I Spent 20 Minutes Sweating With the Peloton Tread, Here’s What I Thought

Peloton has introduced the latest swanky addition to its lineup of exercise machines, the Tread, which officially landed in Australia on February 16, 2023.  The treadmill has been described by the fitness brand as one that offers a “unique and engaging workout experience that blurs the lines between entertainment and exercise”.

Joining the Peloton family of Bike, Bike+ and the strength-focused Guide, the Tread is the latest in the collection of fitness equipment pieces used by some 6.7 million members around the world.

As someone who loves a quick jog on a treadmill, I snapped up the opportunity to give the Peloton Tread a run (literally, I ran on the thing for 20 minutes). Here’s what I thought.

Real Life Review: Peloton Tread

Before we dive in, here are the details you need to know about.

What you get with the Peloton Tread

• 170 cm x 80 cm footprint
• Comfortable and quiet 59″ (1.5m) running belt
• Speed and incline knobs to easily adjust controls without breaking your stride
• 23.8″ (60cm) HD touchscreen
• Studio-quality sound with front-facing speakers and rear-facing woofers
• Tread Lock, a four-digit digital passcode that each member will need to enter to unlock the belt before a workout
• Safety Key, a physical safety key that helps Members come to a quick stop during a class if needed

Price: $4,445 plus $59 per month for the All-Access subscription

What’s good?

Starting with the obvious, this thing looks good. It’s sleek, it’s slim and it looks expensive… which it is. The screen is gorgeous and massive, without feeling like it dominates the Tread. It’s also super simple to navigate, and I found it really responsive to touch which is what you want when your feet are pounding the running belt and you decide you want to change speeds quickly.

The touchscreen is where you’ll set up your workout – which can be fully guided or manually managed if you prefer to do your own thing – and the options are seemingly endless. You can choose to walk, run or hike with the visual backdrop of your choice (outdoor or indoor), or you can allow one of Peloton’s skilled trainers to take the reigns. There’s also the option to select your workout according to music genre – or go with an Artist Series that is focused on one musician in particular.

The versatility is certainly a plus, but as I find music-led workouts to be most effective for me, I decided to try that out this time around. I’m not exaggerating when I say the combination of energetic tunes and the encouragement of the instructor drove me to work harder in this run than I had – I actually hit my fastest speed ever.

I don’t know what it is about these instructors, but just when you feel like you’ve hit your max, they convince you to give a little more. It’s why I’ve long said the best Peloton product is its app.

Running on the Peloton Tread felt comfortable, it was quiet and I really enjoyed being able to quickly bring down my speed and incline using the knobs.

@lifehackerau

We did a workout with #Peloton tread and it was pretty damn epic. @Peloton #fitness #run

♬ MUSIK FYP – Remix – Dj unodhowhow & Jungle dutch

What’s not so good?

There were a couple of things that I noticed during my 20-minute experience with the Peloton Tread that I think could have been a tiny bit better. The touchscreen can tilt 50 degrees up and down, but it doesn’t rotate like a Bike+ screen does, which limits your options when using it for workouts other than those involving the Tread.

The speed and incline knobs are a little difficult to get used to. While I enjoyed spinning them to bring the speed and incline down quickly after a sprint, using the knobs to gradually increase or even decrease settings felt a little unnatural to me. They do come with a button that will bump up your speed/incline one point, but I found myself wishing I also had a button to bring it down by one or half a point, too. In the end, I kind of relied on the screen to control speed and incline.

Also, while the size of the Tread is certainly a win for folks seeking a compact exercise machine, I do feel that the inability to fold it away – like many traditional treadmills do – robs owners of a little bit of convenience here.

Peloton Tread: The verdict

While Peloton’s take on the treadmill comes with a few small annoyances (something that a product over $4,000 shouldn’t really have), the overall design and workout experience are so seamless and enjoyable that I had no trouble letting those hiccups go. In a statement on the release of the Peloton Tread, the exercise equipment company shared that “92% of households who join Peloton in the new year are
still members 12 months later,” and my 20-minute dalliance with this machine made it clear why.

The machines work well, they look great and their pairing with a-class workouts offered in-app (live or replayed, it doesn’t matter) offers a fitness experience that has you eager to come back. That is, if you can afford it – which many mere mortals like myself likely cannot.

You can shop the Peloton Tread in Australia now.