The best way to buy a $2k road bike is to pay $1k and buy it from someone who thought it would be a great idea to buy a $2k road bike.

Kind of like when my dad bought an elliptical machine and my mom called it the world’s only $2,500 clothes rack.

She lied. It is far from being the world's only $2,500 clothes rack.

Absolutely, bicycles depreciate much much faster than cars!

If you are handy doing your own repairs it's also very cost effective since not too many tools are required and compatible parts are cheap, easy to find and easy to install.

My road bike cost $300 AUD, I have maybe spent another $250 on parts and tools. I have been riding to and from uni and now work pretty much every day for three years and I love it to bits.

You’re assuming that people who buy a Peloton want to ride outside. Also, half the purpose of Peloton is the tracking and app integration.

No, some people have $2,000+ road bikes that have never seen the road or been outside. They just set them up on a trainer with sensors ([1][2][3]) in their living room.

[1] https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/tacx-vortex-smart-...

[2] https://www.99bikes.com.au/accessories/indoor-trainers/smart...

[3] https://www.pushys.com.au/accessories/stationary-stands/smar...

No idea why they would spend US$2,000+ on them, most of this price is for improvements on weight and drag reduction, if you aren't moving the bike then there isn't really a point. Except for the wheels and tyres as rolling weight has some impact on your pedalling, I really don't understand.

Perhaps. How do road bikes on trainers handle out of saddle riding? Many spinning classes involve out of saddle riding.

A modern smart trainer will continually vary the resistance level based on software cues to simulate inclines, head/tailwinds and the effects of drafting. If your Zwift ride arrives at a steep climb, you'll need to downshift and get out of the saddle to keep up, just as you would do in the real world.

Peloton has a mechanical knob that controls the resistance.

It's clear that a lot of people love the Peloton experience, but it's a pretty lousy training tool for any kind of real cycling.

"Thing is bad at something it's not built at all for." Peloton is a fancy spin class bike it was never meant for actual training about road riding, beyond the aerobic training aspect it's completely separate from biking.

Modern trainers handle it just fine. I used to be a professional cyclist and would log about 20 hours inside/week during winter.

You can also get a roller with resistance, that is probably the best investment I ever made.

For people in the US I recommend http://www.insideride.com/ and in Europe the equivalent is this: https://www.elite-it.com/en/products/home-trainers/rollers/q...

That is a good question, I found a video where someone is using a Swift trainer and at the 2:52 mark they are out of the seat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-3-6KDu1fY

This question was asked numerous times on every bike/trainer related discussion board. They handle just fine. I have my carbon bike on a trainer like 5 years already every winter and part of spring