FISHER & FITZGERALD 1

Consumer Analysis: The Peloton Original Bike

Lexie Fisher and Willa Fitzgerald

March 23, 2021

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Consumer Analysis: The Peloton Original Bike

Introduction

What does an active mother of three, actress Kate Hudson, NFL player Patrick Mahomes,

and a middle-aged man looking to lose weight have in common? They are all consumers of the

Peloton Original Bike (Falk, 2021). The Peloton Original Bike has a wide consumer base, with

over 300 million users (Pompliano, 2020). When a rider joins a class, they are riding along with

hundreds of riders from across the country. While they may seem like a group of very different

people, these consumers have many things in common. From their lifestyle to their

characteristics, they all have many similarities that draw them all to the product. So, who is the

consumer of the Peloton Original Bike? What defines a Peloton rider? This paper outlines the

demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and self-concept of the consumers of the Peloton

Original Bike.

Demographics

The Peloton creators had a few key demographics in mind when they released the

original Peloton bike. Their target demographic is people who are flooded with resources such as

money, space, and comfortability, yet are low on time. According to the founder of Peloton John

Foley, age wise their target demographic is between 35 and 65 years old, these people have their

lives already established and just are looking for convenience (Saiidi, 2016). There is not much

differentiation as to what gender they are trying to market for and neither with race, about 55%

of their users are female leaving 45% to be male (Spector, 2019). Foley believes the Peloton is

ideal for someone with a higher income level, either a nice house in the suburbs or a spacious

apartment in the city, most of the time having children as well (Saiidi, 2016). According to
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Iterative Path, they hypothesize from Peloton's social media followers that they mostly target

individuals with partners and children yet still value their personal time and fitness regime

(Srinivasan, 2015). 

However there are a few physical limitations that the Peloton bike has, leaving those who

don’t match up out of their target demographic. The Peloton bike can only withstand a person

who is less than 297 pounds, leaving out a large majority of the overweight population, as well

as having a height limit of 6’5, and as for tall athletes that is a setback (Peloton, 2021). Overall

Pelotons target demographic is flexible based on who the person actually is, but is narrowed

down by their lifestyle.

Psychographics

Personality

Although the demographics help to characterize the consumer, the psychographics are

what really show who is the consumer of the Peloton. Peloton users have similar personality

traits. Personality traits define a person (Solomon, 2019). Peloton riders are competitive. One of

the most notable aspects of the Peloton live classes is that the riders compete against each other,

with live rankings and leaderboards (Huddleston, 2019). If a consumer does not like competition,

they are more likely to not be drawn to the Peloton bike. For others, they thrive on the

competition and it motivates them to have a better workout. 

Peloton consumers are also materialistic. There are many ways to work out, but these

consumers feel the need to justify spending around $2,000 to essentially ride a bicycle in place

(Peloton). A consumer has thousands of choices when determining how to work out. There are

some that cost more than others, but there are many that require no purchase at all, such as
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jogging in the streets. When one buys a Peloton, they get to own the workout equipment they are

using. 

Is it the product or the personality? That is the question when looking at the

obsessiveness and intense loyalty of the Peloton consumers. There are very few consumers who

just “like” their bike (Huddleston, 2019). Instead, the product becomes such a large part of their

lifestyle that it has led to the perception of a Peloton cult (Huddleston, 2019). While it may

remain unclear what the true cause is, it is most likely to some degree personality. Peloton

consumers are obsessive. They enjoy the product so much that they might go for multiple rides a

day, and of course ride daily. 

Values

One of the values most important to Peloton users is community. Consumers of the

Peloton bike are seeking a sense of belonging to a community. They value feeling a part of

something. Many riders often say that nobody quite understands the feeling of being a part of the

Peloton community until they are a part of it (Bradley, 2019). While other workouts and classes

allow the consumer to work out in a group, the bond that forms between Peloton users has been

compared to a cult (Bradley, 2019). A quick search on Instagram shows all of the different

Pelton accounts created by consumers which furthers their value of community. Pelotonmemes,

Pelotoncloset, Pelotonlifestyle, and Pelotonproblems are just a few examples. Outside of

Instagram, there are many different community pages for the Peloton product (Huddleston,

2019). 

Peloton riders also strongly value a sense of accomplishment. The Peloton workouts are

classes with a definite start and finish. Users can feel accomplished when they complete a class.

Also, Peloton tracks users' activity and rewards riders with badges (L, 2021). By participating in
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certain classes, users can earn badges (L, 2021). Users can also celebrate milestones like

completing 100 rides. 

However, users do not just value acknowledge their own accomplishments. They also

value social recognition. When riding in the live classes, instructors will often “shout out” the

usernames of individuals who are reaching a milestone ride, such as their 100th ride. There are

entire blog pages dedicated to giving tips for riders to earn a shout out. Peloton riders want to be

recognized for their accomplishments amongst the community that they are in. 

It is important to also recognize the Peloton user’s value for motivation. On the website,

the very first thing one sees on the homepage are the words “unmatched motivation.” The

consumer is seeking a way to get motivation when working out. The Peloton instructors can

provide this for them. While there is no guarantee that someone on a screen will get the

consumer on the bike, it is enough to convince them to buy the product. 

Interests

The Peloton Original Bike is attractive to consumers who have an interest in fitness and

physical activity. It is designed to use for exercise, so it is a choice for consumers to get a work-

out in. The price calculator on the official Peloton website gives consumers the opportunity to

compare the monthly price of purchasing a Peloton to what they are already spending a month on

fitness (Peloton). This shows that the consumer is going to likely be already interested in fitness.

With that in mind, the consumer of the Peloton is most likely going to be more interested and

devoted to fitness than a beginner. The bike is a big purchase, so if somebody just wants to try

out cycling, they might go to several spin classes before committing to the bike.

Additionally, consumers of the Peloton bike are interested in technology. The bike is

famous for launching the “connected fitness” industry, which combines technology with fitness
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(Skjong & Roberts, 2021). Peloton consumers have more knowledge and interest in technology

for them to be able to use the product. If somebody wants to workout but is terrible with

technology, the Peloton will not appeal to them. 

Lifestyle

Peloton users often have similar lifestyles as well. Many Peloton riders have a busy

lifestyle. Because the consumers are busy, they do not have time to go to the gym. The Peloton is

designed to be used at home. Consumers enjoy being able to squeeze their workout in at home,

working out around their busy schedules. The Peloton class schedule offers classes at practically

any time of the day, so the consumer does not feel restricted to having to schedule their life

around their workout. For example, on the official Peloton Class Schedule, there are classes

offered from 2 am to 8:30 pm. The schedule also shows that the classes vary in length of time.

The consumer of the Peloton needs this sort of flexibility with their fitness. 

Another aspect of many Peloton rider’s lifestyles is that they are at home a lot. For some

people, it is by choice. They are naturally homebodies who would prefer to work out at home

versus in a public gym. For others, it is because they can not leave home. For example, many

new moms turn to the Peloton because they can fit in a workout without having to leave their

baby (Mull, 2020).

VALS

There are two VALS types that best fit the Peloton consumer. The first is the Innovator.

The innovator is confident enough to experiment (VALS). Because the Peloton is a product that

is very different from what consumers typically think of a fitness class, the consumer has to be

willing to try something new. Innovators are also future oriented (VALS). Not only is the

Peloton heading toward the direction of the future of fitness, but by working out the consumer is
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thinking about the “future” benefits of working out long term. Finally, innovators are receptive to

new ideas and technologies (VALS). The Peloton demonstrates new technologies in the fitness

industry. An innovator would be willing to accept the Peloton as a part of their lifestyle. 

Also, the experiencer VALS type fits the Peloton consumer. Experiencers see themselves

as being very sociable (VALS). The Peloton live classes offer a social experience through the

virtual group workouts. A rider is never truly riding alone. Experiencers are the first in and out of

trend adoption (VALS). Throughout last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the Peloton a

trendy item for at home workouts. Lastly, experiencers have a heightened sense of visual

stimulation (VALS). When using the Peloton, the screen provides visual stimulation throughout

the ride. Overall, just like their name, experiencers want experiences. The Peloton bike turns

working out into an experience. 

Behaviors

Behaviors are incredibly important for marketing in the sense that it’s not just how a

person thinks or feels, it’s how they act. Behavioral marketing targets certain aspects of

someone's lives that are so apparent, sometimes they cannot function day to day without certain

products or services. As for the Peloton some of the behaviors we are trying to look at are things

like how often consumers use their Peloton bike, when they use it, and how easy it is to get

motivated to use it. When looking at questions asked to recent Peloton owners the majority of

them said they currently use it two to three times a week since they’ve had it. Some of them

mentioned that this was not their only form of exercise and that their use of the Peloton depends

on how busy their schedule is and how much they’ve already exercised during the week. They

also mentioned that they are not the only ones in their households that use the Peloton (Pyros,

2021).
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 As for when they actually used the Peloton, one person said that she felt comfortable

working out now whether it was early in the morning or late at night, which definitely helps

drive home Pelotons want for an accessible quick workout. Also, throughout the article it seemed

as though each of the Peloton owners had no trouble finding motivation to just hop on the bike,

they all mentioned that it’s easier to work out when it's on their own time (Pyros, 2021). The

behaviors of a Peloton user are generally all similar yet so individualized, and that’s the whole

point of the Peloton, to create similar experiences, but on the consumer’s schedule.

Why Consumers Use Product

Consumers use the product to better themselves. It is a way to make them feel good, with

an end result of living a healthier lifestyle. For some, this could mean achieving a weight loss

goal. For others, it could simply mean getting exercise. However, the consumers do not just see

physical benefits from using the product. For example, mothers of toddlers find it as a way to

improve their mental health, giving them patience throughout the day to handle their children

(Bradley, 2019).

Self-Concept

Clearly, there are many reasons behind the motivations of consumers to choose Peloton.

In addition, consumers choose Peloton because of their self-concept. The ideal self is the

conception of how a person would like to be (Solomon, 2019). Consumers buy the Peloton

because it can help them become their ideal self. The ideal self of the consumer would be an

active and healthy individual. By using the Peloton, consumers believe they can achieve this goal

and become an active, healthy person. 

The self-image congruence model states that consumers choose products when the

product matches attributes they see in themselves (Solomon, 2019). Consumers purchase the
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Peloton because they are hoping the active lifestyle used in the marketing will rub off on them.

When consumers think of Peloton, they think of active, healthy, and happiness. In reality, they

are only buying a machine. Buying a Peloton will not turn them into a happy active person, but

consumers sure hope it will. 

Conclusion 

Peloton casts a wide net when it comes to it’s targeted consumers. Though they may all

differ in size, family structures, and even lifestyles, there is something about the Peloton that

they all feel the need or want to have. As long as one can afford it’s price point the Peloton bike

has something that can appeal to everyone, if it's the connectedness of the classes, the

convenience of the workout, or just the design itself. We can assume that Peloton did have some

key characteristics in mind when it thought of its target consumer, however through market

positioning and great promotion, they were able to reach many different segments of the market

they’re in.
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