Peloton Tread Treadmill Review 2023

Peloton Tread vs Similar Treadmills

To give you a preview into this Peloton Tread review, here’s a quick look at how this treadmill compares to other popular treadmills.

In-depth Peloton Tread Treadmill Review: Testing & Analysis

Dimensions/Storability

The Peloton Tread is definitely not the largest non-folding treadmill on the market.

Its dimensions are 68” L x 33” W x 62” H. Even though its dimensions make it a little more compact than treadmills in its class, the fact that the deck doesn’t fold up means the Tread can’t be stored. It weighs 290 lbs, so it’s heavy and rather difficult to move.

We have found that treadmills of similar weight, like the Sole F85 is easier to move because the deck folds up and there are 4 transport wheels under the base so you can push this treadmill around. The Peloton Tread has two front wheels so you have to lift the back end to move it. Even though it can be moved, it’s pretty difficult to do so. Having a designated space is required for the Peloton Tread.

Along with factoring in the total dimensions, we recommend having a few feet surrounding the treadmill, especially at the rear of the deck, to safely and properly use it. Ceiling height, as well as floor space, is also important to consider when determining if you have enough room for the Peloton Tread in your home. The deck’s step-up height is fairly slim at just 8” high from the floor to the top of the side rails when the deck is at 0%. For someone who is a 6’0” runner, we recommend having at least an 8.5-foot high ceiling to use the Tread and its incline. You can head over to our article here to calculate what minimum ceiling you’ll need for your height.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

Many premium home treadmills on the market come with touch screens and subscription training content that’s integrated into the machine. Most popular brands offer their own subscription content that requires a monthly fee to use. Being from Peloton, the Peloton Tread allows you to stream Peloton’s subscription training content straight from the treadmill’s touch screen. Here’s the rundown of what to expect with Peloton’s subscription content and what you have access to without a subscription to the Peloton Tread.

Peloton All-Access Membership

Subscribing to Peloton’s membership gives you full access to all of the content on the Peloton Tread’s touch screen. The All-Access Membership is required to use Peloton’s content on the brand’s equipment. This membership costs $44 per month. It’s priced a little higher than comparable subscription fitness platforms like iFIT which is $39 per month. The two subscriptions vary a little bit in the type of content they offer, which I’ll get into in a moment.

Peloton features live and on-demand trainer-led workout videos.

Most of their classes are filmed in professional studios. This is where Peloton shines. Peloton has a star-studded roster of trainers, most of whom have pretty significant social media followings. The trainers are where Peloton stands out. Many members, us included, have favorite instructors that they prefer to take classes with.

A little more recently, Peloton has expanded its content to include outdoor-filmed workouts led by its instructors. These are similar to iFIT, but the amount of these workouts is lacking in comparison to iFIT’s library of outdoor classes. There aren’t very many of these workouts, but there are options to take some with an instructor and without to explore on your own.

Peloton offers classes in a variety of disciplines.

On the Peloton Tread, you can take walking, intervals, tread boot camp, hiking, jogging, and running classes. There are also cycling, rowing, strength, stretching, yoga, and meditation classes.

In each workout, there is a leaderboard on the right side of the screen. This is where members get to compete against other members, or rather see who they’re taking the class live or on-demand with. During live classes, instructors will give shout-outs of usernames from the leaderboard. You can also give and receive virtual high-fives from other members which helps create a sense of community, even though you’re working out alone at home.

Another area that Peloton nails is the music. Each workout has a curated playlist of songs hand-selected by the instructor. This way, you listen to them with the instructor. So, when you’re picking up the pace for a sprint, the music often intensifies which is intentional by the trainer to add to the energy of the class. Many of the workouts are designed around different musical artists and themes, which is fun.

When you don’t want to follow along with an instructor, Peloton’s Lanebreak features gamified workouts that require you to hit specific targets as your avatar moves down 6 different lanes by changing your speed and incline levels. These are still structured like a workout so in the beginning you’ll get a built-in warm-up and gradually increase your pace and intensity and then cool down towards the end. These games all have curated playlists, too.

Peloton also has an “Entertainment” section on their equipment, including the Peloton Tread, where you can stream from 3rd-party apps such as Netflix, Max, Disney+, YouTube TV, and the NBA app. You have to be subscribed to Peloton’s membership and then log into your own account for these apps to stream on the Tread’s screen.

There is also a “Just Run” mode that lets you do your own thing and track your metrics on a blank screen.

Onboard Workouts

So, what do you get if you don’t want to subscribe to Peloton’s All-Access Membership and just use the Peloton Tread? Well, not much. The functionality of the touch screen is very limiting. You can still use the treadmill, but only your speed and incline range are shown at the bottom of the login screen. You can’t track any of your metrics like your distance to keep track of how far you go.

This is it, so be aware if you want to use the screen for streaming from Netflix and the other apps, you’ll need to pay for Peloton’s All-Access Membership. There aren’t any onboard workouts, or even a featured Peloton workout available to take. Manual mode isn’t available either. Sole Treadmills like the Sole F85 and F80 offer free content and the ability to stream from apps like Netflix without a subscription. Even treadmills like the NordicTrack 2450, 1750, and X22i include a manual mode and a free iFIT workout without a subscription to iFIT that those treadmills are compatible with.

So, if you’re on the fence about Peloton’s content I would consider treadmills from other brands. There are plenty that don’t require subscription training content, or offer other subscription training platforms.

Console

The Peloton Tread features a high-end and lovely 23.8” touch screen. Not only is the size impressive, but the quality makes streaming Peloton’s workouts nice.

The screen has anti-glare so you don’t have to worry about getting glare from overhead lighting.

The touch screen tilts up and down so you can get a better view depending on your height. The screen doesn’t pivot to either side of the treadmill though. Although you can see the screen from off the treadmill, if it pivoted it would make taking Peloton’s mat classes and treadmill boot camp classes more convenient. The NordicTrack Commercial 2450 and 1750 Treadmills have this adjustability that makes them more versatile and valuable when using them with iFIT.

Your metrics like your speed, pace (average and best), incline level, distance, watt output (total, average, and best), time, estimated calories, total elevation, and heart rate are displayed in every class and Lanebreak workout at the bottom of the screen. You can pair a compatible heart rate monitor to the screen to track your heart rate and heart rate training zones. You can sync your Apple Watch and Garmin Watch, and connect your Strava account for more tracking options, too.

Before each Peloton workout, you can see what muscle groups will be trained and look at what muscles you’ve worked in previous Peloton classes you’ve taken. This is available to view along with your workout history.

The front-facing speakers are fixed at the top of the screen. These project the sound at you. There are also speakers behind the screen. The speakers are clear, crisp, and offer plenty of volume. They’re also Bluetooth-enabled to pair with compatible headphones. You can’t listen to outside content beyond the content available to stream on the Peloton Tread, which is Peloton’s membership, though.

The console overall is very minimal. There isn’t a fan, so you’ll need to plug in your own when you get warm. There are also very few adjustment buttons. The buttons are roller buttons that are fixed on the inner sides of the handles to be right under your hands while running.

These roller knobs are meant to roll your palms over top to adjust the treadmill by 0.1 mph and 0.5% incline.

It can be a little hard to get to specific increments, especially if you accidentally roll these adjustments too much. I like having numbered adjustment buttons to quickly and easily adjust treadmills. You can press the inner parts of the roller adjustment knobs to adjust the treadmill by 1.0 mph and 1% incline from whichever levels you’re currently on. Aside from these buttons, there is just a stop button and safety key on the console.

The Peloton Tread does offer an Auto-Incline feature that will adjust the grade of the deck based on the instructor’s cues during class. You can turn this on or off and even when on, you can adjust the incline whenever you want.

On the right side of the screen are two speaker volume buttons. Other than these, that’s it for adjustment buttons on the console. You can select three different preset incline and speed settings on the screen for quicker adjusting. These work as long as you have only a few different speeds and incline settings you want to switch between while you workout.

The console has minimal storage, too. A tray is mounted to the front handle with two cupholders for your standard water bottle and a small cubby in between the cupholders for your phone or another small item. There isn’t a device rack to stream content from your phone or tablet, so you’re locked into the content on the screen.

The screen also locks when you aren’t using the treadmill and if you aren’t using the touch screen after around 45 seconds or so. You have to put in a 4-digit passcode (of your choosing) to unlock it. This is an added safety feature that Peloton has implemented after their previous model of the Peloton Tread+ was recalled for safety reasons.

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Build Quality

The Peloton Tread has a sleek design that has helped pave the way for other treadmill brands to follow suit. Newer models from NordicTrack, Sole, and Echelon have streamlined designs that somewhat resemble the Peloton Tread.

I will admit, it is aesthetically pleasing, but it lacks overall functionality compared to other popular treadmills we’ve tested.

To start, the Peloton Tread has a maximum 300 lb weight limit. This is the same as NordicTrack and ProForm. The Peloton Tread is meant to handle users up to this capacity. If you want a treadmill with a larger weight limit, check out the Bowflex Treadmill 22 and Sole F85.

Frame

The frame is made of carbon steel to support the deck. Two steel uprights connect to the floor frame to extend up to hold the handles and touch screen. Overall, the Peloton Tread feels solid and stable to use. The console and screen shake a bit when running at higher speeds of 8-9+ mph or so.

Some screen wobble can be expected from treadmills with large touch screens, however, certain models like the Bowflex Treadmill 22, Sole F85, and NordicTrack X22i feel a bit more stable with less console and screen shake compared to the Tread.

I do like the look of the frame design and the luxurious coating of the handles makes it feel high-end. The coating also helps keep the handles from feeling sweating, which is extra important for when you’re using the roller adjustment knobs. They have this coating on them as well. The side handles are just below your arms for balance and the front handle is one continuous piece which I prefer for added safety and stability while using the Peloton Treadmill.

Motor

The Peloton Tread has a 3.0 HP DC motor. This motor type is common for home treadmills. It’s what NordicTrack, ProForm, Horizon, Bowflex, and Sole have for their models that are made for home use. This motor is a little less powered than comparable models from these brands though. For instance, the NordicTrack 2450 has a 3.6 CHP motor, and the Sole F85 has a 4.0 HP motor, along with the NordicTrack X22i Incline Trainer.

This motor size is typically what we recommend for lighter to moderate running.

We prefer the motor power of the other treadmills I just mentioned for heavier use. With that said, the Peloton Tread has handled regular use for over the past 2 years, fairly well.

It goes up to 12.5 mph which translates to running just under a 5-minute mile. Most home treadmills offer a 12 mph max speed. The small difference in the speed is pretty negligible here. Most runners and exercise enthusiasts should have plenty of speed work to vary their training.

The motor is very responsive, meaning you’re never left waiting for it to adjust. It adjusts quickly, compared to other treadmills. It takes around 18 seconds to go from 1 mph up to 12 mph. It is one of the fastest motors that we’ve tested which makes it great for interval training.

The incline goes up to 12.5%.

This is on par with the 2450 and 1750, as well as the Sole F80 and F85 which offer 15 different levels but have around a 12% max incline range when we measured them. If you’re looking for treadmills with higher inclines, we recommend the Bowflex Treadmill 22 which has a 20% incline, and the NordicTrack X22i which has an unbelievable 40% incline.

The Peloton Tread doesn’t decline. Walking and running at a decline can be very beneficial for working the front muscles in your legs, as well as helping to mix up your training. The 2450, 1750, and X22i from NordicTrack all decline, as well as the Sole F85 and Bowflex Treadmill 22.

Deck

For a non-folding deck, the Peloton Tread’s is a little more compact than other models. It is 20” wide and 59” long. While this width and length accommodate most users for walking, jogging, hiking, and running, it isn’t exactly space-saving. I like this size on treadmills with folding decks because, paired with the folding deck, the treadmill’s size overall helps it to fit better in more homes.

If you prefer a little more room and still want a treadmill that folds up, then check out the Sole F80, F85, and Bowflex T22.

I like the red line that runs down the middle of the belt on the Peloton Tread.

It helps me to stay centered on the belt since I can’t run in a straight line. The belt edges are also tucked under the side rails for a clean look that helps the belt from getting debris underneath. It does make it a little more challenging to lubricate though.

As far as the cushioning, which is the give in the deck when your feet land while running, the Peloton Tread has less shock absorption than others in its class. The minimal cushioning feels more similar to lower-end treadmills. It’s firm to run on, which isn’t best if you have joint issues or sensitivity. It feels a little closer to running on the concrete outside. This is good if you are a road runner looking for a treadmill to simulate the experience of running outdoors.

For a more cushioned deck, I would check out NordicTrack Treadmills, which have some of the softest deck cushioning we’ve tested. The 2450 has a great amount of absorption in the deck and the NordicTrack X22i and X32i Incline Trainers have even more so.

Warranty

Peloton’s warranty is a bit less than what other treadmill brands offer. The Tread comes with a 5-year frame warranty, a 3-year motor and belt warranty, and a 1-year warranty for most original components and the touch screen. We prefer to see 10+ year warranties for the frame. Assembly is included with delivery for the Peloton Tread though, which is nice and appreciated.

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Should You Buy The Peloton Tread

There is no doubt that Peloton’s subscription training content is one of the best. They have an all-star lineup of instructors who are motivational and fun. The workout classes are of high quality and filmed in professional studios. The leaderboard and curated musical playlists make each workout feel unique and energetic. If you want to subscribe and utilize all of Peloton’s content features then you’ll need to buy one of Peloton’s pieces of fitness equipment.

For running workouts, the Peloton Tread is one of your options from the brand. It is a premium treadmill that will look nice in your home, but it requires a designated space. It doesn’t fold up, which makes its rather compact footprint a little inconvenient for some homes. Other comparable treadmills have folding decks that offer a bit more surface to run on. Without a subscription to Peloton’s All-Access Membership, the overall functionality of the touch screen on the Peloton Tread is very limiting. Its limited functionality, subpar performance, and lack of deck cushioning make the Peloton Tread not worth it if you just looking for a treadmill to use in your home without subscribing to Peloton’s training content.

We recommend plenty of other models that we have found are the best treadmills on the market. These treadmills are a better value and have nicer features overall. Some include their own subscription programming while others can be used with the less expensive Peloton app for only $12.99 per month if you’re looking for an alternative way to follow along with Peloton’s trainers.

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Peloton Tread Review Q&A / FAQs

Can you stream Netflix on the Peloton Tread?

Yes, you can stream Netflix and other 3rd party apps like Max, Disney+, NBA, and Youtube TV on the Peloton Tread when you subscribe to Peloton’s All-Access Membership. These apps are available to stream directly from the Peloton Tread’s screen when you subscribe to Peloton’s training content. You’ll then need to log into your Netflix account and other app accounts to stream, though.

Can you use the Peloton Tread without a subscription?

You can use the Peloton Tread without a subscription, however, the functionality is very limited. You’re only able to see your speed and incline levels on the screen, other basic metrics like your time and distance aren’t tracked.

Does the Peloton Tread fold up?

The Peloton Tread doesn’t fold up. It does have a fairly compact footprint, compared to other non-folding treadmills but it is heavy and hard to move so it requires having a designated space in your home to use it.

What is the design flaw in the Peloton treadmill?

The Peloton Tread had a design flaw in the past where the touch screen reportedly fell off some of the treadmills. This caused some minor injuries to consumers.

Is our Peloton Tread Treadmill review a paid review?

This is not a paid review. We purchased the Peloton Tread just like a regular customer so we could test this treadmill and compile this unbiased review. We work to test out all kinds of treadmills and fitness equipment from popular brands so we can provide you with accurate and informed information on which equipment and treadmills are the best on the market. We have affiliate links where we make a small commission when you click and make a purchase. This is at no extra cost to you.

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About the Author

Sydney Kaiser, ISSA-CPT, ISSA Nutritionist Certification
Sydney is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer, and sports nutritionist who combines her passion for fitness, health, and wellness with her passion for writing. After graduating from UC Riverside with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, she began teaching indoor cycling and Lagree Fitness group fitness classes to people of all ages and abilities. Raised in Central Michigan, Sydney grew up training and competing on the Arabian Horse Association circuit through both Regional and National levels in Dressage and Sport Horse classes. In college, Sydney went on to compete at the collegiate level as a Division 1 equestrian athlete. Here at TRG, Sydney relies on her extensive background in fitness when reviewing and recommending all kinds of fitness, recovery, and health-related products.

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