While you can of course wear regular cycling clothing during a turbo session, the nature of indoor training typically adds up to more sweat than you might usually experience when riding outside. While the best indoor cycling clothing can’t recreate a cooling breeze it can help you to feel more comfortable during hard efforts on the trainer.
So what does indoor training kit do exactly? In many cases it performs like the best short-sleeved jerseys for summer, helping to wick sweat away in an effort to keep cool. Fabrics are likely lightweight and breathable. Given that you’re riding indoors the jersey and shorts are often a little simpler in their design, although you’ll still need a quality chamois in your shorts to keep you comfortable and to avoid saddle sores or similar.
Below are our picks of some of the best jerseys and shorts for indoor training. We’ve also included some cycling shoes, which are again highly breathable and designed to keep your feet cool.
The quick list
Shorts
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Best for luxury comfort
1. Assos Equipe RSR Superléger S9
Best for luxury comfort
Lightweight and breathable while still delivering compression for longer sessions. An exceptional pad adds to the comfort.
Released as part of a collection, the Assos Equipe RSR Cycling Bib Shorts Superléger S9 provide 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 you can 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.
Construction: Includes bib for men, waist for women
Reasons to buy
+
Value better than competitors
+
Pad is thick and comfy
Reasons to avoid
-
Fit isn't as good as premium options
-
Legs did ride up when pedalling
Madison was one of the first players on the indoor cycling clothing market. The bib shorts are available in a men's fit only, but the brand has now added a women's waist short.
The shorts use an anti-bacterial polyester fabric all over, with open mesh straps at the upper. The pad in question has been designed specifically for these shorts and comes pre-curved in the riding position to offer a better fit, making these the best indoor cycling clothing for anyone who tends to wriggle around on their saddle.
Commenting on the design, apparel designer Rachel Preston said: “Indoor turbo sessions are usually short – 30 to 60 minutes – but we did find that our riders would shuffle around a lot in their saddles. As a result, we selected a pad that offered fantastic moisture management, and offered really good elasticity to accommodate the continual position adjustments between different types of riding efforts during their workout session.”
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 many of 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.
Base layer construction makes it ultra-lightweight
+
Decent level of compression
+
Front stops drips without getting sweaty
Reasons to avoid
-
No pockets
-
No women's version
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 light weight, 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.
Rear pockets included so could use on hot days outdoors
Reasons to avoid
-
Pockets aren't needed if you are staying indoors
-
No women's version
If you want to go matchy-matchy, there is a jersey to match the Castelli Insider bib shorts.
This is made from a 100 per cent 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 highly recommended indoor cycling clothing for taking outside too.
Great for wearing for turbo warm ups as well as gym sessions or cross training
+
Good weight
+
Nice fit
Reasons to avoid
-
Not really a jersey!
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 percent polyester with high stretch side panel and armholes cut for 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.
The Shimano IC102 shoes are very good value and a perfect introduction to cleated shoes for spin classes or training indoors on the turbo.
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.
Some of the ventilation is lost with an arch support fitted
-
Expensive (at retail price)
Although Specialized gives the S-Works 7 Vent only a 13 out of 15 on its own stiffness scale, I couldn't tell the difference between these and a pair of the classic S-Works 7 shoes that do top out the scale.
I felt perfectly planted in the shoes and had no issues with power transfer – even setting a few sprint PBs. There was no heel slippage or excessive movement at all. In fact, with the 'give' of the mesh side panels, I found the Vents to be even more comfortable that the classic S-Works 7 shoes
The extra breathability offered in the S-Works 7 Vent was significant, leaving my feet noticeably cooler. The downside is that this is partially down to the insole used in the shoes, which maximises airflow from the vents in the sole. This means that if using a different insole (I have a set of custom Specialized ones to help support my arches) then the breathability is a little more muted.
In all, they're still a great shoe and perfect for indoor racers and the hottest conditions. Just bare in mind that you won't get the full effect of the shoe if you will be using your own insoles.
The Indoor Shoe from Adidas is designed to be highly breathable and lightweight. The upper is made using a mesh fabric that also benefits from what the brand describes as 'ventilation zones'. As well as keeping your foot cool, the upper also uses some recycled materials, with Adidas says this is a minimum of 50%.
As for the fastening, the Indoor Shoe uses a straightforward 'hook and loop' closure, that's designed to be easy to take on and off. The sole has a fibreglass-reinforced nylon midsole plate, with a three-bolt cleat pattern. We found that it was pretty stiff and helped to optimise our pedalling power, although this does make it harder to walk in, so not ideal if you like to do cross-training in the gym..
How to choose indoor cycling clothing
Do I need indoor-specific clothing?
The honest answer is no. There’s a good chance you’ll already own some summer kit that’s light and breathable and designed to wick sweat away from your skin. Even if you don’t have a favoured summer jersey, you could wear a mesh base layer or a gym shirt, both of which are designed to help deliver some moisture-management.
That said, indoor-specific clothing is focused solely on delivering comfort on the turbo. If you train extensively indoors it’s likely that you’ll benefit from the tailored approach that the dedicated kit offers.
What should I wear when riding indoors?
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 that it then remains on your skin. This is why sweat-wicking fabric is vital indoors, even if you are using a fan. It’s also important that the fabric dries quickly, which really does help with comfort levels. A breathable and anti-bacterial pad in your shorts also makes for a far more comfortable experience.
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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.
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