Best indoor cycling shoes 2025: breathable shoes for pedalling inside

With the increase in accessibility, the huge uptake of online riding, and the best smart indoor trainers, smart bikes and even the best exercise bikes we've ever seen, riding inside has never been so popular.

This also means there's an ever-growing range of indoor-specific riding kits. The physical demands of riding indoors are subtly different from those outside, so it's no wonder that the best indoor cycling clothing is all about keeping you cool.

But what about indoor cycling footwear?

There are no hard and fast rules about whether you should wear an officially designed pair of “indoor shoes” or a standard pair of cycling shoes for indoor use. The main thing is that the best indoor cycling shoes offer great breathability and have a sole designed for some walking as well as pedaling. This allows you to safely get from the bedroom to your indoor trainer or from the locker room to the gym bike.

In our testing, we’ve included dedicated indoor shoes and some of the more affordable, cooler ‘standard’ shoes. We've also helped you narrow down your search by sorting these into the best categories.

If you need more help picking the best indoor cycling shoe or would like to learn more about how we test, visit our FAQ section at the bottom of the page. It contains many helpful questions and answers on how to choose the perfect shoe.

The quick list

Here's a quick run-through our favorite indoor shoes. If you want more, click on the link for our other thoughts on each pair.

Best indoor cycling shoes

Dedicated indoor shoes

Best for simplicity in the gym

The Shimano SH-IC501 is an indoor shoe with a two-bolt cleat, ideal for gravel or MTB riders who use this system or those who want the additional comfort of using a SPD cleat on the gym spin bike or their own Peloton.

Of all the indoor shoes I've tested, the Shimano IC501 was the most slipper-like: lightweight and comfortable with a grippy and flexible sole. The anti-odor fabric was a blessing to the contents of my gym bag after particularly sweaty workouts. Available in a large range of sizes as well as both men’s and women’s fits, I personally found these close to a perfect fit, proving exceptionally comfortable when on and riding.

The flexible fabric sock-like upper with a single crisscross Velcro strap makes it easy to put on. The grippy rubber flexible sole and recessed metal cleat are great for walking and, therefore, ideal for a gym bike option.

On the downside, the flex did mean that I didn't get the greatest power transfer to the pedals; this will matter more to some than others, notably cyclists who are diligently measuring the watts or keen on e-racing. There’s also a risk that the combination of the less rigid sole and smaller cleat (compared to a three-bolt road cleat) could cause discomfort during longer sessions. I found this started to creep in on longer sessions of more than two hours.

For those using road pedals, Shimano don’t have an equivalent three-bolt shoe although many of the features of the IC501 also appear on the cheaper IC100 which has both two and three-bolt fittings.

Best for performance in the gym

The Adidas Indoor Shoe is a bit different from the other dedicated indoor shoes in our guide. It’s scaled down, sleek, and stylish without any extra cushioning, tabs, or other bells and whistles, although, depending on your colourway of choice, the vibrancy of the shoes does all the talking.

Designed for a three-bolt cleat, these clearly have a more road-to-indoor cycling crossover. Once my foot was on the pedals, the Adidas felt the closest riding in road shoes. The sole was stiff, and I really appreciated the large cleat optimising power transfer. Although, if you’re new to cycling shoes, you might be surprised by the lack of padding.

Because there’s just a single Velcro strap, the fit is less adjustable than in other indoor cycling shoes I've tested. Even with the built-in heel grips, slimmer heels can lift out (more so when walking off the bike). I also noticed where the strap lay across my foot, making me feel uncomfortable after a while if it was really pulled in tight.

The stiff sole and prominent cleat make The Indoor Shoe difficult to walk in, and you definitely won't be able to cross-train in them. These shoes prioritise pedalling performance above gym cross-over.

Best for wide feet

The Nike SuperRep Cycle 2 Next Nature Women's shoe offers a little bit of everything. It takes either a two- or three-bolt cleat, so it is good for a range of riding experiences. The nylon-reinforced forefoot sole has a mid-foot flex, and compared to other indoor shoes I've ridden, these have a lot of ventilation, which is ideal for hot indoor riding.

On test, I found the shoe quite wide-fitting, a feature enhanced by the soft padded material of the upper, which allows a little more give than the more minimalist design of shoes like the Adidas Indoor Shoes. As someone with narrow feet, I did that. The zig-zag Velcro strap didn't hold my foot quite securely enough, mostly due to this extra-soft upper.

The shoe performs well enough at even-paced efforts, but the mid-foot flex does compromise harder pedaling efforts. Ideally, this flex would make the shoes handy for walking, but the lack of sole grip can even make that a challenge.

Best for cross training

The Bontrager Cadence's stand-out feature is how much it looks like a normal lightweight trainer. It has a thick, grippy, rubberized sole and soft, sock-like upper. The recessed two-bolt cleat maximises the sole's grip when off the bike, and there is plenty of flex for walking.

On the bike, Cadence shoes belied their trainer styling. While flexible, the sole was still stiff enough to provide me with a decent power transfer to the pedals, and the BOA closure retention system did an excellent job of holding my foot snuggly in the shoe. The only real restriction was that the thicker sole made it quite tricky to clip in and out of the pedal.

The Bontrager Cadence performed well when used for a little crosstraining post-indoor riding. However, if the cleat is in contact with the floor, the cushioning and grip are compromised, so they don't suit running or aerobic-type classes. But, for most other gym-based exercises, they'll save you swapping over your shoes.

Non-specific indoor shoes

Best for budget

The 100 isn’t an indoor-specific shoe but it is very well priced and allows riders to choose between cleat systems (two or three bolt), so a great option for those new to cycling shoes or those who don’t want to spend a lot for a shoe they use once a week at the gym.

On the bike, the Van Rysel shoes perform well. They're not the stiffest shoes out there, but they did a perfectly good job transferring my effort to the pedal without any notable hotspots. The three basic Velcro straps give plenty of adjustment, although if you have narrow feet, like me, you might find it harder to get a good fit compared to a more expensive BOA dial fastening.

The sole doesn’t offer much grip when walking, so they’re best put on next to the bike. This is particularly the case if you use a bare-metal two-bolt cleat as the mount isn’t recessed in the sole’s grips as it would be on a two-bolt specific shoe.

When set up for a three-bolt cleat, we found it can overhang the edges of the sole when mounted further back. It's not a big problem for riding indoors, but if you start to use them for riding outdoors, it could become a shelf for muck and grime.

Best for inside and out

In 2021, we reviewed the Torch 1.0 as an outdoor shoe and found it to be an excellent performer for its price.

Given that this was the highest-specced road-specific shoe in our indoor guide, it should come as no surprise that these performed the best on the bike. The stiff sole provides excellent power transfer. I found them comfortable during longer endurance sessions and really felt the power transfer during intense bursts.

I found the upper of the shoes to be one of the most comfortable, with an excellent closure. I felt my foot held firmly but without any hot spots. However, be aware that some might find the toe box on the Torch 1.0 quite roomy, and it's hard to pull the lower Velcro closure tight enough for my narrow feet. Having said that, the main BOA closure does such a good job that it didn't leave my foot moving around excessively.

Whilst the sole isn’t rubberized to the same degree that a dedicated indoor shoe is, there’s a decent amount of grip from the heel material. Combined with the slight flex in the sole, I was able to walk short distances across hard and shiny gym floors without looking like Bambi.

Even when wearing them exclusively indoors. I found that the white upper marked up easily, with the pimply texture catching the dirt and being harder to wipe clean, so it might be worth considering other colours if you like the box fresh look all the time.

Buying advice

Do I actually need indoor shoes?

Don't tell the PR people, but the truth is, you don't. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing your usual riding shoes indoors. But it isn’t just a marketing ploy either - there are a few reasons you might want a pair of dedicated shoes for indoor riding.

1. You don’t already have a pair of bike shoes

For those who focus their riding on their home fitness bike or spin classes at the gym, having a dedicated pair of shoes that have a stiffer sole than the usual trainers and allow you to clip into the pedal can really transform your indoor riding experience - allowing you to get more training benefits from your time on the bike.

2. A clean and dry pair for inside

Even now you're a grown adult, you may still fear the wrath of your mother if you wear your shoes inside. A pair of shoes for riding indoors will remove the risk of spreading mucky, wet shoe prints through the house or gym and keep mum happy too.

3. Your usual shoes are too hot/slippery/stiff/clomp-y/fancy/other to wear indoors

High-end carbon race shoes too slippy on a hard floor, winter commuting shoes to hot, heavy and dirty? Enjoy wearing something that's far more suited to an indoor spin.

What makes a good indoor shoe?

Main features include:

- grippy and walking friendly sole – often a rubberised sole which makes walking across the gym a lot easier than in very stiff and shiny soled shoes

- cool – indoor shoes are much more lightweight and breathable than outdoor ones to keep your feet cooler

- comfortable – as all out stiffness and strength aren’t so important, an indoor shoe can be much more comfortable than a standard riding shoe might be

- cleat options – if you’re buying shoes for your home turbo trainer it’s likely you know what pedal and cleat options you are looking at. If you have a home exercise or indoor smart bike, or want a pair of shoes for a spin bike at the gym, check which pedal system the bike has. The pedals will dictate whether you need two (mountain bike style) or three (road style) bolt shoes, and which cleats you’ll need to buy to attach to your shoes. The pedals on many of these bikes are double-sided so you can use either style of shoe (but you’ll still need to make sure you get the right cleats). If you’re unsure, gym staff or your indoor bike user guide should be able to help you.

A final point on cleats and soles. A two-bolt cleat sits in a recess in the sole. This means the sole can be nice and grippy as the cleat itself makes little or no contact with the floor when you walk, an ideal choice for the gym. Two-bolt cleats also allow for a little more movement ('float') on the pedal which can be more comfortable. On the downside, the smaller cleat can lead to hotspots on the sole of your foot and have a less power transfer than a bigger cleat.

Three-bolt cleats are the opposite. They are prominent on the sole so are much slippier to walk in but are less likely to cause you hotspots and have better power transfer to the pedals. Although there is generally less float in a three-bolt cleat different options are available to improve comfort.

What happens if I wear my indoor shoes outside?

We promise the world will not end if you occasionally wear your indoor-specific shoes outside. But much like wearing your slippers outside, an indoor pair of shoes won’t offer as much protection as those designed for outdoor use. Most likely this means that your feet will likely end up colder and wetter than in outdoor shoes and the shoes themselves will wear much quicker. If you think you might want to ride outdoors in your shoes as well as inside, a lighter weight set of standard shoes is probably a better option than a dedicated indoor set. Just make sure you clean them before trekking through the house.