Peloton Gen 3, Gen 2, and Gen 1: How to Tell Which Bike You're Buying
Peloton Gen 3 is a screen, not a bike. Here's how to read the model number on a used Peloton, which generations still play classes, and what each is worth.
Peloton Gen 3 is a screen, not a bike. That one fact is worth about $375 to you, because that is roughly what a replacement Peloton touchscreen costs when the one on your used bike stops playing classes. Buyers pay $900 for a used Peloton every week without ever checking which tablet is bolted to the handlebars, and some of those bikes cannot stream a single class until the new owner buys a new screen.
I help people buy and sell used fitness equipment for a living. I have watched hundreds of Peloton bikes get picked up, inspected, loaded, and delivered, and the single most common mistake I see is a buyer shopping the frame and ignoring the tablet. So here is the whole thing in plain terms: what Peloton Gen 3 means, where the model number is hiding, which generations still play classes, which ones are under an open safety recall, and what each one is actually worth on the used market in 2026.
What "Peloton Gen 3" Actually Means (It's the Screen, Not the Bike)
Peloton Gen 3 refers to the third-generation touchscreen, not a third-generation bike frame. Peloton has only ever sold two indoor cycling frames to home buyers: the original Bike and the Bike+. But across the original Bike's long production run, the company shipped three meaningfully different tablets. Riders started calling them Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 3, and the names stuck even though Peloton itself never marketed them that way.
This is why used listings are such a mess. A seller writes "Peloton Gen 3" and means the screen. Another seller writes "3rd generation Peloton bike" and means nothing at all, because there is no third frame. And a third seller writes "Peloton Bike" with no qualifier, which could be a 2015 unit with a dead tablet or a 2022 unit that is basically new.
The frame barely changed. The screen changed everything. Get that backwards and you overpay.
How to Read the Model Number on a Used Peloton and Spot a Gen 3
The fastest way to identify a Peloton Gen 3 is the model number printed on the back of the touchscreen. Ask the seller to send you a photo of that label before you agree to anything. Here is what you are looking for:
- Gen 1 screen: model or FCC ID beginning with 72010. This is the tablet riders call the "Quartz" screen.
- Gen 2 screen: RB1V1
- Gen 3 screen: RB1VQ
If the bike powers on, you can skip the flashlight entirely. Go to Settings, then About, and the tablet model is listed right there on screen. That takes ten seconds and it is the single highest-value ten seconds in the entire used Peloton buying process.
The frame serial number is separate, and Peloton puts it in one of three places depending on when and where the bike was built. Check all three:
- Inside the front fork. Visible from the front of the bike, just above the stabilizer, on the right side of the flywheel.
- Behind the front fork. Visible from the left side, just above the feet, facing toward the back of the bike.
- Behind the flywheel. Visible from the left side, looking through the frame.
You want both numbers. The tablet model tells you whether the bike can still stream classes. The frame serial tells you whether the bike is under an open recall. Those are two different questions and sellers almost never volunteer either answer.
Why a Gen 1 Screen Makes a Used Peloton Nearly Worthless
A Peloton with a Gen 1 screen cannot play Peloton classes. Not "runs slowly." Not "misses some features." It cannot play them at all.
Peloton announced on December 20, 2023 that it was sunsetting support for the first-generation Bike tablet, and on June 19, 2024 those screens lost access to Peloton content. The company offered affected owners a $50 discount toward a replacement touchscreen, which at the time listed around $375. That discount window is long gone. The $375 is not.
So when you see a $600 Peloton listed as a steal, do the math honestly. A $600 bike with a Gen 1 tablet is a $975 bike, plus whatever it costs you to get it home and swap the screen yourself. A $850 bike with a Gen 3 tablet is just an $850 bike. The cheap one is usually the expensive one.
Gen 2 screens still work. They are slower than Gen 3 and they will eventually reach the same end that Gen 1 did, but as of 2026 they play classes. I would buy a Gen 2 at the right price. I would not buy a Gen 1 at any price unless the seller is essentially giving away a frame and I already planned to use the bike with my own tablet and a third-party cadence sensor.
PL01 vs PL02: The Two Peloton Bike Frames
The frame model number is PL01 for the original Bike and PL02 for the Bike+. On the original Bike, that PL01 label sits on the inside front fork near the flywheel, and the frame carries the red "P" logo followed by the word Peloton in white.
The differences that matter when you are standing in someone's basement deciding whether to buy:
- Screen size and movement. The original Bike has a 21.5-inch touchscreen that does not move. The Bike+ has a 23.8-inch screen that rotates a full 180 degrees in either direction so you can turn it for floor work.
- Resistance. The original Bike uses a manual resistance knob. The Bike+ uses digital resistance with auto-follow, which means the bike changes resistance for you when the instructor calls it.
- Audio and extras. The Bike+ has a four-speaker system and Apple GymKit support. The original Bike does not.
New, Peloton currently lists the Bike around $1,695 and the Bike+ around $2,695. That roughly $1,000 gap at retail compresses hard on the used market, which is the entire reason buying used is the right move on this product.
Every Peloton Generation Has Been Recalled. Check Before You Ride.
Both Peloton frames are subject to seat post recalls, and both remedies are free. This is the part of the used Peloton conversation almost nobody has, and it is the part that actually involves someone getting hurt.
On May 11, 2023, CPSC and Peloton recalled about 2.2 million original Bikes, model PL01, because the seat post assembly can break during use. Those bikes sold from January 2018 through May 2023 for about $1,400. Peloton had received 35 reports of the seat post breaking and detaching mid-ride, including 13 injuries.
On November 6, 2025, CPSC and Peloton recalled about 833,000 Bike+ units, model PL02, with serial numbers beginning with the letter T, for the same seat post failure. Those sold from January 2020 through April 2025 for about $2,495, with three reports of breakage and two fall injuries.
In both cases the fix is a free replacement seat post that you install yourself, requested through Peloton at 866-679-9129 or through Peloton support online. Ask the seller whether the recall seat post was already installed. If they do not know, assume it was not, and order the part the day the bike lands in your house. It costs nothing and it takes about fifteen minutes.
What Each Peloton Generation Is Worth Used in 2026
A used original Peloton Bike with a working Gen 3 screen sells in the mid-$800s. Here is how the generations price out based on what these actually list for on our marketplace right now:
| What you're buying | Screen to look for | Typical asking range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peloton Bike (PL01) | Gen 3 (RB1VQ) | $650 to $1,000 | ~$847 |
| Peloton Bike (PL01) | Gen 2 (RB1V1) | $450 to $750 | below the $847 median |
| Peloton Bike (PL01) | Gen 1 (72010) | Frame value only | Add ~$375 for a screen |
| Peloton Bike+ (PL02) | Ships with Gen 3 class hardware | $850 to $1,400 | ~$1,116 |
The full spread on original Bikes runs from roughly $299 on the low end to over $3,000 on the high end, and the high end is almost always a bundle with shoes, weights, a mat, and a heart rate monitor. Bike+ units run from around $350 up to about $2,695. Anything at the very bottom of either range deserves a hard look at the tablet model before you get excited.
The useful way to read that table: the price gap between a Gen 3 Bike and a Bike+ used is about $270. New, the gap is about $1,000. That is the best argument for buying a used Bike+ that I know of.
Peloton Gen 3 Bike vs Bike+: Which One to Buy Used
Buy the Bike+ if the used price gap is under $400. Below that, the upgrade pays for itself. Here is how I would decide, in order:
- Confirm the tablet model first. Gen 3 or walk. On a Bike+, confirm the screen rotates smoothly through its full travel.
- Check the frame serial against the recall. PL01 from 2018 onward, or PL02 with a serial starting in T, means order the free seat post.
- If you do floor workouts, strength, or yoga, buy the Bike+. The rotating screen is the whole reason that model exists, and you will use it three times a week.
- If you only ride, buy the Gen 3 original Bike. Auto-follow resistance is nice. It is not $270 nice if you never leave the saddle.
- Weigh the cost of a screen swap into any low offer. Gen 2 is a real discount. Gen 1 is a project.
- Check that the previous owner factory reset the bike. A used Peloton still tied to someone else's account is a support call you do not want to make.
- Budget for the subscription, not just the bike. The hardware is the cheap part over three years. Price the whole thing.
One buyer told us she was skeptical about buying a used Peloton at all, right up until the delivery team carried it in, set it up, and walked her through how to use it. That is the part people underestimate. A Peloton is 135 pounds of awkward, and getting it up a flight of stairs is genuinely harder than picking the right generation.
Peloton Generations FAQ
Is there a Peloton Gen 4?
No. Peloton has never used generation numbering officially, and the community naming stops at three screen generations for the original Bike. The Bike+ is a separate frame, model PL02, not a "Gen 4 Bike."
How do I tell which Peloton generation I have without turning it on?
Look at the label on the back of the touchscreen. 72010 is Gen 1, RB1V1 is Gen 2, RB1VQ is Gen 3. If you can power it up, Settings then About shows you the same thing faster.
Can I still use a Gen 1 Peloton screen for anything?
Not for Peloton classes. Those screens lost access on June 19, 2024. Some owners mount their own tablet and pair a cadence sensor to ride with a different app, which works fine mechanically but is not what most buyers want.
Does the Peloton warranty transfer when I buy used?
The standard limited warranty does not transfer to a second owner. Peloton Protection Plans purchased on or after April 5, 2022 can transfer, so if a seller claims one, get the original order confirmation in writing before you pay.
Is a used Peloton Bike+ worth it over a new original Bike?
Usually yes. A used Bike+ around $1,116 gives you the rotating screen, auto-follow resistance, and better audio for less than a new original Bike at $1,695. That comparison is not close.
If you have a Peloton sitting in a spare room collecting laundry, the generation question cuts the other way. Knowing your tablet model is Gen 3 is worth real money at sale time, and it is the first thing a serious buyer will ask. List your Peloton and our drivers handle the pickup, the inspection, and the delivery. You get paid the moment the bike is loaded, and you never meet the buyer. Here is the full walkthrough on selling a Peloton if you want the details first.
And if you are buying, do it with the tablet model confirmed in advance. Every used Peloton on Commonplace gets a 30 to 50 point inspection before it leaves the seller's house, with photos and a working video sent to you before delivery, and you get 60 minutes in your own home to test it before you pay a cent. If it is not what you expected, you send it back. Compare the two frames in detail in our Peloton Bike vs Bike+ breakdown, and check current numbers in the used Peloton price index.