Topline
Hours after launching a $499 exercise bike billed as a partnership between Amazon and fitness company Echelon, Amazon stopped selling the product and said the bike “is not an Amazon product or related to Amazon Prime.”
The Prime Bike
Echelon
Key Facts
According a press announcement released by Echelon on Tuesday, the so-called “Prime Bike” was “developed in collaboration with Amazon” and offers Prime members a 30-day free trial for Echelon’s connected fitness app.
The announcement, which has since been deleted, generated buzz because it described the bike as Amazon’s first foray into connected exercise equipment, though some media outlets called it a “Peloton knockoff.”
But hours after the original announcement Tuesday night, Amazon updated the product page by listing the bike as “currently unavailable” and scrubbed any mention of a partnership with Amazon.
“This bike is not an Amazon product or related to Amazon Prime. Echelon does not have a formal partnership with Amazon. We are working with Echelon to clarify this in its communications, stop the sale of the product, and change the product branding,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Echelon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
“We were built on the idea of attainable fitness for everyone. The Prime Bike was developed in collaboration with Amazon, aiming to create an amazing, connected bike for less than $500 and it’s proven to be a phenomenal match,” said Lou Lentine, president and CEO of Echelon Fitness, said in the now-deleted press release.
Key Background
At-home fitness equipment has seen a boom during the pandemic as gyms continue to be closed or operate at limited capacity. Peloton, which has developed a cult following, in particular, has exploded this year, more than doubling its subscription base since last year. But Echelon isn’t the only tech giant chasing Peloton. Apple announced last week it is launching its own subscription service with weekly workout videos to compete with Peloton’s standalone app.
Tangent
Walmart already launched a similar connected bike with Echelon, though the model is out of stock on the retailer’s website.
