Peloton says Rowing Classes Exclusive to Peloton Row Owners at launch

After months of teasers and speculation, Peloton finally launched the long-awaited rower (Peloton Row) this morning. The launch is for presale only, and you can find all of the details regarding price, delivery, and more in our latest article.

UpdatePeloton Row classes became available on the app on May 23, 2023.

A newly published FAQ page regarding the rower has revealed a very important detail: rowing classes sounds like they will be locked to Peloton Row owners only at launch. This means that if you are an existing member – whether All-Access with a Bike or Tread, or the app only in the US – you will not have access to the rowing classes when they launch.

The FAQ page states:

Q: Which platforms and markets will Peloton Rowing content be available?
A: Rowing content will only be available on Peloton Row in the US only.

Q: Will Peloton Rowing content be available on the App?
A: Rowing content will not be available on the Peloton App at launch. Please stay tuned for more information soon.

Q: When will rowing content be available?
A: Rowing content will be available at launch on Peloton Row only. Please stay tuned for more information soon!

Peloton Rower FAQ page.
Peloton Rower FAQ page.

Since international members (Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia) can not buy the rower yet – it’s not clear how this will work for them. One FAQ does mention “in the US only” so it’s possible there might be different rules in other countries until the Rower launches everywhere.

Peloton’s social media posts announcing the Row have been flooded with comments and questions, and they’ve reemphasized the exclusivity of the content in their replies. A reply to a member Tweet states:

Our full library of Rowing content will only be available on the Peloton Row in the US. A small subset of Rowing classes will be available at a later time on iOS, Android and web for existing Members to trial. Please stay tuned for more information soon!

Peloton reply to member Tweet.
Peloton reply to member Tweet.

This suggests that the full catalog of Peloton rowing content will be locked to Row owners, and that existing members will only be given a small selection of classes that are available to take on other rowing devices.

This would be a major departure from their previous policies. Up until now, all classes have been available on the Peloton App. So for example, if you don’t own a Peloton Bike, you can still take the classes on another exercise bike. If you don’t have a Tread, you can still access all of the running classes and take them on any treadmill.

Peloton has started to introduce locked content after the release of the Guide, their first-ever strength connected device that was released earlier this year. They’ve introduced a number of new programs (such as Floor Bootcamp, split strength programs, and Arms with Tunde) exclusively to Guide owners. However, after seven weeks each of these programs has become available to all Peloton members – and Peloton has communicated from the beginning of each program launch that the content will be available to everyone after seven weeks.

The language Peloton is using in regards to the Row indicates that the full inventory of rowing content will be exclusive to Row owners – permanently. In other words, if you own another rower and were hoping to take Peloton’s rowing classes on that device, you may only have a small number of classes to choose from. There is a chance that the FAQ answer is meant to be worded a different way, but between the FAQ as well as Peloton’s replies on social media – it is sounding like the content will be locked.

While locking the rowing classes to Row owners only could potentially encourage more people to purchase the device, many have pointed out that the price tag of the Peloton Row ($3,195 before taxes and shipping) is significantly higher than other rowers on the market. For example, Hydrow (one of Peloton’s top competitors in the rowing spaces) retails their original rower for $2,495 – $700 less than what Peloton is offering their rower at. The Hydrow Wave, Hydrow’s newest and lower cost rower, retails at $1,495 – $1,700 less than what Peloton is offering their rower at.

As noted in our article about the Row launch, shipping of the device is still months away – with deliveries starting in December – so a lot could change in the next few months as Peloton rolls out the Row.

That being said, what do you think about Peloton’s decision to keep rowing content exclusive to Row owners?


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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.

17 Comments

  • Kate says:

    My loyalty to Peloton (and willingness to pay a monthly subscription fee on top of expensive hardware) is entirely based on the fact that my Peloton membership replaced my whole gym membership. If the access to content diminishes, I am not enticed to buy more. Quite the opposite – Peloton will lose my loyalty. I am very alarmed by the new membership language in the Terms they are forcing us to accept with the new App update. “All Access Members will only have access to the features and content available on the respective Peloton Products that they are using).” This language gives them room to go back and restrict so only a bike owner can access bike classes, only a tread owner can access walking and running classes, and only a guide owner can access strength content.

  • Kasey says:

    Quite frankly I think it’s bullshit. We have a peloton bike and tread but already have another rower. Was excited to be able to take the classes and this feels like a slap in the face.

  • Jeff Seidel says:

    Wow…that is horrible! I already have a rowing machine and don’t need their new one, but I have the bike, the tread and the guide and I won’t be able to access all rowing content…? I think the “all access” membership needs to be changed to “some access”. I wonder if peloton row customers get access to all the bike / tread / boot camp content with their membership?

  • Theodore C Boosalis says:

    This is why I left the Peloton hardware ecosystem. I own a C2 and I will not purchase a rower for 3.2K. I have a rower and it’s the best in the business. I am disappointed they will not release classes like they do with the bike and Tread. Makes no sense in a market that’s battling inflation and rising interest rates. The opposite strategy should occur. Just dumb.

  • Sarah says:

    What ecosystem did you switch to?

  • William c says:

    Likely Apple fitness, as it is a fraction of the price and many people already subscribe to the full Apple suite—which even that whole suite is cheaper than Peloton’s connected devices app pricing of $46/mo.

  • Theodore C Boosalis says:

    Back to the gyms – I have my own weight and C2 setup but I run my own workouts – I just put on music. That’s all I need.

  • PeloDawn says:

    I see this as a business decision, but ugh! Maybe lower the price of a rower to competitive level and you won’t have to do this. As the other commenter said, I view Peloton as my home gym and I use a variety of classes. $46 bucks a month is nothing to sneeze at, so I don’t want limits on my classes!

  • Rowman says:

    Restricting rowing content I have been waiting for for years sours my opinion on Peloton. I have a concept rower and have no plans to by a 32000 peloton rower. I have begun turning my subscription off for a few months at a time and riding exclusively outside combined with my concept rower and other rowing apps as a protest.

  • M says:

    Terrible. I have aC2 rower. I have for years love my bike and run outside along with other workouts. It is so disappointing. When you pay for a premium subscription. Really soured on them as a company. Should value your customers. There should be a happy medium here. I get they want to push their rower. Just seems like a poor way to treat your customer base.

  • Jon says:

    Decisions like this are why their stock has gone from $100 to under $10 in the last year.

  • Amanda says:

    Terrible move by Peloton. I was looking forward to using the rowing classes through the bike membership that I have used for YEARS. I’m loyal to Peloton, they should reciprocate.

  • Mary Ann Rodgers says:

    This policy doesn’t reward customer loyalty. Doesn’t seem like a smart business decision. So much for “All Access Membership”

  • KevinS says:

    I am a fan of their App, but deciding not to share their rowing classes means I will be forced to stop my subscription and move to Apple Fitness+

    A real shame as I have really liked their instructors and interface and would be happy to continue if they opened up the rowing classes as part of the App.

    I understand they want to sell rowers, but a lot of people already have a rowing machine and just want a class. Seems like a decision that will cost them a lot more in the long-run.

  • K says:

    Agree with others this a slap in the face. Peloton doesn’t show any loyalty to members.

  • jQue says:

    I have a C2 in each of my homes. Why would I want to purchase a Peloton Rower? I have a better idea. I will dump the two peloton bikes I have and purchase two Keiser bikes. They are built better and less can go wrong. I had to get a new screen for the Bike+. Fortunately it is under warranty. I have a Keiser now and I love it. Then I will make the switch to Apple Fitness.

  • Mike says:

    Fail Peloton, Hello Apple Fitness.

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