I Bought An Echelon Bike From Costco — An Amateur Review
My cursor hovered on the peloton “checkout,” but I couldn’t do it
Like many others, I am getting tired of YouTube workouts. Don’t get me wrong, I see the value in them and enjoy the effort that the users put into them. They have made a huge difference in working out at home since the dreaded year of 2020.
However, if I have to do another air squat in front of my television, I might punch a hole in the wall.
So — again like I others, I started getting antsy about cardio. Normally, I am an avid runner outside. I enjoy the feeling of losing myself in a run, pushing the limits, and having the time alone to take the brain break.
However, where I currently live, it is intermittently snowing and just last week was almost -20 with the wind chill.
So, call me a wuss, but I don’t plan on doing much out there besides scrapping my car to get to work.
I started to look into the different options of what I could purchase to bring into our home for an alternative cardio option. Youtube HIIT workouts are great, but like anything, they get old and I just need an old-fashioned piece of equipment.
AKA, I don’t want to do another burpee with a neon-clad aesthetically pleasing girl on the screen making me look like crap.
I digress.
Obviously, I somehow ended up on the Peloton website. How could I not? Have you seen the reviews and the media for that thing? The classes alone make the bike appealing to people even like myself, who are absolute beginners in the world of spin.
I have maybe taken a total of 10 classes when I lived in Vancouver. Each time, I had to get the instructor to help me clip into the bike. You get my point.
So, when I found myself on the checkout screen with my VISA in hand about to pay almost $4K for a bike and a screen, I had a moment of clarity.
There has to be a better option.
And, of course, there is. There are a million different videos and pages out on the internet right now about how to create a “Peloton dupe.” Many people have found hacks out there that create a bike that essentially, gives them the same experience that the pricey Peloton can.
The thing is, I’m lazy. I didn’t want to track down 5–6 pieces of equipment or tape my old iPad to the bike. I wanted to see if I could find something that had everything I was looking for in one package.
I was doing a shop at Costco with my husband the other weekend and came across the Echelon 4xs on the corner of the aisle. I immediately ran to it, embarrassing my husband, and started to test it out.
It actually felt, great?
Now, I am by no means an expert. I have now watched countless videos on youtube, especially those by the cycling guru TailHappyTV. He does an amazing job of breaking down all the different home exercise bikes as well as comparing them against one another.
He does it so well, that someone like me — who didn’t even know what cadence was — can understand.
I spent about three weeks googling, searching, and trying to find more information on this Costco Echelon bike. Was it any good? Did it compare to the almighty Peloton?
I couldn’t find much, honestly. Or at least — nothing that gave me the firm go-ahead that I should try it.
To be honest, I found a lot of websites that were so purely pro Peloton, I started to wonder if I should just be spending the absurd amount of money to throw the thing in my living room.
One morning I woke up and realized that — heck no. I didn’t have the skill, nor the extra cash laying around to fork out that much for an exercise bike. I drove straight to Costco, with my pajama shirt still on underneath my jacket – before I could change my mind.
I paid for the bike, had a lot of help in moving it to the car (she’s a heavy girl), and forced my husband to set it up with (okay, for) me.
It has now been a week since my purchase and I have ridden it every day since. I am by absolutely NO means an expert. I am your average gym go-er, yoga class taker, outside runner. But, here are my honest thoughts.
My Bank account still hurt, but not nearly as much
For the Costco Echelon here in Canada, I forked over approximately $1300. However, this included an entire year subscription to the Echelon fitness app which I have heard goes for about $30/a month otherwise. This was a big selling point to me.
PSA- The Echelon app does require you to put in your banking information when you register for your free year. If you do make the purchase, make sure to mark your calendar so you aren’t charged the full-year amount (~$600) in 365!
The Peloton would have cost me $4,100 for the bike and equipment with the two pairs of shoes. It would also have cost me here in Canada, a whopping $49 a month for the usage of the app.
Ouch.
So, yes my bank account still took a pretty hard punch. But, I didn’t end up diving as deep, or even scarier yet making monthly payments, on a prized Peloton.
The screen isn't perfect, but it does all I need
Part of the appeal of the Peloton is the massive flat screen that is attached to the bike. The new bike + has an even larger screen. It also turns sideways to allow for exercise classes on the floor.
The Echelon 4xs has a screen as well. It also flips all the way around so that you can do your classes without craning your neck to see from the side of the bike.
Yes, it is smaller. But, it gets the job done. As a glasses wearer and person with self-proclaimed, “crappy eyes,” I can see it just fine from both positions.
It isn’t as flashy or beautiful as the Peloton, there is no doubt about it. I can still take a class without my contacts in though and that’s all I care about.
The pedals give you dual options
Unlike the Peloton, which only comes with the clip-in option, the Echelon gives you both the option of clipping in your SPD shoes or flipping the pedal over and utilizing the toe cages.
This actually saved our family of two a bit of money as well. Neither of us has the shoes, to begin with, and if we decide that it's worth investing in in the future, we can make that decision.
The ride with runners on for now seems to work great for us. This is also nice for when all those post-pandemic visitors come by and obviously want to ride your new exercise bike but forgot to pack their spin shoes.
The classes are just as good, in my average exerciser opinion
I have tried both apps now, using the Echelon app that comes with the bike and the free month trial that Peloton offers on the app you can use on your phone/iPad.
The instructors, the outfits, the classes, the visibility — are all at a parallel for me.
I actually read somewhere that Peloton was suing Echelon, for being just that similar.
That being said, I won’t be continuing with the Peloton app, even at the low price of $12.99. Why would I for now, with the Echelon app being free?
A week in, I am still happy with the choice I’ve made. I feel like I saved myself some money, and am still getting an insane new cardio sweat on in my living room.
I will be sure to update on the bike as time progresses, I know everyone is absolutely dying to know about my at-home gym situation.
For now, I’m not missing my TV youtube squats. Now, I squat in front of a pretty new bike.
You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.
If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.
