Peloton wants to make room for a treadmill in your home — even if you don’t have much room to begin with.
The fitness brand is launching three new treadmills in Canada on October 1, led by the Peloton Tread Flex, its first-ever folding treadmill and its most affordable Tread yet. At $2,995 CAD, the new machine is considerably less expensive than the rest of the company’s treadmill lineup and, perhaps more importantly for anyone living in a condo or smaller home, can be folded to reduce its footprint by nearly 50 percent when it isn’t being used.
The Tread Flex arrives alongside the new $4,395 Tread Vision and $8,395 Tread+ Vision as Peloton makes a bigger push beyond the stationary bikes that made the company a household name. The expanded lineup is designed to appeal to everyone from people who simply want to get more steps in to runners training for their next race, with Peloton also introducing a slate of new AI-powered coaching tools to make the experience more personalized.
For Peloton instructor Kirsten Ferguson, the Flex tackles one of the most common barriers she hears from people considering a treadmill: they simply don't know where they would put one.
“I get asked all of the time, ‘I want to try out a treadmill, but I just don’t have room for it.’ Well, it’s coming!” Ferguson told Complex Canada. “Now you have the ability to have this amazing Tread with all of our content and all of these amazing features, and it folds up so it can fit into your space. It’s really the one that I’m most excited about.”
The Tread Flex may fold away, but Peloton hasn't designed it solely as a walking pad. It reaches speeds of up to 12.5 mph and includes a 21.5-inch swivelling touchscreen that can be turned away from the machine for strength, yoga and other off-Tread workouts. The machine also has caster wheels designed to make moving it easier when it isn't being used.
Peloton's first Canadian instructor, Greta Dopp, agrees that having different hardware options could make a difference, particularly for people living in smaller spaces.
Dopp joined Peloton earlier this year and made her debut on Canada Day, getting on the Bike for the first time as a Peloton instructor alongside Emma Lovewell for a special Canadian-inspired ride. Now based in New York, Dopp says her own living situation has made the appeal of a folding treadmill pretty obvious.
“I’m so excited that there’s different options for different people,” Dopp told Complex Canada. “When I was living in Canada, I had so much space, and one of our new options would have been perfect. But now that I’m living in New York without the space…I love the Flex. I’m obsessed. These new treadmills are among our best pieces of hardware.”
Peloton is betting bigger on running
The Flex may be the headline-grabber, but Peloton is also upgrading the rest of its treadmill lineup. The Tread Vision features a new cushioning system, jump buttons for quickly adjusting speed and a movement-tracking camera, while the top-of-the-line Tread+ Vision adds Peloton's slat-belt design and a new Sled Mode that can provide up to 300 pounds of resistance for strength training.
The new hardware comes as Peloton is putting more emphasis on running, walking and hiking, backed by an expansion of Peloton IQ, the company's AI-powered training platform.
One of the biggest additions is Run Analysis, which analyzes cadence, vertical oscillation and stride length to generate a running-efficiency score and offer feedback on form. Peloton is also introducing Heart Rate Zone Workouts and ReRuns, which lets members recreate outdoor runs on a Tread by using elevation data from previously completed routes to automatically adjust the machine's incline.
Then there are IQ Pace Targets, which use a member's recent running performance to establish personalized speed ranges for different parts of a workout rather than expecting everyone taking the same class to run at the same pace.
That last feature is particularly important to Ferguson, who says she remembers the intimidation that came with being a new runner herself.
“Also near and dear to my heart is the Pace Targets,” Ferguson says. “As a beginner runner, I felt like I couldn’t actually be a runner because I wasn’t fast enough. But now with Pace Targets, it welcomes you wherever you’re at. It really says, ‘Great, you’re here! We got you. You can take this class and you’ll feel welcomed in it.’”
That accessibility is also part of Peloton's pitch to people who might be interested in the Tread but don't necessarily consider themselves runners. Peloton's Tread library includes walking, hiking and walk-run workouts alongside traditional running classes, giving users a way to work their way up rather than immediately jumping into a full run.
“People think Tread, they automatically think running, and that can be a part of your future goals, for sure, but also we can meet you wherever you’re at,” Ferguson says. “We have a ton of walking classes and hiking classes that will help build your power. And then one of my favourite classes to teach, and take, are our 50 percent walking, 50 percent running classes that make things feel achievable.”
For people who eventually want to start running, Ferguson's advice is straightforward: don't worry about being a runner on day one.
“I would say start with a walk and then try one of our programs that are designed to take you from the couch to a 5K,” she says.
Her own Call Yourself a Runner program is aimed specifically at beginners, combining walking and running while gradually increasing the workload week by week. But for anyone looking for a slightly different introduction to running, Ferguson has another recommendation: turn up Lil Wayne.
Of all the classes she has taught at Peloton, Ferguson says her personal favourite is her 30-minute Lil Wayne Run from January 9, 2025, a music-driven workout built around tracks from Weezy's catalogue. It’s also a reminder that part of Peloton’s appeal has always been about finding enough motivation — whether that comes from an instructor, a training goal or the right playlist — to actually get on the machine in the first place.
Peloton is also rolling out new Race Training Programs for more experienced runners, with structured training cycles incorporating long runs, speed work and recovery, part of an effort to make the platform useful whether someone is taking their first running class or preparing for their next race.
The expansion comes at an important moment for Peloton. After becoming synonymous with at-home fitness during the pandemic, the company has spent the years since trying to broaden its identity beyond the Bike. Running has increasingly become part of that strategy, and a treadmill that costs less and requires significantly less permanent floor space gives Peloton another way to reach people who may have previously ruled out bringing one home.
Canadian shoppers will also have more opportunities to see the machines in person. Beginning October 1, a new retail partnership with The Fitness Factory will bring Peloton products to eight locations across Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia.
The Peloton Tread Flex ($2,995 CAD), Tread Vision ($4,395 CAD) and Tread+ Vision ($8,395 CAD) will all be available in Canada beginning October 1, 2026.
