Peloton has, without a doubt, become the giant of the stationary bike industry, despite it being a relatively young company. In comparison, Echelon is practically a newborn baby, yet making strides in the never-ending struggle to usurp the Peloton crown.
Echelon offers five bikes, with one of them representing the premium tier, while Peloton offers two, both of which are considered to be premium bikes at a premium cost. To make a valid comparison, we’ll focus mainly on the Echelon EX7S and both Peloton bikes.
Peloton vs. Echelon
The Echelon Connect EX7S is the only Echelon Stationary Bike that comes with a touchscreen, while both the Peloton Bike and the Peloton Bike+ come with touchscreens. The remaining Echelon series of bikes require a tablet if you want to work out with a display.
At a glance, there aren’t many differences between the three bikes, except the frame warranty and resistance levels, so there’s obviously a bit more going on to justify the disparity in prices.
Performance and Parts
The Echelon Bikes—all five of them—include resistance settings from 0 to 32, so the changes as you climb higher along the resistance numbers will be more noticeable. With the Peloton, that number is over three times that many, so the changes translate into a smoother adjustment and ride.
Not only that, but the Peloton resistance changes are digital and can change with the instructor via whatever training session that you’re working through. The Echelon’s are only adjusted manually, which can definitely dump you out of your workout zone.
Also, if there is one huge turn-off, it’s Peloton’s choice of pedals, which require cycling shoes to use, while Echelon doesn’t require the same. That can be a huge deciding factor when dealing with Peloton’s already exorbitant price.
Drive and Resistance Systems
Both stationary bikes utilize the same drive and resistance systems, so there’s not much of a difference outside of the resistance fine-tuning and automation. However, you can tell that Peloton went the extra mile.
None of the bikes come with an incline option, so if you’re looking for a stationary bike that mimics hill-climbing, you’ll have to look beyond both Echelon and Peloton.
Speakers and Audio
The EX7S comes with dual, front-facing speakers, so everything that you are watching on the screen stays in front of you, in terms of audio, while the Peloton Bike + went with 4-channel audio, tweeters, and full-range drivers. The standard Peloton utilizes 2-channel audio with 2, 10-watt speakers.
The Peloton Bike is more in line with the Echelon EX7S when it comes to audio quality, while the Peloton Bike+ is a clear step above and beyond in overall sound quality.
Connectivity
Echelon and Peloton both have their respective apps, and all of their bikes work primarily through those apps. However, Echelon is focused more on social media, with Facebook, Strava, and Fitbit accounts.
Peloton connects to either Bluetooth or WiFi devices, such as an Apple Watch, for additional vitality measurements, while the Echelon is much the same. They are largely similar in terms of connectivity, including vital statistics features on all three bikes.
The Peloton Bike Plus has the advantage of Apple Gymkit, which is an additional range of workouts that are included with over a thousand workout classes already available with both Peloton Bikes, assuming that you purchase the membership.
Warranty and Subscriptions
The warranty that comes with all three bikes are virtually identical; however, both of the Peloton bikes come with an additional 5-year warranty on the frame, which the Echelon bikes conspicuously lack.
Both Echelon and Peloton have $39.99/month subscription plans with various other tiers if you pay yearly or bi-annually.
Final Thoughts
Echelon looks like they are trying to find that happy medium between quality features and budget pricing, while the Peloton Bike+ is just a premium piece of equipment with a price to match.
Ultimately, the Peloton Bike+ is still the best of the bunch, even with the cycling shoe requirement. However, Echelon is definitely making a run for the top spot, and who knows, they may surpass Peloton yet.
