Peloton Tread+ Review — Up For Another Mile?

Dimensions/Storability

The Peloton Tread+ is a large treadmill. It doesn’t fold up, and it requires a designated space to be used and stored. At 455 lbs, the Tread+ is extremely heavy, and I’m not volunteering to move it around on my own.

When we had our model, it would take a couple of us to lift up the back end to engage the wheels and move it around. There are two front transport wheels, but they’re small, and lifting the treadmill to use the wheels is challenging. Make sure to have a spot for the Tread+ to stay.

Its dimensions are 75″ long, 36.5″ wide, and 72″ tall. Peloton suggests keeping 24″ to the left, right, and front of the treadmill, as well as 78.7″ of space at the rear cleared when you’re using it. You’ll need to factor in all of these dimensions to determine if you have enough floor space.

When inclined, the Peloton Tread+ is 6’8″ tall. The deck is about 18″ tall at the front when fully inclined. We recommend adding around 30″ to your height to determine if you have a tall enough ceiling to use the Tread+.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

Most treadmills with touchscreens also include subscription training content. The Peloton Tread+ comes with trainer-led workout videos that are available to stream directly from the touchscreen.

Peloton is arguably best known for its training content. The Tread+ is one of only two treadmills that give you access to Peloton’s content and full suite of features. While you can use the Peloton platform with other treadmills, some features, like the leaderboard and high fives, are not available.

Peloton All-Access Membership

Here is what you can expect from Peloton’s All-Access Membership. First, it costs $44 per month. It’s a little higher in price than other subscription training platforms, such as iFIT. However, the training content has a significant following with dedicated members.

It features an instructor in front of a camera, often riding an exercise bike or running on a treadmill. These studio workouts and instructors are what Peloton is known for. Many of the instructors were recruited from smaller gyms all over the world and established Peloton as the force that it is.

Most of the trainers have significant followings outside of Peloton, too. The instructors make you feel like you know them. They’re like having a personal trainer in the comfort of your home and having a friend to work out with. If you’ve taken some Peloton workouts, you probably have a favorite instructor or two.

The workouts are available live and on demand.

Each workout has a leaderboard on the side so you can see who else is taking (or has taken) the workout, as well as how you rank. The leaderboard is for competing and creating a sense of community. You can give and receive virtual high-fives, which is a nice way for people to connect and cheer each other on.

The library mainly consists of indoor, studio workouts for the treadmill, exercise bike, and rower, as well as on the mat for strength training, yoga, and pilates. There are outdoor-filmed workouts that follow one of Peloton’s instructors through real-life locations as they run or hike. There aren’t as many of these workouts, though.

When you don’t want to follow along with a trainer, you can take Peloton’s Lanebreak workouts. These are games where you hit specific targets as your avatar rolls down different lanes. You change your speed and incline to change lanes to hit the targets to collect points. Each game is structured as a complete workout with a warm-up and cool-down.

All of Peloton’s workouts, including the Lanebreak workouts, feature curated playlists of music. Peloton even has Artist Series that focuses on specific musicians. Peloton really does well with its music. Most workouts have a theme that revolves around the music too like Pop Runs, and 90s Dance Runs.

Also included with the membership are preloaded streaming apps. These include Netflix, Max, Disney+, YouTube, TV, and the NBA app. You must be subscribed to Peloton’s All-Access Membership to stream these directly from the Tread+ screen. You then log into each app with your account for each of the apps.

The “Just Run” mode is the treadmill’s manual mode where you can do your own thing while tracking your metrics on a blank screen. Alternatively, the Scenic runs include outdoor Peloton classes and manual, distance goal, and time goal workouts. These workouts are filmed along beautiful trails.

Onboard Workouts

I think a big reason to get the Peloton Tread+ is to use it with the subscription training content. Peloton only has two treadmills in their lineup, and the Tread+ is the premium model with more training features that are often utilized in the running workouts.

You can use the Tread+ without a subscription. Currently, you can only see your speed and incline levels while viewing the login screen. There is no content on the screen. You can’t even see your total time or distance. You also can’t stream from Netflix or the other 3rd-party apps; you have to subscribe to the membership to use them.

Related: Treadmill Workouts for Beginners: Because Falling Off is Not the Goal!

Console

The console is similar to the Peloton Tread, but it has a large 32″ touch screen. The screen is of nice quality, although it hasn’t been updated since the treadmill was originally released a few years ago.

You can adjust the angle of the screen depending on your preference.

This screen is one of the largest home treadmills. The screen doesn’t pivot to either side. It would be nice if it did for the Peloton mat classes. You still should be able to see the instructor just fine while standing behind the deck for those classes, though.

The console is really streamlined, just like the Peloton Tread. It has a stop button to stop the belt and wake the treadmill when it is in sleep mode. There is also a button for the speaker volume.

Other than these, the Tread+ has roller adjustment knobs on either side of the handles.

The roller knobs allow you to adjust the speed (on the right) and incline (on the left) by rolling your palms over. They are my favorite method for adjusting a treadmill, as I find it creates a unique experience and encourages me to train by RPE.

When you press the middle of the roller knobs, you can jump to the next whole number. So, if you’re at 3.3 mph, when you press it, it will increase to 4 mph. You can set 3 preset speeds to adjust quickly on the touch screen in the workouts, too.

The Peloton Tread+ has an Auto-Incline feature that adjusts the grade of the deck based on the instructor’s cues. The suggested incline range will change based on the instructor’s cues, and when you turn on the auto-incline feature, it will keep you at the same point within the range that you are in currently.

For example, if the range is currently 0 to 3%, and the instructor recommends 4 to 6%, your incline will change to 4%. If you were at 3%, your incline would change to 6%.

The speakers are clear and adjustable. They also allow you to adjust the volume to hear more of the instructor or more of the music.

The console has minimal storage.

There is a tray with two cup holders for your water and phone. The tray is made out of plastic, and it’s pretty flimsy. Water bottles tend to rattle while running. There isn’t a device rack to watch content from your phone or tablet.

The Peloton Tread+ now has a Tread Lock, which locks the screen and puts the Tread+ to sleep after 45 seconds of inactivity. You’ll create a 4-digit passcode to unlock it. This is an added safety feature.

Build Quality

The Peloton Tread+ has a sleek design like the Peloton Tread, but it features a flat, slat belt, which definitely adds more training options. The belt is similar to treadmills like the Sole ST90, Technogym SkillRun, and Woodway 4Front.

The Peloton Tread+ has a weight limit of 300 pounds. For a treadmill that weighs around 450 lbs, we expected the weight capacity to be higher. This weight limit is the same as many smaller and lighter treadmills that fold up and is lower than the weight limit for comparable Sole and NordicTrack machines.

Related: Peloton Tread+ vs Tread: Discover the Differences Before You Buy!

Frame

The frame is made out of carbon steel, like the Tread. It supports the deck with four adjustable leveling feet underneath so you can prevent it from rocking. Solid steel beams reinforce the deck, and the slat belt offers good support. The uprights are made of steel to support the console and handles.

There is some screen wobble. The screen attaches to the console with a single steel bar at the back. When you run at higher speeds, the screen shakes, just like on the Peloton Tread. The Tread+ is solid in the deck, but the console and large 32″ touch screen could be more stable.

Some shaking is common on treadmills with touchscreens, and it’s less noticeable if you are the treadmill user than if you are watching someone else use the treadmill. When you are running on the treadmill, you and the screen are moving at the same time.

The handles are very similar to the Tread. They extend along the sides of the deck and are pretty slim. The front handle is also one continuous piece, so it’s easy to grab.

Along the side of the deck is a zipper storage pocket.

The zipper storage pocket along the side isn’t very deep, but it could hold some resistance bands. It isn’t big enough for dumbbells or anything like that.

Motor

The Peloton Tread+ has 2.0 HP AC motor. AC motors are commonly found in commercial treadmills. They are built for heavy use, like the foot traffic that treadmills in public gyms have. They hold up better than DC motors, which are found in most home treadmills, though they may take longer to make speed and incline adjustments.

Considering its price, this motor is appropriate. Even the Sole ST90, which is priced at about $2000 less, has a 2.0 HP AC motor. AC motors are louder than DC motors, so just keep this in mind. The Tread+’s motor is pretty loud when it is increased to its highest speeds.

The motor moves the belt up to 12.5 mph. This is just under a 5-minute mile running pace. This is pretty comparable to most home treadmills.

The Tread+ also inclines up to 15%.

It doesn’t decline to simulate downhill running.

Deck

The deck is the most unique feature of the Tread+. There aren’t very many flat, slat belt treadmills on the market. The deck is 20″ wide and 67″ long. There is plenty of room to run for all stride lengths. This deck length is longer than most treadmills, which have a length of 65”.

The belt is made out of rubber slats that absorb the shock when your feet land.

It feels different to run on the Tread+ than on treadmills with a standard belt. The slats are absorbent, but there isn’t any give or bounce in the deck. It feels firm to run on; some of our experts describe it as running on an outdoor track. When we had the Tread+, many of us would get some discomfort in our legs after running on it because of the lack of give in the deck.

You might fatigue faster while running on the Tread+ than when you run on other treadmills or even outside. A more compliant surface, like this slat belt, can make your runs feel more challenging. It’s a bit similar to running on sand or grass in the way it dampens your footsteps.

Because of the slat belt, I think the Tread+ is for people looking for a serious workout. Whether you’re a runner or you want to challenge yourself, this is a treadmill for that.

“Free Mode” disengages the belt from the motor so you can move and control the belt’s pace with your feet. You must hold the front handle and push from it to get the belt moving. The belt is heavy, so it’s hard to move without the momentum from pushing off from the handle. You can’t incline the deck in Free Mode like you can with the Sole ST90 Treadmill.

Safety Features

Given that the Peloton Tread+ was recalled due to safety issues, you may wonder if it is now safe. Peloton has included a safety guard at the back of the deck. We haven’t tested this to see exactly how effective it is, so we are uncertain of how effective this improvement may be.

The big issue before was the slat belt, which caused people and pets to get caught and pulled under the treadmill. Unfortunately, slat belts, in general, have the potential to catch fingers, hair, or paws between them. Because the Tread+ is motorized, it is more dangerous than manual treadmills.

All motorized treadmills can be dangerous, so it is important to keep the area clear of children and pets when using any treadmill.

The safety guard at the rear of the deck is designed to stop the belt if pulled or hit. This design should prevent anything and anyone from getting pulled under the deck. We are glad that Peloton has implemented this safety feature, along with the locking screen that locks the treadmill after 45 seconds of inactivity, which I mentioned earlier.

It is important to know that the Peloton Tread+ is the same treadmill that was recalled before; it just has safety features now. This isn’t a new treadmill.

Related: Walk, Run, Don’t Fly: Top Treadmill Safety Tips You Can’t Miss

Warranty

Considering how pricy the Tread+ is, the 5-year frame, motor, and belt warranty are short. It also comes with a 1-year warranty for the touchscreen and most components. We like to see a 10-year frame and motor warranty, at least.

Should You Buy the Peloton Tread+

To justify the high cost of the Peloton Tread+, you should decide whether your dedication to the Peloton platform is sufficient. If you are already a Peloton subscriber or confident you will use the platform long-term, the Tread+ is a great investment. However, I do not recommend the Tread+ for anyone who is not interested in subscribing to Peloton.

With the additional safety features, we feel more comfortable recommending the Tread+. Yet, you should still ensure that no pets or children are near the treadmill while it’s in use. I wish Peloton had used the time between the Tread+’s recall and relaunch to update the treadmill further, but I’m happy the most pressing issues were addressed.

The Tread+ is better suited for athletes and workout enthusiasts who want a challenging treadmill. The flat, slat-belt design is challenging, and the Free Mode adds even more training variables, and the powerful 2.0 HP AC motor can be used for a lot of purposes. In addition, it is large and non-folding, so it’s best for someone happy to give up additional space for their training.

Peloton Tread+ Q&A / FAQ

Why did Peloton get rid of the Tread+?

Following several reported injuries and the death of a child, Peloton recalled the Tread+. The Peloton Tread+ is now back on the market with updated safety features.

A safety guard at the back of the deck that stops the belt when the guard is pulled to prevent pulling objects or people underneath the deck. The Tread+ also locks after 45 seconds of inactivity and requires a 4-digit passcode to unlock.

Can you watch Netflix on the Peloton Tread+?

You can stream from Netflix when you subscribe to Peloton’s All-Access Membership on the touchscreen. You will need to log into your account for Netflix after subscribing, but Netflix is available with Peloton’s training content.

Is our Peloton Tread+ Treadmill review a paid review?

The Peloton Tread+ has a rubber slat belt that fingers, hair, paws, or other objects could get caught in. The original treadmill before it was recalled didn’t have a guard or safety feature to stop the belt, besides a safety key. This caused children and pets to get pulled under the deck.

Is our Peloton Tread+ Treadmill review a paid review?

We were not paid to create this review of the Peloton Tread+. When we had the Peloton Tread+, before it was recalled, we purchased the Tread+ ourselves to test it out, allowing us to provide you with this review.