As one of the pandemic’s home fitness darlings, Platoon has since struggled as people began to return to their gyms. Now the company faces another setback: On May 11, Peloton announced a voluntary recall of its flagship product, the original Bike model.
According to a statement on Peloton’s website, the voluntary recall is taking place because the bike’s seat post, which adjusts up and down to accommodate people of different heights, may break during a ride, which can lead to a “risk of falling and injury”. At the end of April, the company said it had received 35 complaints of broken seat posts (out of around 2.2 million bikes sold) and 13 related injuries, including a broken wrist as well as cuts and bruises.
The affected bikes were sold from January 2018 through May 2023 in the United States by Peloton, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Amazon, and retailed for approximately $1,400. To see if your bike was one of them, check the label on the inside of the front fork (which connects the frame to the steering wheel) near the steering wheel: it will have a PL-01 model number.
The fix, according to Peloton, is a replacement Seatpost, which they’ll provide for free (along with a new end cap and end cap bolt) and can be fitted by users at home without having to call. a service technician – all you need is a screwdriver. You can fill out the form here to order it and watch the video here for a step-by-step guide on how to change positions. Until the new seatpost is installed, you must stop using the bike, depending on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC).
This disturbing news comes two years after Peloton recalled the Tread+ treadmill – their highest-end option that had a super-comfortable slatted running belt and retailed for over $4,000 – due to the risk of injury: adults, children, pets, and objects could be pulled under the rear of the machine, depending on the CPSC. By the time the product was recalled, the company had received over 150 reports of it resulting in 13 injuries (including broken bones and friction burns) and the death of a small child. Two years later, the Tread+ has still not returned to the market and will be “pending for the foreseeable future”, depending on the company.
Peloton’s 6.6 million user base and sales of its gear swelled during the pandemic when many people suspended their gym memberships and instead relied on the company’s live and on-demand streaming courses to practice at home. But a few years later, the business began to collapse, in part due to competition from in-person classes, as well as a growing number of home-based platforms that offer a similar experience. In fact, if you’re looking for an indoor bike that lets you take classes at home, now you have a whole bunch of options at your fingertips.