Peloton’s New Rowing Machine Is Here. Get Ready to Pay Up

One of the company's worst kept secrets is about to come soon.

It will ship in December, but the company isn't saying much else. The Peloton Row is currently available for pre-order. Since a new chief executive took over earlier this year, the fate of the connected-fitness company has been in question.

The Peloton Row joins a product line that includes pricey, internet-connected bikes and treadmills with built-in touchscreens, a set-top box with a camera that tracks your body movements during strength-training workouts, and an app experience for which Peloton charges anywhere from $13 to $44 The company has charged a premium since it was founded. The price of the Peloton Row is eyebrow raising. The $44 monthly charge to stream Peloton videos is not included in the price for the rower.

The price is for what it is. It is truly a premium experience, and it is priced as a premium experience. We have had a lot of conversations over the last decade. I used to hear that it was possible to buy a bike on Amazon for $250. You can buy a bike on Amazon. We think that the value of Peloton Row is unparalleled.

The market for modern rowers includes the Hydrow Wave, which starts at $1,495 and goes up to $2,500 for a higher-end model, as well as the Echelon Row-S and the Nordic. The screens on these are attached to the rower. The Concept2 is the OG of indoor rowers.

The Row's build will help sell it to a wide variety of buyers, whether those are advanced rowers, collegiate athletes, or just people who are curious about rowing as a full- body exercise. The price is largely dictated by what it costs us to make, our choices to invest in the hardware, to include the premium screen with a soundbar and a larger display surface, to design a comfortable seat, and to include an electric motor. The Row won't be sold at cost, but there will be some profit on the hardware. Barry McCarthy, the new CEO of Peloton, said that the main focus of the company is getting more people hooked on different levels of subscriptions.

This product has been in the works for two years and was developed during an earlier era. Nobody at WIRED has seen the rower in person, but the Peloton Row seemed to have all the sleek lines and sturdy metal.