You chose your Peloton because you wanted to create a home-based fitness routine, avoid having to commute to the gym elsewhere, own your own private exercising space, and do away with family gym accounts and child care while exercising. Creating a home gym follows that mindset, but space may come at a premium.
You can use your Peloton in the garage, providing the place is adequately ventilated, that you maintain the right temperature and humidity levels and that you protect the place from break-ins, fire hazards, and electrical faults. Lastly, your Peloton cannot work offline and requires Wi-Fi access.
This discussion will show you how to repurpose your garage and use it as your home gym, making your Peloton workout a part of your ongoing health routine.
Can You Store Your Peloton In The Garage?
Your Peloton is a piece of powerful exercise equipment. Having a dedicated space at home for your fitness program is beneficial because it allows you to plan your workout without setting aside time away from home. This means that workout times become an integral part of your daily routine.
Making Your Garage Space Peloton Ready
Before moving and setting up your Peloton in the garage, you need to ensure the place is appropriately set for it, starting with the space the Peloton takes up.
The bike takes up 2 feet by 4 feet, and the tread is 3 feet by 7 feet.
Is your garage ceiling high enough? Garages must be 7 to 9 feet high for the Tread specifically. Make sure you have enough room to exercise.
Your next consideration is flooring. Should you change the garage’s existing floor? The most straightforward answer is that there is no need to refloor your garage.
At 135 pounds or so, the Peloton Bike is heavy enough to keep stable on hard floor or carpet. If the unit wobbles a bit, put a mat down to stabilize the situation. Here is the bike mat we recommend for the garage.
The Peloton tread is also very hearty, weighing 430 pounds before adding the 25 pound touch screen, the tread will have no problem being steady. Peloton recommends the tread be put on a hard, flat, stable surface and recommends avoiding high pile carpet. For these reasons it is safe to say that a concrete garage floor would certainly be a suitable place for the tread.
If you are interested in protecting the floor or want to limit noise and vibrations from the treadmill placing a mat under the Peloton tread would be a great idea. Here is the mat we recommend for the Peloton tread in the garage.
If you want to paint the floor before installing your Peloton unit, epoxy flooring is recommended because of its durability and strength. Its high-gloss surface makes the place look neater and is easy to clean. This is the epoxy we recommend for the garage!
Often, garages store unused items that could be discarded or moved elsewhere. A garage sale could help clear some space, too. Various self-storage companies share helpful tips on ways to declutter and organize one’s garage, use these to free up space for equipment and workout before addressing the following issues.
Operational Requirements – Power And Connectivity
Your second consideration is the facilities required for the Peloton to operate, namely – electrical outlets. Ensure electricity is available close to the unit to avoid hazardous cables crisscrossing the floor. If you use an extension cord, make sure it is securely mounted to the wall.
For more details pertaining to electrical requirements on both the Peloton bike and tread check out this article.
The Peloton needs Wi-Fi to operate because it uses internet access to stream the class workouts. Even if you preload classes, you will still need to be connected to download them. If your home Wi-Fi does not reach the garage, which is a common problem, consider using a range-extender or signal booster.
Environmental Requirements – Air Quality And Space Cleanliness
The quality of air – or lack thereof – hits you as you walk into the garage. Garages are usually kept closed, the windows are shut, and the front garage door opens only to allow cars in and out. Naturally, cars are the source of major pollutants, such as benzene and carbon monoxide. Your first action is keeping the car out of the garage to limit this.
Also, a great benefit of working out in the garage is having that huge garage door. If the weather is nice we recommend opening up the garage door for fresh air and experiencing an indoor outdoor workout…this sounds pretty luxurious to us!
Dust limits your ability to train – especially since you breathe deeper and faster when your train. Dust is also harmful to your equipment; as it settles indiscriminately on all surfaces, it may clog and block sensitive parts and circuits of your Peloton. Consider using a Peloton cover, and make sure to dust and use a vacuum cleaner at least once a week. Keeping the Garage tidy at all times will help with the longevity of the Peloton bike and tread, the less dust, dirt, and grime kept off the Peloton the longer it will last!
Garage, humans, and equipment are affected by living organisms like mold and bacteria, pests like crickets, mice, silverfish and sowbugs, flies, ground beetles, and spiders. Allergens like dust, mold spores, pollen, dust mites, and cockroaches are detrimental to your ability to train. Seek advice from pest controllers and use a vacuum cleaner at least once a week.
Humidity is also crucial. Excessive humidity affects the quality of your training and may damage the electrical systems and mechanics of your Peloton and gym equipment like racks and barbells. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended humidity levels are between 20% and 60%. Consider using a dehumidifier if needed.
How Cold Can Your Peloton Get?
Take a good look at the temperature inside the garage. Peloton’s required temperature is between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature OSHA recommends is between 68° and 76° degrees Fahrenheit. To keep the temperature stable, insulate the garage door, walls, windows, and roof, use sealant and weatherstripping.
Depending on your budget, you may consider several devices, such as a portable radiator, ceiling heater, forced air heater, or electric heating panel. These keep your workout space warm and make sure you and your Peloton stay above the recommended minimum temperature. This is the heater we have in our garage. We installed it about two years ago and it works like a charm!
Moving The Peloton From The House To The Garage
Moving your Peloton to its new place in the garage is not impossible, physically. Its frame is heavy, but two or three persons can carry it to the garage. You can tilt the bicycle and use the front wheel to move it around. Once you have prepared the garage, you can settle in quite quickly.
However, an important issue to consider is the question of your Peloton warranty. If your bike or treadmill is still under warranty and you dismantle it to move it around, you may void your warranty. Peloton recommends using – at your expense- approved technicians when dismantling and moving the unit; this would keep your warranty intact.
Protect Your Garage-Gym From Burglars
According to burglary statistics for 2021, 9% of burglars gain entry to a targeted property via the garage, mostly this is done through the weakest point in most garages – the door. As strange as it may seem, the largest door to one’s home, the one that is usually closest to the street, is often the least protected point of entry.
Make sure your garage door is in perfect working order. Tighten or replace loose screws and bolts and service the locking mechanism regularly. Check the door, its frame and moving parts. Automatic garage doors are more robust than manually operated ones. Windows and skylights must not be transparent. Cover glass with window security film as extra protection.
Other security devices include security locks on all doors and windows in the garage. Installing motion-sensor lights, glass break sensors, a home security camera and an alarm system add an additional layer of security.
Can I Stow Away My Peloton In The Garage?
Should you need to move the Peloton to be stowed away while it is unused for an extended period, and your storage size is minimal, you may need to disassemble the unit. Before you do this, please consider that you may void your warranty according to the Peloton website if a non-approved technician disassembles the unit.
Suppose you decide to go ahead with preparing your Peloton to be stowed away, even though it means you will have to disassemble the unit. In that case, Peloton offers a guide to safely packing the unit before moving it. First, you need to lower the handlebars and seat to their lowest possible position and make sure all levers are tightly screwed in.
Next, you need to disconnect the screen and pack it in a few layers of protective material. The pedals, weight holders, and water bottle holder should be removed and safely packed, as well.
Conclusion
Peloton adds comfort and style to home-gyms and enables people to work out at home without interrupting their daily practices but, on the contrary, to enable them to make training part of their home routines. The unit’s location may become a challenge when one does not have enough space at home. Converting the garage as a home gym is often the only possible solution.
