Last Friday I went on a trip to visit my local peloton showroom. Although I already own a bike, there are still many reasons why I like to stop by their stores.
What is the Peloton showroom?
The peloton showroom, which is their physical store, is where you can book an appointment for your test ride, whenever that’s on the bike or tread.
According to my knowledge, peloton showrooms are usually located in busy shopping centers and are open 7 days a week.
The peloton flagship store has 35,000-square-foot and is located at Brookfield’s Manhattan West.
According to Tim Shannehan, the Chief Sales Officer & Managing Director for North America, “the peloton showrooms are designed not only for sales, but also to experience a variety of class content, try on apparel, and interact with the Peloton community“.
How many Peloton showrooms are there?
According to the peloton website, at the beginning of 2022, the peloton had 84 showrooms located in the United States and 9 located in Canada.
Outside of North America, the Peloton is most popular in the UK (25 showrooms in England and 2 in Scotland), Germany (over 20 stores), and Australia (5 stores).
That’s a total of over 140 stores across 6 different countries.
My experience from visiting the Peloton showroom
First time I visited the peloton showroom I spent almost a full hour on the bike to make sure I get into grips with all the features.
There are several things you can do at the peloton showroom that includes trying the bike, meeting with other members, or even celebrating your milestone rides.
Also, peloton showrooms organize and host regular events where you can meet your favorite instructors face-to-face.
1. I got my bike delivered faster
After visiting the peloton showroom I was able to get my bike+ delivered faster. According to the store manager, people who order peloton via the store can even receive their bike before scheduled delivery, whereas people who order online can often get their delivery rescheduled.
(I ordered my tread online and didn’t have a great experience with the delivery.)
On the other hand, my neighbors also visited the peloton showroom to get their bikes and told me they had a much smoother time with delivery.
2. Take a class
You can ride a bike or run on the tread at the peloton showroom as long as you book a walkthrough appointment in advance.
For this appointment, you can bring your workout gear and join the class directly from the store.
Here’s a photo of one of the peloton showrooms with one lady riding on the bike!
I think taking a class before buying the bike in the store is a great opportunity to test the product, compare the bikes, and even ask questions if needed.
Honestly, I didn’t do live classes from the peloton showroom (I haven’t been brave enough) but every time I’m there, I see someone doing the classes.
3. Celebrate milestone ride
If your 100th or 500th ride is around the corner, why not celebrate it from the peloton showrooms or studios?
The showroom ride is free, but you need to book your session in advance. People who do their century ride in the peloton store not only receive their usual century shirt but also get a century club pin with the peloton logo.
I think this is fun.
You not only get shout-outs and congratulations from the store staff (if that’s your thing) but also they give away bags of goodies after you finish.
Also, if you have already passed your 100th ride and didn’t receive the pin, just visit your local showroom and they will give it to you.
Here’s a photo of a pin my wife got from the store. (She got two!)
Please remember that some of the showrooms are more generous about giving them out than others.
4. Buy a Peloton bike
You can buy a Peloton bike or tread directly from the store, however, the store doesn’t allow you to pick up the bike.
After you decide, the store manager helps you with the paperwork and set up an appointment window for delivery.
Also, if you have any questions that aren’t likely answered on the online blogs or forums, the sales rep in the store will assist you and help you decide what is the best choice for you.
Here’s the picture of one of the bikes at my local showroom. (They even give 2 bottles of water.)
When I was ordering my peloton bike+ I needed to visit the store because none of the online information could replicate the actual physical assessment between the bike and bike+.
If you are on the fence about which bike to get, I strongly recommend getting into the showroom and booking a test ride before.
5. Get personalized fitting
One of the reasons why I visit the store before buying my bike was the personalized fitting. Personalized fitting includes adjusting the seat height, length, and angle.
Also, the peloton showroom has several skilled sales associates who can help you to ensure your cleats on the shoes are fitted correctly.
Incorrect bike fitting is one of the main reasons for problems like back or knee pain due to biomechanical restriction.
Visiting the showroom in advance ensures you have a better understanding of how to set up your bike correctly.
On the other hand, when you buy a Peloton bike online, you don’t have much support available, apart from the delivery team (who are usually on a tight schedule).
After I returned home from the peloton showroom in Coral Gables and adjusted my bike to the sales rep’s recommendation it has been a game-changer.
Not only my output has increased but also my knees don’t hurt anymore.
(Best customer service experience ever.)
6. Get Peloton shoes
One of the biggest concerns of buying peloton shoes online is shoe sizing. Peloton bike has SPD SL pedals, which means you have to wear special cycling shoes.
The good news is you can buy peloton shoes in the store. All of the peloton showrooms offer a full selection of shoe sizes.
Also, the sales representative will assist you on how to correctly position and attach the cleats on the bottom of the shoes.
Of course, if you’re an experienced rider, you will have no problem getting your shoes sorted. However, if that’s your first time wearing cycling shoes, I recommend going to the showroom and asking for advice from the sales team.
7. Get Peloton Apparel
It’s not a secret that Peloton is placing a lot of emphasis on its retail and apparel sales. However, they have declined to say how much of that revenue came from apparel sales.
Here’s what the peloton showroom looks like from the inside.
What I love about peloton apparel is you get great quality products because they have a collaborative approach to partnerships with other brands like Adidas, Rhone, Lululemon, Vuori, and Solfire.
This means it’s not just about slapping the logo on the clothes.
The peloton showrooms sell apparel, however, not all of the stores have the newest collection as you can find online. The best showrooms for clothes shopping are in New York Manhattan, Houston, and Long Beach.
For all new arrivals is best to visit the peloton apparel website.
Apart from the clothes, you can also get many accessories like hats, bags, backpacks, bracelets, and water bottles.
8. Get Peloton accessories
As a whole, the peloton showrooms do sell exercise equipment and accessories like resistance bands, workout mats, dumbbells, and yoga blocks.
Most of these accessories are required for off-the-bike workouts like strength, yoga, or pilates.
Not only that.
The peloton store also has other equipment like heart rate monitors, which you need if you want to use the heart rate zone training and enable strive score.
Plus, in the store, you can also buy most of the replacement parts like shoe cleats, pedals, and touchscreen.
They do not sell toe cages, however, you can contact the peloton online support team to arrange delivery.
9. Meet instructors Face-to-Face
Some of the peloton showrooms regularly throw events like parties and panels, where you can meet fellow community members, as well as meet your favorite instructors face to face.
The last time I was in one of the peloton stores, one of the members was celebrating her birthday, which I thought was cool to do so on the bike.
Of course, some stores will likely organize such events more often than others.
Buying in the Peloton showroom vs online
For me, visiting the store in person gives me the opportunity to test ride the bike, compare different products, and try cycling shoes and apparel.
Plus, you have more time to ask the store manager any questions.
Also, keep in mind that people who work in the store do get a commission, so every bike they sell helps to support your local community.
On the other hand, buying the Peloton bike online shave off the advantage of trying the bike, wearing the shoes, or getting to know the equipment before you own it.
The bottom line
Peloton showroom is just a fancy name for the retail store where you can test the bike or tread before deciding to buy it.
Plus, you can also purchase several other products, which include things like shoes, clothes, weights, resistance bands, and more.
As you can see, if you come in person into the peloton showroom, you make sure that not only do you get what you need, but also it opens the opportunity to meet other like-minded people.