I recently accepted the delivery of a brand new Peloton bike and I must say, absolutely flawless experience! You're probably asking, "what does this have to do with design" (as this blog is mostly design) and ... "where can I get one of these?"
The Peloton Bike - a moving sculpture!
Fitness used to play a big role in my life. It was calming and it was educating. It gave me the patience to see through a lot of mental cloud that naturally hovered in my artistic brain and it burned through that extra energy that came with undiagnosed ADHD. Without fitness I found myself less creative. I judged my own self accomplishment on how creative I was... it went hand in hand.
I welcome this new addition to my life, and with that, the experience is truly what sets the entire product apart from any other fitness "device" out there. From the very beginning, when viewing an advertisement ... through the ordering process, the delivery, the installation and quick setup and to the flawless execution of software meets hardware. I also welcome to possibilities that will become more apparent as my mind reconfigures to incorporating fitness back into my being.
I saw this bike either in an ad on youtube or someplace on tv. The first thing I noticed was that it was a fitness bike with a humongous display attached to the handlebars. Nearly 22 inches of user interface wrapped inside a touchscreen immerses you into a socially linked world of cycle enthusiasts, interactive 1-on-1 couching (subscription required!), on-demand LIVE cycling classes piped in through video chat, outdoor trails run by steady cam crew, and of course... your metrics! The ads were rich and compelling, using words such as "an evolution in exercise," and it got me to visit the website almost immediately.
The website ain't too shabby. Video backgrounds everywhere, easy to use navigation, beautiful product (and people) photography, features and specs laid out like an Apple product website... the works. I love the high contrast photography against white and black.. excellent design. That combined with a product and accessories that are all color coordinated and a logo that just makes sense, the total package is on point. Black, orange, white. Bold, sophisticated, ________ . You simply can't ignore the fact that this bike is a thing of beauty - a moving sculpture!
The bike arrived in a large box, alongside a very friendly guy who assembled the unit and talked me through the setup process. Setting up took a few minutes and after plugging into the wall, the screen lights up with a P for Peloton. The bike runs on Android 4 with a custom system UI that is absolutely gorgeous! Full 1080p resolution at nearly 22 inches at the end of your handlebars essentially logs you into an online database of hundreds of cycling courses with music and fitness instructors. If you are awake early in the day or work from home you can actually tune directly into live cycling classes hosted in NY along with hundreds (or thousands) of other users. Each user shows up based on their total output in a list based on their individual metrics, so you begin to see where some friendly competition cues in. If you enable the camera you can even speak directly to instructors through the tablets built in camera and microphone! Video chat to the extreme! Metrics are logged into your personal profile which allows you to see immediate fitness improvement through some beautiful graphs and progress badges so you're constantly challenging yourself (and others).
Hay girl, hay!
If mobile apps are your thing, you're in luck! Peloton Interactive created an iOS app which pipes in the interactive content seen above so that if want to start with a taste before jumping into the entire (expensive) endeavor of ordering a bike of your own, you can!
Overall this has got to be the best cycle bike I have ever come in contact with. Whether it's the fabulous marketing, the easy buying process, the engineering and artistic statement of the physical bike once setup in it's full glory... it's one complete package! I look forward to many, many rides in the near future which will help me clear my mind.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”