Peloton Tread Review

I fell off the blog wagon when Covid hit. I just sort of lost all motivation and my work routine went out the window. I’ve missed it, though, a lot. I know a lot of us have such limited time and blogs are sort of a thing of the early 2000s, but I’m going to commit to trying to be more regular with writing because I truly always loved having the outlet to write about anything health or lifestyle related, which brings me to last night. Someone had messaged me asking if I ever reviewed the Peloton Tread I bought at the beginning of the year, and while I had had every intention of writing, I just never got around to it but I figured there’s no time like the present, so here we are!

So here’s the backstory:

I always thought Peloton was a little cheesy. Logging on to take a class just didn’t seem like my jam. I am someone who does not need to be pushed at the gym – I am generally pretty self-motivated. However, a client of mine had a Peloton Tread and raved about it. I tried it out, and fell in love. Then I downloaded the app and did outdoor runs with it, and found I ended up going further, running faster, and actually enjoying run (what?!), so I started looking at treadmills because my home gym had just the right space for one.

Upon looking, I just found that anything that was reasonably priced (under $1,000) had pretty rough reviews for those using it to run (if you’re just looking to walk, there are a number of reasonably priced treadmills with great reviews). But since I wanted it for sprinting and hiit runs, I hoped for a treadmill that didn’t shake when I ran.

Ultimately, I ended up purchasing the Peloton. At about $4,500, it was definitely an investment (remember, you have the monthly membership of $39.99 on top of that, ufff) – but it felt like a justified purchase since I needed a treadmill for the clients who workout at my home gym, and I really wanted it to be durable and excellent quality.

It took about 4 months for it to come in once ordered, and they delivered it, set it up, and left.

Peloton Tread Design

So you’ve probably heard, but this tread was optionally recalled due to safety issues. Honestly, though, I feel any treadmill can be dangerous. I don’t use it with Buckles in the room, and we don’t have children in the house, but if we did, we would be sure not to have it in use with children around. Further, I strongly recommend clearing the area in front and behind any treadmill you use – don’t have those stability balls or foam rollers or anything laying around that could be sucked under. They have since redesigned the treadmill to have more safety features and that newer version is available now.

Anyway, design. It’s got a knob on the left and right – the left controls the incline, and the right controls the speed. In the center of each knob there is a button you can click and it’ll jump up to the next whole number. You can also control the speed and incline via the touchscreen on the interface in front of the tread. It’s very user-friendly.

You can take a class, go for a run on your own with nothing on the screen, or go for a scenic run with trails from Hawaii, Italy, and beyond. The only thing I wish were easier was a quicker way to get to the “just run” feature. As it currently is, you need to log in via a passcode, and then tap a few buttons to get there. It’s not as easy as simply turning it on.

The tread itself is on a revolving belt. It feels very sturdy, and the machine does not shake when I run. If yours does shake. just check the legs of the tread to be sure they’re full screwed down (much like how a table can wobble, you just want to be sure the legs of the tread are fully down and that should take care of any wobbles).

Running Classes on the Tread

As far as classes – I have tried every instructor and the only two I consistently love are Robin Arzon and Jess Sims – they are incredible! Everyone else is either a hard pass or a solid okay for me – but to each their own, and Robin and Jess have so many classes that I never get bored.

There are also live classes you can take, but I typically just like to do the ones already uploaded because my schedule is so weird. One of these days I’ll try live class, though.

Overall, I’m really happy with the Peloton Tread. The only downside is that it’s a little tough to program a sprint within a weightlifting workout because the “just run” option takes a few steps to get to. Other than that, I really do love it!