Indoor Cycling: How to Choose Your Shoes & Cleats

In recent years indoor cycling or 'spin classes' have become extremely popular, with people all over the country loving the fast-paced and exciting experience these classes offer. If you've ever taken one of these classes, or are an avid at home rider, you know that a good pair of cycling shoes can make all the difference in the world. The problem many riders run into is figuring out which shoes and cleats will work with their specific class and best meet their needs.

We want to inform the indoor cycling community on how to get the most out of every class, so we made this short tutorial to help you get everything you need to ride your best.

STEP ONE - WHICH CLEATS DOES MY CLASS USE?

There are two different pedal types that indoor cycling classes use, SPD & Look Delta. All spin classes use one or both of these styles, so it is important to know which one your class uses.

Here is a quick visual guide for some of the most popular indoor cycling and spin classes:

If you don't see your class on the above photo, we highly recommend asking your instructor or calling your class to make sure you know what pedals they are using. 

STEP 2 - CHOOSING YOUR SHOES

Now that you know what type of pedals your class uses, you can decide what shoes best fit your needs. Just like there are two main types of pedals, there are two main types of shoes. 

 Below are the two different shoes styles:

These shoes are designed to handle SPD cleats only. They feature added tread and a recessed area for the cleat, making walking in your cycling shoes much easier.

These shoes feature a flat bottom and are compatible with both SPD and Look Delta cleats. This level of versatility makes it easy if you ever switch classes or bikes and need to use a different style in the future.

So, which one works for me?

The most important part in choosing your shoe is to match it with whatever cleat style you are going to be riding. So, you're probably wondering, why wouldn't everyone want the universally compatible shoes? While this shoes style offers maximum versatility, it isn't optimized for the SPD rider. SPD specific shoes offer a recession for the cleat, so the cleat is not as directly interacting with any surface you are walking on. This is great for walking through the gym to your spin class, as it is going to be much less awkward and walk more like a regular shoe. Check out our shoe selection and find your perfect fit HERE 

STEP 3 - LET'S TALK SOCKS

Now that you know what shoes and cleats you need, you pretty much have everything you need to start optimizing your indoor cycling experience. After taking a few indoor cycling classes, you may notice they keep it pretty hot and sometimes your feet start to feel it. This is why cycling specific socks are important for comfort and long term performance. 

Cycling socks need to be thin, wick moisture well, and offer some sort of cooling technology. To meet this need, we partnered with Save Our Soles, to create our Tommaso Coolmax Cycling Socks. These socks are designed to offer support to the sole of your foot while securely staying in place, eliminating slipping and blisters.