The Peloton exercise bike is known for its workout classes and scenic rides. And now, you can hop on to boost your heart rate via an interactive gamified workout experience. Lanebreak is a track-based music game that takes inspiration from others such as Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero and Beatsaber. It’s fun and surprisingly challenging — but is it worth spending the money for a Peloton bike and monthly membership?
In Lanebreak, players control a digital wheel along Tron-inspired tracks.
PelotonHow to play Lanebreak on the Peloton bike
Players control a digital wheel that rolls along to music through Tron-like tracks. Using the resistance knob to switch lanes and the pedals to change speed, you control the wheel to gain as many points as possible. Points are scored by navigating three different mechanics, known as “moments.”
First there are beats, which are blue bars bunched together along a track. In order to score points, you must ride over the blue bars at a cadence, or speed, that’s above the minimum requirement.
Next, there are orange lanes called breakers, which require you to max out your speed for a short period of time. The faster you pedal within the orange lanes, the faster the triangle at the end of the breaker fills. You can score additional “overcharge” points by filling up the triangle more than once.
And last, there are green zones called streams. In these areas, a cadence range appears over the wheel, and you must stay within that range to score points. Pedaling too fast or slow will prevent you from adding to your score.
Each music playlist offers four difficulty modes from beginner to expert. For the purposes of filming, I only pedaled on beginner mode, and I was surprised by how challenging the ride was at its easiest setting!
I was pleased by the wide selection of music tracks, from pop to Broadway musicals. Peloton partnered exclusively with Warner Music Group for the launch, and there are 20 tracks and special remixes created for Lanebreak. Peloton plans to release more tracks regularly.
Peloton plans to regularly release new Lanebreak music tracks to Peloton bikes.
Richard Peterson/CNETShould you buy Peloton for Lanebreak alone?
If you’ve tried Peloton before and wonder if Lanebreak could be what finally persuades you to buy one for your home, I’d have to say no. Lanebreak was fun, but it isn’t groundbreaking.
The game was challenging and pleasing to look at, but I could see it growing old after a few weeks of playing. Currently, there’s no way to use the Peloton bike’s attached camera to ride along with friends, which feels like a missed opportunity. I’d love to see this feature included in a future update.
You will, however, have the ability to view the scores of other Peloton players via leaderboards. At the end screen of each course, the game displays your score and the Peloton player who’s at the top of the leaderboard. If you’re competitive like I am, you’ll enjoy this feature.
With all that said, I personally love riding the Peloton bike. If I had space in my apartment, I would already have bought one. With advanced updates and games like Lanebreak rolling out, it could make the $39 per-month subscription a bit easier to swallow.
To see Lanebreak in action, check out the video above for my full walk-through and test run… or test cycle!
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
