Best indoor cycling shoes 2024: breathable shoes for pedalling inside

Capitalising on the boom of indoor cycling, there's an ever growing range of indoor specific kit. We've already had a look at the best of indoor cycling clothing, now it's turn of shoes.  

There are no hard and fast rules as to whether you go for an officially designed pair of “indoor shoes” or just have a standard pair of cycling shoes for inside. 

Dedicated indoor shoes are lightweight with soles designed for a bit of walking as well as pedalling. These are a great option if you want shoes for spin classes at the gym or do some cross-training at home. 

If you only occasionally ride indoors or put your shoes on standing next to your turbo, a lightweight pair of standard shoes will do a perfectly good job. 

For the majority of people who sit somewhere between these two extremes, the reviews below should help you decide. 

We’ve included both dedicated indoor shoes and some of the more affordable, cooler ‘standard’ shoes in our testing.

If you're still not sure, at the bottom of the page there's some more info about choosing an indoor 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.  

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 in this guide, the Shimano IC501 is the most slipper-like: lightweight and comfortable with a grippy and flexible sole. It also has anti-odour fabric which is a blessing to the contents of your gym bag. It comes in a large range of sizes as well as both men’s and women’s fits.

It really is exceptionally comfortable to wear. The flexible fabric sock-like upper with a single criss-cross Velcro strap makes it easy to put on, too. There’s a grippy rubber flexible sole and the metal cleat is recessed which is great for walking and so really suits if you want a shoe for the gym.

On the downside the flex does mean that you don’t get the greatest power transfer to the pedals; this probably only really matters if you’re 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 on longer sessions, we found this started to creep in on longer sessions (2 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 Indoor Shoe from Adidas is a bit different from the other dedicated indoor shoes in our guide. It’s scaled down, sleek and stylish without any added extra cushioning, tabs or other bells and whistles. It's also designed for a three-bolt cleat.

On your foot and the pedals, the Adidas feels the closest to a road shoe, with the stiff sole and large cleat optimising power transfer. If you’re new to cycling shoes, you might be surprised by the lack of padding.

As there’s just a single Velcro strap, there is less adjustment to the fit than other shoes we’ve tested. Even with the heel grips, slimmer heels can lift out (more so off the bike) and it’s harder to avoid hot spots under the strap.

The stiff sole and prominent cleat makes The Indoor Shoe difficult to walk in and you definitely won't get away with doing any cross-training in these. These are shoes that 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 can take either a two or three bolt cleat, has a nylon reinforced fore-foot sole for riding and mid-foot flex for walking, and importantly for indoor riding, a lot of ventilation. 

The shoe is quite a wide fit, a feature which is enhanced by the soft padded material of the upper. If you have narrower feet you might find that the zig zag Velcro strap doesn't hold your foot quite well enough given how soft the upper is.

The shoe performs well enough at even paced efforts but the mid-foot flex does compromise harder pedalling efforts. Despite this flex, walking isn't that easy as the sole doesn't offer much grip.

Best for cross training

The stand-out feature of the Bontrager Cadence is just 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 grip from the sole when off the bike, and there's plenty enough flex for walking. 

On the bike, the Cadence belies its trainer styling. Whilst flexible, the sole has enough stiffness to get decent power transfer to the pedals and the BOA retention does an excellent job of holding your foot snuggly in the shoe. The only real restriction is that the thicker sole means you have to be quite deliberate clipping in and out the pedal. 

As for the rest of a cross training work out, the Cadence performs pretty well with most routine gym workouts. There's an obvious cushioning and grip compromise if the cleat is in contact with the floor - so they don't suit running or aerobic-type classes - but, for most other gym-based exercise, they'll save you swapping over your shoes. 

Non-specific indoor shoes

Best for budget

When we were pulling this guide together, we were struck by just how expensive some of the indoor specific shoes are. Over $100 / £100 is a lot of money, especially if you’re trying out cycling shoes for the first time. This is why we’ve included the Van Rysel Road Cycling Shoe 100.

The 100 isn’t an indoor specific shoe but it is very well priced and allows riders to choose between cleat systems and so is 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 performs well. It’s not the stiffest shoe out there but does a perfectly good job in transferring your effort to the pedal without any notable hotspots. The three basic Velcro straps give plenty of adjustment, although if you have narrow feet you might find it harder to get a good fit compared to a more expensive BOA 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.

If you are looking to use a three-bolt cleat. you might find it overhangs the edges of the sole if you have it mounted further back. This won’t be a great problem for riding indoors but if you start to use outdoors too then you might find it becoming a shelf for muck and grime.

Best for inside and out

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

Given this was the highest specced road specific shoe in our indoor guide, it should come as no surprise that this performed the best on the bike. The sole is stiff with excellent power transfer. It's comfortable during longer endurance sessions and you can really feel the power transfer during intense bursts.

The shoe upper is nicely comfortable with an excellent closure; all in all it holds your foot firmly but without any hot spots. The toe box is quite roomy and, as the lower closure is Velcro, it’s harder to synch this up if you have narrow feet. Having said that, the main BOA closure does such a good job that it doesn’t leave your foot moving around excessively.  

Whilst the sole isn’t rubberized to the 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, this means that it is quite possible 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. Other colors are available.

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.