Peloton Tread is a high-end treadmill with a large touchscreen built right in. While it has its own ecosystem and community, Peloton is fully compatible with Apple Health and Apple Fitness Plus. So, when you do Peloton workouts, you will be filling your Apple Watch rings and earning Peloton achievements at the same time.
Peloton certainly isn’t a bargain basement fitness option. In addition to the substantial up-front cost of the treadmill itself, you also have to pay for a monthly membership in order to have the full Peloton experience. Yes, you can use the Peloton Tread without the monthly fees, but you wouldn’t be able to use the Tread’s screen, which would defeat the purpose of investing in a Tread.
Peloton Tread: Price and availability
The Peloton Tread is available on Peloton’s website for $2,995. You’ll also need the Peloton All-Access Membership, which is $44 per month. That price includes quite a bit more than just treadmill running and walking classes, which I’ll get into later.
While you need Peloton’s All-Access Membership in order to use the giant screen of the Peloton Tread, there are other Peloton memberships that you could use with any treadmill on your iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, or other device. You can set up a free account, which allows you access to just a few classes. The Peloton App One membership is $13/month and gives you access to three cardio equipment classes plus lots of equipment-free classes such as Pilates, strength, outdoor running, and much more. Peloton App+ runs $24/month and includes everything Peloton App One does, plus unlimited cardio equipment classes.
There are a number of accessories, such as weights and a mat, that you can also purchase from Peloton to do off-treadmill workouts. These are not required, and in fact, any brand mat and weights would work just fine with Peloton classes. The Peloton Guide, an AI-powered fitness trainer with a camera, retails for $195. There is also a pricier version of the treadmill, the Peloton Tread+, which has a cushioned slat belt and retails for $5,995.
Peloton Tread: Delivery and setup
Getting the Peloton Tread set up in my home was a breeze. For me, anyway. Not so much for the three men who had to lug all 290 pounds of it up my staircase. When you purchase the Peloton Tread, you get a delivery window and they do all the hard work for you; delivery and setup is included in the cost of Peloton Tread. The delivery team put everything together, ran tests on it, and set it up. All I had to do was put in my membership information and I was ready to go.
You do need some space for the Tread. While the footprint is fairly compact for a treadmill of this quality, you need space around it. It is 68 inches long, 33 inches wide, and 62 inches high. But you do need two feet on each side and well over six feet (78.7 inches) clearance behind the machine in order to use it safely. The delivery team didn’t know that; so I ended up having to move it myself (well, my husband did) after the fact. You’ll also want the ceiling height to be at least 20 inches over your head.
Peloton Tread: User experience
I found the Peloton Tread quite comfortable for both running and walking. I’m really not a runner, but I tested it out. I did a lot of walking on it, and it felt very natural. It does have an eight-inch step up to get on it. The guard rail is quite solid, and a bar across it includes a small storage area and two cup holders. An odd note about the cup holders: they are the same size as car cup holders, but there is a rubber gasket inside. Presumably the purpose of this rubber gasket is to keep your water bottle from falling out, but it just made getting my water bottle out a struggle every time. I tried it with at least a half-dozen different water bottle styles and it was the same with all of them.
There is a safety tether; clip it to your clothing while you walk or run. If you were to fall off the Tread, the pull of the safety clip would make it stop immediately. There is also a big red stop button front and center. You must set up a four-digit passcode to make sure only authorized persons can start up the treadmill.
The 23.8-inch built-in touch screen can be tilted up to 59 degrees for your preferred viewing angle. It has front–facing stereo speakers and rear-facing woofers with 26 watts of total power. You can also connect it to any Bluetooth headphones; my AirPods worked great. It also has a headphone jack if you want to go old-school. There’s even a USB-C port on the back so you can charge your iPhone or other device as you work out. I found the screen quality and touch responsiveness to be very good.
The incline knob is on the inside of the guard rail on the left; the speed knob on the right. The speed goes from zero to 12.5 miles per hour, adjustable in .01 mph increments. Incline goes from zero to a 12.5% grade, adjustable in .05% increments. Both knobs are super smooth and easy to access. Press a button in the middle of each one to jump up to the next whole number. You can also make speed and incline adjustments on the screen. If you’re taking a class, you can even let the instructor take control of your incline!
The Peloton Tread is a high quality treadmill. While I tested it out for weeks, not years, it does feel quite durable and made to last for years to come.
It’s important to take note of the user requirements, as the Peloton Tread won’t fit every body. The height range is 4’11” to 6’4” and the weight range is 105-300 pounds. The minimum age is 16.
Peloton All-Access Membership
So what does your $44 per month Peloton All-Access Membership get you? You get all kinds of classes, both live and on-demand, on and off the Tread. You can participate in Peloton programs and challenges. If you have the Guide accessory, you can see your workout reflected on the screen.
You get Scenic programming, which allows you to run or walk through a variety of environments. Lanebreak is kind of like a video game, you adjust your speed and include knobs to pick up points as you work out.
Just Work Out allows you to track your workouts off the treadmill. Peloton Gym helps you set up a workout plan you can use at the gym.
You can use the Peloton Apple Watch app or another compatible fitness tracker to track your heart rate, pace, distance, calories burned, and more. Peloton’s Leaderboard lets you compare yourself to others who are taking or have taken the same class. Off the Tread, you can do Peloton workouts with the Peloton app on your iPhone and/or iPad.
If you prefer to zone out while you work out, you can take advantage of Peloton Streaming. Watch your favorite movies, tv shows, and even live sports as you run or walk. Note that only certain channels have a partnership with Peloton, and they are subject to change. And of course, you have to actually be subscribed to that streaming service to access it on your Peloton Tread. Currently, NBA, Max, YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+ are accessible on the Tread.
Everyone in your household is included in the monthly cost. Each person sets up their own profile.
Peloton Tread: Classes I tried
I took many walking classes on the Tread with a variety of instructors; I enjoyed their gentle encouragement to push myself harder, faster, and at a higher incline. I tried a Boot Camp HIIT class which was very hard; I have to admit that was the one class I didn’t finish. I even tried Pilates for the first time, which was very just ok for me. I played Lanebreak, which reminded me a little bit of Guitar Hero. I took advantage of the Scenic programming and “took hikes” through Iceland and London. While traveling, I used the Peloton app on my iPhone and iPad. Just Work Out was something to listen to on my morning outdoor walks; the instructor talked about the music he’d selected and why, and encouraged me to step up my pace along the way. I also did a bunch of cardio and strength training classes off the Tread. As a former fitness instructor myself, I think the classes are quite good and I liked all of the instructors I had.
I didn’t get too wrapped up in the Strive Scores, Leaderboards, and the like. I also never took any live classes, but I did exchange “high fives” with a number of people taking on-demand classes at the same time as me. There is a large and devoted Peloton community, I just didn’t delve deeply into it.
And yes, I did try propping my MacBook up on the shelf to get some work done while I worked. It wasn’t ideal, since I had to place it directly on the giant stop button. I couldn’t avoid pressing it a couple of times as I typed. However, there is an easy workaround: you can buy a third-party desk made to fit the Peloton Tread.
Peloton Tread: Apple integration
The Apple Watch is the easiest and most direct route to get “credit” for your Peloton workouts within the Apple ecosystem as well. Download the Peloton app on your Apple Watch. Whenever you start a workout on your Tread, iPhone, iPad, or AppleTV, a notification pops up on your watch asking if you want to track your heart rate with your Apple Watch. Tap yes for the most accurate workout tracking. Even if you forget to connect them, your Peloton workout will still be added to your Apple Watch rings after the fact. I did find that the tracking worked pretty well, and felt in line with how hard I’d worked out.
Peloton Tread: Competition
The NordicTrack T-Series Treadmill from well-respected fitness company NordicTrack is quite a bit cheaper than the Peloton Tread. It does have a built-in screen, but it’s tiny compared to the Peloton Tread. NordicTrack has its own ecosystem called iFit, and you can subscribe monthly to access NordicTrack’s classes. It’s fully compatible with Apple Health and other fitness tracking services. This treadmill can be folded away for storage when not in use, unlike the Tread.
I tried the Peloton Tread+ at a Peloton store, and it does feel noticeably softer on the feet. Where the Peloton Tread is great, the Tread+ is better. It might be worth considering if you regularly put a lot of hard miles on your treadmill. However, it is more than double the price of the original Tread.
Peloton Tread: Should you buy it?
You should buy it if:
- You are looking for a solid, high-end treadmill
- You want a large variety of classes, competitions, experiences, and a community
- The integration of Apple Health is important to you
You shouldn't buy it if:
- It’s out of your budget
- You don’t want to the ongoing cost of a monthly membership
- You aren’t going to take advantage of all the bells and whistles
Peloton Tread: Verdict
I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Peloton Tread. It’s everything I expected it to be and more. The
Tread itself is user-friendly, solid, and smooth. There are so many classes and experiences both on and off the treadmill. More are constantly being added, so it would be hard to get bored. The online Peloton community is an important part of the experience for some people. I know my brother and sister-in-law are very into it and spend time in forums outside of Peloton discussing Peloton. Having “workout buddies” motivates people to work out, and the Peloton community provides that in a way.
For those of us firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, Peloton Tread is a great pick. You can fill your Apple Watch rings as you do your Peloton workouts without any extra effort involved. You don’t have to pick one or the other, you can earn both Apple and Peloton achievements at the same time.
The only real downside to the Peloton Tread is the price. The cost of the Tread itself may be prohibitive, but the ongoing monthly fee is where the costs can really add up over the years.
The bottom line
This high-end treadmill requires a premium membership too, but it might be well worth the hefty price tag if you're looking for easy Apple Health integration plus all the bells and whistles.
