Peloton Bike+ Review: Out With the “Old” – In with the “New”

I took delivery of my new Peloton Bike+ yesterday (1 week after release) and got a chance to ride in my typical 5:30 AM slot after taking my dog for an early daily walk. I previously wrote about my overall experience with One Peloton for the previous 2+ years, but below are my first takes on the all new Bike+!

…the most welcome improvement is DEFINITELY the Apple Watch Gymkit integration.

TechDadCO aka @Rewski_dotcom on Peloton

First the most welcome improvement is DEFINITELY the Apple Watch Gymkit integration. No more janky iPhone apps to pass the heart rate through from my Apple Watch or wearing another external heart rate monitor (even though this one from Wahoo works great and will still be used on the Tread!)

This integration just works so smooth. Start a new class and it prompts you to place your watch over the Peloton logo on the top of your screen (see photo above.) Acknowledge on your watch and now your activity and HR are in lockstep on the watch and bike. Just perfect.

Now for two things that I was a bit concerned about, but again pleasantly impressed:

• Would the resistance feel the same as my outgoing Gen 2 bike that I had for 3+ years?
• Would the geometry of the bike and my position feel the same on the Bike+?

I’m happy to say both of these were perfect. Resistance was spot on and the bike felt like butter with an even more polished fit and finish. The only slight change that took a bit to adjust to was the new geometry of the handlebars. Not that this was necessarily bad but your hand placement options are just different on the Bike+ with the slightly new handlebar shape.

Thankfully my outgoing bike went to a good home. One of my coworkers has been loving Peloton Digital on her 3rd party cycle, so converting to the full Peloton experience was very exciting for her. I was glad it went to another Peloton family for another long life.

So how was the automatic resistance adjustment and the new electronic resistance knob mechanism? First, the motorized mechanism worked great. Super easy to just adjust 1-2 and also easy to crank it up! No complaints about it other than another electronic component to possibly fail (I got the 27 month add on warranty since I am going to ride this a lot and I am large – like 6’4” 230# large.)

My only gripe on the bike+ is the auto resistance tracking based on the instructor call outs.

TechDadCO aka @Rewski_dotcom on Peloton

My only gripe on the bike+ is the auto resistance tracking based on the instructor call outs. Being a bigger dude I typically ride 5-10 points higher than the max range called out from most instructors, and rarely drop below 50 unless I am in a final cool down phase. So in the current state of software, I will NOT use this. BUT, if Peloton makes a slight addition to the software this will be perfect: Allow a user setting where a relative increase (or decrease) from the resistance numbers called out by the instructor can be set, like a user setting of +10 to the max of what is called out. This will make this auto adjust feature perfect for all users and power abilities.

Other great additions that are nice but not huge wins for me:

• Headphone output right in the center of the handlebar (I use Bluetooth headphones so not a big deal)
• Circular adjustment knobs (vs the levers)
• Faster responding screen and better speakers (not really used much given my BT headphones)
• Swivel screen – this will be great when doing floor exercises or the new Bike Bootcamp classes
• Better overall fit and finish (like the screen wires being routed inside the handlebar frame)
• Sliver Peloton logo that is no longer just a decal (it does look better)
• Smoked clear plastic components look classier that the previous matte opaque plastic

All in all, this is a GREAT incremental improvement over the previous generation bike. Apple Watch lovers are going to find the Gymkit integration a welcome one. And those looking to jump on the Peloton bandwagon will find this a great first buy too. Ride on and find me on the leaderboard @Rewski_dotcom!

Get $100 in free Accessories with your Bike Purchase with this code: QFHKKG

Disclaimer: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”