Peloton CEO Peter Stern shed new light on the future of the Peloton Tread+ and Peloton Row+ in international markets during Peloton’s annual shareholder meeting earlier this week.
While the focus of the meeting was on electing new board members and other business items, the call did end with a question & answer session.
The company only decided to answer one pre-submitted shareholder question – asking whether Peloton planned to bring its two premium hardware products (the Peloton Cross Training Tread+ and the Peloton Cross Training Row+) to “international markets.”
Stern began by noting that Peloton has expanded availability of the Tread+ this year, specifically to Canada in October. This was the first time the Peloton Tread+ became available outside the U.S. You can catch up on those details via our overview article.
From there, Stern broke down the factors affecting a potential rollout to Peloton’s other major international markets: the United Kingdom., Germany, Austria, and Australia.
According to Stern, the main hurdle for bringing the Peloton Tread+ to Europe and Australia is electrical compatibility. The current Peloton Cross Training Tread+ is designed for the U.S. power standard of 120V/60Hz (which Canada also uses), while most international markets use 230V/50Hz.
He explained that the Peloton team is actively evaluating how to ensure the Peloton Tread+ can work safely and effectively with the 230V architecture common in those regions. Until Peloton has a clear path to compatibility, the Tread+ will remain a U.S. and Canada-only product.
However, Stern clarified that the Peloton Cross Training Row+ does not face that same obstacle. The Peloton Row+ is already compatible with 230V international standards.
Nonetheless, that does not guarantee a global rollout. Stern said Peloton now needs to “evaluate the opportunity relative to the cost” of bringing the Peloton Row+ to additional markets. In other words, even though the hardware is ready, Peloton must determine whether the demand and overall business case justify the investment required to launch and support the product internationally. That evaluation is apparently currently ongoing.
For now, members in the U.K., Germany, Austria, and Australia will need to wait longer for any expansion of two of Peloton’s premium hardware products. The Tread+ requires technical redesign work – or government certification approval for the current design – while the Row+ requires strategic justification.
We will share any updates on this matter as new details become available.
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Sounds like they were poorly designed to start with. I mean, come on Peloton, get a grip or fire some of your designers. Designing a product that can only be sold in North America and Canada is somewhat short-sighted
I took my tread + to Australia, got a power converter and happy days. I know converting it after the fact is not ideal, but it’s not rocket science to manufacturer products to suit global electrical requirements. My guess is, supply chain issues and logistics, and weather! Let’s face it many of us turn to the tread more in winter than summer. Australia has a climate you can run outside all year round. Now I’ve said all this, I still love the tread + and I’m back living in the US and I own two (one in oz and one here). So the more people on the platform the better. Go + go global.
I 100% agree. They have British instructors on the tread……SOOO, how is it not working correctly? They are an international company with a product that can’t be/isn’t sold internationally. Not to mention all the software disconnection between IOS and Android. Again, US market vision only (where iOS is most dominant)?