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To describe myself as a  Peloton devotee would be an understatement. I joined the platform during the pandemic, and quickly started racking up cycling, strength, and yoga classes on the app before purchasing the second iteration of its flagship hardware: the  Peloton Bike+. So by the time rumors of a soon-to-be-released  Peloton rowing machine crossed my radar in 2022, I was already intrigued.

My only hesitation? I’m not a rower. I’m a longtime gym-goer and former boutique-studio attendee who’s dabbled in just about every piece of cardio and weight machinery out there. But before I tested out the Peloton Bike+, I wasn’t a cyclist either—this is where I mention I can’t really ride an actual bicycle—and I was still able to keep up with most of Peloton’s cycling content without getting left too far in the dust. And then over time, I found myself feeling more confident in (and out of) the saddle.

Rowing, however, has always intimidated me. I’d tried the erg at the gym once or twice, but usually abandoned ship after about five minutes of self-conscious flailing. So when I scored the opportunity to give the  Peloton Row a try, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was out of my league. Still, my own self-doubt couldn’t stop my inner superfan from saying an immediate yes to that trial. 

I spent weeks really getting to know the ins and outs of the Peloton Row, and as a true beginner (I was simultaneously testing the  Hydrow rower, too, so I really got an accelerated education), I had my work cut out for me.

About the Peloton Row

Those familiar with the Peloton platform will be pleased to know the Row retains all the same aesthetics and vibe, reflected both in its sleek hardware design and in the content itself. The smart rower is equipped with a pivoting screen that allows members to access live and on-demand row classes and row bootcamps (which incorporate dumbbell and  bodyweight exercises off the machine), in addition to an array of other fitness modalities. While I wouldn’t say I became a rowing expert in my test drive of the Peloton Row, I will say the extra bells and whistles of the product helped me build my skills, confidence, and appreciation for a really freakin’ hard athletic endeavor.

Peleton Row Basics

Peleton Row Basics

Rating: 9/10

$2,995 $2,845 at Peleton

When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a commission.

Read on for my full Peloton Row review.

Buy at Peloton
How I Tested
Courtesy of Michelle Konstantinovsky

I based my review off the criteria SELF’s panel of fitness experts recommended for evaluating  rowing machines, including things like noise level, ease of maintenance, size and storage, and special features.

I was able to keep the Row for several months, so I started with the newbie-focused, three-week You Can Row program classes and then tried out the four-week Beginner Training Camp consisting of 12 rows (three per week) in addition to other class formats and non-rowing classes. 

Ease of Use

As someone who is certifiably unsavvy when it comes to tech, I really appreciated how seamless the process was to get started. The delivery team set everything up in my desired spot, and within about 15 minutes I was ready to row. Since I’m already a Peloton member, I just logged into my existing profile and followed the simple steps to get settled on the new machine. 

Before taking a class, I watched a short series of videos to calibrate the machine to evaluate my form. The quick calibration allows the rower to give real-time feedback during classes, highlighting areas for improvement. In the Form Assist, a little animated person in the left-hand side of the screen mimics your movements, and portions of their body light up in red to indicate where your form is breaking. For me, my drive (when you push back with your legs) was a bit of a mess; on my first row, my post-class analysis indicated I opened up too early on 40% of my strokes, meaning I started to pull back with my arms too soon. Form Assist is meant to give you the feedback necessary to improve your form over time, so while it’s crucial to beginners, it also plays a role as you continue your fitness journey.

Peleton Row Basics

Peleton Row Basics

Rating: 9/10

$2,995 $2,845 at Peleton

When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a commission.

Knowing I was such a newbie to rowing, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing how much work I needed on my form. But the setup videos were easy to follow, leaving me a little less intimidated to start.

First Impression

Like the original Hydrow, the Peloton Row isn’t exactly petite. The footprint of the machine is 8' x 2' and it weighs 156 pounds, so it’s not necessarily the most convenient piece of cardio equipment for every household. That said, a major perk of the Peloton Row is that you can easily store it upright with the provided wall anchor (more on that in a bit). 

The other great feature I noticed right away is the pivoting touchscreen. The 24" HD swivel screen can pivot 45 degrees, so you can use the rower for strength, yoga, and stretching classes, as well as row bootcamps.

I also really liked the Velcro straps of the footbeds, which differ from the buckle straps of other rowing machines. These just felt more secure and allowed me to get a snug fit so I felt stable moving from the catch (the beginning of the stroke) through the drive (the part of the stroke where you extend your legs, lean back with your torso, and pull with your arms). 

The Peloton App 

I’ve been using the Peloton app for years and I’ve been really happy with its functionality, but…as of right now, it can’t be used to access rowing classes. According to  the Peloton website, row content is available only on the Peloton Row at launch, and information is still to come about if and when it may be accessible via the app. Although I wasn’t able to use the Peloton app for rowing, I was able to continue using it for strength, yoga, stretching, and more with my membership.

Ease to Maintain

Unlike other rowers that operate using a water tank or fan, the Peloton Row uses electronically controlled resistance, so there shouldn’t be much need for cleaning and maintenance of the mechanism itself. This also means there’s no lever to control the resistance—the difficulty of each stroke is determined by how hard you pull. Peloton  recommends doing a monthly check of the machine’s power cord for damage and sanitizing the Row with a mild household cleaner diluted in water. 

Noise Level

You’d be hard pressed to find a piece of home gym equipment that’s completely silent, but the Peloton Row is pretty damn quiet, considering the noise level of many other rowers. The nylon strap does make some sound on each stroke, but there’s no clunky sliding of the seat or clanging from other parts of the machine. As Peloton  notes on its site, there can be some mild “buzzing,” “knocking,” or “ticking” depending on how you row, but these are considered normal operational sounds and honestly, I felt like they were hardly noticeable—especially if you’re rowing with headphones. 

Size and Ease to Store

As I mentioned, a major perk of the Peloton Row is its ability to be stored upright, thanks to its included wall-anchor mount. While this does require some installation skills to securely mount the anchor to the wall (the delivery team did not set this up, so my fiancé and I were on our own for this one), once it’s in, you can tilt the screen all the way down and lift the machine into a fully vertical position. I probably wouldn’t use this storage technique often, as it does require some effort to safely secure it, but it’s great to have the option. Plus, other rowers require you to buy a separate storage kit at an additional cost, and I liked that this was included in the regular purchase. 

Specific Features
Seat Comfort 

Unlike the Peloton Bike seats that can take some getting used to, the seat of the rower is super comfy right from the start. The ergonomic design is contoured just enough to be supportive, but the cushioning is just right—even for longer classes. 

Adjustable Foot Straps

The Peloton Row’s Foot Stretchers range from a women’s size 5 to a men’s size 13.5 and, as mentioned above, the straps are made of Velcro. I found these to be way more comfortable and easy to adjust versus the buckled straps found on other rowers. 

Resistance Options

While some rowers have resistance levers, Peloton Row uses electronically controlled resistance (the harder you drive and pull, the higher the resistance goes). The machine also has a default “drag factor” that indicates how quickly the flywheel slows between strokes. While the default is set, you can manually adjust it if you have rowing experience—but most users will want to keep it where it is and use their own strength and power to push their resistance, which is what I did.

Peleton Row Basics

Peleton Row Basics

Rating: 9/10

$2,995 $2,845 at Peleton

When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a commission.

Rather than focusing on resistance, the Peloton Row classes are based around pace. In rowing, pace indicates how fast you’d be moving if you were rowing on the water, and it’s calculated as the amount of time it would take you to row 500 meters at your current speed. For instance, if you work harder, your pace time will be shorter. You can influence your pace by increasing your stroke rate or by driving your legs harder.

Peloton’s rowing classes use Personal Pace Targets, which describe intensity (how hard you should be working at your current stroke rate). Instructors cue different Pace Intensities during the class, and target paces are personalized based on the level of difficulty (pace level) you select at the start of your session (ranging from 1 to 6). Regardless of which pace level you select, there are four Pace Intensities cued in class: easy, moderate, challenging, and max. Easy is something you can do for about 20 minutes or more, while Challenging is supposed to be a pace you can only maintain for a few minutes—about 75% of your max effort. 

Keeping up with all of this definitely requires some experimentation and trial and error. I started off at pace level 1 and dipped in and out of level 2 and 3 to see how that affected my pace ranges, which are the target time ranges I was supposed to stay within based on the cued Pace Intensities. If all that sounds like a lot for a newbie to keep track of, it is—but it also doesn’t really hinder the enjoyment of a class or the quality of the workout. If you’re motivated by numbers, then you might really care about the accuracy of your pace level and your target ranges; if you’re just there to get a good sweat, these numbers won’t make or break your workout.

Dashboard Stats
Courtesy of Michelle Konstantinovsky
Peleton Row Basics

Peleton Row Basics

Rating: 9/10

$2,995 $2,845 at Peleton

When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a commission.

There’s a lot going on metrics-wise on the Peloton Row screen. And for those who love to obsess over stats, this is a fantastic thing. For others, it can be a tad overwhelming and even distracting. The good news is, you can easily hide any of the metrics with a tap, so you’re not obligated to take in all those numbers if that’s not your thing.  

Here’s what you’ll see if you stick to the default display settings:

Additionally, those who have a Bluetooth heart rate monitor will see a heart rate box on the screen under the Form Assist. There is also a tiny blue wave in the lower left corner of the screen that moves along with your motion to help you achieve a smoother stroke rhythm. 

All these metrics were helpful in their own ways, but they also really frazzled me. During my first class, I obsessively stared at the Form Assist and realized I’d barely listened to any cues because I was too distracted by the flashes of red that indicated my form was breaking. During my next class, I swiped the Form Assist away after the first few minutes and focused more on my stroke rate and pace. I felt this gave me a better experience—and my final form score wasn’t any different whether I obsessed over the widget or not. There’s a lot of great info here, but it’ll be up to each individual user to figure out what works for them.

Available Add-Ons

The genius of Peloton—and the problem for those of us who want to keep up with all the things— is that there’s always more to add to enhance each experience. So in addition to the equipment and the membership fee of $44 per month, there are plenty of accessories to consider. The Row is sold in several packages: the Row Basics (just the machine), the Row Starter (the machine, a mat, and sports bottle), the Row Select (the machine, mat, sports bottle, fitness mat, dumbbells, and heart rate monitor), and the Row Ultimate (all of the aforementioned add-ons, plus yoga blocks and yoga strap). 

Peleton Row Basics

Peleton Row Basics

Rating: 9/10

$2,995 $2,845 at Peleton

When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a commission.

The Peloton team sent me the machine, plus the mat, dumbbells, and heart rate monitor, and that felt like a pretty comprehensive package that allowed me to try the bootcamp classes in addition to regular rowing sessions. I did, however, already have a  yoga mat and blocks. If you want to dabble in additional content, then you’ll probably want to stock up on those too. 

Built-in Screen Positioning

Peloton’s biggest attraction is hands-down its original content—and it’s the only attraction as far as screen options go. You can’t stream other media services on the Peloton Row, so if you’re the type of exerciser who needs to tune out to Netflix during your sweat session, you’re out of luck. But with dozens of on-demand rowing classes and more being created each week (in addition to all the other Peloton content), there’s no real reason to need anything else. And if you’re not in the mood for instruction, you can always opt for the Just Row feature, which only displays metrics. You can use a separate device to listen to your own music, or just zone out and listen to literal nothingness. (That’s not for me, but it’s what my fiancé swears by!)

Smart Features

Again, the content is the main attraction here, and to access that, you’ll need WiFi. The Peloton Row is also Bluetooth enabled to connect heart rate monitors and headphones.

Should you buy it?

As a Peloton superfan, the Row did not disappoint me. The machine is well-made, beautifully designed, and comfortable to use. And of course, as with all its other content, Peloton has churned out rowing classes with high-caliber production and instructor quality. So if you’re already a Peloton member and are looking to expand your fitness repertoire, this is the equipment you want. If, however, you’ve avoided the pull of the Peloton universe, and you just want to row, you may have trouble justifying the hefty price tag. At $3,195, it’s significantly higher than just about any other similar  rowing machine on the market. 

It might also not be the best for on-the-water row enthusiasts. My fiancé, for example, who rowed on the water during his competitive days, gave the Row a try, and while he saw some value in the content, he didn’t feel like the machine or the classes mirrored his experience of real-life rowing. So if you’re seeking a truly authentic experience that makes you feel like you’re in a boat, you probably won’t be fully satisfied. If, however, you’re like me, and just want to stay plugged into the Peloton universe while picking up a new set of fitness skills, you’ll probably see this as a worthy investment in your health and happiness—and as a shiny new toy to add to your home collection.

Related:

Peleton Row Basics

Peleton Row Basics

Rating: 9/10

$2,995 $2,845 at Peleton

When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a commission.

$2,995 $2,845 at Peleton

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

Topics Shopping SELF Certified Reviews Fitness Gear home gym cardio peloton

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