One of the biggest surprises from Peloton’s Cross Training announcement last week was what was not included – namely, an upgrade or trade-in option for existing members.
As we previously reported, existing members received discount codes if they are interested in upgrading their device to the new Cross Training line; however, there are no plans at this time for a trade-in program like there was when the Bike+ launched. In addition, the integrated camera-based Peloton IQ features currently cannot be retrofitted onto older devices.
In a recent Reddit “Ask Me Anything” (AMA), Peloton Chief Product Officer Nick Caldwell addressed the question head-on. When asked whether current Bike+ users would be able to purchase the new monitor separately to upgrade, Caldwell replied:
“We don’t have plans for upgrade kits yet… but this is the most frequent request I’m getting.”
His use of “yet” is noteworthy, indicating that while no upgrade path exists today, Peloton is not completely ruling it out in the future.
Peloton confirmed to Pelo Buddy that “bringing the new camera-based features to our original hardware series is more involved than a simple screen swap.” In other words, the new Cross Training devices include deeper hardware integrations beyond what a monitor replacement could address.
A Peloton executive previously explained that upgrading the original series Tread+ to become a Cross Training Tread+ would require not only replacing the screen but also the wiring harness that runs through the frame – a significant teardown. While it is unclear whether the same challenge applies to the Bike or Row, it highlights why a straightforward swap may not be currently feasible.
Still, Peloton emphasized that they have “definitely heard the feedback from the community” about the desire for an upgrade option.
For now, members hoping to access the new camera-based features will need to purchase one of the new Cross Training models. However, given Peloton’s acknowledgment of recent feedback, it is possible Peloton could explore an upgrade solution down the road.
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I spoke with support and they told me that for the Original Bike (not Bike+) there will be a screen swap upgrade available in February. So it appears we’ll at least be able to upgrade from the og bike screen to the old Bike+ screen (which now appears to be the base model screen).