Are You Ready To Invest In A Pair Of Cycling Shoes For Your Spin Class??

BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR FIRST PAIR OF SPINNING/INDOOR CYCLING/CYCLING SHOES, YOU MAY WANT TO READ THIS ENTIRE POST TO FIND OUT ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS:

1. Why do I want these shoes vs a traditional fitness shoe?  
2. What kind of shoe is best for me? 
3. What else do I need?

--WHY?
There are 2 main reasons that you may want to make the investment in a pair of cycling shoes for your Indoor Cycling/ Spinning class.

1. The cycling shoes have an extremely stiff sole.  Regular athletic shoes are created to be flexible for ease of movement while running, walking, etc. as well as to absorb shock.  On the bike however, you DON'T want the flexion of the sole or the shock absorption.  The stiffness of a cycling shoe's sole lends to a more powerful pedal stroke, in other words, your leg power is being directed directly to the pedal, not absorbed by the soft, flexible sole of the regular athletic shoe.  Years ago, when I used to wear an athletic shoe on the indoor bike or if I ever forget to bring my cycle shoes to class, my toes inevitably go numb!  The stiff sole helps prevent that from happening.
2. Cycling shoes have cleats at the bottom that can click into the pedal of the Spin bike.  They call these "cage-less' or "clipless" pedals.  This is similar to being locked into a binding on skis.  In essence, you become part of the pedal, or it becomes an extension of you!  A "clipless" pedal keeps the ball of your foot connected to the center of the pedal.  Being clipped into the pedal PLUS having the stiff sole allows you to not just push down, like when using an running shoe, but allows you to actually push down and pull up, creating power in both directions!  When you are connected like this, you will actually use your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes much more efficiently when working out, facilitating a powerful, even, efficient pedal stroke.

YOU WILL NEED TO BUY THE CLEATS SEPARATELY FROM THE CYCLING SHOES THEMSELVES.   DON'T FORGET THE CLEAT.
THE UNIVERSAL CLEAT FOR INDOOR CYCLE/SPIN ARE THE SHIMANO "SPD" CLEAT.  MAKE SURE YOU ARE PICKING OUT SHOES THAT ARE SPD COMPATIBLE!!   THIS IS WHAT THE SPD CLEAT LOOKS LIKE:.. NOTICE TO TWO SCREWS IN THE CENTER.  YOU CAN TELL IF THE SHOE YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS SPD COMPATIBLE BY TURNING THE SHOE OVER, LOOKING FOR TWO HOLES SIDE BY SIDE AT THE BALL OF THE FOOT.

IF YOU ARE BUYING SHOES FOR OUTDOOR BICYCLES, YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY THE CLEAT SEPARATELY (as you will need to buy new clipless pedals for the bike) AND YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY THE "SPD" BRAND...(unless you are a Spinner and you only want one pair of shoes to switch between the 2 activities) WHEN YOU BUY YOUR CLIPLESS PEDALS, THEY AUTOMATICALLY WILL COME WITH THE PROPER CLEATS! FOR MORE INFO, JUST MESSAGE ME AND I WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU OUT WITH YOUR DECISION!

--WHAT TYPES
There are 3 different types of shoes you may want to consider:

1. Road Shoe:   Road shoes are very light.  Their sole is very stiff and they have a more narrow fit.  Their soles aren't rubberized because they're not meant to be walked in. Cleats aren't recessed on road shoes, which means that they stick out the bottom of the shoe.  This makes them even more difficult to walk in, especially on a slippery, sweaty floor.  This is a picture of the bottom of a road bike shoe with an exposed cleat:

2.  Mountain Bike Shoe: These are usually a little heavier.  The sole isn't quite as stiff as the road shoe and they tend to be wider in the toe area than the road shoe.  They have a recessed cleat, which means that the cleat does not stick out of the bottom of the shoe.  You can walk around in these shoes much easier because the shoe has a sole in which the cleat sits in.  This is a picture of a mountain bike shoe:
 

 

3.  Indoor Cycling Shoe:  These shoes are not as stiff as the road shoe.  They look similar to the mountain bike shoe in that they have a recessed cleat, allowing you to walk on the ground without having the cleat sticking out.  Indoor Cycling shoes are usually lighter than a mountain bike shoe and, of the 3 types of shoes, have the most breathability!  They were created to be worn in the gym, not on the road.  They are usually made with a mesh type fabric that allow the shoe to air out.  In a cycle class, you sweat A LOT and these types of shoes were created with that in mind. Here is a picture of the pair of Indoor Cycle shoes that I have and then a men's version:

Now, with all of that said, I own all 3 types of shoes.  I thought that I was happiest with the Indoor Cycle shoe.... they are light, they breathe, have recessed cleat, but when I switched back to my road shoe, I found that I really enjoy the stiffer sole.  I found that I got a lot more power out of each pedal stroke with the road shoe specifically because of the stiffer sole, but I really do like the feature of the recessed cleat in the mountain bike shoe and Indoor Cycle shoe.

I suggest that you go to a bicycle store and try some on and then think about it.  Don't rush in and get the first pair that you try on.  Here are some great retailers in our area: (These are NOT in order of preference, just a list, except for Surf City Cyclery!)

• SURF CITY CYCLERY (the most helpful and HONEST employees.. they are my fave brick and mortar store that I go to for cycling related merchandise!) www.surfcitycyclery.com 
• Outspoken Bicycles in Sunset Beach.  Very helpful, extremely honest and knowledgeable http://rideoutspoken.com/
• Tri-Zone Small, local and knowledgeable.  In Los Alamitos.. meets all your tri needs: http://www.tri-zone.com/ 
• Jax Bicycles in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, and more: http://jaxbicycles.com/
• Performance Bikes in Long Beach, Fountain Valley and more: http://www.performancebike.com/
• Two Wheels One Planet Costa Mesa, Lake Forest http://twowheelsoneplanet.com/ 
• Jones Bicycles, Long Beach http://jonesbicycles.com/
• Sport Chalet, REI, Sports Authority might have a selection as well

Online, my favorite store is:  Bike Nashbar,, (though I STRONGLY  believe in supporting our LOCAL, BRICK AND MORTAR stores)  But if you want to go the online route, Bike Nashbar is one of the most reliable.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/TopCategories_10053_10052_-1
I always look here after I know exactly what I want.

Cycle shoes come in European sizes, so you need to know your size or you can Google a conversion chart.  I wear an 8 or an 8 1/2 women's shoe and I always wear a 40 in a cycle shoe.

If you have any questions or comments, please ask...  I will be adding more info on this subject as time goes by.

So make sure you know your style, your size and DON'T FORGET THE CLEATS!!   : )
I will make another post about how to attach the cleats sometime soon!  Good shopping!!