My Peloton Rower wish list [video]

Peloton gave a teaser of an upcoming rower during their Homecoming event last May. Since no additional details have so far been given, I went ahead and put together my own Peloton Rower wish list.

It should also be noted that Peloton recently removed all mentions of the Peloton Rower from their social media accounts. While this may not mean anything, it does suggest the rower may be delayed, or even canceled. Here are some of the features I’m hoping will be included:

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Upright storage

One of the best parts about having a rower for the home is how space efficient they are when stored upright. While most rowers fold up in some fashion, I prefer when they can sit straight up, which creates the smallest floor print.

Ergatta so far is my favorite when it comes to its space efficiency because it does not require any additional straps anchored to the wall. I am hoping Peloton has designed their rower in a similar way.

Screen placement 

When it comes to rowers, more so than bikes and treadmills, correct screen positioning can be very important.

Place the screen too close and users will have a poor experience when leaning toward it. Place the screen too high, and it will encourage bad neck positioning to keep your eye on the screen.

Peloton is usually pretty spot on when it comes to their design so hopefully that means we can expect a well-thought-out screen placement. Or even better, a fully adjustable one. 

Smart magnetic resistance

Rowers tend to use one of three resistance types:

• water
• air
• magnetic

Some even have a hybrid of two. The quietest is magnetic, which is what I would expect to be used on the Peloton Rower.

However, the resistance cannot be created in the same way as a bike with a magnetic flywheel. Technically it can, as is the case with the new version of the NordicTrack RW900, but it does not feel great to use.

This is because unlike a bike, you do not want the resistance to be consistent while you move. Instead, you need the resistance to adjust throughout the rowing motion based on how hard and fast you pull the handle.

This self-adjusting resistance comes naturally when using a fan or water wheel, but requires some tricky tech to pull off magnetically. Hydrow has been able to perfect this on their rower, so hopefully Peloton can figure out a way to do the same.

No auto adjusting resistance

While I enjoy the auto adjusting resistance on the Peloton Bike+, it is not something I would like to see on the Peloton Rower.

Most experienced rowers never adjust resistance during a workout. Some may adjust what is referred to as the drag, which can change the feel of the resistance. Though this is almost always done before a workout starts.

While I have seen a few cases where auto resistance changes can work, I prefer a more standard rowing format. If Peloton adds auto adjusting resistance, it likely will mean a higher price tag for a feature that is mostly a gimmick.

Volume controls

Many believe that the Peloton Rower handle has some controls integrated into it. While this could allow users to adjust resistance (I hope not), I would prefer the handle to allow for volume control.

Using a touchscreen is pretty hard to do while rowing since your hands are holding onto a handle. So the ability to quickly adjust the volume without having to stop would be nice bonus that we have yet to see anywhere else.

New instructors 

I’ll admit that I was excited to see one of my favorite Peloton instructors, Adrian Williams, be the one to introduce the Peloton Rower. That said, even in the short teaser it was evident that Adrian’s form was far from perfect.

So instead of relying on current instructors, I hope that Peloton brings in a bunch of new instructors that have a more qualified background in rowing. Compared with indoor cycling, there is a lot more technique that needs to be learned in order to use a rower effectively. It would be great to have coaches that know it well and whom you could trust to have solid form. 

Technique drills

Going along with the previous point, I hope Peloton digs a bit more into the technical side of rowing. Even for those with years of rowing experience, it is helpful to implement a lot of technique drills into warmups, cooldowns, and recovery sessions.

Peloton focuses a bit on technique with their running classes, but really not as I think they should. So I hope they focus even more on rowing technique so that members can get the instruction needed to have effective and safe workouts.

Rowing bootcamps

I am sure Peloton is planning this, but I still need to include rowing bootcamps on my wish list. Bike bootcamps are great. Tread bootcamps are even better. Rowing bootcamps, though, would even be the best of the bunch and would provide a hell of a whole body workout.

Not only would these be a big hit among Peloton members, but could easily be a selling point for those considering a Peloton Rower. Surprisingly, no other connected fitness rowers have so far offered much in this category. 

Rotating touchscreen

For those rowing bootcamps, it would be great to have a screen that was able to rotate. Currently, the only rower I have used that is able to fully rotate is from NordicTrack. Hopefully, the lack of rotating screens on rowers isn’t due to patents and that Peloton is able to implement this as well.

Power Zone training

Easily my favorite part about Peloton is their power zone training. While they have expanded the program on the bike, it unfortunately has yet to be implemented with the Peloton Tread. My biggest wish is that it is ready for the rower upon release.

There are other rowing programs with power zone training, so it definitely is a possible addition, if not an easy one. If not included, I would have second thoughts on the value of a Peloton rower for those not already in the Peloton ecosystem.

There you have it: my wish list for the Peloton Rower! Let me know in the comments what you would like to see when (or if) it ever gets released.

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