A Petite Peloton Rider Beginner’s Guide

Yesterday my new Peloton came! I waited a month for it to come. Suddenly, I became a little anxious wondering what would happen on my first Peloton ride leading me to share this beginner’s guide for a petite Peloton rider.

ridiculously rapid, I needed desperately to jumpstart my weight loss and toning efforts. My big plan was to combine low carb, high veggie meals with intermittent cardio, and strength training. I’m not a gym person and I prefer my home for exercise over the gym.

We already have a treadmill. So, I required coaxing to buy another piece of equipment for our workout room.

Ordering and delivery were easy but it was the riding I feared. I couldn’t even get the damn shoes on right. The struggle is real!

Tips for getting your Peloton shoes on

Go slow. This is not so much a petite Peloton rider thing so much as it is a beginner Peloton nuance. They are quite narrow.

I want to put on socks but I’m afraid that it would make the shoe too tight. I had to go a size up. Normally, I wear a size 7 in women’s shoes. The branded Peloton shoes are new and stiff and need some breaking in. There are three fastening straps on these shoes. The first two are velcro.

The last one, the strap closest to your ankle, requires some learning and finesse to get the hang of. They remind me of a bad zip tie and a narrow pair of Puma’s I used to own.

Two clicks and….

Nope. On my first Peloton ride, I spent more time trying to get my shoes clicked into place than the actual ride time. I’d never done a spin class on purpose! It is imperative that you adjust your shoe clip on the cleat properly, especially the part of the clip that attaches to the pedal. If you think you are in and you aren’t the cadence and resistance are not measured while you are in the class (I figured this out on ride #2).

Getting my shoes out of the pedals was also a problem. For the first two rides, I annoyingly left them clicked on to the bike for my husband to remove.

This quickly became our inside joke. I ride in the evenings and he’s usually up early in the morning working out.

Petite Peloton Rider Challenges

The first challenge was my height! I’m 4′ 11″. This blog is all about my daily tiny challenges. My seat was put in the lowest setting but I still didn’t feel comfortable.

Being a petite Peloton rider and sharing the bike with an average height rider has its challenges also. We have to adjust the bike between rides, but buying another bike at this price is not an option for that luxury convenience.

My biggest beef with that first Peloton ride was my inability to adequately reach the screen. Everything on the bike happens on the screen.

Monitoring metrics, high-fives, hearting songs, and adding followers all happens from the screen–real-time. I almost always have to get out of the saddle to do anything that requires me to touch the screen.

Reaching the resistance knob isn’t a problem due to its proximity to the seat.

But reaching for water was a challenge. I’m going to play around with the handlebar settings and see if I can get better utility of the screen without jumping out of the saddle every time.

Petite + Curvy Peloton Rider Concerns

I have a beautifully full bottom. Other petite riders commented on buttock pain. I didn’t have any soreness the first several rides. I’ll have to keep track of this as time goes on. I did however have a few comfort concerns.

My Townie bike for cruising around the island has the most comfortable seat ever, this was definitely not my Townie. It definitely felt like my Peloton bike seat was a serious gym bike (because it is) compared to a recreational bicycle. My bottom never slipped off and I never felt like I couldn’t ride.

The thighs on the other hand are an entirely different issue for ladies with curves. For those of us with a lil’ mo’ body, be careful of the seat adjustment knob and make sure that the handle is turned inward toward the bike otherwise your thighs may get a jab mid-ride.

Petite Peloton Rider Review

My First Peloton Ride

Once I finally clicked my shoes in, I was ready for my very first Peloton ride. Then I randomly chose Leanne Hainsby’s 20 min Beginner Ride by filtering for R&B music type, 20 minutes, and beginner intensity. At first, I was jamming because she played Soul II Soul’s Back to Life featuring Caron Wheeler. Any exercise routine needs a good playlist. That is an absolute must.

This playlist was not my favorite. I’m not sure how my first Peloton ride had Boogie Wonderland, Soul II Soul, Bebe Winans, and Jennifer Lopez all in the same playlist but it did. Not my jam. Since my first ride, I’ve noticed that the instructor’s voice, enthusiasm, and playlist have a lot to do with how much I personally enjoy the ride.

Speaking of music, someone clearly knows that we are musically motivated. You can connect both your Spotify and Apple Music automatically and effortlessly add songs that got you moving. These songs are added to a dedicated playlist on either Apple or Spotify. Who wouldn’t like that Peloton feature, right?

In retrospect, I probably should have explored the playlist and instructors a little more. But, the one thing you will not have to worry about is a lack of variety in that department. There are males, females, Brits, Americans, and instructors of all sizes, shapes, and backgrounds.

Petite Peloton Rider Social Groups

The first thing I did, when I got this high-level exercise bike, was to find other riders with similar interests. A beginner Peloton rider like me who isn’t in the best of shape needs support. Therefore, I sought out other riders will similar concerns, goals, lifestyles, and interests. I joined several Facebook groups and added my hashtags.

• #shortietribe
• #pelotondoctors
• #BPR: BlackPelotonRiders
• #PelotonMoms
• #WorkingPelotonMoms

The beauty of this bike is that I’m at home. As a busy, working mom and wife, the extra step to get to the gym is not happening. As a beginner Peloton rider, a newbie, that first workout wasn’t my best. I just threw something on and got on the bike, something I could never do at the gym. Of course, since then, I’ve made a number of leggings and purchased some super cute outfits to sweat in but I don’t have to.