Even this article in the New York Times won't deter me. As with all exercise programs, you should check with your doctor first.

First off, if you are considering one, try to get to a Peloton store to try it out. The staff in Denver (Nick, Jono and Katie) have been incredibly helpful with instructions, settings and tips, as well as patient. Manager Nick offered to make a house call if I had any trouble with the settings after the bike was delivered. He looked up my target heart rate range and wrote it down for me. When my shoes arrived, I brought them into the store and Jono put the cleats on for me. He let me test their heart monitor while taking a class in the store, taught me how to move the bike parts around by myself to change settings if needed. (He made me repeat it over and over to make sure I really got it.) When I had a minor issue about the handlebars, Katie knew exactly what I was trying to describe and had the answer. I would have googled for hours to find it. I haven't had to call Support once, because even after I ordered the bike, these three are more than happy to help whenever I just drop in -- no appointment needed.

Second, people should realize this bike is an investment, not just a toy. Just as you wouldn't buy a car without test-driving it, I wouldn't recommend buying a Peloton bike without trying one out in the showroom or wherever else you find one. Maybe very fit people in their 20's can adapt to anything, but I doubt most people in my age group can. (If you are not in a Peloton showroom city, they sometimes hit the road, and recently began selling a commercial version you might start finding in local gyms soon.)

Some tips (especially for "older" riders", who like me, are one of those people who order a ton of exercise stuff from DVD's to home equipment and then never use it or get bored with it and give it away.)

Before committing, try out the classes at the Peloton showroom. Read everything you can about the bike, and not just on their website. Given that it costs $250. to deliver and another $250 to return, making a mistake would be costly.

Before your bike arrives, watch all the instructional videos (each is under 5 minutes) on seat and handlebar positions, clipping in and out, heart rate, etc. I can't say this often enough.

Especially if you older than 50, or have never taken a spin class, take it slow. The instructors may tell you to dial the resistance up to 50, but if your heart rate is already soaring, and you need to keep it to 15, that's fine. Same for speed (cadence.) The instructor may call out 100, but it's okay if you are at 40. You will increase in time, it's not worth having a heart attack over. Out of 1,200 people taking a class, I'm usually in the bottom 10 (and most of those below me apparently left the class early since their numbers stopped moving up.) You don't need to compete against anyone. On the other hand, you should encourage yourself-- I've already had 6 "personal bests".

More for the over 50 crowd: Check with your doctor before buying the bike. Make sure that you don't have some condition that makes spin classes unwise. I think the heart monitor is critical if you are over 50 or have any heart issues.

You will want some other accessories. Like the gel mat, especially if you have hardwood floors.

I also recommend the headphones Peloton sells, called Hellas. That way you can pump the volume up as loud as you want and not bother anyone in your house or if in an apartment, your neighbor. Make sure you use sport-intended headphones because you will be drenched in sweat whatever your level. (For example, Beats Wireless Solo may get ruined by sweat.) The Hellas recommended by Peloton are just fine. While I found them very difficult to pair at first, I'm glad now I got them. They even come with a tiny mesh bag for the laundry (for the ear covers, not the headphones themselves.)

If you have air conditioning, and put the bike in an "open" room, I don't think you'll need to buy a fan. While the bike doesn't have one, I haven't gotten overheated once -- even when dripping in sweat.

I also recommend putting the bike somewhere prominent in your home -- mine is in the living room. If I put it in a bedroom I would just close the door and not think about it every time I walked through the house. I don't have a basement, but for the same reason, I wouldn't put it there.

Add some extra time to the classes -- while I don't have to drive to the gym, just assembling my "accoutrements" and putting them in a basket on a small table next to the bike takes me 15 minutes or so. I have to put on bike clothes, attach the heart monitor, fill the water bottle, grab the iPhone, the TV remote, tissues, my cycling gloves, my Fitbit watch to compare my heart rate to the heart monitor stats, a small towel and on and on. At the gym, I do that in fast-forward time as I'm usually late for the class. At home, where there's no time restraints, it takes longer. Also, once I get on the bike and turn it on, there are so many classes to choose from I usually spend another 10 minutes checking them out before deciding which one to take. By the time I actually start pedaling, a half hour has gone by.

Some of bike's pros:

It is smaller than it looks -- 2 feet by 4 feet -- and absolutely silent. No rocking and very stable.

All of the instructors are really, really good. It feels like you are in the studio and they are talking just too you. (They also have live classes where you are in the studio -- virtually but of course not really.) There's a variety of personalities. Some feel like the pal you'd hang out with at a bar on a Friday night; Some exude compassion and encouragement, like an older sister; Some are inspirational, and impart a lot of information, like a favorite teacher. All communicate on a personal level and make me feel like I can do this. There's no rivalry, no criticism. When they call out live members of the class, there's only praise, no telling anyone they can do better.(This morning I took a class where the instructor congratulated a rider named Laura on her 2,400th ride. Last night I took a class where the instructor said "hello" to the Mayor.)

You can choose your class by type (beginner, advanced, interval, and some other choices) and by music genre (there's separate categories for Rock and Classic Rock.)

In addition to the instructor classes, you can take virtual rides through dozens of countries. There are thousands of classes and rides (as well as live classes) and you can bookmark them to take later.

There's also hundreds of "beyond the ride" videos, featuring other forms of exercise to complete your program, including yoga, stretching, warm-up, cool-down, and more.

The 22 inch monitor on the bike is impressive, you really don't need to screen mirror it to a big TV -- of course, I needed to make sure that I could and while I have no idea how I did it, it's done. My Apple TV, and all computers and mobile devices are connected to the Peloton App and my big TV. I can also use the Apple TV to watch my music videos stored on my computer on the big screen TV instead of taking a class. Sometimes I'll watch Senor de los Cielos on the big TV while I'm riding (I just log into a Peloton class and turn the volume off, so I can still see my "metrics" like cadence, resistance, output, heart rate and calories burned.)

There are holders for your water bottle, phone or remote controls. And holders for 1 pound weights (although right now I can't even imagine taking my hands off the handlebars.)

You will sweat -- a lot, even if you are pedaling slower and easier than the instructor recommends.

While I don't use my real name on their Leaderboard, I did include my age group in my profile, and I like being able to see the metrics of others in my age group. I also like to see how many people are in the class (with the on-demand classes I assume it's a total number of those taking it. Some past classes have 3,400 or more riders, and I can't imagine there are that many people taking the recorded class at the same time as me. Then again, with 500,000 users, maybe they are.)

Are there any "Cons"? A few, but they are pretty minor.

Clipping out of the bike pedals is really really hard for me. Sometimes I just get my feet out and let the shoes stay in. This is even though when installing the bike, they loosened the tension a bit. I can pretty much get the right shoe in and out quickly now, but the left shoe is hit and miss (and I did have the cleat settings checked.)

The bike seat is very hard, much harder than I remember the saddles at spin class. I'm told it will get easier, but I couldn't wait. I got a Schwinn Memory Foam seat cover for under $20 at Target. Peloton recommends the Schwinn gel seat cover but Target was out and I wanted it that instant. It's made a world of difference.

The bike does not let you surf the internet, it only allows you to connect to the Peloton app. Actually, I now think that's a good thing because if it offered more internet, I'd take fewer classes and watch movies and TV and music videos. The classes, instructors, metrics and the Peloton community are the main point of getting this bike -- it would be a waste to ride it just watch TV or check your email (more than occasionally).

Also, I don't much care for Peloton's reliance on Facebook. I never use it and wouldn't participate in any group online that required me to use my real name. I can't figure out why Peloton doesn't just use bulletin board software.

Last: I expected the music to be more prominent during the classes -- The spin classes I've attended in person always made me want to sing along -- loudly. The music in the classes I've taken so far seems more like background music. And while the music is all licensed from Spotify, you aren't going to find the Rolling Stones or even Bon Jovi -- I assume the licensing is just too cost prohibitive. Oldies, by the way, seem to be the late 70's and 80's. Update and Correction 7/22/17 : Today I took a class that was all Rolling Stones, the music was loud, and even the instructor sang along. It was great! Sorry, Peloton!

Why am I writing this long review? Do I expect TalkLeft readers (who are mostly in or close to my age group) to go out and buy a Peloton? Maybe not today or tomorrow, but perhaps someday. Am I making any money from this review? No. Do I have an affiliate contract of some sort where I get paid if someone buys one? No.

Partly, it's that I've been fascinated by the bike for months, due to the company's success story and its lack of competition. Notwithstanding the prominence of social media, which Peloton has made great use of, it's like nobody noticed for so long it's probably too late for anyone else to catch up.

But mostly, I just love the bike and am excited to have found something physical I can still do, especially to music.

I'll stop here, since it's time for Senor de los Cielos. [If you aren't interested in my bike or Peloton, please just scroll on by -- there's no need to tell us -- I obviously am interested or I wouldn't write about it.]