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In an ideal world (where we’d all have perfect bodies like the Peloton instructors already) we’d be able to put our Peloton bike right in the center of its own dedicated Peloton Studio. This would be an annex to our home and would probably be next to the Yoga Studio, right around the corner from the large outdoor infinity pool.
Unfortunately, the reality for most people is that we have to carve out a big enough bit of floor space in order to just about wedge our bike in. This is less about ‘Peloton in its own dedicated studio’ and more ‘Peloton in small space’.
So, given the limitations of our non-movie-star homes, where is the best place to put our Peloton bike?
Well, there are quite a few different options available to us. Some are great (with a little adjustment) and some are awful, no matter what you do to try and improve them.
If you’re ready? Then we’ll take a look at the Good, the Bad, and the very, very Ugly places to put your Peloton.
These tiles will provide the ideal floor covering to sit your bike on and the 3/4” thickness gives a stable base to work out on, reducing noise and vibration, and with an easy-to-clean surface. Top recommended product
Where can I put my Peloton bike?
There are great places to put your bike and not-so-great places. These can be both indoors or outdoors. There’s also a number of considerations to think about, which make a place good or bad. These can include access to a power socket, access to a cooling breeze, and distance from sleeping children or easily-upset neighbors.
We’ll take a look at these now.
Good places for a Peloton
As we’ve seen the best place for a Peloton is in its own dedicated studio space. Sadly, for most people, that’s just not an option. So, working within our existing homes, where are good places? What even makes a good place?
Great features of a space include:
Sufficient floor space
Thankfully, the Peloton is a compact piece of kit and the footprint is a little under 24” by 48”. That means that there are likely to be many unused little nooks and crannies around your home which could be re-purposed for a bike.
A perfect spot would be a room that is rarely used, such as a spare bedroom. There can also be room in a home office, or behind the sofa, or at the top of the stairs in a spacious (but previously wasted) landing area.
Just make sure you have a 2’x4’ space for the bike and room to get on and off safely.
Stable base
The ideal surface for a Peloton is a hard floor, such as wood or concrete. However, they can also be placed on a carpet, although a low-pile covering will give more stability than a deep-pile or shag-pile carpet.
With a stable floor, I’d recommend you get a mat to sit the bike on. These commercial-grade rubber flooring tiles are ideal and a pair will give ample room for your bike. If you don’t have a stable floor already – perhaps you have a deep-pile carpet – then get a piece of 3/4″ plywood (measuring at least 24″x48″) to go on top of the carpet before you add on the rubber tiles.
These give a great wipe-clean surface to ride on (sweat is going to feature heavily in your workouts!) and also help to ‘mark out’ your floor space. It’s a nice way of saying, “Family members, please don’t dump your junk in my Peloton studio”.
If you’re located outside the USA, then get one of these great SuperMats Heavy Duty Equipment Mats instead.
Power supply
I’m always amused when I see a glamorous lifestyle shot of a Peloton bike artfully placed in the center of a large room. Yes, it looks great, but think about the power cable that will need to be stretched right across the room?! Trip Hazard!
Think about trying to keep your bike as close as possible to the best available power socket. It’s much safer.
Ventilation
Cycle on normal bike outdoors and you’ll feel a lovely cooling breeze as you pedal along. Cycle on a stationary bike indoors and it’s a different matter. There’s no through-draft so you rapidly overheat.
If you can position your bike so that it’s by windows or open doors, then you should be able to benefit from some fresh air. If not, then it’s worth investing in a good-quality fan like this one. Position this in front of you and it will help you keep your cool.
Ground level / basement
The ideal spot for your Peloton is either on the ground/first floor or in the basement. This will help to keep any noise and vibration to a minimum. If you live in an apartment, then it’s best to position the bike so that it’s furthest away from areas directly over where your downstairs neighbors spend their time. Particularly if you tend to work out late at night / early in the morning and they’re light sleepers.
Away from kids/neighbors
The Peloton is a high-quality piece of machinery and very quiet to use. What’s potentially less quiet is the rider. All that huffing, puffing, and possibly exasperated swearing can increase the volume substantially. So, it’s good to find a spot that is far away from sleeping babies, kids with a tendency to pick up ahem new words, and neighbors of a nervous disposition.
Bad places for a Peloton
Unsuitable places for a bike will include all those spots which are the opposite of the ones above: too-tight floor space, deep-pile carpets, no power or through-breeze, in the nursery or directly above the neighbors that you never see eye-to-eye with.
There are also another couple places which I’d steer clear of, if possible:
Peloton bike in garage
This can actually be a good place to position your bike, the issue is that you’re likely to get a wider range of temperature variation in the garage than inside your home. If you live in a region that has year-round comfortable outdoor temperatures, then this can be a great option. However, if you’re in a region that has very cold periods or very humid weather, then you might find that these can have an adverse effect on your Peloton. This could affect either the electronics or other moving components on your Bike. Be careful!
Peloton outdoors
As with keeping your bike in the garage, keeping it outside is only a viable option if you don’t get extremes of temperature or humidity. You also have to contend with what falls out of the sky – be it rain, sleet, or snow. These would clearly be very damaging for your bike. Even too much sun can lead to damage to plastic components.
Conclusion
Don’t be seduced by the lifestyle shots of bikes in the middle of a dedicated Peloton Studio. Not many folks have that kind of available space and, anyway, think about the trip hazard caused by those power cords. Shudder.
The Peloton is a compact piece of exercise equipment and so it only needs a compact piece of floor space with a few amenities like a stable base, access to power, and a good breeze. Cast a critical eye around your home and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of suitable spots.
Good luck!
