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10 Tips to Choosing a Peloton Leaderboard Name

Asking for help choosing a leaderboard name is frequently requested on on the Official Peloton Member Facebook Page. This year, a lot of my friends got Pelotons and I received a ton of texts asking for advice.

I’m aware that not everyone puts much effort into creating their leaderboard names. They’re riding for themselves and a good leaderboard name is not important. My husband has never ridden the Peloton but if he did, I think he would fit into this category.

But then again, if you are one of those individuals, you’re probably not reading this post.

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What is a Leaderboard Name?

The leaderboard name is the name that other users and the Peloton instructors see on the leaderboard, along with your age, and location.

TIP: You only have 15 characters to choose from, limited to letters, numbers, and the underscore.

And yes, if you’re using the Peloton app, the instructors can see you.

Why Does Your Leaderboard Name Matter?

If you’re waiting for your Peloton delivery, now is the perfect time to brainstorm some leaderboard names. Here are some other tips for you while you wait and a list of which accessories you may need.

I’ve high-fived riders during a ride just because their leaderboard name made me smile or inspired me. I’ve even followed people for this reason.

When you follow someone on Peloton, you can see if they’ve taken a class in the past or are taking a class live with you. If you’re both live, you can high-five each other. For those of you who like to compete, you can race against them (or with them as Christine D’Ercole would say) on the leaderboard.

And when you find out a friend has a Peloton or meet a Peloton member “in the wild,” one of the first things they will ask you is your leaderboard name.

If you’re looking for class recommendations, check out these blog posts:

These lists get updated regularly so sign up for the Friday Favorites weekly email to keep up-to-date.

Tips on selecting a Peloton Leaderboard Name

(1) Search for Existing Leaderboard Names

How to search for existing names:

  • Go into your bike, the app, or website and click Profile
  • Then click Find Members
  • Search by any keyword such as “Dance” which will bring up all members who have the word dance in their leaderboard names
  • Now not only do you know if your desired leaderboard name is already taken but it may just get the wheels turning in your head to help you think of a new name

I’m not going to out this person but the leaderboard name I’ve wanted for years is taken. But she’s only taken 20 classes since 2017. I keep checking to see if it’s available but it’s not. Maybe one day . . .

(2) Be Original

Of course, you can easily change a member’s leaderboard name to a creative spelling like adding a “z” instead of an “s” at the end of a name. Or, you can add an underscore.

However, in my opinion, it’s best to come up with something original. Imagine the confusion if you were both on the same ride and one of you received a shoutout!

I can’t tell you how many people have a name like “Ride for ___” (insert your alcoholic beverage or fattening food of choice). While they’re fun names, you probably won’t stand out.

A good leaderboard name connects you to the Peloton community

The best thing about Peloton is the feeling of community. It’s not unusual for an instructor to shout out to someone, “welcome back (Leaderboard Name), I haven’t seen you in a while.” Jenn Sherman does this often.

I’ve been riding with one particular woman for a few years now. We’re always neck-in-neck during the ride. If I didn’t see her for a while, I would legitimately worry. And although I know nothing about her other than she’s in her early 50’s and lives in Boston, I feel a connection to her. She’s always the first person I high-five.

(3) Make Your Leaderboard Name Easy to Read

A good leaderboard name communicates something about yourself to other riders. It could be the reason someone high-fives you, follows you or brings a smile to their face. And when I say good, I don’t necessarily mean ultra-creative but rather something that makes someone feel a connection to you. Maybe you’re both teachers, horse lovers, or fans of the same sports team.

But if no one can read your name (maybe it’s too creative of a spelling), they’ll feel less compelled to do any of the above actions.

Daniel McKenna and Cody Rigsby prove my point below.

(3) Make it Easy to Pronounce

When I first started riding, there may have been a few hundred people on a ride. Today, tens of thousands of riders could easily join one class.

The instructor must read your leaderboard name on a small screen. If an instructor can’t pronounce it, they won’t say it.

What does that mean for you? If you’re celebrating your birthday or a milestone ride, you can pretty much guarantee that an instructor will scroll right past you without a shoutout if your name is something like KVA27619. Although I read that someone got a shoutout from an instructor: “Jill with all the numbers after your name.”

emma lovewell peloton screen

(5) Be Funny

You don’t have to have a funny leaderboard name but most of us appreciate those who do.

No one needs a good laugh more than someone who feels like they’re about to die on a spin bike. You’ll find leaderboard references to “various” body parts, fictional characters, and self-mockery.

Just know if it’s too raunchy, you’re unlikely to get a shoutout, but you may get a chuckle from an instructor.

I don’t want to reveal anyone’s identities here without permission but if you’re already a member of the Official Peloton Members Facebook Page, you can read this thread on funniest leaderboard names here.

(6) Be Inspiring

Inspire Others

I have so much respect for the riders on Peloton. Each week, I read about people pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits: cancer patients and survivors, blind or deaf riders who use Peloton’s technology to assist them, amputees, those with Down’s Syndrome, COVID survivors, widows, and more.

Sometimes, their leaderboard names or description underneath their name (instead of adding a city, some people use this to tell their story) take my breath away for a second.

And if you’ve overcome a big hurdle in your life, you deserve to proudly display it in your leaderboard name.

Inspire Yourself

I also give so much credit to those riders trying to make real changes to their lives and tell you so with their leaderboard names. And inspiring yourself really should be the only thing that matters.

(7) Create Your Persona: Who are You and Who Do You Aspire to Be?

For many of us, Peloton gives us a much needed break from life. It provides us a bit of time each week to focus on ourselves and often it’s the only time we get.

Whether it’s a break from work, parenthood, marriage, or our relationships, we all need that time to remember who we are apart from those things.

Many like to share these roles in our leaderboard: “mama_of_ (insert number of kids)” or “Mrs. _” (insert last name). Or DogMama. But I suggest that you think about who you are independent of these wonderful and important jobs. That can help you think of an inspiring leaderboard name.

(8) Ask Your Friends

Who knows you better than your friends? They’ll remember that nickname you had in college, that embarrassing thing you used to say, or your unique habits.

Take those words and phrases that they share and see if you can come up with something.

(9) Use a Name Generator

I just recently learned about this leaderboard generator website. It could be a great starting point in creating your name. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed in what it came up with for me but maybe you’ll have better luck. It also won’t let you know if a leaderboard name is already claimed.

Additionally, I created this fun word finder below. Choose the first 3 words that you see (or more) and start brainstorming names from there.

Peloton leaderboard name generator
Get the full printable copy and a list of 19 questions in the Resource Library

*If you do share this with friends (which I love), I prefer if you share the entire blog post and not just the word finder.

You can get a free downloadable copy to print, with a bonus set of 19 questions to help you further narrow down your name choices in the Resource Library.

You get full access to all documents in the Resource Library by signing up for my weekly Friday Favorites email below.

These freebies include other Peloton-related worksheets and lists (including class lists, motivational challenges). My weekly email contains my favorite classes of the week, favorite things in general, the newest blog posts, a curated Kindle book deal list, and more.

(10) Remember it’s not permanent

You can change your leaderboard name whenever you want, and no, in case you were wondering, you won’t lose any of your followers.

My first leaderboard name was CliffClick, which I thought was cute because I lived in Briarcliff Manor, New York and I had just started a now-defunct blog writing business with a friend called The Content Chicks.

And then I got a milestone shoutout by Jess King and she was telling me not to fear and to jump off that cliff.

Briarcliff Manor has no cliffs. And my fear of heights would prevent me from ever climbing a mountain or jumping off a cliff. I changed my leaderboard name that day. I felt like a fraud.

If you want to find out my leaderboard name, I’ll start sharing it in my weekly emails. I would love to follow you all.

Final Thoughts

To quote Cody Rigsby, “you do you, Boo.” Whatever your name is, get out there and have fun.

If you have a great leaderboard name that you wish to share, please comment below.

For the Peloton fans in your life, check out this Ultimate Peloton Gift Guide blog post including Peloton-inspired products and exclusive My Purse Strings promo codes.

Related Peloton Posts:

Peloton 101: Tips for the New Rider

Mistakes to Avoid on Your Peloton

Surprising Careers of Peloton Instructors

15 Ways to Keep Your Peloton Streak Going

Purged Popular Peloton Rides

The Best Peloton Tread Alternatives

Peloton Introduces Bike Bootcamp

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