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Your Peloton Screen – Resistance, Cadence and Output

Sep 7, 2018 | Cycling, Peloton | 24 comments

Or… what do all those numbers mean?

In this post, I’ll explain what all those numbers are at the bottom of your Peloton bike’s screen. Well, partly to share my zeal for the Peloton bike, but partly to draw attention to my fundraising for homeless animals. If you like this post, please consider a donation to Main Line Animal Rescue. Thanks!

Before I begin, a little disclaimer: I am not a Peloton employee, spokesperson or programmer. I am a computer programmer (for whatever that’s worth), and a total nerd. If I had any inside information into Peloton I would also have agreed in the past not to disclose or discuss it.

THE PELOTON DATA DISPLAY

Peloton Screen Image

Understanding the various numbers on your Peloton bike display is key to understanding how well you’re doing. You really can’t compare your numbers to someone else for various reasons (mostly having to do with the sticky issue of Peloton bike calibration), but you absolutely can compare your numbers to your own past numbers (assuming you’re on the same bike, again because of calibration.)

Since you’re reading this post, I’ll skip over the part where I tell you why I think it’s important to understand these numbers, and instead dive right in. I’ll go through the numbers in rows, left-to-right within each row.

CADENCE (the big number on the left)

Cadence is how fast the pedals are turning. It’s not a measurement of how fast the flywheel is turning (which is irrelevant.) A cadence of 90 rpm means that you’re turning the crank in a full 360° circle 90 times in one minute. Cadence in Peloton classes will never go over 120 (their lawyers don’t want you tipping over the bike!) or below 50 or so. (As an aside, it’s extremely uncommon to exceed 120rpm riding out in the real world.)

BEST CADENCE

“Best cadence” is how fast you were turning the crank at the instant you were fastest. It is not a particularly useful metric (IMHO), so it’s shown smaller than the current cadence.

AVG CADENCE

“Average cadence” is (as the name says) your average cadence over the entire ride. This number gives you a good idea about how fast you’re pedaling (more on the speed metric below). Note that some rides, such as interval rides, will have a higher average cadence that others (such as climb rides). Cadence by itself is not really a measure of fitness, but on the real road it’s good to be able to pedal fast, and as you spend more time on the Peloton bike you’ll probably see your average cadence increase across similar rides. The Peloton screen also sometimes shows green or red triangles to show if your average cadence is rising or falling over time (not over the entire ride, but rather the past few seconds).

OUTPUT (the big number in the center)

The “Output” calculation indicates how hard you’re working at the moment. It’s computed based on your cadence and your resistance (described below) and is measured in watts. Output is a measure of power, not work. Those two things may sound like the same thing, but they’re definitely not. When we speak of power, we’re talking about how hard you’re working at any given moment. When we talk about work, we are talking about how much you’ve done, total.

Output, here, is measured in watts, and is an instantaneous measure of how hard you’re working at the moment. To see how much work you’ve done since you started the ride, you have to look lower on the display. In the world of Peloton, work is what determines where you are on the leaderboard, and is reflected in Total Output. We’ll get to that (or just click the link and be done with all this preamble).

BEST OUTPUT and AVG OUTPUT

Just as with cadence, the screen shows you the peak and average power over the ride. Peak power might give you bragging rights in your family, but it’s not very meaningful for the Peloton rider. Average output is directly related to your leaderboard, but it’s easier to use Total Output for that purpose (the relationship between the two is detailed in the Total Output section below). As with average cadence, the screen will show green or red triangles to show you how your average output is rising or falling over the short term.

Your average output predicts your total output. I’ve published a chart showing the relationship between wattage and output that you can use to see if you’re on track to meet your output goal.

RESISTANCE

This is probably the least scientific metric on the board. Resistance reflects how hard it is to turn the crank. It is measured in percent, with 100% being the maximum. Theoretically, you should not be able to pedal at 100% resistance, but due to the magic of badly calibrated bikes, some people can put up huge output numbers doing just that. As I said before, you can track your progress over time, but you need to be on the same bike to do it (and the reason being the wildly varying resistance of each bike).

From a practical perspective, it’s pretty simple. A larger resistance for a given cadence requires more power, and that is reflected in the output numbers.

BEST RESISTANCE and AVG RESISTANCE

Similar to best and average cadence and output. Not much more to be said about this. Fun fact: if you push down on the big orange knob to stop your bike, you’ll also see your “best resistance” turn to 100.

SPEED

This number reflects an approximate speed over land if you were riding a road bike. You will see that it’s not merely a reflection of your cadence, but rather a combination of cadence and resistance. Just as you could put your road bike into a high (easy) gear and pedal your butt off without going too fast, or switch to a low (difficult) gear and go much faster while pedaling slowly, the speed metric here takes resistance into account. It’s approximate. (Anecdotally, many road riders (including yours truly) report that the Peloton’s reported speed –and, by extension, distance, are a little higher than expected.)

Although I have not nailed down the exact formula to my satisfaction yet, I’ve spent more than a little time contemplating and investigating how the peloton bike calculates speed.

DISTANCE

Shown in miles, and is a computed field reflecting speed x time. Straightforward, but only as accurate as your speed measurement.

TOTAL OUTPUT

Finally! This is the number that determines your leaderboard status. If there is a metric to track over time, it’s this one. Total output is the Peloton measurement of how much work you have done on your ride. For many people, this is the only number that matters.

HOW PELOTON CALCULATES OUTPUT

Where the big “Output” number in the middle of the screen shows your power at a moment in time, “Total Output” shows work. Work is power x time. Let’s dig into this (warning: light arithmetic ahead!) …

Your Total Output is shown in kilojoules. A kilojoule (“kj”) is 1000 joules. A joule is one watt in one second. So if you pedal consistently and have an average output of 100 watts, you will do 100 joules in one second.

100 watts x 1 second = 100 joules

A little simple arithmetic shows that you’ll do 1kj of work in ten seconds pedaling with 100 watts of power:

100 watts x 10 seconds = 1000 joules = 1 kilojoule (also written 1kj)

Double your power to 200 watts, and you’ll get that 1kj in only five seconds:

200 watts x 5 seconds = 1000 joules = 1 kj

So, you see, the work you do (the kj) is directly related to both how hard you’re working (your wattage, computed by your cadence and resistance) and how long you are working. You can increase your total output by working harder, working longer, or both. The Total Output number is shown both here and also on the leaderboard, and this is what determines your leaderboard position. (Note that the leaderboard value may lag just a bit from the number on the bottom of the screen, but that’s just because the leaderboard is refreshed less often).

CALORIES

Of course you want to know how many calories you’re burning! Well, good luck figuring out how this one is calculated. There is a special sauce here known only to the Peloton programmers, but they have told us that it includes (and I quote them): your age, height, weight, gender, and heart rate (if you use a heart rate monitor).

If you were a Pelotoner before October 2017, you’ll remember the good old days when you could burn massive numbers of calories on the bike. Early adopters soon realized that the Peloton calorie counter didn’t agree with people’s fit bits, Apple watches, etc., and Peloton felt compelled to change their secret formula to bring their numbers more in line. How accurate is it? I have no idea.

One important thing to know about calories is that your body weight is one of the factors in the calculation, so if you lose more than a couple of pounds while using the bike, you have to periodically go into your profile and update your weight there.

So, that’s it! Everything you wanted to know about all those numbers on the bottom of your Peloton screen. 

Thanks, keep Pelotoning, and throw me a high-five if you see me out there!

— Your friend, #LeftShark

UPDATE: By request, I’ve added a little information about Metabolic Equivalents, or METs, for those who are trying to figure out how many METs they’re getting out of their rides. I’ve also started on a journey to uncover how the Peloton bike calculates speed.

UPDATE #2: I have created another post to discuss the Peloton Strive Score metric.

24 Comments

  1. jack

    can you go a step farther and tell us how to relate METs to all of this

    enjoyed your article.

    thanks!

    Reply
    • Brygs

      Jack, thanks for the suggestion. I just added a post on Peloton and METs. I hope it helps you.

      Reply
  2. Suzanne

    Thank u thank u for all of this amazing info. I m still in need of one answer. What do I need to do to increase output. If I do what the instructor tells me and stay in the ranges of cadence and resistance – of course at the top end of those ranges , why am I not closer to the top on the leaderboard??

    Reply
    • Brygs

      Hi, Suzanne. Unless you’re doing Power Zone rides, you will have to adjust the cadence and/or resistance to suit your needs. When an instructor says “80 cadence, 40 resistance”, obviously that’s something that’s going to be easy for some people and pretty much impossible for others. As you ride more, you’ll learn how to modify those numbers to suit your level. My recommendation is to always try to match the cadence that’s given (even if it seems too fast — you’ll get faster!) because it often matches the beat of the music. You may need to do a bit more or less resistance to get the workout you need. Or check out Power Zone training … in that scheme, you take a test at the beginning to determine your fitness level, and then on the rides you are given a “zone” to ride in rather than an absolute resistance number to match. The bike keeps track of your zones based on how you did in the test. There’s a whole intro to power zone course on the bike you can check out to learn more.

      Reply
    • Michael Raimondi

      Because wattage per kilogram would be a better gauge of fitness. If you are a smaller rider you will produce less watts but if you were actually on a bike you might still be faster because it takes more watts to move a larger rider
      Watts are not a great way to set up a leaderboard
      Smaller riders, women and children are at a massive disadvantage

      Reply
    • Tessa Milman

      I think other people must be doing way more cadence aNd resistance than the instructor recommends. I’m convinced there are major super humans on my leaderboard, because i consider myself relatively fit and I am still near the bottom.

      Reply
  3. Jill

    I have the SChwinn AC Performance Plus Carbon Blue. Do you have any suggestions on conversions for resistance, cadence etc?

    Reply
    • Brygs

      Cadence is cadence, and I think just about any bike that has a display will give you that. As for resistance, the Peloton bikes don’t to a terrific job of matching each other, let alone somebody else’s bike. I’d suggest you try a power zone ride. At the start of those rides, Matt or Denis will talk to you about finding your zones and determining what resistance each corresponds to. On the PZ rides they never talk about resistance in terms of Peloton numbers, so you should be able to follow on a bike that has a totally difference reference system for resistance. Good luck.

      Reply
    • Eli

      hi there i also have the same bike and i was wondering if figured it out. I use the peloton app and i was wondering the same thing 🙂

      Reply
  4. Jose

    Question. On my overview screen after a ride i see my activity on distance , time , and calories. I have noticed that these numbers will down by my next ride. I’ve contacted Peloton support and they asked me if I have calibrated my bike. I don’t think its a calibration issue. What do you think? This dosen’t seem normal. I would appreciate any input. Thank you.

    Reply
    • P

      Would love to hear a response on this as it is my same concern and an extremely Frustrating one.

      Reply
      • Brygs

        Hi, P, sorry you’re having trouble. I am afraid that I don’t have anything to add, as it’s not something I’ve witnessed and I don’t really have a theory on it. The only thing I can think of is that your total output and mileage on your ride –as shown on your display– continues to tally even after the ride is over. So if you keep spinning after the clock runs out you’ll see a few more KJ and a little more distance than you’re going to get credit for. The results screen that pops in at the end of the ride will have your “official” numbers, and I have personally never witnessed those changing after the fact.

        Reply
  5. John

    I notice at 42(R)/83(C) the output reads out 206. My bike at 40(R)/80(C) reads 65 output while 3 of my friends with bikes read 110 output avg at 40(R)/80(C). I bought my bike in fall od 2016 and ended up getting it replaced in early 2017 because of a faulty crank. My numbers dropped 30-35% once I got the new bike. I have contacted Peloton but they claim there is no way to standardize the bikes and that they are all within a specific range. They did send me a calibration kit but nothing has changed. So why are my numbers so much lower than other bikes? Peloton customer service claims Output/Watts is based on height and weight but I have read to the contrary in many places. IF we all ride at 40/100 or 45/80 we should all get similar outputs. Height and weights would only tie in at other metrics?
    I guess you could say I could just ride against myself but then I could have just bought a Schwinn and not spent the money on a connected bike that I could have fun with my friends on.

    Reply
    • Tracey

      I am in the same exact boat as you! I had my first bike replaced because the metrics were just SO off.. my second bike seemed perfect, I immediately hit tons of PR’s & was a lot closer to my other active friends on the leaderboard. Unfortunately that bike soon had a bad crank arm (or something) and made THE WORST noise with every pedal stroke & they couldn’t fix it.. so onto my 3rd bike. It seems to be closer to my first bike but now I can’t even come close to my PRs and my output is also way off according to other people’s. Super frustrating when you’re trying to have some friendly competition. I’ve had to just hide the LB because I’m always at the bottom no matter how hard I try.

      Reply
    • stephanie

      I was just going to say the same thing. 42/83 does not get me anywhere close to a 206 output. ~106 at best. In theory – every 40/100 or 45/80 should all get similar outputs. Height and weight should only impact how easy / difficult to achieve those metrics and calories spent.

      Reply
  6. Rachel Murray

    Great post. Thanks for explaining all of this! Get my bike in a week!! Can’t wait!

    Reply
  7. Zach

    Hi Brygs,

    Thank you for the great article. My friend and I are going back and forth about our FTP test results. How is it possible that I had a higher avg watts and total output but lower avg speed and distance? Any help on this would be great! thanks! here are the data sets:
    I had: total output 337kj, distance 8.03mi, avg output 281 watts, avg cadence 77rpm, avg resistance 61% avg speed 24.1mph
    My friend had: total output 334kj, distance 8.06mi, avg output 278 watts, avg cadence 80rpm, avg resistance 59% avg speed 24.2mph

    Thanks again

    Reply
  8. Andy Salmon

    Why does Peloton not calculate the rider’s place on the leaderboard based upon watts per kilogram like many other platforms? wouldn’t this give a more accurate indicator of performance than raw calorific burn?

    Reply
    • Brygs

      I can’t speak for Peloton, but one thing that came to mind reading your question is that Peloton definitely makes an effort to downplay the (potentially) competitive potential of the platform. You very rarely hear an instructor challenge you to try to pass the person above you on the leaderboard. Competition is antithetical to the atmosphere they’re trying to create, and maybe that’s why there aren’t more ways to compare your performance to others’.

      Reply
  9. Mark

    Rpm x flywheel travel x kg resistance equals kg ohm is a unit of force or power. Age gender have nothing to do with calories burned in this case.
    2(kgm) + 3.5 (kg of bw)= ml/min
    Multiply by minutes exercised, divide by 1000 to get liters of oxygen
    L x 5= calories burned
    Omg is power and watts is work.

    Reply
  10. Harold Sogard

    Thanks so much for all this helpful info. I have a question that I hope you might be able to answer please. I spin on a Keiser M3i and watch the Peloton classes on my big screen tv using the Peloton app and my appleTV. During the class a running Kcal counter shows in the lower left corner of the screen. Do you know what the source for that is? My bike does not connect to appleTV, so it’s not coming from my bike. Is it the instructor’s kcal. Is it some sort of predicted average across all riders? Do you have any clue? Thanks!

    Reply
  11. Mabe

    Great article. I realize that Pelotonians are infatuated with THEIR bike and….it is the standard for which others bikes are judged but…even worse than variable calibration within Peloton are the comments trying to compare other bike’s resistance to Peloton. And yes I’m an engineer so knowing Echelon uses 0-32 or whatever, it is easy for me to say OK, 32 is it’s 100%. Does this have to be equivalent to the “feel” of Peloton 100%. No! But, it should provide all the resistance you need for a good workout and the power and kJ should be the same for the effort put in to the bike. Of course if power is not consistent from Peloton to Peloton, no way it will be consistent from Echelon to Peloton to Stryde—-but properly calibrated it should be. Power pedals are accurate to plus or minus 1% and while not 100% fool proof, they would be a good starting point for anyone comparing bikes. Of course as Zwift has shown, some people will cheat their bike’s calibration to achieve leaderboard notoriety. Kind of what you mentioned on the in house Peloton bikes.

    Reply
  12. Meg

    Sometimes the range for cadence and resistance appear above the actual number and sometimes they don’t. Any idea why? Can I somehow turn them on for every ride?

    Reply
    • Brygs

      I believe that the range data is added after the ride by someone who actually listens to the cues and manually adds them. So, if your ride is live it will not have them. I don’t know if every non-live ride has them or whether there is a delay in adding the resistance and cadence ranges. The ranges are a relatively new thing (maybe from a year or two ago), so very old rides probably don’t have them. (I don’t know if Peloton keeps old ride videos beyond a certain date… I’ve never tried to go back to an old one.)

      Reply

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