# Does anyone own an at-home exercise machine that they actually use? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276 "2012-03-09T15:34:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/42 "2019-10-03T23:18:58Z")
My wife and I bought a Peloton earlier this year and seem to be committed to still using it. I would just prefer to bicycle to work instead but am dealing with repercussions of an injury that make it nice to be able to stop before things feel bad. That’s an inconvenient practice when commuting. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/43 "2019-10-04T00:30:44Z")
I bought a Soloflex in 1981, back when they used those funky black and white bands, although I mostly used it as a silent spotter. I moved it four times, and it’s in my basement. I had to gradually quit using it as arthritis limited the exercises I could do. The 24-hour gym near my house has machines that are a better fit. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/44 "2019-10-04T11:59:59Z")
My buddy’s now ex-wife had an exercise bike. He dubbed it “the menstrual cycle” since she was on it roughly once a month. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/45 "2019-10-04T12:03:41Z")
I have a treadmill and I use it all the time. I think the key is that I used a treadmill all the time for years BEFORE I bought one at home. The one at home is for ease of use. If you buy something anticipating that you are going to start using it, it’s probably doomed to the garage sale. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/46 "2019-10-04T12:53:35Z")
I have a several pieces of home workout equipment (i.e. nothing of great quality like a Peloton) that I use alternately on a regular basis.I get the most use out of my vertical climber and my rowing machine. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/47 "2019-10-04T14:11:44Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > My wife and I bought a Peloton earlier this year and seem to be committed to still using it. I would just prefer to bicycle to work instead but am dealing with repercussions of an injury that make it nice to be able to stop before things feel bad. That’s an inconvenient practice when commuting. The problem with a Peloton is that if you dont pay the $39 a month for their streaming services, it basically becomes a $2000 piece of furniture. Make sure you understand what you are getting into before you make the investment in one. > **[Peloton Bike Review: What to Know Before You Buy](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/peloton-review-what-to-know-before-you-buy/)** > > The Peloton Bike and Bike+ offer live and on-demand at-home classes for a monthly membership fee. We review both. > [@](#): > > The Peloton indoor bicycle, with its live-streaming and on-demand classes, costs roughly $3,000 for the first year and nearly $500 each year thereafter. We spent about 20 hours reading existing reviews, recruited five enthusiastic testers to review a dozen classes in a week’s time, and crunched all sorts of numbers. Our determination: It’s excellent equipment overall, and for the cycling devotee, possibly a good value or even a bargain. Still, you have to make and enforce your own good habits. And if you stop paying the nearly $40 monthly membership fee, the bike becomes a shadow of its former self, with significantly limited functionality. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/48 "2019-10-04T14:29:56Z")
I’ve a Stairmaster 4000PT. In it’s day, it was top of the line and actually came from a health club. Haven’t used it in a while. But, it looks like I’m getting a hip replacement this winter, so it may become part of my Physical Therapy. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/49 "2019-10-04T15:38:23Z")
I used my treadmill when I was training for half-marathons. Once we moved, I had no room for it. I am thinking about putting a chin-up bar in my laundry room doorway. That is not the best place, but one of the only doorways that will suit. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/50 "2019-10-04T17:15:18Z")
I have an earlier model Total Gym that we got pretty cheaply as back inventory when a new model was being rolled out. It’s fantastic for everything except for legs, where simple inclined body mass isn’t enough resistance. The best part of it is that it folds up into a corner easily without taking up a huge amount of floor space. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/51 "2019-10-04T20:44:39Z")
We have a Schwinn (when Schwinn was still Schwinn) recumbent bike I bought at Costco many years ago. I dn’t remember how many, but I’ve had to repair it twice. The woven wire cable that adjusts the tension magnet snapped both times. Last time I had to get a brake cable from the local bicycle shop and modify it to fit. Anyway, I try to ride it every weekday for about half an hour, but when I have something else to do in the mornings I give it a pass. I’d guess I actually use it on average 3 times a week. It’s set up in the living room where I can see the big TV and play recorded shows from the DVR. If it breaks again I’ll try to repair it again. Or look for another recumbent bike. Or maybe a rowing machine. I used to have one that I quite liked, but I broke it beyond repair. My arthritis and other injuries make it painful for me to walk a lot, so I can’t use treadmills or stair climbers. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/52 "2019-10-04T21:19:13Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The problem with a Peloton is that if you dont pay the $39 a month for their streaming services, it basically becomes a $2000 piece of furniture. Make sure you understand what you are getting into before you make the investment in one. > > [Peloton Bike Review: What to Know Before You Buy for 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter](https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/peloton-review-what-to-know-before-you-buy/) Peloton apparently valued at $4 Billion + in some quarters, regarding their current IPO. That sounds like a lot for a clothes horse company, to me, but IANAtech investor. They seem to be aiming at quite a small target as all the cyclists are on zwift already (or keeping things real on trainerroad), regular folk looking for some fitness aren’t about to drop that sort of money on startup equipment, so you’re talking about a customer base of affluent people who enjoy spin classes. But they’ve certainly shifted some units and perhaps the big initial investment encourages retainment - like you’d feel you had to keep up your subscription and get on the bike if you’d sunk two grand into it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/53 "2019-10-04T21:55:37Z")
The floor and a couch. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/54 "2019-10-04T22:16:16Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The problem with a Peloton is that if you dont pay the $39 a month for their streaming services, it basically becomes a $2000 piece of furniture. Make sure you understand what you are getting into before you make the investment in one. > > [Peloton Bike Review: What to Know Before You Buy for 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter](https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/peloton-review-what-to-know-before-you-buy/) I’m well aware of this fact and was when I decided to make the purchase. We already subscribed to Peloton before we even bought the equipment because their library of video and audio content is very deep and there’s probably just as much off-the-bike training (running, yoga, strength, etc) as on-bike stuff. It’s that ecosystem that keeps us using the product where our previous treadmill quickly turned into a cat entertainment device. ---
**Author:** ![WhyWhyWhy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whywhywhy/32/7539_2.png) [@WhyWhyWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyWhyWhy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/55 "2019-10-05T12:42:18Z")
Vive virtual reality on a pc. Not a dedicated exercise machine but does get one moving and very unlikely to end up in the garage Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276.md?page=2)