These exercise bikes are getting some negative spin.
A Brooklyn woman told her mom that she was considering buying a Peloton stationary bike — and her dad’s wheelie angry email response slamming the boutique fitness brand has gone viral.
‘I have heard of the Peloton, and have concluded that, like the use of cocaine, it’s another way of God saying people have too much money.’ Colin O’Connor
Clare O’Connor told BuzzFeed that she had enjoyed taking Peloton classes at the cycling company’s NYC studio, and she was looking into buying a bike and membership for herself, which run $2,245 to $2,694.
She spoke with her mom about the potential purchase — and moments later, her father Colin emailed his thoughts on “the Peloton” in true dad-form.
“I have heard of the Peloton, and have concluded that, like the use of cocaine, it’s another way of God saying people have too much money,” begins the note, which has been retweeted 3,700 times and drawn more than 1,000 comments since O’Connor shared it on Wednesday.
I told my mother I was considering buying a Peloton and...received this email minutes later from my father, who I should really start enlisting if I need to drag someone. pic.twitter.com/95CWiYwvk8
— Clare O'Connor (@Clare_OC) April 10, 2019
“It is a ridiculous amount of money for such a basic concept as riding a stationary bike. You can ride a bike you own for as long as you want and cut the inevitable boredom factor by listening to podcasts or watching TV or clips of waves on sand,” he continued.
The $2,200-plus Peloton bikes are fitted with touch screen monitors that stream workouts, and purchasing a bike also entails a $39 monthly subscription fee for the exercise videos, which include more than 10,000 live and on-demand classes so the rider can sweat “with” a class in the privacy of their own home. It’s been so successful, drawing more than 1 million members and selling more than 400,000 bikes, that parent company Peloton Interactive Inc. is expected to seek a valuation in excess of the $4 billion when it goes public this year.
‘I would implore you not to waste precious after-tax income on this latest attempt to encourage social strivers to show that they live at a more rarified level than the proletariat.’ Colin O’Connor
But Colin isn’t buying it. “The idea of looking at a screen while some cycling pro broadcasts encouragement is preposterous,” Colin added. “I would implore you not to waste precious after-tax income on this latest attempt to encourage social strivers to show that they live at a more rarified level than the proletariat.”
Peloton referred MarketWatch to a comment it posted underneath O’Connor’s tweet in response: “We would hire your dad for extreme motivational content tbh.”
This isn't the first time that the luxe wellness brand has been mocked on Twitter. A user under the handle @ClueHeywood went viral in January for posting a thread that mocked Peloton’s advertising campaign, which depicted Peloton riders working out in expensive-looking homes and high-rise apartments. A sample caption read, “In the mornings, after my housekeeper meticulously makes my bed, I like to ride my Peloton bike in the window of my high rise and literally look down my nose at people.”
In the mornings, after my housekeeper meticulously makes my bed, I like to ride my Peloton bike in the window of my high rise and literally look down my nose at people. pic.twitter.com/4tCrIOVVA2
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 28, 2019
