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Comment by cbm-vic-20 | Hacker News Reader

Anecdotally, it appears that Zwift usage is still growing. It's more race and social oriented than Peleton, and less of a "spin class simulator", but it's only $15/mo and doesn't require as much of an up-front equipment investment.

I think Peleton believed too much of their own BS and flew too close to the sun.

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While I like Zwift it's not at all like Peloton. Yeah, it's more race oriented but also it's not as prescribed-- i.e you have to figure out what exactly you want to do for a workout.

Also, a good Zwift setup will cost more than a Peloton. A reasonable road bike with an 11-speed cassette starts at ~$1k, then you'll need an extra cassette (~$100), smart bike trainer (~$1k), ipad or computer+tv (~$1k), etc.

That said, a TacX Neo2T + Wahoo speed sensitive fan + TV is a fantastic combo.

Growing, yes, but from a much smaller base and probably with a lower ceiling. (I'm a regular Zwift rider in the winter.)

Fundamentally, Zwift is for road cyclists who are training or stuck inside, and Peloton is for spin class fans, and never the twain shall meet. There's a big gulf between the two groups that is larger than it might seem to someone just casually observing that they appear to be doing almost exactly the same thing.

as a roadie occasionally stuck inside, I have no issues hopping on a peloton

The Zwift up-front investment is only really lower if you already have some of the necessary pieces. But if you're starting from scratch and have to buy a bike, smart trainer, tablet / laptop, and stand then that can cost as much or more than a Peloton bike depending on how fancy you want to get.

A bike that you can use outdoors too.

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