Peloton is giving free bikes to disappointed Flywheel customers
Owners of Flywheel’s in-home bikes will soon be forced to spin into enemy territory.
Flywheel said Wednesday that it will shut down the virtual classes that are connected to its in-home bikes in March. Peloton will let Flywheel customers swap out the $1,500 bikes for a used Peloton bike for free. This comes after Flywheel and Peloton’s two-year legal battle over patent infringement.
Peloton sued Flywheel in September 2018 claiming the latter copied the technology used to create its in-home bikes and the leaderboard that lets customers race against each other. Flywheel settled earlier this month, admitting that it copied the technology and agreed to “stop infringing Peloton’s patented technology.” That resulted in Flywheel having to shut down the in-home bikes.
“We look forward to welcoming these new members into the Peloton family,” the newly publicly traded company said in a statement. Flywheel customers will have to fill out a form to receive the bikes.
Flywheel’s studio operations aren’t affected by the changes. It still has about 30 studios in the US after closing roughly a dozen in 2019.
Peloton sells $2,245 indoor bikes and a $4,295 treadmill with an HD touchscreen to watch classes. Customers pay subscription fees of $39 per month associated with its bike and treadmill to participate in classes. The company, which went public last year, has seen its shares fall 4% for the year.
Flywheel didn’t immediately return CNN Business’ request for comment.
