Peloton Resistance Conversion

Are you using the Peloton digital app with a regular spin bike that is not a Peloton? While both the Peloton and your bike are indoor fitness bikes, you must already know that it’s quite challenging to match up to some workouts. The two main challenges are resistance and cadence.

It is true that each fitness bike uses a different resistance from the other. Therefore, if you are using the Peloton app and a different brand bike, you will need guidance on the resistance conversion to be on the same page with your instructor.

So, let’s skip into the Peloton resistance conversion discussion;

Peloton Resistance Conversion with Different Common Fitness Bikes

Regardless of your fitness bike type, you can always convert it to suit the Peloton model. All you need is a bike with a resistance knob option.

Let’s dive into a conversion table that shows how Peloton resistance converts with different indoor bike resistance;

Peloton resistance conversion chart

These are rough estimations from the most common spinning bikes that you could be using with the Peloton app. For instance, when the instructor says that your resistance should be fifty for a slanty hill climb, the Peloton bike owners will switch resistance to 50. Better than that, the resistance will show on their metrics, which will indicate that they are right. True to their accurate resistance, their cadence will most likely resemble that of the instructor.

On the other hand, digital app users with other brand bikes cannot just shift their cadence to 50. However, with this resistance table, if you have a Keiser M3i, your resistance will be 15. With an Echelon bike, the resistance should be 15 as well, but 10 with a proform bike and so forth as in the table.

But what if your fitness bike is another local brand that you can’t seem to get a comparison with the Peloton bike? Don’t worry about that, because we also have a conversion table for this purpose as well.

However, in this case, you will also need a cadence converter. You must have noted that Peloton uses resistance and cadence to calculate the output. Therefore, if you cannot convert your resistance to Peloton resistance directly, you can as well use the cadence to get the resistance.

But how do you get your cadence when most other indoor bikes don’t have an option for cadence metrics? 

Cadence Sensing Converter?

What is cadence anyway? Cadence refers to your pedaling speed on the spin bike. Therefore, you can measure the number of the spin bike’s flywheel revolutions per minute. Peloton uses cadence among the main measure of output and performance.

A cadence sensor is a small gadget that you place on the fitness bike crank arm or your cycling shoes. It is quite small and lightweight, hence not much of a bother. The most recommended cadence sensor for accuracy and convenience is the Wahoo Cadence sensor, which costs less than 40 bucks. Quite cheap for a Peloton conversion, right?

Essentially, the sensor records data to Wahoo Fitness, which you can cast to your Peloton digital app. Once you have the cadence output data, getting the right resistance from your bike will be a walk in the park. 

Are you wondering how you can use cadence to concert resistance to Peloton metrics? Read on for your answer;

Peloton Resistance Conversion with Regular Spin Bikes

Let’s get down to a Peloton resistance conversion table that will turn your value fitness bike into a peloton;

Now you will use your cadence, which the cadence sensor transmits on your fitness app. First, check your resistance when your cadence is between 35 and 39, then record on the third column under your regular bike resistance name.

A Guide into Peloton Resistance Conversion with Other Fitness Bikes

When converting your bike resistance into Peloton resistance, use the steps below for a successful process;

First, keep in mind that your bike resistance could be way below that of Peloton, even if they count the same cadence. For this reason, ensure that your bike resistance starts at its minimum, say, zero.

Then, pedal up to a certain cadence, say 80, then check your output on the workout app. Your output will definitely be the lowest at this point because you only used cadence without resistance. It is interesting but also true that resistance raises output more than cadence.

So, as you pedal, increase your resistance, say to equal 39 cadence measures. This means that on Peloton, your resistance is at 25. Next, check the resistance on your bike, which matches Peloton’s resistance of 25.

Continue to the second column, and on to the last, you will have a table to refer to when working with the Peloton digital app.

Finally, you can rest assured that you will accurately follow the Peloton instructor without lagging. Being at per with the rest also helps you enjoy the classes more, which translates into better performance.

Important Tip

The clipless pedal option is best if you really want a real Peloton bike competition with peloton resistance and cadence. If your bike only uses the toe cage option, you can switch the pedals for the clipless option. The pedals have optimal power transfer that encourages higher resistance, hence more spinning output.

Which is Better for Peloton; Resistance or Cadence?

Essentially, Peloton uses both resistance and cadence in the measurement of output. Both are great options, and each outdoes the other in its way. However, for optimal performance, you need to balance both.

Peloton resistance is more difficult than cadence, and in this case, cadence is better because it is less tiring.

However, resistance has better performance metrics by far, which is why you need to incorporate it in your workouts. Therefore, both are necessary for a great workout altogether.

Final Thoughts

Peloton resistance conversion is a challenge that has been disturbing Peloton digital app users. However, with this guide, now you can transform your simple bike into a Peloton. Furthermore, since the Peloton digital app allows you to access both the live and on-demand classes, what more does it take to have a wonderful Peloton experience?