(Part 3) Top products from r/pelotoncycle

1. I think the mat is needed on a tile floor, my opinion
   
   
2. I prefer SPD clips, I swapped out the pedals, bought on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7UZBNA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   and purchased shoes (Shimano are my preferred shoes)
   
   
3. 3 lb weights, but buy in a sporting goods store
   
   
4. I have found that the Trekz Air have been amazing, they sit over your ear, so they do not get sweaty inside the ear which can cause infections (disgusting and TMI, I know), but the Trekz can be cleaned off between each user
   
   
5. The schosche rythym arm band heart rate monitor, it does not connect to the bluetooth, but rather by ANT+, it is the way to go, though I shut my system down each use in order for it to connect properly each ride, I've learned this over my year plus with my Pelo
   
   
6. Get the warranty, I haven't needed it, but someone I know did and it was for a part, they were not able to fix the part so they gave them a whole new bike, might as well, to be safe I think...
   
   
7. No regrets, I even set up my "dreadmill" in front of a flat screen and use it to do the running classes and the bootcamp, it is amazing, just like having Orange Theory plus a running coach in your home. It's the best!
   
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   Also, this one is silly, but these towels wash up great and are perfect for grabbing each workout:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008R51V94/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Well shucks, glad it was helpful to someone! Before I moved to the corporate side, I was an equity research analyst. So I was the guy writing these reports. I covered another sector though.


Resources:

• Aswath has a plethora of good (and free) excel models and finance material, which he both teaches from and posts online for free at his Stern page here: http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/spreadsh.htm
  
• Detailed modeling courses, including topics applicable to PE, are usually taught by Wall Street Prep or Training The Street. Some of the instructors for those companies also adjunct teach at NY-area business schools, so there's a chance you could always drop in on one of those. Most of the materials from each have leaked various places online.
  
• All the wall st banks either hire WSP or TTS to teach their incoming classes, or have their own structured programs and fly in chosen professors. But they're all teaching toward the same topics covered by the companies above.
  
• There's various popular books like "Valuation" or "Investment Banking" that are crazy detailed and personally, incredibly boring.
  
• I think most people would be better served by talking with folks in the VC or PE space, and dipping their toes into specific areas of interest much the way Aswath, his blog, or the CFA Institute's refresher material does.
  
  If you're smart, and esp if experienced like yourself, most any textbook will be painfully boring. And I mean really, really, painful and uninteresting save for small sections of sparse chapters.
  
  I think Aswath has the most free models, good templates and instructional models can be found from WSP and TTS if you look hard (torrents, wallstreetoasis, etc). There's also some from google "dorking", e.g. narrow a google search by adding these terms after your search string: filetype:xls for excel files only, or site:.edu for results only from schools i.e. those ending in .EDU. You can combine these too, and there's other more specific filters via Advanced Search Options. For example, this search "private equity" model filetype:xls has this LBO model on the 1st page of results: http://mdatraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LBO-model.xls
  
  Good luck, and hello to a fellow wall street'er on Peloton!

My husband and I have our DIY setup in our garage and absolutely love it! I was hesitant to purchase a new Peloton since I had never been the workout-at-home type and was worried this expensive piece of workout equipment would become a dust collector in our garage. We decided to try the DIY workaround before investing a lot of money into the "real" thing.

We use a Sunny B1805 with the Wahoo Cadence sensor attached to the crank arm. I really wanted a magnetic belt drive and this one was probably the most affordable we found. I wish we had spent a little more and invested in a bike that comes with SPD pedals since I know we will be upgrading those in the near future. Other than that the bike is great and I highly recommend it!

We live in CA where the weather is mild pretty much all year so we decided to put the bike in our garage. We screen cast the classes to a TV we have hung up on the wall using an AppleTV and use our phones to view cadence in the Wahoo app. I also have a FitBit Versa that I use for HR purposes, though it does not sync with the Peloton app (huge bummer).

Other odds and ends we have in our setup: WiHoo Mini Handheld Portable Fan we attach to the tablet holder, floor fan, a set of Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbells for strength classes (we don't do weights on the bike), and a basic Yoga mat.

It has surprised me just how happy I am with this setup! I thought I would feel like I was missing out by not having the leader board and not being able to track my stats. But I have yet to take a live class since the times don't work well for us west coasters with 9-5 jobs and commutes. And while I would like to be able to see output and resistance, I don't feel like my workout is suffering for not having them. I used to take spin classes regularly and most of those were about feel rather than exact numbers.

We've been using this setup since July and, honestly, I don't see myself buying a Peloton now. If anything I may upgrade to a better bike at some point. But for $20 a month I am getting an excellent workout that dips and sways with my schedule. I don't think I could justify being locked into $40 a month when I don't feel I am missing out much on the extras that come with the full price.

Here's a pic of our setup.

A fan is essential. I ended up switching from stand fan to a carpet dryer. The carpet dryer fan sits in front of the wheel and blows air up through the handlebars. It's the best fan solution I have found for spinning. There are multiple brands but I have the one below. https://www.amazon.com/XPOWER-P-230AT-Speeds-Outlets-2-3-Amp/dp/B00BY48UU8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1511813128&sr=8-9&keywords=carpet+dryer+fan

Get a heart rate strap. The best one I have found is the Scosche. https://www.amazon.com/Scosche-RHYTHM-Heart-Monitor-Armband/dp/B00QSRQ1UM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1511813531&sr=8-13&keywords=heart+rate+strap

I like decent sound while riding so I bought a set of Audio Engine speakers which I connect to the bike bluetooth using an audio engine B1 bluetooth receiver. I got thew small speakers due to available space but they work well with a subwoofer I already had. There are many brands of powered speakers that are cheaper. https://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-A2-Powered-Speaker-System/dp/B00DQMJE7E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511813734&sr=8-3&keywords=audioengine+a2

Finally, for mood lighting I bought a Phillips Hue Bloom light which I point at wall in front of bike.

Hey if you want send me an email at Plaschkej@gmail

A while back (4-5 years) I was working on a zephyr hrm app for mobile phones

I got on their affiliate program and got an agreement from apple to get their Bluetooth api

Plans just petered our as I couldn’t convince friends to help

I wanted it mostly for cycling as it’s not practical to use an arm strap especially now with iwatch and fit bit


https://www.amazon.com/Zephyr-HxM-BT-Wireless-Sensor/dp/B002PL33AQ

I’ve been a software developer for 30 years mostly embedded wireless communications

I had the same goals do something on the side

So I would definitely be interested in helping

I found these shorts to be pretty good (note, they aren't "real gel" -- i used to have a pair of specialized ones that had real gel that were better, but they cost at least 3X)

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BHZYF8/

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Also a lotion like this:

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https://www.amazon.com/DZNuts-Chamois-Cream-ounce-120ml/dp/B001C6DIF0/

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really helps

I bought the Sunny SF-B1110 in 2017 and used it over the course of 2 years. Along with it, I used the Peloton app, of course, and a Wahoo cadence tracker. The set up worked well for me. Solid bike, heavy flywheel, and the chain drive seemed less likely to need replacement, so I went with that rather than a belt.

I didn’t spin exclusively- I also ran and went to a local gym - but I estimate I did 200 or so rides in the time I owned it.

Personally, I recommend it if you: a) you don’t have lots of extra money to spend and; b) if you’re not sure you’ll keep up with spinning/Peloton. Those were my reasons for going with the app + Sunny approach. No regrets from me :)

Link to bike below (I think.....I’m doing this on my phone)

Sunny B1110

EDIT: I should also mention I just sold it and it is still in near perfect condition. No issues at all.

I don’t think anything that you do is going to give the bike a truly locked down feeling on carpet. I read somewhere that someone screwed their plywood base to their subfloor. They claimed that they were able to screw through the carpet without causing any damage. I’ve had mixed results doing this myself.

What about using furniture feet designed for carpet on the underside of your board? You’d have to find a way to secure the up side to the board. The toothed surface should prevent sliding and may create a more stable platform in general.

Edit:
Something like this:
Self-Stick Furniture Anti-Dent Carpet Protectors 5/8" Height for Deep Pile Carpet- Protect your Deep Loop Carpeted Surfaces from Dents and Keep Furniture in Place, 4" Square Customizable Block- (2 Pieces) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DCX3BO4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_abBTDbB0FBB89

I was motivated by the recent thread with the X rated pics of the frame, so this weekend I spent quite a lot of time inspecting the bike everywhere with a flashlight for rust (owned less than 1 year). As someone who leaves a puddle on the floor after a workout, it only made sense that had to leave impact on steel. While Peloton suggests you to wipe down the bike after a ride, the places where most people would clean, such as the large smooth surface areas, may keep the bike looking good but are actually not problem areas. The problem is everywhere you miss--seat bolt and the threads on the frame, connectors, the gap to the shaft on the left pedal, the bolt and opening where the cover on the right meets the frame, underside of frame where the welds are, outer pedal threads, metal screws, etc. For the seat handle, not only were the threads in bad shape, but also I could see rust on the front and back of the handle where it meets the bolt. Basically, the more I looked for rust, the more I found. Left untreated for a few years, I think it would have evolved into bigger problems down the road.

I used Ospho on many of the painted parts and the bolts and let it sit for a day. Getting to some parts required something like a toothpick or a dental tool with the paper towel scrap to scrub. Ospho (HD equivalent here) makes rust inert and preps it for painting, then used a touch up brush and applied some black rustoleum paint to the painted areas. Then I used white lithium grease(spray) to protect all the moving parts and bolts, and even into the seat handle. To protect the underbelly of the frame where the welds are, I'm tempted to apply some stickier grease like Red and Tacky to completely seal those areas from sweat and air after now that the paint has dried, because it is not an area that can be easily and properly cleaned every time. Going forward I'll be looking it over much more frequently.

Most will say you'll get used to it. But I personally ended up just buying this seat for $18 and it's a big improvement in comfort due to it being wider along with dampened springs.

Any computer speakers will work fine ... https://www.amazon.com/Bose-Companion-III-Multimedia-Speakers/dp/B00CD1PTF0/ for instance are excellent for the price.

I use these on my AirPods and they work great, I sweat like crazy and couldn’t use my AirPods for any exercise previously.

This is called “FLOAT”. It is not actually your cleat being loose from your shoe. It is your cleat having a little wiggle room in the pedal. It is normal. The factory cleats from Peloton have ZERO float, even though I believe they claim they do. The replacement cleats they send out for squeaking have 9 degrees, I believe.

If you don’t like the float, I would suggest purchasing a pair of bi-metal cleats with less float. These:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NNQFU8/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1524250909&sr=8-2-fkmr1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65

They have options for 0, 4.5, or 9 degrees float. If you really liked how solid the factory pedals were, I would suggest zero.

I have the Vornado 630 and really love it! When I forget to turn it on, it’s a noticeable difference!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E5WAUO/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_4xF-BbB6HJQ93

I went with a 15" PA speaker laying on the floor in front of the bike. Since these speakers are usually used for large venues and outdoor events it can shake the whole house if you turn it up. :) At more sane volume levels it provides full range sound with deep base which I couldn't get out of the small bluetooth speakers I tried like the Bose Soundlink Mini and Oontz Angle.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZX80V6

I'm using a bluetooth dongle to link it to the tablet. It's cleaner than running a cord from the headphone jack and also provides noise isolation.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4W40VC

These

Basically really large screen wipes - but they work for the entire bike as well.

Having long ridden my road bike with shimanos, I did the same as /u/AnieParis. Deltas may be fine, but I've got 10 years of muscle memory...

The road bike has the fancy super light (read: expensive) DuraAce ones... but for the peloton, I just got the low-end SPD-SL's. No issues putting them on the bike, and I much prefer their lower stack-height and general feel.

I've heard of getting the bi-metal cleats from peloton (chat) to using a dry teflon lube very sparingly on the cleats (like apply it with a q-tip) - https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Line-Bicycle-Chain-Teflon/dp/B002IDZXRM/