Fastboot mode sounds like some kind of new feature included with the latest Nike running shoes, but it’s something that you need to know about if you own a Peloton bike.
I was once just like you, fearful of technical words like fastboot and recovery mode. I wanted to put my legs into recovery mode, not my Peloton bike! Stanley, my technology-gifted and newly fitness-focused neighbor, told me about his struggles with the Peloton Bike. Thanks to him, I don’t fear that technical jargon anymore. So please, let me be your Stanley, let me guide you to the light at the end of our troubleshooting tunnel.
Take my freshly-sanitized hand, and let us walk together into a land of technical know-how, homemade troubleshooting, and solved problems. A lot of what we cover today will transfer over to some of the other devices you own, and you might just become a hero amongst your friends.
We recommend you don’t put your company’s printer into fastboot mode, and please avoid putting your boss into fastboot mode, you and your coworkers will hate that. Enough cautioning, let’s talk about how to set the Peloton fastboot mode.
Why would I ever need to enter Fastboot mode?
We are going to start with the tough stuff and work our way down to the easier things later on.
Fastboot mode sounds more confusing than it is, essentially you become a super-user when this mode is activated. You’ll be able to install custom or standard files, clear your Peloton’s cache, and work with Android base system files. You’ve probably already erased that last sentence from your mind, and I don’t blame you for that. Nobody likes technical jargon, but just remember that fastboot mode is basically like recovery mode.
Imagine an onion, no, actually imagine a Peloton onion. Now imagine that you Peloton onion has a bit of a problem at it’s center, fastboot mode will peel back all the layers and let you access that problem directly.
What problems will Fastboot mode fix?
The list of problems that this mode will fix is a very long one. Let’s run through a couple of them, you might see an issue you are experiencing somewhere on this list.
Display issues
There are lots of symptoms for this one, your display might be flickering, or it might be turning itself off and on. Hopefully it’s not developing sentience, but if it is, send it into fastboot mode to stop that AI from ruling over the human species one day.
Buffering issues
The RAM on some of the Peloton models leaves a lot to be desired, and I’m sure it’s something they are working on. Your issue might be solved by entering fastboot mode and updating some files, more on that later.
If you’ve owned a Peloton, or know anybody that does, you’re probably aware of the constant app freezes, slow loading times and choppy video. It’s a little surprising, considering the price-tag and overall branding of the exercise bike.
Something that costs as much as a very decent computer, probably should perform better than this. Add this to the list of hopeful future improvements, because a company like Peloton won’t want issues like this to become part of their brand’s reputation.
Calibration issues
Your resistance might not be properly measured by your bike, and that’s not the end of the world. We don’t need you to turn in Edward Snowden to fix this, just send your Peloton into recovery mode.
Wifi issues
We really connect with you on this one, being the expert troubleshooter that you are, check your own router and other devices first. If they are working fine, then this signals a problem in crucial system files, they might be outdated, or corrupted.
Bluetooth issues
At this point in your life, you’ve probably had bluetooth issues with every kind of device to offer the feature. Unfortunately your Peloton is not going to be any different, though I wish that I could tell you that it’s an exception.
Luckily there is a path to a solution, unlike the bluetooth on your iPhone. A company like Apple doesn’t exactly let you poke around and the inner workings of their products, but the same can’t be said for Peloton.
Messages like "no error"
This one is extra-frustrating, because we know there is an error, but it seems like our Peloton is trying to smooth-talk its way into our good graces. We can’t be lied to, we know better! This problem indicates a file problem, and most of the time you are going to get relief in the promised-land of fastboot mode.
I like to do a full shut-down using the power button, then I unplug my bike’s adaptor from the wall.
The Peloton won’t switch on
After checking that your country, city and neighborhood still has electricity flowing through it, you should look into a few other things.Other useful things you might want to check for:
- Has the alien invasion begun?
- Did your curious nephew stick a fork in the electrical outlet?
- When was the last time you paid your bills?
If you ticked off everything on that list, give fastboot mode a try.
Does this happen a lot?
It shouldn’t, but is there any electrical device that doesn’t eventually need a little bit of support from us?
Don’t worry that this will happen to you often, because it doesn’t. You won’t be using fastboot weekly, monthly, or even yearly. It’s better to be prepared, that’s all we’re saying. You might only have to use this skill once, like the time you scared off a bear while you were hiking. Good job on that by the way, that was impressive.
Should I contact Peloton Support?
The support at Peloton is excellent, and if you don’t feel confident then give them a call or email. You paid for this equipment, and it wasn’t exactly cheap, so use their customer support whenever you feel like it. Think of them as your personal squadron of Peloton assistants.
It’s also a really good idea to ask your Peloton assembler about this issue, those employees have seen Peloton machines inside and out, they might be the most knowledgable when it comes to the equipment.
How do I enter Fastboot mode?
This is the easy part, start by finding that familiar power button and start the process of turning off your bike. Follow along closely with this next part, we wouldn’t want you to somehow start the self-destruct sequence.
Hold the volume up button and the power button at the same time, you should see the Peloton logo pop up in front of you. Congratulations, youve made it to fastboot mode. We told you it would be easy didn’t we?
Once you see the Peloton logo, your device is now in recovery mode/fastboot mode.
How do I get back out of Fastboot mode?
We’ve got three different ways to escape fastboot mode, so listen carefully. The first method won’t surprise you, in fact you are probably used to doing this with other devices, usually as a desperate last resort.
Hold down that power button for 10 seconds.
If that hasn’t worked, softly pull the power cord from the wall, disconnecting your Peloton from it’s power supply. Shed no tears, this bike is still alive, just hibernating like a grizzly bear in December. Give it a few seconds, and reconnect your faithful exercise machine with it’s electrical life force.
Lastly, hold down select and start for 10 seconds. If none of these steps worked then you might have a real issue on your handlebars. I’d suggest you give Peloton a call.
At this point, lesser Peloton partakers would be whacking their touchscreen and angrily muttering, but I know you are better than that. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of you, so don’t abuse your Peloton. It never gave up on you, don’t turn your back on it yet.
Peloton pros always begin troubleshooting by doing this
It turns out that unplugging your exercise bike is actually a great way to soft reset it. Many users worry that it will damage the Peloton in some way, but that’s far from the truth. It’s probably going to solve a large amount of the problems that users have, but many of us don’t think that unplugging will have any sort of remedial effect.
None of that worked?
I am the kind of person who likes to solve problems myself, if possible, but sometimes we need to accept that we are out of our depth. I might be the authority on vintage American pennies, but there are other things that I need guidance with.
Sometimes you will save yourself time and effort by simply waiting on hold and speaking with Peloton staff, there’s no shame in that! Hopefully the information in this article helped you out, now get back on the back and earn your Century Club shirt!
