If you have a Peloton Bike or the Peloton Tread you may have purchased one of their "works" packages which includes the Peloton heart rate monitor.
I have seen a few people post questions on the internet asking about their Peloton Heart Rate Monitor not working.
When I bought my Peloton bike I got the works package with it which included a bike mat, shoes, heart rate monitor, weights, and headphones.
I do think the package was worth it because I got a special on it at the time (hint, this special comes around black Friday and the holidays).
One piece of the package - the heart rate monitor, is something I use every time I ride. While I have an Apple Watch that records my heart rate while riding, the only way to actually see my heart rate on the screen during the ride is to have an ANT+ monitor.
The Peloton heart rate monitor has this and is meant to be paired with the bike.
A little more about ANT+
ANT+ is a wireless protocol for monitoring sensor data such as a person's heart rate or a car's tire pressure. ANT+ is designed and maintained by the ANT+ Alliance which is owned by Garmin. It is based on the ANT protocol.
Source - Wikipedia.
After a couple of weeks of use my heart rate monitor suddenly stopped working. I could not figure it out and tried replacing the batteries and adjusting it endlessly before calling Peloton support.
Troubleshooting tips for a Peloton heart rate monitor that suddenly stops working
- First check the bluetooth connection to your bike. Even though the Peloton heart rate monitor uses ANT+ to display your heart rate, it still needs to be connected by bluetooth as well. This was not intuitive to me and ended up being my problem. Even though they were connected originally, I had an update run and they then became disconnected. So, try connecting again as that seems to be the most common issue.
- If your bluetooth connection is still showing but your heart rate monitor is not working I would still try disconnecting and connecting again to completely rule it out.
- The next obvious item to check is the battery. I replaced my batteries while troubleshooting but they did not end up being my issue. Still, they run out at some point. To save battery life unsnap the plastic piece from the band when not riding. When the battery is starting to run out I notice extremely inaccurate heart rate information on the bike so this will give you some idea when it's about to happen.
- The next item to check is the connection on your chest. I found as a woman right under my chest was best. Wet the connection pads, this is important, or it won't work. Adjust the monitor around on you till you see it show up connected. The less it moves during a ride the better so I make mine pretty snug.
These are the most common issues I see come up with the Peloton heart rate monitor. If it's still not working for you then it may be faulty and you can call Peloton support. They were ready to send me a new one if I could not get mine working.
Alternatives to the Peloton Heart Rate Monitor
If you decide you are done with chest straps anyway and would rather have an arm band this one from Schosche has rave reviews and does work with the Peloton bike.
Scosche Rhythm+ Heart Rate Monitor Armband - Optical Heart Rate Armband Monitor with Dual Band Radio ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart
It seems to be one of the most popular heart rate monitors to use with the bike according to the many Peloton groups where I participate.
Wahoo TICKR X Heart Rate Monitor with Memory, Bluetooth/ANT+
This is another popular alternative to the peloton monitor. My husband has this one for his outdoor cycle and also uses it with the Peloton and loves it.
I have heard Garmin heart rate monitors also work well with the Peloton Bike.
Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these heart rate monitors.
If you want to know more about the Peloton bike you can read my full Peloton review here!
Monika says
Thank you for posting this! Saved me a lot of grief, since my problem was also solve don't just by turning the Bluetooth on again. 🙂
Monika says
Oops, just saw the typo... meant to say my problem was also solved just by turning the Bluetooth on again. Darn autocorrect.
jenbrenan says
Great, thanks for the feedback!
Amy Sullivan says
I got the scosche band but it's not showing up on Bluetooth. Any ideas why?
jenbrenan says
Hi, I don't actually own the Scosche but I know many people who do and love it. Scosche uses ANT+ to communicate with the bike so I am not sure if the bluetooth connection is needed. Either way I would make sure the bluetooth is turned on on the bike. I have had to turn it on manually before. Possibly try rebooting the bike monitor too.
David A says
Hi - I just got my Peloton and I have a Garmin ANT+ heart rate strap, which is working with my Garmin device, but I can't figure out how to pair it with my Peloton. Bluetooth is on and working, but I don't see anything on the settings screen for pairing ANT+. Any ideas?
Thanks
jenbrenan says
Hi David, Sorry for the delay in responding. I have not tried to pair a Garmin strap with the Peloton but any ANT+ device should show up automatically if the bluetooth is also showing it. There is a not specific ANT+ setting to pair on the bike. Hopefully you got it working by now but if not you may want to ask in the Facebook official peloton rider page which has tons of useful info.
T says
For your suggestion number 1 above, Can you detail the steps to take to "try connecting again" a Peloton branded heart rate monitor to the bike?
jenbrenan says
That's a great idea. I am in the middle of a move right now but will try to get this added soon! Thanks!
Chuck Sherwin says
I just started using Bose wireless headphones and now I can’t see my heart rate on the Peloton. could it be because of the wireless headphones.
jenbrenan says
Hi,
You should be able to use both but you may need to reconnect the heart rate monitor to bluetooth again.
renee says
I found that the bike is only able to connect to 1 Bluetooth at a time, My husband always connects to a speaker and if I don't disconnect and forget his device, my heart rate monitor won't connect.
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi,
I am able to connect to multiple bluetooth options at the same time. My husband and I have his heart rate monitor and both of our speakers and air pods connected. I would keep trying!
Al Delloiacono says
I have my Peleton for almost a year and both our HRM's were working fine for 10 months. All of a sudden they stopped working, I think I did have an update. Peleton sent me 2 new HRM's. They still didn't work. Peleton sent us a complete new screen and I'm still having problems. I try shutting the Bluetooth on off repeatedly. It doesn't work and the red and blue light on the HRM isn't turning on. I give up and start a class and during the class I keep gong to Bluetooth and most of the time it finds it within 3 -5 minutes. But is so annoying stopping and starting the class.
When you say wet the pads do you mean where it snaps into the strap or the part that touches your chest?
jenbrenan says
Hi, I was referring to the part where that touches your chest. I eventually gave up on this heart rate monitor myself after about a year and use either my Apple Watch (Which does not sync with the bike screen) or many people love the Scosche HR mentioned in the article. I am planning to get that one.
Charles Fox says
I have three of the damn things and none of them work with any bike or tread.
Pathetic
Jennifer Brenan says
Sorry to hear that! I have only one and while it did work for awhile I have given up on it since then and use my Apple Watch, it does not display on the screen but I just glance at it while working out.
Rick says
hey there i have the peloton HR monitor and it is paired with the bike and connected via blue tooth...so when i start any run, the data fields will show up on the left side of the screen for HR, but no data shows up at all from my monitor...
what am i missing? something so simple can't be this complicated...very frustrating to pay for this and it not work...i've had the same issue with an ANT+ armband that the bike recognizes as well...again, what am i missing and PLEASE HELP....
and if your suggestions don't work, what is the specific peloton number to call for troubleshooting on this?
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi Rick,
I am not sure I know exactly what you mean about no data shows up at all from the monitor. I think you mean that the HR monitor is recognized and comes up on the left side of screen but it doesn't actually show your heart rate? Showing up on the left side of the screen is what it is supposed to do but your heart rate should definitely be showing up. If you have an arm band which does the same thing it seems like it might be a software on the bike issue. I would make sure your bike tablet has all the latest updates and reboot it. The contact number for Peloton is 1-866-679-9129. They also have a live chat feature on their website which might be the quickest way to get help. Good luck!
Ryan says
Rick, I am having the same issue. It has been working fine but now it is showing connected and data box on left side of screen, but it is not pulling in my heart rate data. I have changed the battery, disconnected/reconnected , wet connectors, etc and nothing works. Have you resolved the issue?
Bruce says
Similar questions above. I have a garmin hrm dual. Connected to bike for about 6 months then stopped. Bike can’t find it. I wet the contacts first. I’ve changed the battery. I’ve gone to the Bluetooth section to find it. The hrm is ant+. Is going to the Bluetooth section correct? Bike finds my earbuds.
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi,
I have not tried a Garmin with the bike but I do think any of them need to be connected via bluetooth first. I would try rebooting and reconnecting it if possible.
Ryan Macy says
FYI, Peloton support gave me this info and it worked for me.
We apologize that you're experiencing issues with your Peloton Bike. To rectify the issue, please try the following troubleshooting steps:
1. Tap the WiFi icon on the top right of your HD Touchscreen and select "Settings" from the dropdown menu.
2. From the new menu, select "Apps."
3. Tap the "Peloton" app from the list of applications.
4. "Force Stop" the application, then select "Storage", then "Clear Cache."
5. Power off your HD touchscreen by holding the power button at the top of the touchscreen, then power it back on.
Jennifer Brenan says
Thanks for the further tips Ryan!
BenG says
Ryan's info worked for me. I'm using a Garmin Forerunner 945.
Steve N in Philly says
I gave this a shot & it worked. I had previously had my Garmin Vivoactive Music 3 paired with the Peloton and it worked fine. The Peloton upgraded and voila - not working anymore. Force stopped the Peloton app, cleared the cache, re-booted the Peloton and Bingo! HR shows up on the left side of the screen with live data. Thanks for the advice!
Another FYI - hooked up Garmin cadence and speed sensors to the Peloton, they measure but the speed is very skewed, its not meant for the fly-wheel of a stationary bike, but the cadence works great!
Jennifer Brenan says
Sounds great, thanks for the tips!
Toth says
I am wondering if the people who are having connection issues are shutting down their bikes (hold power button and then press Shut Down) or putting it to sleep (short click power button, screen turns off). I've been having connection issues since I've just been putting the bike to sleep, and not rebooting it every time. I'm going to try shutdown after every use and report back.
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi, it's been awhile since I have used the Peloton heart rate monitor so I don't remember if this helped or not. Let us know! I am currently waiting on the bike+ and will use my Apple watch with it.
Leo says
Wondering if anyone has had a slight twist on the "it stopped working" problem. My bike and monitor are less than 30 days old. The monitor worked great right out of the box and I was impressed by how seamless it all was.
However, after about three weeks, a new problem emerged: the monitor is connected (according to the screen on the bike), but for the first several minutes of the ride it is obvious that it is not properly connected as it will display a heart rate in the range of 30 or 40. Then, after several minutes (sometimes as long as 7 minutes) out of nowhere the display on the screen shows a heart rate well over 100. Basically, the signal won't work in the early minutes of the ride, but then suddenly kicks in.
At first I thought maybe it was because the monitor needed to be moistened and perhaps only after I worked up a sweat would it kick in, but that doesn't explain why this problem started after three weeks (it worked from the first minute during the first three weeks). Also, I have tried to dampen the monitor before starting my ride to see if that would help, and it hasn't made a difference.
Has anyone experienced a heartrate monitor not working for several minutes and then suddenly working? If so, have you been able to solve this problem?
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi, I do not remember having this particular problem but it does seem like the Peloton heart rate monitor can be a little glitchy. I know others have had experiences like this. I always rewet it when I had issues or paired it again and that usually would take care of any connection problems. It has been awhile though since I have used it so I am not sure if this is a new issue. Hopefully someone else may be able to chime in and help. You might also want to ask on the Peloton official member page on Facebook. There is lots of good advice there. Good luck!
Brad says
I too have this issue. The Peloton Heart rate monitor will connect and start as it should but then at random times throughout the ride, it appears that I have died and come back to life. My heart rate will be 130 and then zero and a min later, back to 130 and works the rest of the ride. Peloton replaced my first monitor but the second one continues doing the same thing. I always make sure that the strap is wet before any rides. Any suggestions to stop if from intermittently dropping?
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi Brad, I ended up giving up on the Peloton heart rate monitor after awhile. I did find it kind of glitchy. I would just keep trying to reconnect.
Liz says
Has anyone tried to change bands for the Peloton HR monitor? I'm a petite female and the band, at it's tightest (cinched up to the measuring pads), keeps slipping. I would like to find one that comes in a 'small.' It works well for me (bike, tread) when I can get it to stay in place.
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi, I have not heard of anyone switching out the bands but if you do find one that works let us know!
Vladimir says
Hi, can you tell me.
Can the Peloton Heart rate from 2019 be connected to Garmin Edge devices?
This heart rate support ANT+ and Bluetooth.
Thanks all 🙂
Jennifer Brenan says
Hi, I am really not sure. If it has ANT+ and bluetooth I think it should but I have never tried this.