Echelon and Amazon’s partnership has been in the works for a short while, and the first bunch of devices were quietly sold over the last few weeks. It’s only now that the pair have gone public with the team up, and confirmed that the bike was requested by Amazon. There are a couple of subtle changes, including a different resistance knob build and nicer handlebars.
“We were built on the idea of attainable fitness for everyone. The Prime Bike was developed in collaboration with Amazon, aiming to create an amazing, connected bike for less than $500 and it’s proven to be a phenomenal match,” said Lou Lentine, President and CEO of Echelon Fitness. “Amazon looking to us to partner on their first-ever connected fitness product is recognition of our commitment to deliver quality at a reasonable price-point as reflected in our explosive growth over the last year.”
It’s worth saying, however, that this likely doesn’t mark some new direction for Amazon’s own hardware products since the deal mirrors that at Walmart. A nice discount on a desirable piece of fitness equipment to tempt people into shelling out for a Prime exclusive, but nothing more.
That said, if you were looking for something Peloton-troubling but don’t have Peloton money in your back pocket, this could be worth checking out. The Ex-Prime Smart Connect Bike is available now priced at $500.