Peloton remotely bricks treadmills for those not paying $39.99 per month

130    24 Jun 2021 12:13 by u/John_B_14

June 24, 2021 Peloton has removed “Just Run” from its treadmills, a feature that allows Peloton treadmill owners to just run without any subscription. The removal of the free feature pretty much makes the pricey treadmills useless for users who are not ready to pay for the company’s monthly subscriptions and has further implications of who actually owns the product you paid for in this world of constant subscriptions – especially now that tech companies are comfortable to ban users’ accounts. https://reclaimthenet.org/peloton-bricks-treadmills-for-those-not-paying-39-99-per-month/

83 comments

61 u/Jungsite 24 Jun 2021 12:22
Everything is becoming a subscription, and its bullshit. Why should a workout machine be on a subscription, and why should it be necessary to simply run or lift weights? Other machines let you do that for free after you buy it.
35 u/SpaceJawa 24 Jun 2021 12:24
> Everything is becoming a subscription, and its bullshit. I know. Apparently even Microsoft Office is a subscription service now and *why on Earth* does anyone need to pay a subscription for a writing program?
19 u/John_B_14 [OP] 24 Jun 2021 12:45
MS Office **365** is subscription. But there are one-time fee versions of MS Office ("Home & Student" is $150 one-time fee) https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/b/help-me-choose-office
6 u/Jalapeno_gringo 24 Jun 2021 13:01
Yeah, but try to disable "S" mode. I haven't been able to in over a year. I used my land line for a phone number at setup and they will only send a code to unlock to that number. I had to fix the video driver in my old laptop to get Office back.
2 u/Charlatan 24 Jun 2021 15:44
Call Microsoft. Bug them enough and they will fix you up.
1 u/Jalapeno_gringo 24 Jun 2021 16:22
It's been a nightmare. I am going to buy a new laptop and this time no S mode. Can't even install python
7 u/None 24 Jun 2021 13:49
I like O365 from an organizational enterprise infrastructure perspective, but in all reality it's far easier and cheaper to use Google Docs on a personal level. They had the luxury of building a ground up infrastructure for collaboration. And if you're worried about inevitably being locked out of Google due to wrong-think or subscribing/commenting to the wrong youtube video I suggest a dedicated alt-account. That's literally all Chrome is for me. Google Docs Only.
12 u/John_B_14 [OP] 24 Jun 2021 14:03
I don't like relying on the cloud. I've been in disaster areas without internet access for a week. Imagine a war / civil war / cyberwar situation that knocks out the internet in your area. Personally, I still want access to my files. You shoud also keep in mind that Google Drive was deleting people's personal files that had "coronavirus misinformation". Expect libtech firms like Google to get even worse over time. https://reclaimthenet.org/google-drive-takes-down-user-file-plandemic/
2 u/Wingo 24 Jun 2021 14:33
> libtech You mean authtech, right?
2 u/SpaceJawa 24 Jun 2021 15:12
The idea of storing documents exclusively 'on the cloud' is absurd to me. If they have any value, why *wouldn't* you want to have access to them at any time regardless of the fickle nature of the internet?
1 u/GlorglaSpiffernan 24 Jun 2021 17:57
I'll rely on the cloud in part, but it's my instance of next cloud. I also keep backups on other services.
16 u/Lethn 24 Jun 2021 16:07
Just download LibreOffice. https://www.libreoffice.org/
6 u/John_B_14 [OP] 24 Jun 2021 16:27
Unfortunately, LibreOffice can't edit password protected .docx/.xlsx files, which I often have to work with.
1 u/Jungsite 24 Jun 2021 17:06
They don't. You can use Google Docs, and I'm sure there's another FreeWare application out there if you don't like Google.
24 u/John_B_14 [OP] 24 Jun 2021 12:26
The thing is, there are lots of inexpensive, non-subscription treadmills on Amazon.com & Walmart.com. Yet, tons of people choose to buy the $3,000+ Peloton treadmill with $40/month subscription, which also allows the company to remotely brick your treadmill whenever they want.
20 u/None 24 Jun 2021 13:02
A fool and his money are soon separated.
1 u/Jungsite 24 Jun 2021 17:01
Which is the most bullshit thing I've ever heard. You can build a home gym and not pay $40 a month, or subscribe to a Gym for $10 a month.
15 u/Nosecheck 24 Jun 2021 12:28
> You will own nothing and you will be happy. It's the next step of capitalism. Ownership doesn't make as much money as subscriptions.
2 u/Charlatan 24 Jun 2021 15:45
Well, it does... It's just a matter of who is doing the owning. No longer the consumer, rather all you will own is a license to use the media remotely (or hardware locally in this case). When the server dies or support dries up or any number of things, toast.. Still, ownership is very profitable.
10 u/Sheeplebane 24 Jun 2021 15:52
>It's the next step of crony-capitalism FTFY
3 u/SpaceJawa 25 Jun 2021 03:01
Might be more accurate to call it corporatism.
10 u/ChainsawSaint 24 Jun 2021 16:06
Well, you're quoting a socialist, so there's that. Capitalism will allow competition, and if people reject these treadmills, there will be alternatives. Just like every other market.
-2 u/BrokenWifi 24 Jun 2021 17:04
Capitalism requires advertising. It's difficult to compete when media ads are dominated by Peloton and the cost of entry is significantly high for smaller companies. What good is having a better mousetrap if hardly anyone knows it exists?
7 u/ChainsawSaint 24 Jun 2021 17:23
>Capitalism requires advertising You sure about that? https://medium.com/the-innovation/arizona-tea-became-the-most-famous-brand-by-cutting-in-advertising-4b049edc3b8b "But it takes work!" isn't an excuse.
1 u/BrokenWifi 24 Jun 2021 17:44
Have to disagree. The can IS THE ADVERTISING. Having "99c" on the label for nearly 20 years is an excellent strategy. It hits brand awareness, loyalty and budget consumers. "But it takes work" isn't an excuse. If something takes work, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that it takes money to get that work done, ergo, advertising money. If you can come up with a low budget way to increase sales for X brand workout bikes in the time it takes peloton to come out with 2 national campaigns, they should be paying YOU! Bear in mind, I said it was difficult, not impossible.
0 u/ChainsawSaint 24 Jun 2021 17:49
OK, cool. I await your example of a marketed, distributed drink without a container. And no, you said "requires".
1 u/BrokenWifi 24 Jun 2021 18:13
Water. Marketed by many, distributed for free by nature, and the container is completely optional. "Drink water every day!!!" See? Easy! This isn't a pissing contest. Capitalism DOES require advertising. It's been used for centuries and goes by many names. Nationalism, Pride, Civic Duty, Propaganda. All are paid for, targeted and sold, just like an advertisement.
0 u/ChainsawSaint 24 Jun 2021 18:20
Marketed, and distributed, Mr. Tryhard. Your stupid "water" retort was incredibly predictable. You're right, it isn't a pissing contest. Because you're a fool and dishonest.
1 u/BrokenWifi 24 Jun 2021 18:32
Ask stupid questions get stupid answers. I can't be blamed by your failure to understand basic ideas. You're hung up on Capitalism on a thread about an exercise bike. If a simple discussion causes you to resort to name calling like a child perhaps you shouldn't participate.
0 u/ChainsawSaint 24 Jun 2021 18:51
Your stupid "water" answer is as dumb as "beer" or "wine", since people can make those home. You think you're clever, but really you're pretty dumb. And just SO DESPERATE to be right, no matter what. You're a Leftie, aren't you? EDIT: Retard.
1 u/BrokenWifi 24 Jun 2021 19:00
This is why I love Ruqqus!!! Dude did you ever stop to think maybe you asked a dumb question? lol If there's anything i've learned in my life, it's that I don't know jack shit about anything. Life is a constant state of learning and changing. That includes established "facts". I wish you ALL the best, don't let the internet upset you so much friend, I believe in YOU!!!
2 u/readyIgnite 24 Jun 2021 18:19
The cyberpunk future is here. Each child needs education in sufficient hacking skills to jailbreak products and put them to reasonable usage. Make America a manufacturing center for open source off the cloud products.
34 u/None 24 Jun 2021 12:38
May I suggest a revolutionary idea; jog for free in the streets/park.
17 u/None 24 Jun 2021 13:50
Too many *joggers* for a lot of urbanites.
7 u/JebbieSansKingofCumin 24 Jun 2021 14:57
I like being able to track my heart rate, control the incline, and see how many calories I've spent; and don't like wearing a fitbit.
5 u/NippleSalad 24 Jun 2021 15:22
Then wear one of the other hundreds of smartwatches. You'll save a lot of money and only sacrifice a tiny bit of comfort.
1 u/JebbieSansKingofCumin 25 Jun 2021 14:22
I just like to be able to just grab onto the bar for a few seconds. I used Fitbit as a blanket for all monitor watches =P
4 u/None 24 Jun 2021 15:38
When you're getting started out and are self conscious about doing something new, a treadmill is great. It also helps you learn to control your pace, gait, and posture. They're also great for parents who still need to be on hand for small children.
3 u/None 24 Jun 2021 16:36
For sure. I'm not anti exercise machines :) I think dropping secondhand car money along with a $40 a month subscription is utterly retarded.
3 u/None 24 Jun 2021 17:47
Yeah, I'm with you on that one. But I guess if people are planning to use them instead of a gym membership it kinda makes sense? IDK. It seems like a waste of money to me, but I'm sure there are people for who this is a complete lifesaver.
1 u/None 24 Jun 2021 18:34
I’m not going to push against your positive take.
1 u/None 24 Jun 2021 19:34
😅 I appreciate that.
2 u/Charlatan 24 Jun 2021 15:46
Can't get ++ on Zuckerbook for being cool using the oh so pedestrian sidewalk ..
1 u/RetardedPotato 24 Jun 2021 19:10
Watch when that becomes illegal lol
1 u/Erebos 25 Jun 2021 05:41
Sometimes difficult to do when your city is culturally enriched.
1 u/cxiiiv 25 Jun 2021 17:51
That is boring as F*, you can have some music and do some reading on a treadmill. You are a problem if you do that on the road
18 u/wuzizname 24 Jun 2021 12:55
If they’re retarded enough already to pay $3k for a treadmill when you can run outside for free (or buy another decent treadmill for less than $500 bucks) then they get what the deserve as far as I’m concerned.
9 u/None 24 Jun 2021 13:58
Treadmills themselves are dumb exercise machines. They're high impact. They don't emulate 'street running' and are therefore inadequate for race training. They're bulky and require a lot of head space. They also only exercise your legs. Get a rower. Preferably one that's collapsible. I can throw my Concept 2 into the laundry room, or the back of a mid-sized SUV in under 10 minutes.
4 u/domdaddy 24 Jun 2021 14:13
Why is the rower better?
9 u/None 24 Jun 2021 14:23
Full body workout and a smaller form factor for storage vs a treadmill. You're engaging far more muscle groups in your core and upper body along with your legs. So long as you maintain good posture (*especially in your lower back*), it's very low-impact. Your only real risk is blistering on your hands. I've had an on-again off-again planters tear in my foot from street running that can be outright debilitating when it flairs up. It killed my cardio for a few years until I discovered rowing. I guarantee that a 2k row will absolutely jump start your cardio, especially if you start getting into high intervals.
5 u/domdaddy 24 Jun 2021 14:26
Thanks dude
7 u/None 24 Jun 2021 14:44
>or the back of a mid-sized SUV I've got an image of you rowing at the bottom of a lake giving zero fucks.
12 u/TheVirginGary 24 Jun 2021 14:21
"I can buy an iPhone, but I can't use it as a phone without my subscription to Verizon, so I see nothing wrong here." Has to be the most smooth brain take on anything that I've ever seen. Yes, without paying your Verizon subscription you can not use Verizon services, this is fine, but the phone is not a Verizon service. The phone is your hardware that you own and works independently of Verizon. Now imagine Verizon locks you out of all features on your device whether it connects to a Verizon server or not, this sounds a lot more like extortion than subscription.
2 u/None 24 Jun 2021 17:40
Yeah that was pretty fucking funny to read. I can take my SIM card out of my phone and suddenly it’s a pretty powerful mini tablet, subscriptions be damned.
2 u/RetardedPotato 24 Jun 2021 19:15
We need a new human right. Right to use any software for the hardware you bought or rented. Provide tax incentives for companies who make it easy enough to make open source alternative software for their hardware. (the more projects pop up, the more tax benefits until a cap of course) This way no company can force anyone to use their software. Those who want to, can suffer the tax penalties.
10 u/QuantumLegion 24 Jun 2021 13:38
>“in our ongoing work to ensure our products are even safer" Just tell people you're making them "safer" and they'll put up with damn near anything. I mean, they're making us "safer" because "Safety" is more important than anything else in the entire existence of humanity
8 u/TheVirginGary 24 Jun 2021 14:12
This is actually where they get some credit in my eyes, they're in the middle of a lawsuit because a bunch of small children were killed and/or injured by their treadmills. So I understand them overstepping with safety precautions to prevent unauthorized used, but there's no way it takes more than 30 minutes to apply that same line of code to non-premium accounts. Functionality should've never been down for more than a day and it reeks of either severe incompetence or maliciousness at this point.
10 u/None 24 Jun 2021 14:03
"you will own nothing"
9 u/owlie 24 Jun 2021 12:34
Would it be possible to load some open source software alternative? > The touchscreens on all Peloton models are Android tablets with a modified interface. McAfee found that Peloton had indeed taken the necessary security precautions and locked the tablet bootloaders so that the Android operating system could not be tampered with. > Normally, that would mean the end of the line for an attacker. Nonetheless, the McAfee researchers were able to partly boot the tablets into a different version of Android by plugging in a USB-C drive loaded with a custom bootloader and accessing the Android tablet's recovery screen by pressing the power and volume-up buttons at the same time. https://www.tomsguide.com/news/peloton-bike-plus-flaw or maybe you could just hook up an android phone or tablet that's different entirely? I dunno like to me you could just bike outside, I don't understand the interest in a stationary cycle although you can also make them in to mechanical tools (like blenders) or generate a small amount of electricity with them
14 u/John_B_14 [OP] 24 Jun 2021 12:38
I think it would make more sense to just sell the $3,000+ Peloton treadmill to someone who wants to pay the subscription fee, and then buy a regular treadmill for $500.
9 u/owlie 24 Jun 2021 13:19
LOL I really overthought this I mean I wouldn't have bought it in the first place but...
9 u/Cicero33 24 Jun 2021 13:00
go repair a heavy duty truck, that'll give you a great workout
8 u/LegendaryDaim 24 Jun 2021 14:19
What retard buys a treadmill and then pays a subscription for it lol.
5 u/None 24 Jun 2021 13:16
I wonder if there’s grounds for legal action. Reminds me of when Sony advertised the PS3 as Linux capable then later pulled that functionality in an update.
4 u/None 24 Jun 2021 15:42
Everyone saying, "just run outside, it's free!" are kinda missing the point. A company selling treadmills decided to remotely destroy the product they sold. They've remotely committed destruction of property in God knows how many homes. This is going to be one helluva class action suit and there could be an argument made for a criminal case. It will probably set precedent for case law for the next century or longer. It's a bigger deal than "lol just run outside."
3 u/None 24 Jun 2021 13:26
As reported here: https://ruqqus.com/+RightToRepair/post/c85n/peloton-embraces-the-youll-own-nothing
3 u/ocsdor 24 Jun 2021 15:59
Don't buy shit that involves the internet.
2 u/NWOBHM 24 Jun 2021 16:44
Why the hell do you need. Your treadmill to be connected to the internet anyway?
1 u/John_B_14 [OP] 24 Jun 2021 16:49
With the subscription, you have a live aerobics instructor yelling at you. I guess some people are into that. I think the subscription also allows people to do training classes with other people, so you're competing against other live participants, remotely.
2 u/3putt 24 Jun 2021 17:34
Sorry, you didn't pay your oxygen subscription this month.... now you can't breath. Sorry.....
2 u/None 24 Jun 2021 19:33
Thanks for this. I have never purchased anything from Peloton, but I was considering building a small gym in a spare room of my house soon and now I don't have to bother even looking into their products.
1 u/3putt 25 Jun 2021 22:57
You can get literally the same thing for half the price and without having to download updates to a piece of exercise equipment.
2 u/None 24 Jun 2021 20:03
Remember that fucking juicer that has an app to squeeze the juice out of a fucking bag?
1 u/kek 24 Jun 2021 18:23
![](https://media.tenor.com/images/cffc360f2292d34859f264870df23f65/tenor.gif)
-2 u/None 24 Jun 2021 16:09
That's what you get for being a dumb white woman and falling for this bullshit. Get on a fucking bike and ride it.... Women are so retarded sometimes.
-4 u/TheGoyimKnow 24 Jun 2021 13:40
This is like buying a tesla and being mad it doesn't take gas. You know what you signed up for when you spent 3k. Like others said, you can get a commercial quality treadmill for 1.5 to 2k
6 u/Wingo 24 Jun 2021 14:39
The point is about owning & using the hardware.
1 u/TheGoyimKnow 24 Jun 2021 17:43
Anyone with half a brain knew this was coming. The point is think before you buy. Don't be blatantly ignorant.
1 u/TheVirginGary 24 Jun 2021 19:04
On this we can agree, though I dont think your Tesla analogy was great. It doesn't take a genius to look at a device that's only function is to spin in a circle, and say "this has absolute no reason to have a remote kill switch in it for the manufacturer to revoke my access whenever they want. Maybe I will buy one of the thousand identical products that do not do that." What's the saying? A fool and his money...