Peloton’s Flex smart treadmill is its cheapest ever and folds up to save 50% of floor space
The fitness company's first folding treadmill brings its connected training platform to a more affordable, space-saving machine
Peloton has revealed the Tread Flex, its cheapest running machine to date and, perhaps more importantly for anyone without a dedicated home gym, it folds away after each use to free up precious floor space at home.
The Tread Flex sits at the bottom of Peloton’s revamped treadmill range, which also includes the mid-range Tread Vision and the cream of the crop Tread+ Vision, but “entry-level” would be slightly misleading.
The folding treadmill incorporates the Peloton IQ platform, offers instructor-led workouts and gets many of the same software features available on its considerably more expensive machines.
More importantly, the running deck folds vertically, reducing the treadmill’s footprint by a whopping 50% (give or take).
Peloton says it is actually shorter than a Peloton Cross Training Tread when folded, and the four caster wheels let you move it around without tools.
The deck lowers gradually using a two-stage cylinder mechanism, and a locking pin keeps everything secure when stored upright, which makes the Flex significantly easier to live with in smaller homes than Peloton’s existing treadmills.
Smart, but not watching you
The cheaper machine lacks the movement-tracking camera found on the two other new additions to Peloton's treadmill range, so it doesn't include post-workout Run Analysis or the Running Efficiency Score.
It does, however, get plenty of Peloton IQ functionality, including IQ Pace Targets, which uses your recent running performance to create personalised speed ranges for different intervals.
The feature starts working after roughly 10 running workouts and continues adapting as your fitness changes.
You also get ReRuns that can recreate outdoor routes on the treadmill using GPX files from wearables, including Garmin watches and other running and multisport options.
You can transfer runs and walks recorded through the Peloton app or a connected smartwatch to the Tread, with Auto-Incline adjusting the gradient to follow the original elevation profile.
Peloton also provides pre-loaded routes for people without an outdoor activity to import.
The Flex supports Peloton’s new heart-rate-guided Zone 2 workouts, too, provided you pair a compatible heart-rate monitor or wearable.
On the hardware side, you get a swivel display for moving between treadmill sessions and floor-based strength, yoga or stretching workouts.
The treadmill tops out at 12.5mph (~ 20km/h), and Peloton says it produces 70dB at maximum speed with nobody running on the belt.
The Tread Flex will cost £1,999 in the UK through Peloton, although British buyers will have to wait a little longer.
It launches in North America for $2,195 on 1 October 2026 before arriving in markets outside North America in spring 2027.
EU and AU price and availability TBC.
