Spinning Shoes or Mountain Bike Shoes?
What is the best spinning shoe for beginners?
Dedicated spin shoes or mountain bike shoes?
For my money, mountain bike shoes offer the best value by far and the price makes them the safer choice when buying your first spinning shoes.
It doesn’t matter if you are riding a Keiser Spin Bike or Sunny Spin Bike the spinning shoes and cleats you use are the same.
After years of paying premium prices for the next best thing in spin shoes … I now only use budget-priced mountain bike shoes fitted with SPD-Cleats – They Clip into my Sunny Bike pedals and work great! – for a great price!
You immediately benefit from the wide selection of sizes resulting in a comfortable fit… as well as the all-essential ventilation that all great spinning shoes must-have.
Ventilation is a common feature in both mountain bike shoes and spinning shoes.
But to get the best from your new shoes you will need to buy shoes that FIT YOU PERFECTLY!
This article shows you how to correctly size your spin shoes and how to buy the best deals online…
How To Size A Spin Shoe
- When fitting new spinning shoes ideally you want the tip of your big toe to lightly touch or not touch at all.
- It is critical not to squeeze your foot into an Indoor cycling shoe.
- Your foot should not feel cramped in the toe box – cycling shoes don’t stretch out as easily as other sports shoes will.
- You need a shoe that holds your foot firmly but still leaves room to move without sliding around.
- The mountain bike shoes I use for spinning at the moment are a loose fit but I have found there is enough fine adjustment in the Velcro fastening, you can also use good quality non-slip sports socks to fine-tune a perfect fit.
- Both the length and width of the shoe measurements need to be considered some brands build a narrow shoe, others tend to be wide.
- If you are buying your spin shoes online, make sure that you can easily return them if the sizing is totally wrong.
Should You Use Spin Shoes In 2021?
Why do you even need indoor cycling or spinning shoes?
The main reason I use them is the ability to clip-in to the spin bikes pedals
If you hope to take your spinning to that next level, to get the most out of your new sport you need to try clipping-in…
The simple move to clipless pedals will make a huge difference to your workouts.
Whether you buy mountain bike shoes or a good pair of spinning shoes. isn’t so important apart from the cost saving of mountain bike shoes.
The important thing to consider is whatever shoe you buy they must fit correctly. [correct fitting tips below]
Once you have perfectly fitted cycling shoes, you can start to enjoy your spin class even more…
It’s time to push harder, keep up with the rest of the class, including that crazy instructor!
Best Cheap Spinning Shoes
There are a couple of good reasons to use mountain bike shoes for spinning.
Number one reason, to lower the cost.
The other reason, the selection of mountain bike shoes is greater.[as opposed to dedicated spin shoes]
They simply offer the best deal for both men and women when buying shoes for spin class.
When buying cycling shoes the vast range of sizes for either Men or Women makes buying the correct sized shoe so much easier!
You will save money and your feet will thank you…[for the nice comfortable fit.]
How To Buy Indoor Cycling Shoes
Before I buy new spin shoes they need to fit the following criteria.
- Does the Shoe Fit?
- Is It Comfortable?
- Will It Breath?
- Can I Live With The Price?
These 4 points are key!
It may sound obvious that your new shoe needs to fit well, but when buying spin shoes they need to fit perfectly!
The fit is far more important than when you choose your casual shoes or running shoes, with cycling shoes of any type you don’t want them sliding up and down with every pedal stroke.
As well as risking blisters this movement has a small, but negative, effect on how strongly you can pedal.
Video – Expert Tips On Choosing Cycling Shoes
However, many people make the mistake of buying cheap spin shoes that are either, fashionable or they simply look nice.
Instead, you should be looking for ultimate fit and comfort, then decide if the shoe fits your budget, and lastly whether it looks good.
Buy Online
If like many of us, if you choose to buy your shoes online to save money, rest assured, you will find it is super easy to find good indoor cycling shoes online at bargain prices.
You do need to be 100% certain of your shoe size to successfully buy spinning shoes online.
As well have a good idea that the brand you choose to buy fits your foot perfectly. (all brands have a unique fit)
If you have a high instep or extra wide feet… this can be a problem!
Especially if you base your sizing decision on the manufacturer’s listed sizes and a few stock photos.
What I normally do when buying online is read a few customer reviews on Amazon they will often mention if the shoe sizing is accurate.
Amazon buyer reviews give great secret sales information for free, be sure to read a few of them before you decide what to buy.
SPD Cleats
For cycling class, you have the choice of either indoor cycling or Mtb shoes, as long as they have the required two-bolt fittings for accepting the correct cleats. [spd cleats]
You will find a large range of mountain bike shoes with 2 bolt SPD cleats for a very reasonable price – which why many spinners use them, they are compatible with the type of clips used on most gym spin bikes. (check with your gym for the exact cleat model number)
Road bike shoes, on the other hand normally have a three-bolt pattern on the sole and will not work for indoor cycling.
Additionally, as already mentioned, I always look for shoes with strong velcro straps they are easier to adjust while still clipped in and allow you to fine-tune the fit.
After the correct fit, the next key feature is the sole of the bike shoe
A stiff sole is essential, as it allows a greater transfer of power from your legs to your bike.
Once clipped in you need rigid soles that do not flex when you pedal.
Also, your shoes need to breathe.
Shoes for spinning are normally made of breathable fabric as are mountain bike shoes, it is quite important that your feet get good airflow as you workout.
But the first 2 points are the deal-breakers.
[Spinning shoes fit properly with rigid soles that don’t flex!]
It is fine to shop around for the best price plus try a few different brands to which brand fits your foot shape.
But if you are going to be spinning every day and demand the best then I recommend you start your search with Shimano or Specialized Spinning Shoes as they are well recognized for quality cycling shoes – including an excellent range of mountain bikes and indoor cycling shoes.
Every manufacturer has a different view of what constitutes the ‘average’ foot, so buying spin shoes online can present problems when looking for the perfect fit.
If the shoe you are interested in is popular and has a host of buyer feedback, they will often state if the shoe is true to it’s stated size, if not, you may need to try a few on in a store before you decide on what brand offers the most comfortable fit for you.
Foot shape varies widely between riders, oddly enough it is quite common for individual riders to have a slight difference in their foot size (my left foot is slightly smaller than my right foot) and shoe sizing, vary slightly between manufacturers.
Shimano spin shoes have the reputation of being a better fit than Specialized spin shoes, but it is an unfair bias, as it is more a case of finding a shoe to fit your own foot – rather than finding a brand that fits every foot.
If you have a difficult foot to fit, then you just have to keep on trying all the brands until you find the perfect fit.
Video – Why You Should Use Indoor Cycling Shoes
With your cycling shoes firmly locked on to the pedals, you can expect all of your downward stroke power to be delivered to the pedal.
In contrast, when you pedal with running shoes in straps, your foot folds around the pedal as well as slides forward and sideways to the full extent that the straps allow them to – this is not ideal.
The rigid soles of cycling shoes support your feet as well as delivers full power to your pedals.
Being clipped in also allows you to push down and pull up with each stroke.
This gives your legs that little bit more power and increasing the efficiency of your pedal stroke.
You can’t get the same benefit from straps and toe cages, once you try clips, you’ll never go back!
Best Spinning Shoe
Apart from driving home the fact that the shoe that fits 100% is the best spinning shoe.
The real answer is in the sole.
Generally, good spin shoes have rigid soles but not to the point of being thick and heavy.
The less flexible the sole the better it is for efficient power transmission.
Specialized is one brand (but not the only one) known to make quality shoes with a glass fibre composite soles this offers the stiffness spinners are looking for.
Cleat Placement
Most of the information out there suggests that the ideal cleat position is when the centre of the ball of the foot is positioned over the centre of the pedal axle.
This is not crucial for casual spinners, but the higher-priced shoes do allow you to adjust the cleat position.
But as a general rule for spinners on a bike for an hour or so a day, not a major selling point, any 2 bolt SPD system will be fine.
How Much Should You Pay?
Adjust your shoe budget to suit the amount of use the shoe will get.
The average price for mountain bike shoes is $59.00 to $120.00.
If you are a keen mountain biker as well as a spinner then it is well worth spending top dollar to buy the best spin shoe.
You will get lots of use from them spinning in the gym when they are new and clean, then trash them totally on the trails – once they get a bit too old and smelly for the gym environment.
Shoes For Spin Class
If you worry that for you, spinning is a passing fad, & your expensive spin shoes will end up lost in the back of the broom closet?
For a casual gym spinner or on a tight budget it may be worth taking a small risk and buy cheap spinning shoes online [the risk is the shoe may not fit 100%]
The best deal would be a non-brand mountain bike shoe if you look for shoes with a high number of sales and good reviews – you may just find a mountain bike shoe that doubles as a great spinning shoe for a bargain price?
Top Quality Spin Shoes
But if you are the type that needs to buy the best spin shoes.
There is a bewildering selection of quality shoes and suitable mountain bike shoes on the market from a variety of brands.
Don’t be seduced into paying top dollar – mid-range pricing is all you need pay to get an excellent spin shoe.
If you are buying the high priced bike shoes, (expect to pay $250 – $450.00).
Once you find the best fitting shoe then you may as well choose a shoe that allows you to adjust the cleat position – for no other reason than for high priced shoes you can do that.
Both Specialized and Shimano allow this their mountain bike shoes and spinning shoes are well designed and survive years of hard use.
