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Best Home GymsPeloton Vs. MYX Fitness Bike: Can a Budget Bike Compete?
The Peloton and the new MYX Fitness Bike are two stationary bikes designed to deliver an unparalleled interactive spin class workout experience straight into your home, but not all bikes are created equal. Both bikes have large HD screens, streaming programming, and other niceties to get the job done, but there are other details that account for the fairly significant price difference between the pair. In this review, our goal is to break down the best features of both bikes, and compare them head-to-head. While both bikes will provide you with a great ride, one may be better suited to your personal goals and interests. Wondering which bike comes out on top in which circumstances? That’s precisely why we’re here.
With recent changes at Peloton, we now have a lower entry price for the original Peloton Bike, as the new Peloton Bike+ is upgraded with a host of new features. Interestingly, the Peloton Bike’s biggest downfall—the lack of a swivelling screen—has been remedied with the Peloton Bike+, but it’ll cost you over $1,000 more than the MYX Fitness Bike to get it. That’s right, you can nearly buy two MYX Fitness Bikes for the price of one Peloton Bike+. As you’ll see below, the big problem with that math is that it is by no means twice as good. For that reason, we’ve focused on the closer competitors here, which means the original Peloton Bike.
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MYX Fitness Bike Specs & Highlights
MYX Fitness is the newest player in the connected exercise bike space, and the first to bring the ‘Peloton Experience’ to the table in an affordable manner. Other competitors (Echelon, Horizon, and Bowflex) have typically come into the space with bikes that require the use of your own device, or that give users the option of accessing different training apps, but none have delivered a built-in screen and proprietary streaming training the same way Peloton does without being more or less on par in terms of pricing. Some of the top features of this bike include:
- Impressive ergonomics
- 21.5” HD touch screen
- Heavy 41-pound flywheel
- Dual sided petals—SPD clips and toe cages both fitted
- Separate Coach and Music volume controls
- Dual water bottle holders
- Swiveling touchscreen design
- Can hold up to 350lbs
Read our full Myx Fitness Bike Review here.
Peloton Specs & Highlights
The Peloton’s biggest sales pitch is its 24/7/365 live and pre-programmed classes led by real instructors, all filmed in one of the brand’s fitness studios in Manhattan and then broadcast to the bike’s large 21.5″ built-in HD display. The Peloton comes in at a much higher price point than the MYX Fitness bike ($1,445 compared to $1,392), and its monthly subscription fees are also higher, but it aims to set the bar high with elite level instructors and a wide range of training styles. Some of the top features of this bike include:
- Peloton app built into screen display with monthly membership ($39/month)
- 21.5” HD touch screen
- Thousands of different rides and workout options
- Clip-in pedals, with the option to purchase Peloton cycling shoes
- Dual water bottle holders
- Elite instructors teaching live from a studio in NYC
Peloton Vs. MYX Fitness Bike Breakdown
Peloton Pros· Large screen display with clear images · Elite trainers with great music · Extremely smooth flywheel · Cycling shoe clip-in option | MYX Finess Bike Pros· Screen swivels for off-the-bike workouts · Lower cost of monthly subscription ($29/month) · Lateral adjustment of handlebars · Heavy flywheel · Large fan on console · Polar OH1 heart rate monitor included
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Peloton Cons· Higher price point · Higer monthly fees · Screen does not swivel | MYX Fitness Bike Cons· Friction resistance, not magnetic · Newer entry into the market · Lower ‘prestige factor’ |
Key Differences Between The MYX Fitness Bike and Peloton
It’s worth noting here that while the specs place these two bikes in direct competition, their approaches to training and motivation are fundamentally different. Where Peloton focuses on specific resistance level and cadence in its training feedback, MYX is all about heart rate. This means that regardless of your fitness level, so long as you’ve got that blood pumping you’re good to go. Training on the MYX bike is also more personal rather than competitive—a key difference here as well. Peloton motivates you by placing you on their leaderboard, whereas MYX encourages you against your own personal goals and objectives. These will not be the hardcore instructors yelling at you to go faster, but rather the calm and composed type that will invite you ask if you want to bump up the resistance alongside them as you ride along together.
MYX Fitness also breaks its classes out slightly differently, grouping them into four categories—bike, floor, mindful, and cross-training. This combination is simple and effective, and keeps recovery front and center. Finish a hardcore ride last night? Open up the mindful tab and have a good recovery stretch this morning.
Where The MYX Fitness Bike Leads
- Ergonomically speaking the bikes are pretty equally matched, but having that tiny bit more adjustment on the handlebars sets MYX ahead. I have long legs and a short torso, so the ideal pedal-to-seat configuration leads me to want to bring the bars forward a hair.
- The screens are essentially the same size, but the MYX Fitness Bike screen swivels for off-the-bike workouts which is ideal for viewing other workout types offered by MYX.
- The MYX Fitness Bike is significantly more affordable than the Peloton—so, if cost is of concern then you are definitely going to want to lean towards the MYX Fitness Bike. However, if you have the budget for the Peloton, the workouts might just sway you in their direction.
- MYX did sneak in another feature that many will love—independent volume adjustment between the workout soundtrack and the instructors. Some people struggle with background noise, and others would rather listen to their own playlists, so this is a smart solution.
Where The Peloton Bike Leads
- When comparing the apps, Peloton remains a class leader in terms of quality when it comes to everything from app layout/functionality, to volume of available programming, to the quality of their trainers. There’s an authenticity to it all that just works.
- The MYX Fitness coaches are still great, mind you, but you can see a difference in overall ‘production value’ between the two brands.
- Resistance adjustment on the Peloton is more precise, showing a 0-100% resistance display on screen, whereas the MYX Fitness Bike is all done by feel, with your heart rate driving how hard you should be pushing during your ride. If you’re used to/more interested in more structured guidance, the Peloton has the upper hand.
- If you’re a hardcore rider, and are used to pushing yourself very hard, very often, the magnetic resistance of the Peloton Bike will win out over the friction resistance of the MYX Fitness Bike.
In Conclusion…
I’m going to keep this one real simple… If you’re an elite spin class assassin looking to climb to the top of your competitive pool, Peloton is still king of the ring and they’re going to make you pay for it. For the 80% or more out there that just want a good workout, some extra guidance, and the convenience of occasional spin classes from the comfort of your own home, the MYX Fitness Bike is half the price of the Peloton for way more than half the bike and experience quality. Save some bucks, and ride with MYX.
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