Is the Peloton Bike+ worth the extra $1,000 cost?

The original Peloton Bike price has been lowered by $400, bringing the lowest price yet at $1,495. When you compare this to the Peloton Bike+, there is now a whopping $1,000 difference. I have written about some of the differences between the two bikes before, and now I want to analyze some of those differences further to see if the value is worth the extra $1,000 cost for the Peloton Bike+.

Peloton Bike screens

The differences between these two screens might seem small, but they are actually pretty big.

The larger Peloton Bike+ screen is 23.8-inches compared to the original Peloton Bike screen at 21.5-inches. This makes the difference between the screens just a little over two inches. This is not a huge difference on paper, but when you are actually taking a class that close to the screen, those extra inches are very noticeable. The Peloton Bike+ screen is also made with anti-smudge technology which is nice and basically means that your fingerprints will show up less.

Another very noticeable difference between the Peloton Bike+ and the original is that the screen for the Peloton Bike+ rotates a full 360 degrees. That compares to the original Peloton Bike screen that does not rotate at all. This is a great feature if you like to use your bike for strength or bootcamp classes.

In order to make your original Peloton Bike screen rotate, all you have to do is order the Pivot. This accessory is very easy to install and turns your stationary screen into a rotating screen.

The Pivot costs about $50 so I value the screen rotation of the Peloton Bike+ at $50.

Peloton RAM

The biggest difference between these two screens is the software they support. The original Peloton Bike has two gigabytes of RAM, whereas the Peloton Bike+ has four gigabytes of RAM. This is extremely important because Peloton is always advancing what they are doing in software. Check out the upcoming Peloton video game, Lanebreak, for instance.

As they continue to add even more advanced features to the Peloton screen, the more outdated and slow you can expect it to run. Even just turning these two screens on will reveal that the Peloton Bike+ powers up a lot quicker and runs way smoother than the original Peloton.

This problem will likely get worse until they discontinue the original Peloton screen altogether. That could happen within three to five years from now. At that point you will not have to buy a new bike, but you may need to order a new screen that has more RAM.

That is why having those four gigabytes of RAM is so important. That is also why I value the differences between these two screens at $250.

Peloton Apple GymKit

The Peloton Bike+ also has Apple GymKit which allows the Peloton to gather your heart rate data from your Apple Watch. The original Peloton bike does not have this feature.

The problem I have with the Apple GymKit integration is that it only works for cycling classes. It was removed earlier this year from off-the-bike workouts like bootcamp and strength classes so it does not have the full functionality you may really want.

In order to connect my Apple Watch to my Peloton Bike+ so I can take all of the classes, I ordered a Watch Link. This is a device you place on the back of your Peloton screen that connects all of the data onto the Peloton Bike for all of the classes. The Watch Link also works for the original Peloton Bike.

With our code “CTW10” you can purchase a Watch Link for $45. I value the full Apple Watch connection at $45 for this reason. Since the Peloton Bike+ only has a partial Apple Watch connection, I value it at $25 ultimately.

Peloton Bluetooth & wifi

The Peloton Bike+ also has a better microphone and camera. Since I have not heard of anybody actually using either of those things, I am going to value them at $0.

The Peloton Bike+ also has a more advanced Bluetooth and wife connection. The Bluetooth connection advancing from 4.0 to 5.0 just makes it extend a bit further. I do not think is really worth anything since you will always need to be close and at least see the screen.

The wifi connectivity though, is worth a little bit more because it allows the bike to connect to both two gigahertz and five gigahertz types of wifi networks. This means that a lot of people will have a much stronger internet connection which also means less buffering and fewer frozen classes. I do think there is value in the better wifi connection and I value that at $50.

Peloton Bike sound systems

There is also a pretty significant difference in the sound systems between these two bikes. The original Peloton Bike has 16 Watts and the Peloton Bike+ has 26 Watts. The Peloton Bike+ also includes two subwoofers in the back.

Honestly, the sound difference between them is pretty significant. There is no mistaking one for the other and the Peloton Bike+ is definitely much better.

However, you could also buy a nice Bluetooth speaker to place next to your Peloton and that would cost you about $50 so I value this sound system at $50.

Speaking of sound, the headphone jack placement is different on the Peloton Bike+. The headphone jack is located on the back of the screen on the original Peloton Bike. This means that if you have headphones with wires, the wires would need to go all the way back behind the bike.

On the new Peloton Bike+, the audio jack is in the center between your handlebars. This makes the connection much easier and less awkward for you. I personally use wireless headphones, so it does not make a difference to me, but I do see value in this placement and value it at about $15.

Peloton Bike resistance

One of my favorite features of the Peloton Bike+ is the auto-adjusting resistance. This means that when you take a non-live class, your resistance will automatically be adjusted and you do not have to adjust it yourself.

I find this feature to be really nice and use it all the time — except, of course, for Power Zone classes. I really do value this feature so to me it is worth at least $200.

The reason the Peloton Bike+ can offer auto-adjusting resistance is because it runs on digital resistance rather than mechanical resistance. This not only allows for auto-adjusting, but it also makes turning up the resistance much smoother and faster.

Another one of the big things digital resistance allows for is digital calibration.

With the older Peloton Bike, you never really know if your bike is calibrated one hundred percent correctly. You will hear people all the time who go from the older bikes to the new and are completely shocked when their power output changes.

This is because the newer bikes have that digital calibration which means that they are accurately calibrated all the time. You never have to worry about your numbers changing or if your numbers are accurate and real. On the Peloton Bike+, you know that your numbers are well calibrated.

If you like chasing numbers on the leaderboard as well, then this is probably a very important feature to have. Personally, I am a big numbers guy. I want to know if my numbers are improving rather than my calibration so I value this at $100.

Peloton Bike adjustment system

The Peloton Bike+ also has a better and easier adjustment system to use.

Since I share my bike with my wife, I am adjusting this thing every day. Having the convenience of a smoother and easier adjustment system is very nice so I do value this at $30.

Finally, the most subjective of all of the differences, is the more premium look. The Peloton Bike+ has fewer wires exposed and just looks like a more premium product.

I know how people value that can be completely different depending on if the look is important to you or not. For me, it is somewhat important and I do value it somewhat, but I value it at $50.

Is the Peloton Bike+ worth the extra $1,000 cost?

Now that we have gone over some of the major differences, we are going to add them up and see what the total is. All of the differences between the two Peloton bikes adds up to (drumroll please…🥁) $820.

The real price difference between these two bikes is $1000, so our new total is not too far off. You also do need to somewhat weigh the convenience of having all these features rolled into one. With the Peloton Bike+, you would not have to worry about upgrades or buying extra accessories.

Personally, I would probably just pay the extra $1,000 for the Peloton Bike+ over the original Peloton Bike. But I could also see somebody making a case that it would not necessarily be worth it based on how they value all of these features.

If you are someone who is just trying to get their very first bike and you do not need all of these extra features, it is a great value to have that original Peloton Bike at $400 cheaper than it has ever been.