!

I love that they’re doing things for the entire family to get everyone loving health and fitness!

Is the Peloton Treadmill worth it?

This is the burning question! I kept asking myself that over and over before getting it. Yes, I could stream all of the Peloton classes on my regular treadmill so why would I need to spend the money on a new (expensive) treadmill?

There’s one KEY thing to make it worth it and that is how you change the speed and incline. On our old treadmill you would push a little button up, up, up (or down, down, down) to increase your speed or incline.

When you’re just doing regular runs at one pace this is perfectly fine! Prior to doing Peloton workouts I typically used my treadmill to knock out 3-5 miles at one pace. I would maybe increase or decrease it a little bit off and on through my run but for the most part I wasn’t messing around with it a lot.

When you’re doing actually workouts like interval training, hill workouts or sprints and your drastically changing the speed for a short periods throughout your entire run, pushing a button repeatedly is really annoying.

Now let’s be clear. It’s doable. I did it for 7 months. And it was fine! But it got old after a while.

With the Peloton, you change the speed and incline using rolling knobs. You simply roll the knobs forward or back to increase or decrease your speed and incline. In one motion you can get to the speed you need to be which makes a huge difference!

You can also just push the button in the center to jump one full center. So if you’re running at 4.2, you can push the center button and it will jump to 5.0. Push it again and it will jump to 6.0. Same thing for the incline.

AND it speeds up much quicker than my old one. It’s not too fast where it’s dangerous but it picks up quickly to get you to the speed you need to be at for your workout.

Honestly that one little feature made our entire purchase 100% worth it! I was no longer getting frustrated by pushing a button (or holding it down) continuously throughout my workout or finally getting to the speed I was supposed to be at only to be told there’s only 5 seconds left in that interval. It’s quick and easy and keeps running fun!

My tread has the belt style. The belt is also a huge improvement from my old one with the shock-absorbing rubber slat belt and ball bearing system designed for the most low-impact training experience at home.

The tread that is currently for sale has the standard running belt. While I have not yet run on it, I know many people who like it! I’ve even heard people who returned their tread+ for the current tread and did not have any issues with going from the slats to the belt.

The Classes

Similar to the bike, you can take either live or on demand classes. I love doing the live classes because it’s motivation to get out of bed quicker (when I do morning classes) and it’s fun to hear your name if the instructor gives you a shout out!

But honestly there isn’t too much difference between the live or pre-recorded so it doesn’t matter if you’re never able to do a live class.

If you’re a competitive person, you’ll love the classes. There’s a leader board so you can see how you compare to everyone who has taken (or is taking) the class and high five other runners as you go.

Your output (speed, incline, etc) will be compared to everyone else and you’ll be ranked on where you compare. It’s also compares your previous personal bests so you can compete against yourself.

How much does a Peloton treadmill cost?

It starts out at $2,495. This includes the cost of delivery and set up (which took like 20 minutes total)!

There are different packages you can purchase which include things like weights, exercise mats, heart rate monitor, etc. We chose to just get the basic package since we had already gotten quite a few of those things when we bought our bike.

You also need to get the monthly subscription for $39 a month to stream classes. This is good for multiple profiles (both Rishi and I have a profile and so does our nanny).

It is definitely an investment but one that is totally worth it in my mind. After spending 7 months on a basic treadmill I was blown away by all of the little additional features the Peloton has.

How big is the Peloton treadmill?

The only tread that is for sale right now has the following specs:

Total: 68” L x 333” W x 62” H 
Screen: 23.8” diagonal 
Slat Belt: 59” L x 20” W 
Step-up height: 8”

(Specs taken from Peloton’s website.)

How much does it weigh?

The Peloton Treadmill weighs a total of 290 pounds.

Pros:

• The tread itself is expensive! You also need the monthly membership to use it.
• The knobs make it incredibly easy to quickly add or take off speed.
• Same as speed, the knobs make it so easy to quickly add or take off your incline.
• There’s a large screen to see your instructor, leaderboard and stats.
• Motivating instructors.
• New classes added daily.
• Fairly quiet.

Cons

• Expensive
• You need to pay for a monthly subscription to use it.
• Take up quite a bit of space in your home.
• While yes, it’s much quieter than other treads, it does create noise!

Equipment

If you choose to get the tread or bike or even if you simply get the app to do on your own, there’s a bit of equipment that could be helpful for you to complete the workouts!

Peloton has a variety of this in their store but below are some more inexpensive options as well.

• Jump Rope – I’m a believer that everyone should have a jump rope on hand! If you don’t have a tread or bike you can do this during the running segment during bootcamps. Amazon carries jump ropes or Target jump ropes are great options as well!
• Weights – We have a few different brands of weights, both dumbbells and kettlebells, and I love having them. Target has a variety of options (like these All in Motion ones or the Tone it Up style) or I love this simple rack of dumbbells from Amazon or you can also get different pairs of weights!!

Other less critical things that I use are a yoga mat, water bottle and foam roller.

• Yoga Mat – I like yoga mats for harder surfaces and to give myself some extra cushion on my knees and butt! Alo has some gorgeous yoga mats, Amazon has some neat mats with a carrying strap and this is probably the prettiest yoga mat I’ve ever seen!
• Water Bottle – I love the Hyro Flask option for easy cleaning and the Contigo style to prevent spills!
• Foam Roller – I don’t use my foam roller all that often but when I need it I’m so glad I own it! Amazon has some very inexpensive foam roller options!

I also got this Gym and Fitness Equipment Wipes to wipe down both the bike and our treadmill after workouts. We spent a ton of money on these machines so I want to make sure that they stay in good shape!

I hope this Peloton treadmill review helps you know if it’s is right for you! Be sure to check out Peloton’s site for even more info. If you decide to get one, use the code SMPC9C for $100 off accessories (and I’ll also get $100 in accessories)!

Be sure to swing over and check out my Peloton bike review, everything you need to know about all the Peloton instructors or my BBG workout review!

As always, thanks for reading!