How to Calibrate the Peloton Bike and Bike Plus? - Easy Method

How to calibrate the peloton bike and bike plus? This is the challenge that almost every peloton cyclist seems to have. You can note it from the Facebook, reddit and peloton community concerns that the peloton users raise. One of the major challenges that you will definitely face trying to calibrate the peloton bike is that peloton does not approve of the calibration.

Nevertheless, we have garnered a few tips on how you can get your way around calibrating the peloton bike.

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What does Peloton bike calibration mean?

Peloton bike calibration refers to the numbers that display on Peloton when you turn the resistance knob. The distance between the flywheel’s magnetic brackets and the resistance knob, assigned numbers 1 to 100 on the Peloton bike. It reflects on your output with correct calibration showing accurate output, hence an essential aspect of a Peloton ride.

Is Peloton Calibration Important?

Yes, Peloton calibration is essential. It helps translate the correct output as you ride on your bike. However, if your bike is calibrated wrongly, you may find yourself overworking, which could detrimental to your health. On the other extreme, you may find yourself spinning the Peloton flywheel when you should be taking a climb or a power zone class.

Talking about output, if your current output is affected, both your overall and average output will carry the impact as well. Therefore, the wrong calibration will mess your whole workout history too.

Other than the output, Peloton calibration affects your position on the Leaderboard. This could go both ways; You may find yourself way up on the Leaderboard and with impressive results, yet you don’t feel the impact. Therefore, it works against your workout goals. On the other hand, you may get discouraged by a low position on the Leaderboard, lower than you ever had been, hence lacking the motivation to ride over time.

Then there is the FTP test. Again, if you take the test with the wrong calibrations, you will get the wrong results. Therefore, you may end up having to overwork 0or underwork during the power zone classes.

What Happens If I Don’t Calibrate My Peloton Bike?

If you don’t calibrate your bike yet the calibration is wrong, you will end up with the following;

Wrong output reading
Over exercising or under exercising
Wrong calorie readings, which can be disappointing in the long run, especially if they are on the higher end
Wrong place at the Leaderboard
Unsuitable power zone rides due to wrong FTP test results.

How to tell if the Peloton is not calibrated correctly?

You can tell that your bike is not calibrated correctly when your output seems off compared to the instructor and other riders. For example, if your output ends up higher than the instructor’s, yet you did not exercise as hard, a wrong calibration should click.

You can also tell that your calibration is wrong when you start dropping or rising dramatically in the Leaderboard position without any extra activity or drag.

Most importantly, you will always feel when your calibration is wrong, especially if you have had your bike for some time. When the bike arrives, it should be well-calibrated. Actually, Peloton reports that the bikes are calibrated within 10% margins of each other, which means the calibration is almost the same. Therefore, you will most likely get the right calibration output when you first ride on your bike. If, for instance, you move the bike and the resistance feels different at different levels than before, the calibration may have tampered. You start feeling too much resistance when at, say, level 20 or minimal resistance at, say, level 70.

How do you test a peloton calibration?

If you feel that your resistance doesn’t feel right but are not sure about it yet, here are tests you can carry out;

First off, try rotating your resistance knob to see the change in resistance on your screen. It will seem off if the calibration is wrong, with large or meagre changes.
Then, try rotating your resistance knob to the far right until it moves no more. This should show on your screen as level 100. If it doesn’t, the calibration has a problem. In contrast, if your resistance stops at 100 at the extreme right rotation and at 0 at the extreme left rotation, the calibration is okay.
Retake an FTP test, which should not exceed the previous test results by dramatic margins. If it exceeds or is way too low, you will know that the calibration is wrong.
Take a power zone class, and see how your range in the different power zones. For example, if you get to zone 5 when you should be in two or three, or vice versa, this should ring a bell.
Cross-check your output Vs. Your former output carefully. If the margins are out of the world, you should check the calibration.
Comparison between the output on the bike and another Peloton bike. You can compare ride results between the bikes for those who are lucky to own a standard bike and a bike plus, or two of the same type.

Are All Peloton Bikes Calibrated the Same?

Fortunately, Peloton confirms that all bikes are calibrated within the same margin, with a maximum difference of 10%. So, if you have two bikes, you will quickly tell if one has the wrong calibration setting. You can also try a bike at a Peloton display shop to confirm or let go of your fears.

How Often Should You Calibrate Your Peloton?

Essentially, the Peloton bike comes well-calibrated; you may actually never have to recalibrate it. However, if you move the bike or go through shock, you may have to do the recalibrations.

The best way to go is only to calibrate the bike if the output or impact on your body suddenly feels too different to ignore. Then, you can carry out the tests above to confirm whether the recalibration is necessary.

To answer the question, you may not have to recalibrate the bike, or you may recalibrate it as many times as your calibration tends to change.

Does the Peloton recommend calibration?

No, Peloton does not recommend calibration. Conversely, Peloton recommends that members contact Peloton customer care if their bike calibrations require attention and possible resetting.

Does the Peloton give calibration instructions?

Sadly, Peloton does not give any calibration instructions. There was a video a couple of years ago, but Peloton brought it down. In an article on calibration, Peloton reports that it finds output less accurate when users recalibrate the bikes independently. Therefore, it recommends that users contact Peloton customer care if there is a challenge with their bike calibrations.

Does Peloton Auto Calibrate?

The standard Peloton bike does not auto-calibrate. However, the Peloton bike plus, which has an auto-resistance also, allows auto-calibration. Thus, it recalibrates digitally, which means that you don’t have to get into the mechanical calibration process.

How does Peloton bike plus auto-calibrate? Let’s have a look at a quick process;

Click on the three dots at the top of the bike for the Settings menu, and click on the Device Settings.
Next, click on the Home Installation, which leads you to a collosal icon directing Start Calibration. Click on it, and firmware will download on the bike plus.
Finally, the bike plus will recalibrate and bring a sigh-bringing Done when it is through. Click on it, and get ready to retest your bike resistance.

How to Calibrate Peloton Bike Plus?

luckily, the Peloton bike plus resistance is digital. Hence, the recalibration is also digital, well over your screen. Here is the procedure;

Click on the three dots at the bike’s top for the Settings menu, and click on the Device Settings.
Next, click on the Home Installation, which leads you to a colossal icon directing Start Calibration. Click on it, and firmware will download on the bike plus.
Finally, the bike plus will recalibrate and bring a sigh-bringing Done when it is through. Click on it, and get ready to retest your bike resistance.

How to Calibrate Original Peloton Bike?

How do I Calibrate My Peloton Bike with a Calibration Tool?

Good thing the Peloton bike comes with a calibration kit, which consists of the following;

Two white plastic discs (large and small)
A wedge

So, how to calibrate the standard Peloton bike with the calibration tools? Let’s get the show on the road;

First, turn the resistance knob all the way to the left, which is technically zero, which is essential in elevating the brackets. With the brackets protruding, there will be sufficient space for the wedge.
Then, remove the sweat guard at the front shroud as well as the water bottle holder, which will be in your way during the calibration process. Also, remember to take off the flywheel cover, leaving the flywheel naked.
Next, put the calibration wedge at one edge of the flywheel and push it to the magnetic resistance brackets. You should feel some friction, indicating contact between the magnets and the wheel.
Bring up the black sleeve under the resistance knob. Then, put the larger disc onto the bolt, and rotate it until you feel the resistance on the bold.
Again, take the smaller calibration disc and place it on the large disc under the black resistance knob sleeve.
Last but not least, move the resistance knob to test the impact. The smaller knob at the top will move with the resistance knob, while the larger disc at the bottom stays fixed. The discs are white, with black markings on them for identification.

Note: Remember to rotate the resistance knob a quarter turn at a time for significant resistance changes.

Now you can hop on your bike for a ride, paying close attention to the resistance changes with different knob adjustments.

What is the peloton calibration kit?

A Peloton calibration kit refers to a set of two discs and a wedge that you use for resistance calibration.

Does the peloton bike come with calibration tools?

Yes, the Peloton bike comes with calibration tools, so you don’t have to order the tools separately. Instead, just refer to your Peloton bike repair kit, where you will find a couple of discs and a wedge. You will also need the Allen wrench from your Peloton maintenance box.

How much do the peloton calibration tools cost?

The Peloton calibration tools are free, and you will actually get them with the bike on delivery. However, if you opt for the Peloton support, it is free during your first year with the bike and during your period with an extended warranty. If you have neither warranty in position and need Peloton expertise, it will cost approximately $100 to have a bike recalibration.

What is a calibration wedge on a peloton?

A calibration wedge is one of the main calibration tools for the Peloton bike. It sits on the bike’s flywheel in between the magnetic resistance brackets during recalibration.

How to Calibrate Peloton Without Tool?

Using masking tapes and a thin piece of wood or a ruler, you can also calibrate the Peloton bike without the tools. Then, you can either work on the calibration with both DIY tools or just one which could be missing from your set.

Peloton – Calibrating Without Discs

The Peloton bike calibration requires two disks, a large fixed disk that goes to the bottom of the resistance knob and a smaller movable disc that sits on the larger disc. So, in place of these discs, you can use two masking tapes. You can either use different colors or the same tape horizontally for the small disc representation and vertically for the larger disc representation.

Once you have the masks in place, mark them with a visible mark pen on the four sides, which will help identify the position of the resistance knob.

Calibrating the Peloton Bike without a Wedge

The calibration wedge sits on the bike’s flywheel during Peloton bike calibration. Without the wedge, you can consider a flat piece of wood, metal, or ruler. Next, mark it at a point of 1 ¾ inch. Then, rotate the resistance knob to the left to ease the magnets on the flywheel. Finally, put the piece you have into the first set of magnets on the flywheel, ensuring that the marked length fits into the space.

How long does peloton calibration take?

Honestly, calibration can take time, primarily due to the care needed in the process. You may also have to repeat the process if it doesn’t work to your advantage. So, give yourself at least 20 minutes for the recalibration and another 10 minutes for the testing. So, approximately 30 minutes will do.

How to calibrate peloton bike for higher output?

The above methods will reduce your output from the resistance by increasing the resistance. But what if you end up with a flywheel that is too tight for your output? In this case, you will need to readjust the wedge on the flywheel. Loosen it slightly, which should help loosen the grip during resistance adjustment. Therefore, the output will be higher.

Can the Peloton Bike be Wrongly Calibrated?

If the Peloton bike is new, the calibration should be correct. However, for second-hand bikes and bikes that have been moved, the calibration can change to wrong. This leads to the necessity for recalibration. The good news is that it is possible to recalibrate the bike.

Bottom Line

How to calibrate the peloton bike? All you need is to send a text to customer care so that they can look into the exact issue of your bike. The good news is that if you have the Peloton warranty or the extended warranty in place, the recalibration process will be free and professional.

Alternatively, you can recalibrate the bike yourself. After all, it comes with the calibration tools at delivery. All you need is to ensure that you follow the calibration process to the letter, which will help avoid making calibration mistakes.

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