The next question is what is the best fan to use with a Peloton. Realistically the answer is the biggest one that you can fit. Once you have decided where to put your bike getting the right airflow is critical but even with good natural ventilation you are still going to be sitting in one place producing a huge amount of energy – and that means heat. The more air you can move around you the more quickly you will reduce that heat, it is a bit of a cycle.
Having a good fan for your Peloton helps in three major areas.
Performance enhancement. The obvious reason to get a fan is because it will make you more comfortable, and cooler. Internal body temperature, which closely follows external temperatures, is a good indicator of when you are passing through cardio zones and going into anaerobic activity. If you are too hot your body is using energy to cool itself instead of pedaling or running. Staying cool, within reason, will help you not only feel better during the ride but that will be translated to your output. If you are going for an functional threshold power (FTP) test
Ventilation for smell. Spend over an hour in the saddle in a dark and unventilated room and you will naturally produce a lot of sweat, and the accompanying smells. Let that sweat linger on surfaces in the same dimly lit space, and your bike area is bound to turn into a smell (and possibly moldy) dungeon. Keeping a fan on during a ride will help move this air around, and having one in the space to clear out the air even after you are done also will help avoid a stale sensation that makes you dread doing a workout.
Simulating outdoors with a fan. Having air moving around you while cycling outdoors creates headwind that can impact performance and many riders who are training for outdoors will need to focus on being “aero” or aerodynamic. While a fan will not produce the same 25+ MPH winds you have to overcome outdoors, it will provide a sense of how the air is moving around you. Even a simple standing fan in front of you will help provide a feeling for when you are coming out of your best position. Some high end fans even have features that try to simulate the outdoors with speed controlled by your output. While a $300 fan may be out of the question, if you are at the upper end of your training and looking to squeeze out every possible advantage finding a way to mimic a wind tunnel is the pinnacle of fan control.
Types of Peloton Fans for Bikes and Treads
There are handle bar mounted fans like the one picture above, and these are useful if you do not have much space, but they are limited. While it may be refreshing to have air on your face, your legs, arms, and body will all being getting hotter and producing energy. This means that if you can get a tall fan or even a box fan that moves more air it will have a bigger impact on your riding.
Unless you put your Peloton in a room with an overhead fan, the other major style for getting specific air movement are standing fans & box fans. Both of these styles are great options for putting next to you during a ride. While the direction of the fan is important to simulate outdoors, generally speaking the location of a fan will not matter. Many standing fans oscillate back and forth which makes them a good option for helping cool the whole body especially if place on the side of the bike. A good box fan directly in front of you while riding is also useful, just make sure to position it either above or below the Peloton screen as it will otherwise block a lot of the benefit since it is such a large surface.
Frequently Asked Questions about Peloton Fans
1.Does the Peloton bike have a fan on it?
No, there is no fan on a Peloton bike. Further, the spinning of the wheel also is not going to create much airflow. If you want to improve ventilation or air flow you will need to get a supplemental fan.
2. Do I really need a fan stationary cycling?
No, a fan is not necessary. But it can help tremendously with cooling down your environment and making riding more enjoyable.
3. Will Peloton be too hot in a garage or basement?
It depends. Many users ride their bikes or treadmills wherever they have room for them, including basements and garages. Often however these areas are not part of normal household ventilation so the risk of stale and non moving air is very real. A garage can be an ideal place for a bike in winter months, where it will naturally be colder, but can present problems in the summer. If you are using a bike or tread in either location a fan is very useful for maintaining some sort of climate control and clearing out the smell that would otherwise build up.
3. Where do you put a fan on a Peloton?
The position of a fan compared to your bike or tread will depend on the type of fan that it is. There are smaller battery and rechargeable fans that clip directly to the handlebars and point right at your face. If you have a free standing fan you can either put it on the side of the bike, to give you a crosswind, or in front of the bike above or below the screen. The best position will also take into consideration where the natural entrance and exit points of airflow are compared to your bike. If you are riding in a garage during the winter, a box fan at an open side door even far away might do the best job of keeping you cool by pulling air in from outside.