![]() Straps that are either Velcro or ratchet closed are both safer and easier to adjust for fit mid-ride as your feet swell. Unfortunately, such shoes often also have laces, which both Sage and Taylor recommended avoiding-you can’t easily loosen or tighten laces once your feet are clipped in, and they can become untied and tangle around the pedals. Strap enclosures rather than laces: Some MTB shoes look a lot like sneakers, which seems like a great idea for indoor cycling, as such designs typically have lots of mesh to let feet breathe.Therefore, in a pair of shoes you’ll use indoors, the more ventilation-in the forms of mesh and perforations-the better. As you’re not actually traveling through space when cycling indoors, your feet don’t get a breeze as they would on an outdoor bike, nor do you have to worry about keeping your feet dry in a surprise rain squall. As much ventilation as possible: From a comfort standpoint, this factor is very important in an outdoor shoe that you’re bringing inside.(Even so, you should be able to swap the Look Delta pedals themselves out for SPD pedals-a new set costs less than $40.) The only situation in which you’d need Look Delta shoes is if you own a Peloton or Fly Anywhere bike, which each come with pedals designed only for that sort of cleat attachment. (That is, one side engages with SPD cleats and the other supports Look Delta cleats.) Those Look Delta cleats, however, are compatible only with slick-soled road-style shoes (not MTB shoes) and are big and bulky, sticking out significantly from the ball of the sole. Of the dozen or so types of pedal systems that exist, the two-point-connected metal SPD style is by far the most common on indoor bikes (“It’s the industry standard,” Taylor said), though many stationary bikes-such as those at Flywheel and SoulCycle-also accept the large, plastic Look Delta cleats, thanks to special two-sided pedals. SPD cleats over Look Delta cleats: The cleat connects the shoe to the pedal, so of course it’s essential that they be compatible. ![]() “Unless someone is truly a road racer or elite cyclist, you’re not going to find much of a difference,” Sage said. And while some people may argue that you lose a bit of stiffness through the sole-and therefore efficiency in your pedal stroke-by choosing MTB shoes over road shoes, most indoor cyclists simply won’t notice, especially if they’re switching from a sneaker-in-toe-cage situation. “With an MTB shoe, the cleat never touches the ground.” In fact, many fitness clubs ban customers from walking around in road-bike shoes, which can also scratch floors. “With an exposed metal cleat on the bottom of a road shoe, you’re going to slip on wood or tile floors,” Taylor said. But what makes MTB shoes ideal indoors is the raised lug around the edge of the sole that keeps the metal cleat from touching the ground it’s a feature that road shoes lack, and it makes MTB shoes much safer for walking around the bike or to and from the locker room. Mountain-bike (MTB) shoes rather than road-bike shoes: Mountain-bike shoes may seem like overkill for indoor use-they’re rugged enough for off-road experiences, after all, situations where you can find yourself trudging next to your bike on rough or muddy ground.And for the studio cyclist in the second scenario, having your own footwear eliminates the ick factor of shoving your feet into shoes-however disinfectant-sprayed they may be-where many, many other sweaty feet have gone before. For the sneaker wearer, switching to shoes with cleats that attach to the pedals yields a much better workout because your pedal stroke, both down and up, becomes significantly more efficient. But for anyone who rides indoors regularly, investing in your own pair of dedicated cycling shoes can offer benefits in spades. Those who go to such boutique studios as SoulCycle, Flywheel, or CycleBar can rent or borrow proprietary shoes with plastic cleats screwed onto the soles that click into the pedals. For footwear, many indoor cyclists use their own sneakers, strapped into toe cages affixed to the bike pedals. ![]() ![]() Indoor cycling-often referred to as Spinning, the trademarked brand of the company that popularized the exercise-is having a moment, if the proliferation of boutique cycling studios across the country is any indication. ![]()
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