Best Indoor Cycling Clothing 2026: temperature-regulating kit tested by our indoor experts
The cycling kit you never thought you needed - Kit yourself out from head to toe with these 9 expert-rated garments that help prevent saddle sores and keep your body temperature under control
Matt Ischt-Barnard
Let us be honest, you can absolutely wear regular outdoor cycling kit for your turbo sessions or spin classes. However, the best indoor cycling clothing can make a noticeable difference in performance, keeping you cooler and increasing comfort.
Working similarly to a best short-sleeved jersey for summer riding or a baselayer, indoor-specific kit is designed to help the body regulate its temperature by wicking away sweat. Regulating your body temperature is crucial to improving your cycling performance, as overheating can lead to a drop in performance.
The quick list
Best Shorts for Indoor Cycling
Lightweight and breathable while still delivering compression for longer sessions. An exceptional pad adds to the comfort.
Ultralight by name, Ultralight by nature. At just 150g/5.2oz, there isn't much to the Velocio Ultralights, which is part of why they perform so well indoors, with less fabric to hold in the heat.
A tried and tested formula is found in the Core Cargo Shorts. Raphas' top-quality chamois and fabrics make for very comfortable shorts, and the pockets are a nice extra for indoor cycling.
Best Jerseys for Indoor Cycling
Weighing less than 100g and made from 100% mesh, this is a super breathable jersey, with the bonus of three pockets.
With large areas of mesh fabric and a decent amount of compression, the Assos Skin Layer is ideal for indoor riding and also serves as an excellent summer baselayer.
Don't be deceived by its appearance. The Rapha indoor jersey is very well designed, and it wouldn't look out of place in any fitness scenario. To top it off, it is one of the most affordable garments Rapha sells.
Best accessories for Indoor Cycling
Exceptionally high performance for such a budget shoe. The IC100's sock-like feel offers great support and comfort to anyone looking to clip in at a spin class or at home.
Designed to work similarly to a lightweight jersey or base layer in hot weather, the Castelli A/C cap works hard to keep sweat from running down your face.
The Cycling Weekly tech team named the Velocio Signature socks the best lightweight option for warmer conditions, offering superior heat dissipation and comfort.
The best indoor cycling clothing: Our expert-picks
Best Indoor Bib Shorts
Assos Superleger
Released as part of a collection, the Assos Equipe RSR Cycling Bib Shorts Superléger S9 uses the S9 construction - with braces which cross at the rear in order to prevent the pad from moving around.
Assos is renowned for its chamois pads, and the insert here is no exception - it's a little less bulky than that in the S9, but our tester found it extremely comfortable.
The fabric is lightweight, but not perforated - this means it provides compression and still appears like a normal short, so we felt that you could wear these outside on hot days, too.
Currently the range is in men's only options. Judging by our 5/5 review, we'd like to see Assos extend this to the women's range as well.
Read more: Assos Equipe RSR Cycling Bib Shorts Superléger S9 full review
Best Women's indoor cycling bib shorts
Velocio Ultralight bib shorts
The Velocio Ultralight bibs are indeed “ultralight” - the medium weighs in at just 150g and holding the bibs in your hand feels like holding hardly anything at all. The Ultralight bibs have an effective “easy pee” design, with extra-stretchy fabric just above the tailbone making for an easy way to pull down the bibs without removing the straps for a quick restroom stop.
The chamois is thick enough to be comfortable during longer indoor rides, but not so bulky as to become sweat-logged or chafe while sitting in the same position on the trainer or a spin bike for long periods of time. The Ultralight bib straps have a nice horizontal strap about three-quarters of the way up the back connecting the two shoulder straps, so no matter how sweaty you become, you won’t experience any shoulder strap slippage.
These bibs are expensive and this may cause you to raise an eyebrow when considering that the Ultralight fabric is a tad rough - it didn’t cause any chafing or discomfort while riding, but be warned that these aren’t silky smooth bibs like the Rapha Core bibs. The fabric is also a smidge see-through when stretched, such as when bending forward for a more aero position or when standing to climb. This may not matter as much if you’re riding solo in an indoor pain cave, but it could be frustrating for some.
Lastly, Velocio’s bibs run small and sizing up is encouraged. The brand offers a nice range of sizes from XXS-3XL, so finding a size that fits may not be as difficult as with other brands, but it is still a bit of a guessing game given that Velocio’s size chart goes off of height and weight and not specific body measurements.
Best Indoor Cycling Shorts
Rapha Core Cargo shorts
Rapha has taken a different approach with its indoor turbo-specific range clothing range. There are some new specific pieces, but the brand has chosen to gather pieces from its existing ranges and group them under the indoor banner.
Not that it's a bad thing as we felt the Rapha Cargo shorts offered an excellent pad and a comfortable fit. Our only criticism was the lack of a bib, but arguably the waist shorts are a more desirable option for indoor riding.
Read more: Rapha Core Cargo Cycling Shorts full review
Best Indoor Cycling Jersey
Castelli Insider Jersey
If you want to go matchy-matchy, there is a jersey to match the Castelli Insider bib shorts.
This is made from a 100% polyester mesh, and weighs in at a claimed 88 grams. With two rear pockets, the idea is that you could still wear it for outdoor rides in hot weather, so it's highly recommended for indoor cycling clothing and for taking outside too.
Read more: Castelli Insider Jersey full review
Best Baselayer
Assos SS Superléger Skin Layer
Assos's entry into indoor cycling tops, the Skin Layer Superléger is a baselayer with an opaque front, but open mesh shoulders and back, meaning it could work for summer baselayer duties, not just on the turbo.
Despite its lightweight, Assos's base layer is mildly compressive, so it doesn't flap around and the thicker front does a good job of catching your drips without getting too damp.
Read more: Assos SS Skin Layer Superléger full review
Best budget jersey
Rapha Indoor Training T-Shirt
The Rapha Indoor Training T-Shirts are indoor-specific pieces of cycling apparel.
Available in both female and male fits, Rapha says that the lightweight and breathable sleeveless shirt has been cut for comfort on the turbo.
Both versions are made from 100% polyester with high-stretch side panels and armholes cut for an on-bike position.
Cut shorter at the front to avoid bunching, and longer at the back to keep you covered, the Indoor Training T-Shirt is also looser fitting than a standard bike base layer, but tighter than a regular T-shirt - the perfect indoor cycling clothing if you don't want a tight fit.
While training on the turbo, our tester found that it effectively wicked sweat away and due to the weight of the jersey, it didn’t flap about annoyingly in the fan-induced breeze.
Read more: Rapha Indoor Training T-Shirt full review
Best indoor shoes
Shimano IC100 Indoor Cycling Shoes
The Shimano IC100 shoes are very good value and a perfect introduction to cleated shoes for spin classes or training indoors on the turbo, and feature as one of our best indoor cycling shoes.
The sock-like upper fits very comfortably and doesn’t put pressure on any areas of your feet. The Velcro strap offers reasonable fastening for your feet but there is some give when sprinting and the strap can cause pressure on the side of the foot.
The sole is reasonably stiff but suffers when doing big gear efforts or sprinting. This isn’t a problem for static bike training, but for E-racing it will limit performance. The ventilation in both the sole and the upper is reasonable but not exceptional.
Although not made for high-performance maximal efforts where ultimate power transfer is key, as a spin class or training shoe at such a low price, these are exceptionally good value and do everything that is required of them.
Read more: Shimano IC100 Indoor Cycling Shoes full review
Best Indoor Cycling Socks
The feet are a powerful form of thermoregulation for the body, like a fin on a radiator. If your feet are hot and your body warms up, the body will struggle to regulate itself effectively. That is why a good pair of socks when cycling indoors can make a big difference.
The signature socks for Velocio do an incredible job of heat dissipation even in regular cycling shoes. Compared to the Castelli Superleggera and Assos Essence socks, which offer similar performance, the signature sock has them beat in feel. The Velocio socks are a lot softer and the thin material makes them feel like you're not wearing any socks.
Best Indoor Cycling Cap
For those who don't use cycling caps, they are rarely a quality piece of clothing. Used to help direct sweat away from your face or just look cool cycling caps are rarely high-quality. With a mesh design, allowing for better airflow and high-wicking qualities the A/C from Castelli is a unique offering.
Originally designed for hot days out in the sun, this high-performance cap has found a secondary use in indoor cycling. While hard to quantify I found it to wick the sweat away from my head and kept me noticeably cooler across the sessions especially when intensity ramps up. As with any cap, it absorbed the sweat well keeping it off my face, I'd argue the mesh design did this better than any other.
How we test indoor cycle clothing
The Cycling Weekly team are a committed bunch when it comes to dedication to our testing and features. Take, for example, our fitness writer Steve. Last winter, he spent the entire season cycling indoors, not only testing the latest and greatest kit, including some of the best exercise bikes, but also investigating whether indoor cycling can take you to the next level, ready for spring.
When it comes to testing, the best Indoor cycle clothing is interesting because it doesn't need to resist the elements like wind, rain, or UV sunlight, but it should still be comfortable in a warm and humid environment. Additionally, due to the frequency and volume of sweating and washing, it should still be durable, despite generally being made from much more delicate fabrics and in smaller quantities.
All the indoor cycling kits found here have been thoroughly tested by being worn multiple times, sweated in, and washed repeatedly during testing to assess their performance. After each wash, garments are inspected for pulling, roughness of the fabric, or any signs of wear and tear, including holes. Our testers also check to ensure the garments aren't retaining any unwanted smells.
Overall marks are awarded firstly for comfort, with moisture management, durability, and value in the second tier. Finally, any standout features are considered or neat innovations that enhance your indoor biking experience.
For more on How We Test, all the latest and greatest biking products here at Cycling Weekly, have a read of the guide, and meet the team.
How to choose clothing for indoor cycling
Do I need indoor-specific cycling clothing?
First up, do you actually need indoor cycling clothing? The honest answer is no. There’s a good chance you already own some summer kit that’s light, breathable, and designed to wick sweat away from your skin efficiently. Even if you don’t have a favourite summer jersey, you could wear a mesh base layer or a gym shirt, both of which are designed to help manage moisture.
That said, indoor-specific clothing is designed solely to deliver comfort on the turbo. If you train extensively indoors, you’ll likely benefit from the tailored approach that the dedicated kit offers. Features like chamois are explicitly designed for indoor training, which helps alleviate pain due to the prolonged seated position that many adopt indoors and provides additional compression to the muscles, which, on the road, would typically restrict movement.
What should I wear for indoor cycling?
While you don’t have to worry about the elements - such as rain, wind or the sun’s rays - when cycling indoors, you do have to deal with getting hot.
Without a natural breeze, you’ll likely build up sweat quickly and notice it remains on your skin. This is why high-performing fabrics, designed with high-wicking properties, are vital indoors, even when using a fan. It’s also essential that the fabric dries quickly, which significantly helps with comfort levels. A shorter, breathable and even thinner chamois pad in your shorts makes for a far more comfortable experience.
Ultimately, this is subjective and what you feel most comfortable in. Here is a quick shopping list of the ideal indoor cycling wardrobe:
- No helmet, of course! However, a Cap can be a useful addition for directing sweat away from your face.
- Most typically will go for just a mesh base layer, a high-wicking jersey if you feel more comfortable or are attending a class
- For women, you will need to consider a high-wicking best shorts bra for cycling
- Vented, or high-wicking shorts or bib shorts
- A short sock, unless you need muscle compression, in which case a high wicking sock is needed
- Highly-vented shoes
Do you need specific shoes for indoor cycling?
Just like any piece of indoor-specific clothing, the honest answer is no, you don't need the best shoes for indoor cycling. If you already own some of the best cycling shoes, it is fine to use them indoors.
Unlike normal cycling shoes which have to be versatile and more forgiving, indoor-specific shoes tend to feature much stiffer soles and lighter-weight designs for increased airflow. There are more subtle differences like many just won't want wet or muddy shoes in the house, with indoor shoes also tending to be kinder on hard floors like gyms or the oak parquet.
Frequently asked questions about indoor cycling clothing
If I where to buy one piece of kit for indoor cycling what should it be?
One of the best cycling base layers would be a good place to start. This can be used both inside and out and will dramatically help wick away sweat, which may not make you cooler, but it will, however, make you more comfortable.
Should I use chamois cream for indoor cycling?
Absolutely! Applying the best chamois cream or a similar product before and after indoor cycling is especially crucial. While moisture and humidity levels are important, a key difference between indoor and outdoor cycling lies in the extended periods spent seated indoors with limited movement, substantially raising the risk of saddle sores and irritation.
