How to Make Your Peloton Bike into a Bike+

When I ordered my Peloton bike I only had one option: the regular bike. A little over a month after I got my bike, Peloton announced the new Bike+. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed since I had just bought my bike, and the trade-in value of it wasn’t very high.

I decided to keep my original Bike and make a few modifications to make it similar to the Bike+. In this blog post, I’ll go over the differences between the Peloton Bike and Bike Plus, and I’ll share how I converted my bike to be more like the Bike+.

Peloton Bike vs. Bike+

Let’s jump into what exactly the differences are between the regular Peloton Bike and Bike+. The biggest differences between the two bikes are:

Swivel Screen

The original Bike’s monitor is stationary and can’t be moved – this can be a downside when you’re doing off bike workouts, like strength or the floor portion of a bike bootcamp. While you could stream the workout to another device to get a better view, it’s more convenient to have a swivel screen. The Bike+ comes with a rotating screen that can move 360 degrees.

The Peloton Bike+ screen is also a little larger at 23.8″ vs. 21.5″.

Apple Gymkit Integration

The Bike+ also comes with built-in hardware that makes it compatible with Apple Gymkit – or more specifically, it can be paired with the Apple Watch. The original bike is only compatible with Bluetooth and ANT+ devices, meaning the Apple Watch is unable to pair with it.

Auto Follow Resistance

Have you ever been in a class and wished the instructor could adjust the resistance for you? Well, on the Bike+ this is possible. There’s an option on the bike that can make the resistance automatically follow along with the class.

Sound System

The speakers on the new Bike+ are better quality than the original bike. They’re 4-channel audio with 2×3 tweeters and 2×10 watt woofers.

Price

The new Bike+ is a little more expensive than the original Bike at $2,495 (or $64/month if you finance), about $1,000 more than the original bike.

Similarities Between the Bike and Bike+

Size

The footprint of both bikes is the same at 4’x2′ so will take up the same amount of space. The Bike+ is technically a little higher than the original bike because the bike screen is a little larger.

Weight and Height Limit

Both the Bike and Bike+ have the same user weight and height limit. The weight limit on a Peloton bike is 297 lbs and the recommended height range is 4’11”- 6’4″. Both bikes have an age limit of ages 14+.

Warranty

Both bikes come with a 12-month limited warranty. You can also purchase an extended warranty

Delivery and Installation

Both the bikes include delivery and installation.

Related Post: Everything You Need to Know About Peloton Delivery

Memberships

Both the Bike and the Bike+ require an All Access Membership, which costs about $40 a month. The membership does include unlimited memberships for household members so you can share with others in your house.

How to Make Peloton Bike into a Bike+

While you can’t exactly make the Bike into an exact replica of the Bike+ there are ways to modify your bike to make it have similar features. Here’s how I modified my bike to be similar to the Bike+.

Pivot Screen

I added on the Top Form Pivot to my monitor to make the screen swivel and it’s made a huge difference. I love doing Bike Bootcamps and following the Hardcore on the Floor calendar, so it was annoying trying to move to be in a position to see the screen.

The Pivot makes it so the screen can swivel and turn just like the Bike+. It’s super easy to install and only costs $60. The only downside to adding on these third party adaptors is that they can void the bike warranty so that’s something to consider before you make any modifications.

Related Post: Top Form Pivot Review

Apple Watch Sync

I got a little device called the Watch Link that can sync my Apple Watch to the Bike by making it into an ANT+ device. I’ve been using this for a few months now and it’s been the perfect solution!

You could also buy a dedicated heart rate monitor for the bike like this one that will pair automatically.

Related Post: How to Connect Your Peloton Bike to an Apple Watch for Free

Is the Peloton Bike+ Worth the Extra Money?

For me, I’m happy with my original bike and am planning to keep it. I made the small modifications to make it kind of like a Bike+ but I do realize it’s not exactly the same.

If I were to buy a bike today and had no budget restrictions, I would buy the Bike+ to get all the extra features. I also worry in the future they might roll out some new ride features that only the Bike+ could do and I’d like to have the latest and greatest just in case.

However, if you’re looking to save a little money the original Bike is definitely worth it. For under $100, you can customize your bike to get 2 of the biggest missing features.

Looking for more information on the Peloton Bike vs Bike Plus? Be sure to check out our complete guide.