If you want to be fit, stay home | Economy | '
Anne Goldstein was tired. Every other day, she rushed off to come to her fitness class at least halfway through her day at work, whose schedule was of course never aimed at her, and that really got on her nerves. The Pennsylvania insurance clerk still dragged herself into the studio, week after week, until Thanksgiving came last year. She had heard of a bike you put in your own four walls, with display on the handlebars to stream group lessons. "Actually, my husband wanted to give me one for my birthday," says the 50-year-old, but that just took her too long and besides, she just got a bonus from her company.
So Anne Goldstein went to the next dealer, put her savings on the table and quit her gym the same day. "Since the bike is in my living room, I get up almost every morning at 5 o'clock." She loves to do sports before work.
Netflix for fitness
Peloton calls itself the company behind the trend, for which Goldstein and one hundred thousand other Americans are currently enthusiastic. Soberly speaking, the Spinning wheels are nothing more than ordinary exercise bikes, but with some digital technology and more than a pinch of coolness, the stand-wheel becomes a hip lifestyle object. Athletes can connect to thousands of live or on-demand courses via a touchscreen on the handlebar to take part in digital group classes without leaving home. The goal of the company is not modest: Peloton should become the Netflix for fitness.
Common sport is also analog
The plan of the founder John Foley seems to work. Peloton has long since achieved cult status in the US, with more than one million people regularly using the modern ergometer. Peloton has sold around 400,000 of these bikes, each for at least $ 2,245, plus the monthly subscription fee of $ 39, which is the only way to stream online at home. The company had raised about $ 700 million this past fiscal year, having previously raised nearly $ 1 billion in investor funds.
Uber also invests in peloton
The donors include not only the well-known capital company TCV, which has previously invested in Facebook, Netflix and LinkedIn, but also the head of the transport service provider Uber. The companies are already worth more than four billion dollars. With the IPO, which was announced a good two weeks and will take place later this year, the rating could even double according to news agency Bloomberg. Eight billion dollars could call Peloton therefore probably soon.
Peloton's IPO fits into a time when self-optimization has become a religion for many. Spinning – that's nothing new, but the digital form seems to be arriving at a society that wants to go through their lives as noncommittal and self-determined as possible and yet occasionally needs the shared sports experience. "We know that many people want to do sports," says Kevin Cornils, Managing Director, driving the company's international expansion, "but stressful everyday life often throws rocks in their path." Today's zeitgeist with its digital possibilities is ideal. "People want to regain control of their lives and decide for themselves when to do what – Netflix is a great example."
Not only the zeitgeist supports Peloton's plans, but also the unstoppable growing market. More than 62 million people in the US are members of a gym, and last year alone, the US sports industry turned over $ 32 billion. Offers with a sense of community are particularly on the rise: "We see a strong demand for it because people want to feel that they belong," says Meredith Poppler from the Sports Association International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association (IHRSA). For exactly this feeling of having to leave the group feeling, but not your own four walls: "More and more people spend a considerable amount of money on this," says Poppler.
The "most narcissistic sports equipment of all time"
The fitness mirror – $ 1,495 plus a monthly $ 39 subscription fee
Also the company Mirror would like to earn in this market. For the past three years, the company has been selling conventional mirrors that turn into fitness equipment at the push of a button without attracting much attention in the home. One-time $ 1,495 plus a $ 39 monthly subscription fee is paid by predominantly female customers for the tool, dubbed the "Most Narcissistic Sports Device Ever" by the New York Times. On the interactive interface – a 40-inch HD screen with stereo speakers – you can see not only the trainer, who does the exercises, but also himself, filmed by an integrated camera. At the same time, one's own performance can be compared with other users who also stand in front of the mirror at home and sweat. The company earns a million dollars a month with this concept, which has since become a hit among stars like Alicia Keys, Ellen DeGeneres and Gwyneth Paltrow.
However, since the greatest exercise bikes do not bring anything when you're on the road, the companies have come up with something in the meantime. Both Peloton and Mirror are partnering with an increasing number of hotels in the US to be featured either directly in the rooms or in the hotel's fitness rooms. Meanwhile, Anne Goldstein goes so far as to book on business trips only in hotels that have peloton bikes. For them, it is clear: "Normal gyms are never eligible for me again."
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