Take a pinch of guitar hero, a dollop of dance music and add it to indoor cycling and you have something new from Peloton
(Image credit: Peloton)
Gamification, or the process of turning often mundane activities into a game, has pervaded so many parts of modern life. Online dating was flipped on its head by Tinder, Duolingo has helped people learn a new language, and mobile trading apps have opened up the stock market to new players worldwide.
While Zwift may rule the roost when it comes to turning indoor cycling into a game, especially with all the Zwift PowerUps on offer, Peloton has just unveiled a radical new gamified experience to cater for its users. More specifically, it has launched Lanebreak.
Essentially the new Lanebreak experience transforms the system from a home-based online spin class with an instructor to a sweaty arcade-style workout. Think vintage Ridge Racer, but with the graphics of Tron and the calorific output that’ll mean you’ll need more than a few mushrooms to power yourself back up afterwards.
How does Lanebreak work?
Users select a workout of their choice, usually between two and 20 minutes, based around a difficulty level, musical genre, or a specified workout type. They are then encouraged to change between five in-game lanes using the resistance knob on their Peloton exercise bike, with challenges based around maintaining a set cadence, being in the correct lane, or maximising their power output over short lengths of time.
As with any decent gaming system, there are high scores on offer to encourage you to push through the lactate threshold, though it does appear to lack the classic four-character name entry system when you hit the leaderboard.
As with any decent game, a leader board is key (Image credit: Peloton)
A change of fortune for Peloton?
Could this be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow road for Peloton, who’ve seen a notable drop in share price over the last few months? Perhaps, but as ever only time will tell.
Though this isn’t necessarily a reason to buy a Peloton bike in its own right, it certainly opens up the platform for existing users and makes for a more comprehensive package as a whole, which can’t hurt. The ability to hop on for a short game will be a boon to busy customers, and if it takes off there’s certainly scope for more development around the concept.
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. There are very few types of cycling he's not dabbled in, and he has a particular affection for older bikes and long lasting components. Road riding was his first love, before graduating to racing CX in Yorkshire. He's been touring on a vintage tandem all the way through to fixed gear gravel riding and MTB too. When he's not out riding one of his many bikes he can usually be found in the garage tinkering with another of them, or getting obsessive about tyres. Also, as he doesn't use Zwift, he's our go-to guy for bad weather testing... bless him.
Rides: Custom Zetland Audax, Bowman Palace:R, Peugeot Grand Tourisme Tandem, Falcon Explorer Tracklocross, Fairlight Secan & Strael
