Editorial: What Happened to all the Peloton 45 Minute Rides?

If you’re a member of the Official Peloton Member Page on Facebook, you may have noticed a fairly common topic of conversation: the frequency – or lack thereof – of 45 minute cycling classes.

When Peloton first got its start, the 45 minute duration was the standard for cycling classes. As Peloton evolved, shorter class durations were introduced. Over time some members have observed a decrease in the number of 45 minute rides on the schedule each week. In fact, for almost an entire week from May 29 through June 3, there were no new 45 minute cycling classes released. This begs the question: is Peloton intentionally scaling back on the number of 45 minute rides, and if so – why?

When exploring this topic it’s helpful to start by taking a look at the period before the Covid-19 pandemic when the Peloton studios were operating at full capacity, complete with in-studio riders. There were approximately 14 live classes per day, from 6am ET to 8:30pm ET on weekdays, and 8am ET to 6pm ET on weekends. The classes before and after standard work hours were typically 45 minutes long, and shorter classes – such as 10, 20, or 30 minutes – were offered midday. These were known as “walk-in” classes that were free of charge for in-person members.

Overall, the cycling schedule as a whole was much more robust than it is today. In 2022 on a standard day Peloton has approximately eight cycling instructors teaching per day, oftentimes with a stack of shorter classes such as two 20 minute rides, or a 30 minute and a 10 minute ride.

In Peloton’s early years, they were still growing their at-home rider base and had a lot of in-studio regulars. These members were local New Yorkers who didn’t have a Peloton Bike at home, and would attend classes just as they would at any other fitness studio. It makes sense that Peloton’s class durations were on par with what places like SoulCycle and Flywheel offered.

It’s hard to pinpoint the average number of 45 minute rides per month before the studio closure because so many rides have been removed from the on demand library. Back in 2019, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) filed a lawsuit against Peloton, claiming that Peloton did not obtain the proper licensing for the music played in their classes. Peloton quietly removed approximately 65% of their on demand library when the lawsuit became public, and have performed periodic “purges” since then.

That being said, we can still examine what is currently available on demand from 2019. An look at the on-demand library from April 2019 (there are very limited classes still left in the library from early 2019) through March 2020 when the studio closed show that there were typically more than 100 45 minute cycling classes each month:

Month/Year Number of 45 minute cycling classes currently available on demand*
March 2020** 93
February 2020 135
January 2020 149
December 2019 115
November 2019 127
October 2019 140
September 2019 136
August 2019 123
July 2019 108
June 2019 126
May 2019 97
April 2019 83

*These numbers are correct as of June 2022 and may have changed since then based on rides that have been removed or added to the library.
**Note that the studio closed down on March 13, 2020.

Again, these numbers are low because so many classes have been removed and no longer appear in the on demand library, especially from April and May of 2019.

When you examine the library and look at April 2020 through May 2022, you quickly see that the number of available 45 minute cycling classes per month is drastically lower, averaging about 30-40 per month.

Month/Year Number of 45 minute cycling classes currently available on demand*
May 2022 26
April 2022 33
March 2022 40
February 2022 36
January 2022 36
December 2021 46
November 2021 54
October 2021 33
September 2021 30
August 2021 37
July 2021 29
June 2021 36
May 2021 36
April 2021 38
March 2021 34
February 2021 37
January 2021 36
December 2020 41
November 2020 37
October 2020 36
September 2020 37
August 2020 36
July 2020 34
June 2020 18
May 2020 4
April 2020 6

This data illustrates that Peloton is still hovering around one 45 minute cycling class per day, give or take.

It’s also interesting to look at 45 minute rides by instructor. Numerous instructors haven’t had a 45 minute ride since April: Robin Arzón, Christine D’Ercole, and Mila Lazar (though Christine has one upcoming this week). Denis Morton just taught his first 45 minute ride since April; Bradley Rose just taught his first 45 minute ride since March, and Leanne Hainsby has not taught a 45 minute ride since February. When examining most instructors’ library of 45 minute rides, it appears that they will have one only per month throughout the course of 2022 (with exceptions, of course).

There are also ride formats that are no longer – or at least very rarely – offered in the 45 minute duration. Last year we reported that Tabata rides will be capped at 30 minutes moving forward. Live DJ rides used to take place twice (a class with Jess King followed by a class with Robin Arzón) every Friday before the March 2020 shutdown and were always 45 minutes. There has not been a 45 minute Live DJ ride in over a year; all recent classes have been 30 minutes.

Of course, there are even longer class durations available from Peloton, including 60, 75, and 90 minute rides. Peloton offers 60 minute classes approximately twice per week as of late, and 75 or 90 minute Power Zone rides taught by Christine D’Ercole or Matt Wilpers periodically (typically one per month with occasional gaps).

Yet, it seems clear from the data that Peloton has shifted towards shorter duration cycling classes since the March 2020 studio closure. There are a few potential reasons for this.

First and foremost, almost all companies had to make adjustments during the pandemic, and Peloton is no exception to this. Social distancing and health precautions could have made 45 minute rides more challenging to execute, especially in the earlier days of the pandemic.

Peloton also welcomed many new members in 2020 when people were stuck at home. A 45 minute class may have seemed daunting to some trying out Peloton for the first time.

Additionally, Peloton introduced one of their most highly requested features – stacking – in January of 2021. This feature allows members to build their workouts from start to finish without having to navigate separately in between classes. Instructors often plug this feature during classes, and Peloton has released specific content designed to be stacked (such as their “stacking stuffer” collection during the holidays last year). Many members will often stack numerous 10 or 20 minute classes together instead of taking one longer form class. Furthermore, Peloton often cites the total number of workouts taken in their quarterly earnings calls, and the stacking feature helps boost those numbers.

Finally, there is the popularity component. It’s probably a safe bet to assume that Peloton closely tracks what content is most popular with their members, and their data could be showing them that 20 or 30 minute rides attract the most users.

There are also a handful of other new 45 minute classes that aren’t accessible through the on-demand library. These are classes that were recorded for Peloton’s new programs, but are locked unless you take the program or have a direct link. You can find a handful of other new 45 minute classes in the Discover Your Power Zones program as well as the Peak Your Power Zones program.

It will also be interesting to see how the upcoming studio reopening affects Peloton’s class offerings. For the first time in more than two years, classes have members in them. Many of these members will have traveled a long distance and may be eager to experience a longer class.

Considering how much Peloton has evolved over the past couple of years, it is understandable that they have made shifts away from some things that were previously the norm. They started out by only offering cycling with a couple of coaches, and today members can choose from 14 fitness modalities and more than 50 instructors. There are live classes happening throughout the day across disciplines from studios in both New York and London.

Nonetheless, the data shows that there was a steep dropoff in 45 minute rides during the early days of the pandemic, and the numbers have never recovered since then. That being said, when you search the on demand library for 45 minute rides, you’ll see more than 2,000 results. There are plenty of long form rides on demand for members to choose from on any given day.

Share your thoughts in the comments: do you prefer longer duration rides, or are you glad that shorter durations are more frequently offered?


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Katie Weicher
Katie Weicher is a writer for Pelo Buddy. She purchased her Peloton Bike in 2016 and has been riding, strength training, and yoga flowing ever since. You can find her on the leaderboard at #kweich.

51 Comments

  • Mae says:

    I really seek out the 45 minute and 60 minute rides. My enthusiasm is less now- I miss the pro-cyclist classes- I feel the short rides do not benefit me at all-stacking is not my favorite as I want a structured program. This is a very important issue and I am glad it is brought up… very very disappointed.

  • Cristi says:

    I agree – I mainly take 45 & 60 min classes. I find myself bookmarking and re-taking the same classes as there are becoming less and less new in those lengths.

    It would be a huge loss for the company to remove longer classes.

  • CP says:

    I really miss the 45 min rides. I also absolutely hate the riders back in the room. I know, I know. And I had my bike since 2019 so don’t tell me I’ll get used to it- I prefer the instructor teaching the ppl at home and not the 30 ppl in the room. Cover the mirrors and remember the thousands of ppl not in nyc with you.

  • tlogank says:

    The lack of 45 & 60 minute classes have had me re-thinking my Peloton membership altogether, because I originally bought the bike to simulate taking an actual spin class in the first place. Stacking is not the same as the rides are paced very different, so I don’t want to take a 30 & 15 minute ride, because the warmup and cooldowns break the pace of an actual 45 minute class. Not sure what Peloton was thinking here, but they seem to be more catering to people that don’t want an actual spin class, as the 20 minute classes seem to be the main focus now.

  • Emily McGinn says:

    I miss 45 min classes! Stacking is okay, but it definitely makes me lose my “flow” with the switch. Something that is not mentioned which I thought was the main driver is external financial and metrics reporting. They report on # of classes taken and mark success on the growth or decline, not by the number of minutes working out. With that, they would rather people take 2 x 20min classes than 1 x 45min for when they read out to Wall Street, which has to be a huge driver in the decline.

  • Andrea says:

    I think I’m the minority but I definitely prefer the shorter classes. I typically do a 20-30 minute ride then some sort of 20-30 minute strength or yoga class.

  • Heather Vasek says:

    Please bring back more 45 min rides, and NOT just PZ and HITT & Hills, which are now the majority of new 45 min rides. Stacking is NOT the same. I don’t want to go through a warm up twice or three times. Catering to only new riders who might prefer short rides means they are forgetting their long term members who did 45 min rides. It’s very frustrating.

  • Arielle Jaffe says:

    Bring back more 45 minute rides please! Perfect time segment and great workout.

  • Curtis says:

    I prefer the longer rides. 60 min is good but I love 75s and 90s. I’ll stack a 45 and a 30 and sometimes two s but I don’t care to stack 3 classes due to the extended warmups.

  • Liza says:

    I do miss the 45 min classes. I hate having the cool down and warm up in the middle of stacked classes. I much prefer the continuous flow of the longer workout.

  • Steve says:

    Having taken and taught spin classes for years, I was startled to even find less than 60 (or 55+5stretch) classes when I first joined 27 months ago. Overall I much prefer 45 and 60 minute classes. That is not to say some shorter don’t have a place – working them between other workouts can be beneficial. My aerobic focus is definitely on spin and the longer classes I consider mandatory. I don’t find stacking a great alternative because (a) it takes time to build a stack and (b) it still means you cool down, then slow.stop pedaling, the move to another class and re-warmup…. I do not see that as satisfying.

  • Erin says:

    I miss the 45 min classes too! I especially like those on the weekend when I don’t have work constraints.

  • Greg says:

    I think a good point was brought up where the company makes it known how many classes were taken. Stacking quite simply increases that number which is important to a publicly traded company with stock price issues. Agreeing with most of the previous posters, I gravitate towards the longer rides. Not only is there not enough of them, if you prefer either CDE or Matt over the other, you’re really limited. I do Matt rides, but only because I’ve taken ever CDE ride over 60 minutes. There’s so few of them. We need more rides 60 – 90 minutes and more teachers offering them. If you don’t like CDE or Matt, you’re truly stuck because they are the only 2 doing 75 and 90-minute rides. Additionally, there’s not enough cool down and stretches. They promote them all the time, and yet only 2-3 seem to drop a week these days. It seems the easiest type of thing to program since most instructors will be doing their own cool down/stretch after each ride it would seem.

  • Ronda says:

    I’ve been a devoted peloton member since 2019. I am very happy with the additions to class offerings (runs/walks/hikes/cardio/Bootcamps) but also LOVE my 45 minute rides, whether I’m looking to do PZ, a fun theme ride, HIIT, or climb. I’ve noticed the decline in 45 minute classes & am in the camp of stacking messes up the flow. I don’t need multiple warm ups if I’m trying to get a sustained 45 minute session in. I hope this isn’t a permanent trend away from 45’s, I’ll be disappointed & I hope someone is listening 🙂

  • mark says:

    agreed – I think most Peloton users are more mid-tier (don’t want to call us casual but….) and not hard core – 20-30 minutes are plenty when paired with a strength or other class – plus think about the demographics Peloton is looking to hook, middle age with the funds to spend in their eco system – most of those users have other hobbies – interests and simple don’t have the time or stamina – just my opinion

  • Rebecca says:

    I definitely prefer the 45/60/90 minute rides. I use the stacking option for staking warm up rides, cool down rides and post ride strength workouts. I agree that stacking my main ride loses a sense of flow for me. I understand others may like the shorter rides so my hope is that Peloton will continue to provide both options with regularity and will allow their on-demand library to grow.
    The peak your power zone classes are great and I will repeat those programs.

  • Chris says:

    More 45 and 60 minute classes please! I’ve been riding outside more just to get in longer rides.

  • Sarah Ghiz Korwan says:

    I agree with all of the above. I’ve had my Peloton forn4 or 5 years and took classes before that. The longer class format is so much better for mental stamina – building and maintaining- that I don’t get with stacking. I hope they start adding a few more.

  • Emfy Beb says:

    I’m glad it’s not just me wondering where the 45 minute classes were going. I’m not hard core but I do think 45 minutes is the minimum amount of time to benefit. And stacking is not the answer for all the reasons everyone has said. I also would love more 45 minute low impact classes. Just because I don’t want to need a hip replacement anytime sooner than absolutely necessary, I still want a good workout.

    I guess Wall Street analysts must not exercise or they’d know that it’s not the number of classes that matter, it’s the number of minutes members are exercising. Maybe Peloton should focus on those numbers instead.

  • Irene says:

    I have also missed the 45 min rides… as well as the regularity of the schedule. We used to have a dawn patrol crew… classes were every hour on the hour in the early morning…. 5, 6, 7 CST…. definitely miss those days. Personally not a huge an of stacking rides because you have to go through the warmup again when you are already warmed up…. grateful that Jenn Sherman and Christine still have 60 minute rides from time to time. I find I almost never ride live anymore because the length/type/instructor combo that suits me is getting harder and harder to find. #progress?

  • Lee Williams says:

    I’m one who used to regularly ride in studio whenever I was in NYC for work, which was quite often. Now I live here and am so sad that the studio has been closed. I share the concern over the loss of the 45 min format as well as concern over class availability – and pricing! – when they fully reopen. It doesn’t make sense to spend time to go to the studio for short classes and how are they going to price those anyway? Not sure we can “stack” classes in person! Looks to me like live classes will mainly be filled with those who have recently joined and not those of us who remember the good old days…

  • Samantha says:

    I really miss the 45 minute rides and especially the live DJ rides. Those are the reason I got in to Peloton in the first place. I think the company forgot what made people want to do their classes to begin with! I also like live people in the studio. Together we go far! Yes! I’m not riding all by myself with just the instructor. It feels much more “real” seeing people in the studio. The offerings nowadays are ho-hum. It’s rare that I get excited about an upcoming class these days. Please bring back the BC classes and energy!

  • Mandy says:

    I have no interest in 10 and 20 minute rides. Those are great for beginners, so I get that. I begrudgingly do 30 minute rides because there aren’t enough 45 and 60 minute rides. I’m not into power zone training so my options are even more limited. I lived for the 60 minute sundays with love rides but those have been wittled down to 30’s over time. Like many of the other commentators here I have become frustrated with the reduction in options for serious cyclers offered by peloton. For me this replaces a spin class at a gym and I am looking for a large calorie burn. Not interested in stacking classes like a lot of others have mentioned.

  • L says:

    I joined Peloton because I did not want to go to the gym during co-vid and wanted a home option. 20min 30min classes are annoying if you have to stack a bunch together to try to paste together a decent workout that replicates in person spin classes. More long classes please!!!

  • Shelley says:

    45 min + rides for me! Disappointed at all the short classes offered now. Stacking is not the same.

  • Kyle says:

    I can give you the exact numbers of 45min classes there used to be in a week. I have them documented.
    Fall 2019 into late Feb 2020:
    average was 34 45min rides a week at old PSNY 23rd St (I have no data for London). I can give you the time slots and instructors who had what, suffice to say generally speaking most taught 3 45s a week, the exceptions being those teaching in cross-discplines (Tread, Yoga, etc) would have 1-2 45s a week.
    before COVID struck with the shutdown, PTON had already rolled out the ‘new’ schedule for the new studio. This only lasted about 2-3 weeks absolute tops, but it was long enough to get the data.
    They were already going to decrease the 45min rides weekly dramatically down to 19 total. everyone dropped at least one (except Wilpers who only originally had 1 45min ride weekly). I remember being frustrated with 345mins less riding to be available at the new studio and “only” 19 45min rides. Now….virtually zero. ugh.

  • Glen S says:

    BRING BACK THE 45’S! I have been a member since Jan of 2017 and ride 45 about 95 percent of the time. Good God. I bought the bike to do a spin class, not stack etc. It’s very frustrating to see a lack of 45’s and I am seriously thinking canceling my subscription.

  • Jen says:

    I miss Robin’s 45-minute Tabata rides at 5am and Alex’s early 45-minute weekday rides, too. Early morning live rides are so motivating – we’ve been mourning them for more than two years. #JenniferB – member since 2015

  • Nancy Held says:

    I prefer 45 and 60 minute rides. I don’t like stacking, seems counterproductive. I really wish they add more longer rides!

  • Kelleykat143 says:

    Definitely miss the 45/60 options. Agree with the majority of posters that purchased the bike to get a more traditional cycling workout/cal burn in. I’m not opposed to stacking if they could develop a way to eliminate the warm ups. Maybe do away with them in-ride and people could choose their own pre-ride warm up. I hate thinking I’m getting a certain length class and 10 minutes of it is warm up.

  • Todd says:

    I look for 45 and 60 minute rides. I use the app – Stacking is that convenient as the class ends but you can’t just start a new class without going through a few screens to get there. I prefer the longer in interrupted rides.

  • Jan says:

    I appreciate this editorial!

    Missing the 45 minute and longer rides. Stacking is not the same. In addition to the workout itself, it’s great to get more time with our coaches on these rides. The knowledge and info they share can’t be underestimated, and let’s give them time to do that.

  • Crimreaper says:

    I think one reason for less 45 minute classes is that by shifting to stacks, Peloton can inflate metrics it reports to shareholders (workouts per subscriber per month). Two 20 minute classes stacked counts for more than 1 45 minute class. I bet that dissuades them from releasing more 45 minute classes. It sucks because stacking makes you do a warm up with each class in the stack! What a waste of time.

  • Richard Reynolds says:

    I too agree with the article and reader comments and displeasure. MORE importanlty is the question i keep asking, WHERE ARE ALL THE LIVE RIDES??? They have dwindled to such a weak selection and honestly I bought and subscribe to Peloton for the LIVE rides cause thats what they were selling. I am very dissapointed with the direction of the company right now.

  • Kristin Lee says:

    I truly miss the 45 min classes! While stacking is fine, for me it involves re-committing to working out with each new class. I also miss 45 min tabata with Robin.

  • Jenny says:

    I’d be curious what % of rides >45min at this point are PZ based. I’m pretty solid into PZ, but on days I feel like getting out of a PZ groove there are few 45 min regular rides and next to none that are 60.

  • Lora l says:

    I agree. I enjoyed Alex Toussaint’s 45 min classes. I don’t want to stack. We need more 45 min classes. I hope Robin is listening.

  • Danielle359 says:

    I prefer 45 and 60 minute classes, but because there are fewer options, I stack classes. Stacking two 30 minute classes is FAR easier than taking one 60 min class. I like the challenge and would love to see more 60 minute classes.

  • Danielle says:

    I noticed fewer 45 min rides as well and have been disappointed with the variety of instructors offering them. Has anyone else noticed that only the German-speaking instructors are good about 5-10 minute warmups and cool downs? When I filter for cool downs, there is hardly anything recent from the English speaking instructors. Very frustrating taking the same ones over and over!!!

  • Danielle says:

    Stacking is okay, but then you get multiple warmups when you don’t necessarily need that recovery.

  • BF1977 says:

    Along the same lines, go look at 10 mins cool down rides. There are very few new ones and rhe vast majority are in German. Same with other genres as well. Climb rides, for example.

  • Ted says:

    I think the sentiment is pretty loud: more long rides! Stacking just plain sucks, and for me anything less than 45 minutes is not really a full workout.

  • Steve says:

    I’m with almost everybody. More 45 min rides! As mentioned, I don’t like stacking and want to get on the bike, do a 45 minute sweaty ride, cool down, stretch all in an hour. I’m not chasing ride count as so many people are. I just want a good cardio workout.

  • Marcia says:

    I also prefer longer classes. In place of studio rides longer classes are the expectation. I use a Roku TV as my screen and there is no stacking option through Roku. (Wish I had known that before purchashing the tv.) I would like scenic rides available through the app too. Hate the live classes too, when no one was in the studio I enjoyed the Peloton experience more.

  • Karen says:

    I dont know what you are talking about. I just looked for 45 minute rides and there are more than 2000 listed on my screen. 3000 30 minute rides and 3000 20 minute rides
    Only 13 90 minute and 13 75 minute.. 251 60 minute rides

  • Rachel says:

    Member since 2015 when 45 min rides were the norm. I feel like recently the demographic of Peloton has really changed from people who were looking for a really good hard workout to people who just want to do a quick and easy 20 min ride and call it a day. And stacking rides together is just pointless with the two warm ups and downs.

  • Nancy says:

    Desperately need more 45 minute classes! Stacking is not an option they are not taught or structured for longer duration. I suspect it’s based on the popularity of shorter classes and that they can get more 20 and 30 minute classes taught in a shorter timeframe.

  • Aly says:

    Might I suggest looking for small businesses offering steaming! I found a small studio offers streaming for 1. Cheaper then peloton. 2. Most classes are 45 minutes 3. The instructors are way better then any I’ve seen on peloton.

  • Renee Beckham says:

    I much prefer the 45 and 60 min. classes and think it would be detrimental to get rid of them or not offer enough of them. I used to love going to my local spin studio and bought the Peleton bike hoping it would be a similar workout. I also wish they would offer a drop saddle style class with upper body movements.

  • Sue says:

    I agree peleton is not good they have not added any new 1-hour boot camps in Forever I need more than a 15 5 to 20 minute workout when you want to get in shape. It’s getting very boring to me because they’re not adding new one hour classes to the boot camp and they need to be harder they’re too easy.

  • Virginia says:

    I have been so disappointed lately with the seeming drastic reduction in 45 minute classes. I hadn’t noticed it that much until about two months ago, probably because I had bookmarked a lot of the older 45 minute classes and was taking those. I agree with all the other comments that stacking is not the same. It lacks the planning and continuity of a single class, in addition to the annoyance of repeated warm-ups and cool downs. The problem is particularly acute with regard to 45 minute climb classes, which are my favorite type of class. Not only have no new 45 minute climbs been added for months, three were eliminated recently, leaving only 33 in the on-demand library. I am seriously considering trialing another spin app given my disappointment with the reduction in 45 minute classes, especially climbs.

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