I’m loving my new Volava bike! I never had or used a Peloton bike back in the US (they launched almost 7 years after I moved to Spain), but I thought this might be interesting to US expats here.
Before having kids I was obsessed with spinning classes; I couldn’t get enough. Then once my first kid was born I couldn’t get enough sleep…
I’m an avid runner and have always maintained that with my kids being born, and it’s also the easiest and less time-consuming exercise to do. However, I’ve still always missed the spinning classes but never returned just because of the time commitment.
We just purchased the Volava bike (a copy of Peloton). I’m obsessed! I’ve already done quite a few of the live classes, and there’s a huge library of recorded classes to choose from. For me the most important aspect is the instructor, and so far they’re all great. Great music, great exercise, and hardly any technical issues (just a little complication with the heart rate monitor). There are classes in English too, although to be honest I prefer listening in the instructor’s native language and haven’t tried out the English ones yet.
Although I do still miss the actual live classes in person where you can look around you and see everyone else struggling (I mean having fun) as much as you, it’s awesome and convenient to be able to do it from home and still have a fun workout. Definitely recommend it if you’re into this – and this is coming from someone who’s an avid exerciser but a hater of gym machines like treadmills, ellipticals, etc.
Spanishized: Insights from an American in Spain 
Hi! My husband and I lived in Spain previously and hope to return. I’m also a runner, but am experiencing more injuries as I get older and am realizing I need to mix it up. I was bummed to see Peloton is not in ES. Are you still liking the Volava? Thanks!
LikeLike
Hola! Yes, I’m still loving Volava. I just passed the 300 class mark actually. I used to run every other day, but to be honest, I don’t miss it much. Running is really rough on the body.
There are a lot of new classes every day with Volava, and the instructors are great. I definitely recommend it, but I would get the bike with the screen for sure. I don’t think it would be the same if I were using my phone or a tablet.
Let me know if you have any questions!
LikeLike
Super helpful, thanks!!! I will likely reach out again when we get there to see if there’s anything else to know before purchasing. Good to know about the screen! Thanks again! And great blog (found it by Googling Peloton and Spain, but it looks like there are lots of other topics that might help prep us for our return 😊)!
LikeLike
Thanks! You’re reminding me that I have had it abandoned recently. Please feel free to reach out with any other questions.
LikeLike