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Peloton Troubleshooting: Solutions to Common Issues

ByLeah Ingram
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At one point or another, every Peloton owner is going to be like I am and need to do some cycle troubleshooting. The issues I’ve had with my Peloton, which I’ve owned since 2016, have run the gamut. Some of the issues I’ve faced included:

  • my bike wouldn’t turn on.
  • there was a clicking sound coming from the pedals
  • I joined a challenge and it wasn’t counting my workouts in the app.

Well, don’t worry. Because in this blog post I’m going to give you solutions to the most common Peloton cycle problems.

Peloton bike problems to troubleshoot

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Think of this as your Peloton troubleshooting FAQ. Because hopefully whatever is troubling you about your bike, you’ll find answers to your questions here.

Here is a list of some of the Peloton problems I’ll address in this article:

  • Peloton not turning on
  • Peloton app not working
  • Metrics aka stats not showing on Peloton
  • Peloton resistance not working
  • Peloton touchscreen won’t turn on
  • Output on Peloton not showing on screen
  • Peloton not showing classes taken
  • Profile not loading on Peloton
  • Peloton Bluetooth issues

Peloton won’t turn on

Lots of people who end up with the problem of their Peloton bike screen not turning on end up having a cord issue, too. It could be the cord that connects the tablet to the bike or the one that connects the bike to a power source. So, how do you troubleshoot in this situation?

Check the Peloton power cable or cord

First, remember that a Peloton cycle is often a lot like your modem. You know, unplug it, count to 30, let the power cycle all the way through and plug it back in? Sometimes resetting your bike is as simple as that.

Second, it could be that your power cord is not pushed in all the way. When in doubt, pull it out, count to 30 and plug it back into the base of your bike.

Third, could you have blown a fuse? If you don’t have your bike plugged into a power strip, you should. Plugging the bike directly into the wall could leave it vulnerable to a power surge. For example, many users find that their metrics don’t work after their home suffers a power outage. Hopefully, you haven’t fried the bike. Because if a power surge is bad for a computer, it’s definitely bad for a Peloton bike, which is basically an Android computer.

Screen won’t turn on

Start by checking the cords that connect the monitor to the bike. Another issue could be that the cords that connect your Peloton tablet to the bike have come loose. Walk around to the back of the touchscreen and take a look. This photo shows the cords going into the screen of my original Peloton bike.

I took this photo of the cord that connects my monitor to the bike. Photo credit: Leah Ingram.
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Check to see that they are securely plugged in. If all else fails, reach out to Peloton customer service about sending you a new power cord or tablet screen–or both.

How to turn on a Peloton bike

Going back to the basics, this is how you turn on a Peloton bike. First, look at the back of the Peloton tablet screen.

Second, find the rectangular button towards the top of the back of the tablet. The button will be either gray or orange, depending on the age of your bike. On the Bike Plus, the Peloton power button to turn it on is round, not rectangular.

Third, press and hold down that power button until you see the screen start to turn on. And that’s it.

That’s how you turn on a Peloton bike and the Peloton Bike Plus–just by turning on the screen.

Peloton profile won’t load

I’ve found that there is probably one simple reason that your profile won’t load on your Peloton hardware. And that reason is this: your Internet connection. Peloton says that you need to have a speed of at least 10-15 mbps for downloads. Honestly?

I have no idea what my Internet speed is but sometimes I know it’s not good enough. So, my quickest fix and connection hack? Hotspotting my phone. Hard to believe that you can run a Peloton off an iPhone. However, it consistently works for me. Another thing that might keep your profile or classes from loading related to WiFi — too many devices on it at once.

Replace the Peloton screen

Some older bikes may need a new screen. However, if you received your bike fewer than 12 months ago, it is still under warranty. Therefore, if you’re having issues with the screen not turning on, don’t buy a new screen. Reach out to Peloton customer service to have this addressed under the Peloton one-year warranty.

More about the Peloton warranty here.

Peloton bike calibration

When my original Peloton bike became impossible to ride after a move, someone suggested I recalibrate the Peloton bike to get the resistance levels back to where they should be. Turns out a calibration kit came with my bike when I bought it in 2016. Therefore, I could troubleshoot any calibration problems on my own.

Peloton bike casting troubleshooting

One of the beautiful add ons–free add-ons, that is–with a Peloton bike is that you can cast your screen to a Smart TV. However, not every Smart TV will work with your cycle. I learned this the hard way when I tried to troubleshoot my way into getting my bike to cast to my new Vizio Smart TV. It doesn’t work.

On the other hand, Roku TVs work great with screencasting. One important tip for making this work: the Roku TV and your Peloton bike, Tread or Row must all be on the same WiFi network. So, tap settings on the upper right hand side of the screen or tablet or monitor on the hardware to double check they’re on the same network. And if they’re not, switch it so they are.

Here is my article with steps to cast your Peloton to a Smart TV.

Peloton not showing classes taken

I’ve found that there are two times when I might feel frustrated that my Peloton or the Peloton app isn’t showing classes I know I’ve taken. For example, when I’m in the middle of a Peloton challenge — especially the annual challenge when I want my minutes to add up — and they’re not, I want to lose my mind.

So, what do you do when Peloton is not showing classes taken for a challenge? On the one hand, if you wait until the end of the day and then check back, I’ll bet it will be there. On the other hand, you can always leave the challenge and then rejoin. That always works for me. Don’t worry, you will not lose your minutes.

Troubleshooting Peloton wireless headphones

One of the most common troubleshooting questions with a Peloton bike is getting the Peloton wireless headphones to work. And when I say wireless headphones, I mean issues with the Bluetooth headphones. I wrote a blog post all about Peloton Bluetooth headphones.

Finally, I don’t know about you, but I can NEVER get my Apple AirPods to pair with my bike. They’ll connect to my iPhone sitting across the room, but not my bike. Same with our newer Bike Plus. Then my GenZ daughter Annie showed me the step I was missing with her AirPods: I had to depress the little button on the back of the AirPod case. This sends a signal to the bike so it knows to connect. And voila, they were connected.

Photo credit: Leah Ingram.

So, while you can open your AirPods case and connect it to a Mac device nearby, I guess because Pelotons are Android devices, this doesn’t work. Which is why you have to go through the extra step to connect them.

Peloton app not working

When I say the Peloton app, keep in mind that there are three places where you can access the Peloton app:

  • Tablet
  • Phone
  • Smart TV/Roku TV

Recently, I’ve had issues with the Peloton app, mostly on my Roku TV. I’ve learned that it’s important to check to see if there is a Peloton outage. That is usually the solution to the issue–if there is an outage, you just have to be patient.

Troubleshooting when Peloton metrics not working

First, let me explain what the Peloton metrics are. They are the numbers that you see on the screen when you’re riding.

We’re talking:

  • speed or cadence
  • resistance
  • output
  • distance
  • calories

Sometimes, if there is a Peloton outage, the screen will freeze or high fives won’t work. Or you keep getting kicked out of a class. Other times it could be that Peloton has pushed out a software update, and you haven’t done the update yet.

I find that these updates, while a pain, usually fix any metrics or other problems that I’ve been trying to troubleshoot. Look in the bottom, right, of your tablet to see if there is an update waiting to be installed.

Another solution when the metrics go out. Exit the class you’re currently taking. Then, select it again. The bike will tell you that you have a class in progress. Just rejoin, and you should be good.

Why are my Peloton pedals making a clicking sound

If you’re ever spent time on the Official Peloton Members Facebook page–which is filled with negativity–then you know that lots and lots of people ask questions about clicking Peloton cycle pedals.

Guess what? It’s not your pedals. It’s most likely the cleats on the bottom of your cycle shoes. They need to be tightened. That’s it. All it takes is an Allen wrench to do the tightening.

Final thoughts on Peloton troubleshooting

Have I missed any burning issues you’ve been trying to troubleshoot for your Peloton? Are there bike problems I haven’t addressed but that you’re experiencing? If so, please post a comment below. Once I find the answers, I’ll update this post accordingly.

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26 Comments

  1. Just want to say, that all of these trouubleshooting tips were useless for the numerous problems my bike has had. My bike makes a clicking sound with or without the pedals. Leaving a class and rejoining it does not fix the metrics. And no software update has made it possible for me to see the numerous programs that are not displaying on my tablet.

    Reply

    1. I’m sorry you found them useless. I hope you eventually reached out to Peloton Support and found the fixes you needed.

      Reply

  2. Hi….. My Peleton bike is about 8 mos old. Yesterday while I was riding it, it shut off. I unplugged and then replugged it in, but it cut out again. I can’t get the screen to come on and the pedals are hard to turn. Suggestions?

    Reply

    1. If your bike is new to you like this, you are probably still under warranty. I would reach out to Peloton directly.

      Reply

  3. I don’t have a subscription with my peloton any more but can’t get to just ride because screen is locked in cycle of updating system.

    Reply

  4. My peloton screen won’t respond to touch. It turns on and tells me I have to log in but I can’t enter any info b/c it won’t respond to me typing it in. I have unplugged it, done a hard restart (power and volume up), nothing seems to work. I was riding my bike religiously for a couple of years and then took 4 months off. Now wanting to get back at it and can’t. So frustrated.

    Reply

    1. Have you chatted with Peloton support? It’s possible that because you haven’t used it for a few months you missed out on some software updates. I would chat with them and find out what they have to say. It sounds like you’ve done everything possible. Keep me posted.

      Reply

  5. Very discouraged with support from peloton. Brought a bike +. On day 1 had problems with monitor not coming on, and all bike metics reading on screen. Called customer support and did the troubleshooting with them screen power issue with it turning on seem to work , but couldn’t get metric’s working no matter what tried. Support advised they were ordering new bike .. waited a week and new bike was delivered but no new monitor.. connected (old) new monitor to bike and had error code on screen to call support.. called support and troubleshoot once again for 90 minutes still kept getting error message on screen. Support orders home technicians visit but states have no idea when they can show up. I’m supposed to get email sometime in next 5-7 business days scheduling visit. In mean time second new bike not working . Peloton offers to give me 1 month off my subscription for my inconvenience.. big deal I can’t use the bike not working so they offered nothing. I requested new monitor… denied.. request to be given priority home visit.. told maybe if they have opening .. so in essence peloton is doing nothing for my inconvenience for their poor product .. it a shame because I do love the bike but feel i wasted my $

    Reply

    1. If you’re still within the home trial period, you may want to just return the bike. Yeah, that sucks, but this is really unacceptable. I’m sorry you’re going through this.

      Reply

  6. Why does my peloton bike, continue to go back to the activate your bike screen after some of my rides? I tap the screen to get started, then the active your bike screen comes up. WHY? We must reboot or enter an activation key in order to get to the proper screen to begin our workouts. This is beyond ridiculous.

    Reply

    1. That IS frustrating. Have you done all the updates they’ve pushed out? Have you chatted with Peloton support? That seems so weird. I’ve had my bike since 2016 and I’ve never had that happen. I hope you can find a solution.

      Reply

  7. My peloton use to allow me to ride up to 20mi straight without out telling me to resume my ride. Now it won’t go pass 6mi before I have to tell my bike to resume. What changed? I’ve updated the software and calibrated the bike. I should be able to keep riding! I’m in the “just ride” mode and I always ride up to 20mi without pausing

    Reply

    1. Do you turn off your bike after each ride? Have you unplugged it from the wall? Sometimes a bike needs to be reset like a modem. If none of this works, I would reach out to Peloton support and ask them about this issue. That is definitely not normal and I understand your frustration. Let me know if you find a fix.

      Leah

      Reply

    2. Hi Kelly — I noticed this problem in the past couple weeks too. I used to do “just ride” for any length of time that I wanted, no problem. In the past couple weeks, it starts asking me “are you done with your workout yes/no” after about 20 minutes. This is while I am actually peddling the bike! Even if I dismiss the prompt (no I am not done with my workout), and continue peddling, I will then get this same prompt every few minutes or so for the rest of my ride. I find it very odd and wish I could go back to enjoying my rides.

      Reply

        1. Peloton support was no help at all on this. This is their response to the issue:

          “We apologize for the inconvenience. We understand that can be frustrating during a ride. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. In this case, we’ll have this ticket submitted for feedback to improve in the future. Thanks for being an important part of Peloton!”

          I’m sorry but what the heck?!

          (Side note: I have done a factory reset which did nothing to resolve the issue.)

          Reply

          1. Well, that’s annoying. I’m sorry that’s happening. I’ll try doing a Just Ride today and see if I can replicate the problem and maybe come up with a solution.

            Leah

          2. Hi, Jenny:

            So I did a Just Ride today. And it kept prompting me like you said. However, if I ignored it, the prompt would go away. Eventually, it came back but I just kept ignoring it. Since it never actually stopped the workout, that’s a good thing. I thought it was signing you out of Just Ride. So really just a super duper annoyance and hopefully Peloton will fix it. But wanted to let you know that you’re not alone in finding this bug.

            Leah

          3. Hi Leah,
            I saw your note that you were able to replicate the problem! Thank you for checking on it and following up. That’s mostly been my experience in the last month or so with Just Ride — the situation you described, where I get continual prompts but I’m able to keep riding. Randomly, I also had experiences where it signed me out and the entire machine powered down — while I’m still peddling. I did the factory reset after that started happening and it seems to have gone back to just the annoying prompts. So: I’m going to send this entire thread to peloton support. I want to show them there’s a level of public awareness about this problem and a desire to see it fixed. Maybe that will facilitate speedier attention to fixing it!

  8. Our cable underneath the handle bars got bent at the end and now won’t go back in. We called peloton (it is under warranty) but they sent the wrong cable. Even if it were the right cable we would have no clue how to install it. (It came with zero instructions) Help…?

    Reply

    1. Check to see if there is an update for the software that you need to download. If that’s not the issue, I would chat with Peloton help on their website. Good luck.

      Reply

  10. We moved the bike and now the power cord isn’t going into the back of the bike? Any suggestions on how I can get this connected?

    Reply

    1. I would reach out to Peloton support and ask them for suggestions. If your bike is under warranty, they may be able to send you a new one. Good luck.

      Reply