Peloton is well-known for its innovative fitness equipment and online fitness classes. One of its popular features is the heart rate monitor, which allows users to track their heart rate during workouts and ensure they are hitting their target heart rate zones.
But the Peloton heart rate monitor, like any technology, can sometimes run into problems, leaving users frustrated and unsure of what to do next. In this article, we’ll outline five easy fixes to common Peloton heart rate monitor issues, so you can get back to tracking your heart rate and achieving your fitness goals.
Peloton Heart Rate Monitor Not Working – 5 Easy Fixes
The heart rate monitor is an essential part of your Peloton equipment – it helps you see how hard you are working and helps you measure your progress. But sometimes it stops working.
Here are the five most common causes and how to fix it.
#1. Improve skin conductivity
The most common cause of a Peloton heart rate monitor not working is the conductivity of the electrodes in the chest strap or the armband.
The heart rate monitor (HRM) measures electrical impulses, not the heartbeat itself:
And that’s where the electrodes come in.
The electrodes in your chest strap or arm band pick up the electrical impulses that create your heartbeat:
To pick up these electrical impulses, the electrodes rely on ‘skin conductivity’. Wet skin has high conductivity but dry skin has low conductivity.
So the first thing to do if your Peloton heart rate monitor is not working is to increase your skin conductivity. There are two ways of doing this:
- wet a finger and rub it along each of the two electrodes
- rub some Vaseline, KY gel, or ultrasound jelly on your skin where it touches the electrodes
If you’ve done that and the Peloton heart rate monitor is still not working, the next thing to do is check that the Bluetooth is working.
#2. Check that Bluetooth is working
The heart rate monitor connects with your Peloton Bike, Bike+, or peloton Tread via Bluetooth. So the next thing to do is check that Bluetooth is enabled on your Peloton machine.
On the Peloton screen, click on Settings (top right-hand side) and then click on ‘Heart Rate Monitor’. A small window will pop up. At the top of that window, you’ll see a button that says ‘Bluetooth’.
Make sure that the button is toggled to the ‘On’ position.
#3. Check the heart rate band
Is your Peloton heart rate monitor not working still?
In that case, you need to check that the heart rate band is fitted properly. The heart rate band should go around your chest, as shown below:
Make sure that the strap is tight and fits snugly against your chest.
#4. Check the heart rate monitor battery
If you have done that, and the heart rate monitor is still not working, you need to check the heart rate monitor batteries.
You’ll get a warning when the battery is about to die: a flashing orange light on the heart rate monitor. If you see either a blue or red light on the monitor, it means the battery on the heart rate monitor is still fine.
If you can’t see a blue or red light on the HRM, you need to change the battery.
The Peloton heart rate monitor uses a single 3V LithiumCR2032 battery and it should last about 30 hours.
The heart rate monitor doesn’t have an on/off switch but when connected to the strap, it is using the battery. So when you finish an exercise session, always pop the HRM out of the strap. That way you’ll conserve battery life.
#5. Do a hard reset & clear the cache
Sometimes, the heart rate monitor doesn’t show on the Peloton screen. If this happens, try these two fixes (in the following order):
Do a hard reset. Power off your Peloton machine. To do this, you can either unplug the power cord from the back of the touchscreen or unplug the power cord that goes to the wall socket. Leave it unplugged for a few minutes, and then re-connect the power cord, turn everything back on, and see if the heart rate monitor reappears on the touchscreen.
Clear the cache on the Peloton touch screen. Tap the WiFi icon on the top right of the touchscreen and select “Settings” from the dropdown menu. Then select “Apps” and then tap the “Peloton” app from the list of applications. Choose “Force Stop”, then select “Storage”, then “Clear Cache”. Power off your touchscreen by holding down the power button at the top of the screen. Then power it back on.
Conclusion
If your Peloton heart rate monitor is not working, try one of the five easy fixes. In most cases, that will fix the issue:
- Improve skin conductivity
- Check that Bluetooth is working
- Check the heart rate band
- Check the heart rate monitor battery
- Do a hard reset & clear the cache
But if you are still having trouble with your Peloton heart rate monitor, get in touch with Peloton Support. You can ring them on (866) 679-9129 or you can live chat with Peloton Support at: https://support.onepeloton.com/hc/en-us/p/contact-us