If you’ve invested in a Peloton Bike but are yet to invest in a good pair of indoor cycling shoes, you’ve clearly got more money than sense. Why? Because when you ride a Peloton Bike+ – or any indoor exercise bike for that matter - wearing your regular workout trainers, you miss out on a serious trick to boosting your peddle power and considerably upping the comfort and enjoyment factor of your spinning sessions.
That’s because, unlike trainers, indoor cycling shoes utilise a clip-in (or cleat) design that fixes to a bike’s pedals. This, in turn, helps you to feel more secure on the bike and provides you with a smoother, more energy-efficient ride. The result? Better efficiency equals greater gains in your performance and overall fitness levels.
Of course, there are many kinds of cycling shoes to choose from, which is why we created a list of the best shoes for Peloton. At the top (surprise, surprise), you’ll find the Peloton Cycling Shoes. This makes sense, as they’ve been designed by Peloton, for Peloton. Read on to find out what makes them so good.
Peloton Cycling Shoes Review: Price and availability
The Peloton Cycling Shoes are available to buy now for a recommended retail price of £120 / $125 / AU$190. They are available in one unisex model and colour: black with a red lining. The Peloton Cycling Shoes can be purchased directly from Peloton UK / Peloton US / Peloton Australia.
Peloton Cycling Shoes Review: Design and features
Let’s kick off with one of the most important parts of the design: the cleats. The Pelton Bike is only compatible with two types of cleats; the SPD-SL and the Look Delta, both of which are three-hole cleats.
The Peloton Cycling Shoes come equipped with Delta cleats and an Allen key included in the price (some cycling shoes don’t come with the cleats included) so you can fit and adjust them yourself at home – a quick and simple process that is explained in the accompanying instructions booklet and in this video demonstration:
Once the cleats are attached, you can clip into the peddles of your Peloton Bike for a more secure ride that ensures more efficient power transfer and more cadence – cadence being defined as the number of revolutions per minute (RPM) you complete at a given speed – which is pretty useful when you consider that cadence is one of the metrics used by Peloton to measure your performance.
The seriously rigid plastic outsoles that the cleats fix to - made of an unspecified material (so we’re assuming it’s not carbon) - provide just the right amount of stiffness for at-home riders to up their peddle power and improve their performance without adding too much weight (one shoe comes in at a lightweight 260 kg according to my kitchen scales), and the outsoles also come with two mesh vents in the base to aid ventilation, plus hard toe and heel pads for extra reinforcement.
Ventilation is also provided via several mesh panels sewn into the sturdy synthetic upper for enhanced breathability. The upper itself is fairly inflexible and firm. On one hand, this helps to give you a ‘locked in’ feel, but only if you get the right fit in the first place. The quality of the shoes and the fabrics used in its construction means they’re unlikely to give or stretch over time, so be mindful of that fact when choosing your size.
The upper can be adjusted precisely thanks to three straps: two Velcro straps that cross over the toes and bridge of the foot, and a further strap nearer to the ankles which tightens up and releases with a ratchet clip. Of course, the Velcro straps are super easy to adjust but the rachet clip does take practice to get used to (I’m still practising, and I’d have preferred more Velcro if I’m honest).
Strap fastenings aside, I found the three straps together really improved and perfected the overall fit and allowed me to adjust the tightness along the length of the foot – a feature that certainly aided the accommodation of my high arches.
The only downside of the straps is that they add a bit of chunkiness to an otherwise streamlined design. But it’s not enough to put me off wearing them: fit, comfort and performance always win over style in my book.
That said, it is a shame that the shoes are only available in one colourway: black with a red lining interior and a rather large white Peloton logo. Of course, the design is great if you want to coordinate with your Peloton Bike. But I’m sure I’m not the only person who would like to see a wider variety of colours – especially when other cycling shoe brands offer such a wide array of jazzier alternatives in bright, bold colours.
Peloton Cycling Shoes Review: Comfort and performance
The Peloton Cycling shoes are unisex and available in whole sizes only ranging from a UK size 3 to 12.5 (or EU sizes 36 to 48). Peloton advises in the sales blurb that the shoes have a ‘narrow to normal fit’ and, because of this, they suggest you should size up if you fall between sizes or have wider feet.
My female feet are generally considered normal in width, perhaps even a little on the narrow side, so I ordered my regular shoe size and enjoyed a great fit that was true to size. That said, male riders with large, wide feet may find the fit of the Peloton Cycling shoes a little too restrictive. Indeed, I would suggest that anyone with wide feet should ‘try before they buy’ if possible, especially as the overall feel of the shoe is pretty stiff with its rigid outsole and firm upper.
Lucky for me, the fit was perfect, so I was able to crack on with putting the shoes to the pedal. I tested the Peloton Cycling Shoes out over one month, putting in at least three rides a week, and my biggest takeaway is that the shoes are super-durable, well-made and constructed with top quality materials. There’s no sign of wear and tear or misshaping, and this - coupled with the comfort factor - really helps to justify the higher price tag.
Because they are oh-so-comfortable, even on those long scenic rides. There’s some generous cushioning on the heels and around the ankles, and I experienced very little rubbing or slippage (the wearing of socks is recommended), so I didn’t get blisters. Additionally, the tongue is built in to help it to stay in place and prevent slippage.
And, of course, clipping into the peddles via the cleats makes all the difference to the overall riding experience: suddenly getting out of the saddle becomes sooooo much easier; you feel more secure; and you get to enjoy smoother, more efficient peddling.
Peloton Cycling Shoes Review: Verdict
Compared to other indoor cycling shoes on the market, the Peloton Cycling Shoes do come in with a higher price tag. But it feels justified when you consider the level of comfort they deliver alongside their performance-enhancing abilities.
The shoes certainly look and feel well made and appear sturdy enough to withstand thousands of hours on the bike while still being lightweight and breathable. Of course, the fit does run a little narrow, so those with wider feet might want to look elsewhere.
But if you’re serious about taking your Peloton Bike workouts to the next level, and you have narrow or ‘normal feet’, you should definitely consider investing in a pair.
