How to DIY a Perfect Peloton Setup | Step By Step Instructions

The Peloton bike is a fantastic machine. It’s an excellent tool for fitness, motivation and being part of the community they have created is incredible. Though a Peloton bike isn’t cheap, it’s probably the most expensive way to go as far as spinning at home. If you were to finance the bike and then subscribe to the membership, you would be looking at about $100 a month, and this is much more than a gym membership.

On top of that, the Peloton bikes (both the Bike Original and the Bike Plus) are only compatible with the Peloton application so you can’t sync them with Zwift, Fullgas, or other similar cycling apps.

One thing I am commonly asked as a Spinning Instructor and someone who is very involved with a lot of these cycling applications on the market is it possible to have a do-it-yourself Peloton bike. The answer is yes, and many people pick this option as it has some significant advantages compared to owning a Peloton itself.

Before I start telling you how to do DIY Peloton, I should tell you that I don’t recommend a DIY Peloton set up for people who still don’t have a bike. If that’s the case, forget about doing a DIY Peloton or buying a Peloton bike.

Instead buy an Echelon Indoor Cycling Bike (the models without a built-in console) and connect to Peloton, Zwift, Fullgas, Kinomap, Strava, and many other applications without having to buy any accessories. Even the Echelon EX15 which is the cheapest Echelon bike at $490 has the ability to connect to Zwift, Peloton, Echelon, and any other application you might choose.

If you can stretch to $600, go for the Echelon EX3 bike. It is much better than doing a DIY Peloton setup because not only it syncs with many applications, but it also has a smart electronic magnetic resistance. So, when you connect to Peloton or Zwift, the bike can automatically change resistance level when an instructor calls out a new intensity level or when you go uphill and downhill.

Why Should You Consider Setup Your Peloton

Cheaper bike

The bike we will be looking at today is about a third of the cost of a Peloton. It may not have a screen in front or a Peloton logo, but it is incredible value for money and well worth every penny.

Cheaper Subscription

Subscriptions for Peloton are not cheap. Currently, they come in at the price of $39 a month. With using the application without the bike, it comes in $13 instead. This is a considerable saving and comes in at $156 instead of $468. However, you might not get a leaderboard. Wouldn’t you rather have $300 extra each year in your pocket to spend on indoor cycling clothing or cool indoor cycling accessories?

Get to pick your own bike

This may not sound like much, but it does make a huge difference. In my home gym, it’s vital for me personally that I like the way it looks and everything fits in properly. Alternatives to Pelotons can be much smaller and give a completely different look that would suit your other equipment.

You can use other Applications

Peloton is a great application, but there are many others on the market, such as iFit and JNRY. Having your own bike will give you many more options to explore other companies’ applications and different styles of training. Peloton makes the majority of their money on Subscriptions, and when you buy a Peloton, you can only really use what they want you to.

Better Resale Value on What You Buy

When you buy a Peloton, one thing many people do not talk about is resale. When you resale a Peloton, it usually loses its short warranty, and it isn’t ideal on a bike that is so expensive. You also find many Peloton users sell their bikes when they start having issues such as bearing and upgrading to a Peloton Bike+. Parts for Pelotons are hard to come by and not cheap at all.

What do you need for a DIY Peloton Bike Setup?

There are a few things that you will need to make your own Peloton bike DIY setup. What were are going to do in the next section is to tell you what is essential and a couple we think will add a tremendous amount of value to the experience of riding a DIY Peloton bike.

Step 1: An Indoor Bike

Sunny Health and Fitness Magnetic Belt Drive SF-B1709

If you have been looking into indoor bikes, you would have more than likely come across bikes from Sunny Health and Fitness. They make some incredible Spinning bikes, and they cost a fraction of some of the high end bikes. I have picked the SF-B1709 because it is my favorite Sunny bike, and let me tell you why.

Let us start by talking about the design. The SF-B1709 is gorgeous. It has a rear facing flywheel which not only looks fantastic has a purpose as when you sweat. It doesn’t fall into the internals of the bike. This means it protects your bearings and keeps your bike much cleaner, and it will require less maintenance.

Not only will it require less maintenance because of the design, but the internals of this bike are absolutely incredible. You have a magnetic resistance system, and this means it is frictionless. So the flywheel doesn’t have a traditional brake to create resistance. Instead, it has a set of magnetics that resists and pushes back when pushed closer to the flywheel. This creates an outstanding level of resistance and gives the user a very smooth feeling when they are spinning. You will also find the bike is much quieter than a traditional bike. Not only does this bike have a magnetic system it also is paired up with a belt drive. Many spinning bikes have chains, which require regular maintenance, oil, and often changing. A belt drive requires no maintenance, no oil, and doesn’t need changing for a very long time. The belt drive also adds to the bike’s smoothness and makes it super quiet.

The bike also has a digital display that will give you all the data you require, such as Time, Distance, RPM, Average RPM, Calories, Heart Rate, average speed, and max speed. This isn’t often seen on bikes at this price and is very impressive. Not only do you get all this data, but the bike also has an inbuilt heart rate monitor, which is situated on the handlebars. The Handlebars on this bike are really unique and are perfect if you like cycling. Unlike traditional spinning bike handlebars, they are road bike/spin bike replication bars, and I think they are an excellent touch for accommodating a variety of cyclists. You also have the SPD Clip in pedals, which means you can buy some spinning shoes, and then you will have maximum ability to climb and the best power transfer possible.

The bike is 135.1 x 59.9 x 137.9 centimeters and weighs about 90lbs. This is actually a great size for a spinning bike as far as the weight of this bike is about the same as the majority of the market. It has wheels on the front though, so although heavy, it’s effortless to move around. Assembly of this bike is really straightforward and will take less than an hour and come with all the tools provided. As far as price goes, it is much less than bikes that come with the same specification and is the best value for money bike on the market, in my opinion. The only thing that lets this bike down is that it doesn’t have a tablet mount inbuilt, but this can be added.

The Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B1709 is a fantastic bike and well worth every penny for the user. In my opinion, this is the best bike for a professional do it yourself home Peloton set up and is incredible for Peloton workouts and cycling classes. It’s not an actual Peloton bike but is very close and better in some ways and feels much more like an outdoor bike. Peloton bike owners will be jealous. It’s one of the most amazing magnetic spin bikes under 1000 USD and will give you a great indoor cycling experience.

Step 2: A Tablet or iPad

Amazon Fire

You have many options when it comes to needing a tool to run the Peloton App. You can use your smartphone but the complaint I hear the most is it is very small and difficult to follow the classes. I would highly recommend buying a separate small tablet. Not only will it run your Peloton app, but it will also give you loads of other options, such as using different applications and even for watching films while on the bike.

I think the best value for money tablet you can get for running the Peloton app is the Amazon Fire tablet. They come in different sizes and have other memory capabilities. You can spend a small amount of money and get an “8 non HD or spend more and have an HD 10” uprated tablet. They will run the Peloton app and have a considerable amount of capability to do many other things such as watch Netflix, read books, and use other fitness applications for spinning. This is Android based, which many people use, but it’s not like the Ios iPhone.

The Fire Tablet is an incredible bit of kit as far as using the Peloton Application on the budget is absolutely ideal.

Step 3: A Tablet Mount

Tendak Exercise Tablet Mount

Unfortunately, the one thing that lets the bike down is the fact it doesn’t have a tablet mount. This is a very easy and cheap fix and an excellent tool for your own peloton setup. This isn’t just for exercise bikes and can be used in many places such as the car or even on the back of a chair for the off the bike Peloton bike workouts.

The Tendak has a very unique fitment and is an ideal tablet for mounting to a bike. It doesn’t sit too close to you or too far away. It is solid and sturdy and doesn’t move in the heaviest of sprints. I am a massive fan of this and highly recommend it to any rider.

The Tendak mount is excellent and ideal for any indoor bike. I would love to see future models with a bit more metal.

Step 4: A Cycling Cadence (RPM) Sensor

Wahoo RMP Sensor

One thing that is very important when it comes to a DIY Peloton Set up is a Speed Sensor. This can tell the application of the RPM (Revolutions per minute) you are producing. It’s a great tool, and although not necessarily needed, it does add so much value to those on demand classes that I have put it on the essentials list.

The Wahoo Monitor is an incredible bit of Kit. It connects to the tablet via Bluetooth, which many of these sensors can’t, and it is a very straightforward process to do this. It’s a very accurate device and automatically wakes up when needed and goes to when not being used. It looks great, and the device is super small and easy to fit.

The Wahoo Speed Sensor is an incredible bit of kit and well needed for this setup. It is more expensive than others on the market, but it is much better and is 100% worth the extra investment.

Step 5: Shoes and Cleats (optional)

Tommaso Pista Cycling Shoes

Indoor cycling shoes are a funny one and tough to get right for many reasons. They need to be supportive but comfortable and have the correct cleat attachment on the bottom. The Tommaso Aira Cycling shoes tick all the boxes for me personally, and they had to see this list.

The design is gorgeous, and they come in a variety of different colors and sizes. I am a massive fan of the light green, but then again, I’m fond of a crazy color. The padding is excellent inside, and they are very comfortable, but they also offer a tremendous amount of support on the inside. They can run all the types of cleats on the market. They have the Look Keo delta cleats holes, and the SPD and SPD-SL cleats holes, so no matter what kind of cycling you plan to do, they will work and get you smashing the Peloton classes on the spin bike safetly.

The Tommaso spinning shoes are just excellent. They look great and do an incredible job. To match these up with the Sunny Bike’s clipless pedals, you will need SPD cleats, the small metals ones, which will give you the ability to clip into the bike. Links are below.

FAQS

How much does a DIY Peloton Cost?

A DIY Peloton Bike is much cheaper than you would think compared to a Peloton and gives you many options of using other applications if you want to. Personally, I feel the DIY Peloton bike is a much better way to go than getting a Peloton bike, and glad I took this route. Let’s look at the prices of a DIY Peloton compared to an original Peloton.

The difference in cost is enormous, and forgoing DIY, you actually get so much for your money in terms of possession, such as the tablet and the shoes. It’s much better value for money and you’re still getting those Peloton workouts and on demand cycling classes.

What do you miss out on having the Peloton App but not the bike?

Many Peloton owners will say you miss out on a lot having the Peloton application without the bike. It’s really just the bike’s bigger screen and the leaderboard in live classes. There’s very little difference apart from that when it comes to the original bike. On the Bike+, you can have the auto resistance with the bike, but that’s an extra $700 for that bike and adds to the Peloton price.

Can you set up a DIY Peloton bike by yourself?

Yes, it’s a straightforward task and won’t take much more than about two hours to do. Firstly build the bike, add the sensor and tablet with the tablet holder. Then pop the cleats on your shoes in the correct position, download the application, and you’re good to go.

Conclusion

The Peloton Plus and Peloton Original are fantastic exercise bikes. There’s no denying that, but it is a lot of money. I love indoor cycling and can warrant investing the money into it, but not everyone else can. The DIY Peloton Setup is much cheaper and does offer the user so much more variety, in my opinion, and will equip you for those legendary Peloton workouts. It does come down to how much you are willing to spend and what you want out of your bike at home.

Sayed Hosseiny

Hi there, I'm Sayed Hamed Hosseiny, the founder and one of the authors at yourexercisebike.com (YEB). I am a former indoor cycling instructor and personal trainer with nearly 20 years of experience. With a passion for indoor cycling, I have spent years designing cycling parts, repairing, and importing exercise bikes. All the articles, tips, guides, reviews, and comparisons on YourExerciseBike.com (YEB) reflect my personal opinion and expertise in the field. I'm excited to share my knowledge with fellow exercise bike enthusiasts and help people find reliable indoor cycling information and the best exercise bike for their needs.

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