You've seen the commercials and you've heard the hype: but is buying a Peloton worth it? I'll tell you.

Remember when the Peloton commercial was the laughing stock of the holiday commercial world? Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, they're the kings of the at-home workout. If you know me, you know I'm a super active person. Whether it's the gym, rock climbing, pole dancing, bike riding, kayaking, or something else, I like to be moving and working out. So when the pandemic hit, and gyms initially closed down, I resorted to outdoor workouts like walking and bicycling.

Fast forward to winter, I realized I was at a loss and quickly gaining weight. Hey, these slow cooker dinners don't come low cal. I went to the gym and a few workout classes with the mask on and I realized a couple of things. The first thing I realized was that I hated working out with a mask, well at least doing intense cardio workouts with a mask. I'm not anti-mask, and I fully understand and support wearing them at the gym. I just didn't like eating my mask as I breathed heavily. But I also realized I wasn't really loving what I was doing at the gym since my normal classes were no longer scheduled and I'm a deer in headlights on my own.

So like a lot of people, I began searching online for at-home equipment. I've always loved spin classes, but I'm kind of a pain and very specific. Les Mills spin classes have always been my favorite and I HATE the dance-y ones with the weird arm pushups on the bike. Seems so cheesy to me. In my mind, I was going to buy a spin bike that didn't have a screen and I could just follow the Les Mills classes on my Roku on my TV. Simple and great.

Well, as I researched, I found that there weren't many good options out there. And anything that was a good option, was gonna cost over $1,300. YIKES. I narrowed it down to a couple of brands: Echelon and NordicTrack. I wasn't even considering Peloton because the price is just crazy. But I knew there was a Peloton showroom in the Westchester Mall, so I figured why not go look at it.

I dragged my boyfriend with me (thank you again!!) and we went to Westchester to look at the Peloton and the other bikes at a Dick's Sporting Goods. You need an appointment at the Peloton store so we stopped there first. The people were nice, everything felt fancy and out of my budget. I was able to sit on the bike and check out what the classes were like. I also got to try on the shoes, which are needed for the bike or you have to buy sneaker cages. You can move the seat and handlebars up and down. But you can't move the handlebars forward and back, which really bothers me. The classes are $40 a month and it's the only thing you can access on the screen on the bike. I was told four to six weeks for delivery and the cost was around $1,800 but could be financed interest-free if I qualified.

The Peloton was really nice, I'm not going to lie. But I wasn't sold and I definitely wasn't in love. Off to Dick's Sporting Goods, we went and I saw the Echelon Smart Connect 5 and NordicTrack. When I saw these bikes I was really disappointed because they looked cheap and were pretty busted up. I know they were broken because of people just abusing them at the store, but when you go in expecting to love something, it's disappointing to see the opposite. The most sobering part was that these bikes were going for around the same price as the Peloton.

Ultimately, after way too much time thinking about which bike to buy, I decided on the Peloton. In my opinion, it's the best-built bike. The quality difference was clear. I hate that the bike has a screen on it and only tilts up and down. It doesn't even tilt all the way flat. So if I end up hating these Peloton classes, I'm stuck with this screen in front of me. I'm don't think I'll hate the classes but if I do, I plan on just angling the bike where I can see my TV well even with the screen in front.

The biggest con of the Peloton buying experience is the delivery time. When I saw the bike at the showroom I was told four to six weeks for delivery. I ordered the bike on January 4 and was told my delivery date would be March 23. WHAT. That's over 2 months after my order date. I was definitely pissed about that. But a friend who has one told me if you message them daily, they'll move delivery up. She was right, I got it moved up to March 2, about 8 weeks after I ordered.

I financed my bike over two years, because why not. I qualified for interest-free payments which is what ultimately made me decide to finance. I used a friend's promo code to get $100 in free accessories which I decided to spend on the spin shoes, that cost around $95. After taxes, I think the price of the bike was just over $2,000 plus the $40 a month for classes.

My final thoughts on the whole Peloton buzz is that the bike is definitely the best on the market, but the delivery times are a real pain in the ass. I'm getting the bike in March when spring is about to start. I can ride my bike outside at that point. I'm hoping that I'm just in such need of a workout that I can't get off the Peloton. Overall, I am happy I bought the Peloton but am definitely disappointed with the alternatives on the market. I really didn't want to spend $2,000 on a spin bike but felt it was the best choice. But I hated working out with a mask enough to drop the cash.

If you're on the fence like I was, my best advice is to do your research. Try out gyms, try out private trainers, look at spin bike brands in person. I did what was best for my comfort level and budget. The Peloton is not my perfect bike by any means, but it's definitely a high-quality product.

READ MORE: 10 free apps to help you get fit in our new normal

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