Best Indoor Cycling Shoes for Women in Canada
Enjoy longer and more comfortable biking sessions with these top spinning shoes for women
Indoor cycling is a form of exercise that many women enjoy. While some participate in classes and groups, many can easily gain all the many health benefits from this activity in their own homes. Indoor spin bikes are easily one of the most common household exercise machines because they are easy to use and take up less space than many other types of equipment. Those who regularly participate in indoor spin exercises will usually find it worth their while to purchase shoes for spin bikes exercise in Canada. Find here the best women’s spin shoes in Canada and in a separate list also the best spinning shoes in Canada for men.
Good spin shoes not only make it possible to quickly and confidently jump into an intense workout, but many are designed to be worn as regular shoes as well. The appearances and features of these shoes have only grown more varied as the needs and preferences of women cyclists change and develop. Understanding those needs allows manufacturers to create different styles and to focus on different functions to better accommodate the unique lifestyles of the women who choose spin bikes for their fitness routines. Things like closure options and the shape of the sole can completely change an exercise. Knowing the differences and how they may affect your workout will help you to make the best decision for you.
Best Spinning Shoes For Women In Canada – Top Picks + Reviews
Shimano SH-IC500 Women’s Spin Shoe
The Shimano SH-IC500 are sleek looking shoes. Their all-white or all-black design has a great appearance to look stylish when you wear them out and about, and their comfort makes them exceptional workout shoes. They tend to run small, so it’s best to go up a size. The recessed cleats and rubber sole allows you to walk around in these anywhere with no trouble, and these have a plate that covers the full length of the shoes in order to keep your feet stable while doing your spin exercises.
These use 2 bolt cleats for cycling and an all mesh design for breathability. While using all mesh like this is great for keeping your feet cool during hot workouts, it is often harder to clean. If you end up choosing the all-white design, you will want to keep this in mind while wearing them for other purposes. They use the BOA dial for closure, making them convenient and easy to adjust perfectly.
Overall, we were very pleased with these shoes. They were comfortable and looked great. While they ran small, they were supportive and functioned well for both casual wear and indoor cycling. We liked the choice of black or white, though it would be nice to have some color options as well. We felt these were the best cycling shoes for spin class for women.
Pros:
- These shoes have a full-length plate for stability while cycling.
- The Shimano spin shoes are all mesh for breathability.
Cons:
- These shoes run small.
- The all-mesh will be harder to keep clean.
Shimano SH-IC300 Spin Shoe For Women
You know a manufacturer is good when they show up on the same list. This is our second Shimano, the SH-IC300. While the SH-IC500 has a sleek appearance, the SH-IC300 looks more like a regular sneaker and can be worn as regular sneakers. They’re made to be more flexible. Because of this flexibility, these may not have the stiffness in the sole many spin enthusiasts expect. These will fit women with wider feet better than the SH-IC500 does, though these also tend to run small. These have more color options in white, black, or turquoise.
These are breathable with an almost all mesh outer, focused at the toe box and around the heel, and have EVA foam insole for comfort. The Shimano SH-IC300 uses 2-bolt cleats and the BOA dial closure design just like our top pick to ensure convenience and functionality.
These shoes don’t look like obvious indoor cycling shoes, making them great for multiple use wear. The closure design and 2-bolt cleats make these extremely quick and easy to work with. We love the color options to make sure to fit personal aesthetic. The wider fit allows those who have wider feet to experience the comfort of the Shimano indoor cycling shoes.
Pros:
- These look and perform like regular athletic shoes.
- There are three color options to choose from.
Cons:
- They may not be stiff enough in the sole for some.
- They fit wider which, while great for some women, may impact others on the fit.
Pearl Izumi V5 Women’s Cycling Shoes
Many cyclists with higher arches or taller curves on top of their feet will often have difficulty with shoes hitting the soft tissue and pressure points, leading to discomfort and an inability to continue with your workout. It can be frustrating and painful. The Pearl Izumi shoes are designed with a seamless upper that contours to your feet so that won’t be a problem. They have mesh sections in order to make sure your feet don’t get too hot, though these sections are rather small. These shoes are sleek in appearance and come in all black or all white.
The Pearl Izumi shoes use EVA foam in the sole for comfort and a rubber outer sole with a shaped heel for stable wear outside of cycling. For spin, these are compatible with both SPD and SPD-SL shoes for spinning for women, and they use BOA closure to make sure these give you the support and shape you need. They fit mostly true to size but may be a bit narrow for some.
These are comfortable shoes and we were impressed by their design. They fit well and their ability to work with both SPD and 3-bolt cleats is great compatibility for a larger number of people. We did wish that more of their outer was mesh, but these worked wonderfully for a comfortable workout.
Pros:
- These shoes are shaped to hug your foot all around and prevent uncomfortable pressure.
- The Pearl Izumi shoes will work with both SPD and SPD-SL.
Cons:
- The breathable mesh doesn’t cover much of the shoes.
- These may be narrow for some wearers.
Fizik Women’s R4 Spinning Shoes
The Fizik spin shoes are white with green accents. They’re made from a material called Microtex. We felt it would be better to have at least some mesh in order to increase breathability, but the outer material is perforated to help with that. These shoes have the sleeker shape that many spin shoes do, and we noticed that they lack the added outer heel support that other shoes have for off the bike wearing, but they worked great on the bike.
These use the SPD-SL, or 3-bolt cleats and the sole is carbon-reinforced. These run mostly true to size, so it’s not hard to get the right fit. For closure, the Fizik spin shoes use both the BOA dial and some small Velcro straps to be certain of getting a snug and supportive fit.
The Fizik spin shoes were comfortable and fit well. We were impressed by how snug they were without becoming constrictive. On the bike these were great, but they lacked off-the-bike comfort. We also wish there were some color options to choose from.
Pros:
- The Fizik shoes use two closure types for the ultimate fit.
- These shoes will be easier to clean due to the lack of mesh.
Cons:
- This lack of mesh means they don’t breathe as well.
- Because of little outer sole stability, these may not be the best for another use wearing.
TIEM Slipstream Women Biking Shoes
While the Fizik lacked color options in order to personalize your style of footwear, the TIEM Slipstream has seven options to choose from. You can take your pick from black, light gray, a deep merlot inspired red, black with a geometric pattern, white, a vibrant blue color with a green sole, and a navy blue. These shoes have that classic athletic shoe appearance so no one would know you’re wearing a spin shoe while wearing out and about.
For fit, these tend to run small. They use a thick single zigzag strap for closure that pulls from both sides and secures a snug fit. While the strap is wide, it still only pulls from one place on the shoe unlike laces or multiple straps that will pull from multiple places and therefore can be tightened more specifically to your foot shape. The TIEM Slipstream shoes will work with SPD, but not SPD-SL. They have a mostly mesh upper and the materials are soft and pliable. The sole of these shoes is rubber and will look great while walking around.
These shoes were comfortable and convenient. The single strap meant that they were quick to put on and take off, but they lost some of the proper cinching that multiple straps would offer. We liked that there were so many colors and that these would fit in more while wearing for other uses. We also liked how breathable these were.
Pros:
- There are seven color options to choose from.
- These shoes are mostly mesh for ultimate breathability.
Cons:
- The single strap closure won’t give the same perfect fit that multiple tightening points do.
- These shoes run small and may be trickier to find the right size.
Fizik R5 Women’s Spinning Shoes
This is the second Fizik shoe we have on our list. Unlike our first Fizik pick, the R5 does have two color options, though not anywhere close to the number of options the TIEM Slipstream has. You can choose either a solid black design or a black with hot pink accents. These are sleek and made of the same Microtex material as the Fizik R4, again with holes to help prevent hot feet.
These tend to fit narrow and we noticed the need to go up in size in order to accommodate that narrowness. They use 3-bolt cleats and the BOA dial with a single Velcro strap to make sure they fit well over your entire foot. They have a carbon-reinforced nylon sole for the support needed for spin.
Fizik makes good shoes for spin class. While they can be worn elsewhere, they’re not much good for anything else. The stable sole and BOA dial combined with the single strap made these a great fit unless you tend to have a wider foot.
Pros:
- These have an extra Velcro strap for a secure fit.
- The Fizik R5 has two color options to choose from.
Cons:
- These shoes fit narrow and might require going up a size.
- The sole is similar to the Fizik R4, so these won’t be the best for other uses.
Louis Garneau Multi Air Flex II Spin Shoe
The Louis Garneau Multi Air Flex IIs probably look the most like traditional running shoes out of all the entries on our list. They have a tread to their soles and a mostly mesh upper. There are three colors you can pick, gray, and black with pink and blue accents. These also fit more like regular running shoes, being roomier, and having a flexible toe. While this design is nice and preferred by many, some of the more hardcore spin enthusiasts would rather stick to the sleeker and stiffer shoes they’re used to.
These shoes are compatible with all the major MTB and spin bike pedals, making them convenient. They use three Velcro straps for closure, which is also convenient and quick. The soles are fiberglass and nylon. In terms of how accurate their sizes are, they tend to run smaller.
Overall, we liked these shoes a lot, but feel they would be preferred by those new to spin or who plan to use them for other gym purposes. Those who do regular and intense spin workouts will probably miss that snug and stiff feeling of other spin shoes.
Pros:
- These shoes work with a variety of clip options.
- The Louis Garneau Multi Air Flex II shoes are very similar in appearance and fit to running shoes.
Cons:
- This similarity to running shoes may not be what regular spin cyclists prefer.
- These shoes run small in size.
Giro Women’s Indoor Cycling Shoes
These shoes use three Velcro straps like the Louis Garneau Multi Air Flex II and come in three basic colors. You can choose between black, gray, and white. There’s enough mesh to keep your feet cool, and these have the sleeker shape of many spin shoes.
The Giro spin shoes work with both SPD, SPD-SL, Look, Time, and others and have a nylon sole. These run almost true to their size. We did notice that some wearers found them too tight and went up a size, although this may have had something to do with the usual snug fit of a spin shoe. They have added support on the heel for when you wear these off the bike.
These were great shoes, and if they had the BOA dial closure system they may have ended up higher on our list. We appreciate that they are multiple cleat compatible and have three color options, but the Velcro just wasn’t good enough for us.
Pros:
- There are three colors to choose from.
- The Giro spin shoes work with both SPD and SPD-SL
Cons:
- The Velcro straps don’t offer the same level of secure fit as the BOA dial closures.
- These shoes may run small.
Shimano SH-CT5W Women’s Spin Shoe
If you like spin shoes that can be used for other activities, the Shimano SH-CT5W may be perfect for you. These are the third Shimano spin shoes to appear on our list, and these are very different from the first two. Instead of the sleek appearance of many spin shoes, these look almost like casual shoes. They even have a more flexible sole. There are two color options, though we don’t really think it counts. They are both mostly black shoes, but one has pink laces and one has blue.
The SH-CT5Ws look just like casual athletic shoes and use a hidden plate for their SPD compatible system. They use simple laces for closure, adding to the overall appearance of regular shoes. These are made from a fabric material that is both breathable and sturdy, with perforation to help your feet stay cool. The sole is rubber to make wearing them all the time easier. In the fit, they tend to run narrow.
These shoes are perfect for those who want to wear them all the time. They’re flexible and comfortable to wear all the time. While this is great, we do recognize that some may not like these and would prefer the sleeker design of other spin shoes.
Pros:
- These are perfect for multiple use wearing.
- The cleat part is hidden under a plate in the sole.
Cons:
- The color options are really just an option between laces.
- These run narrow and may be a problem for those with wider feet.
Venzo MX Spinning Shoes For Women
Venzo stands behind their MX spin shoes enough to back them with a 2-year limited warranty. This shows that they know they have a great product. These shoes are mostly white with gray mesh sections and purple accents. There’s enough mesh on the overall shoes to keep your feet cool. Another great feature of these shoes is the removable sock liner to make things convenient.
The Venzo MX spin shoes use three Velcro straps for closure and have a nylon and fiberglass sole for firm stability. They work with SPD, SPD-SL, Look KEO and Delta, and others. They fit true to size, though because of the style they won’t have that really snug feel many spin shoes have.
We liked the overall look of these and found them to be comfortable. We were impressed with the warranty and the variety of compatibility they offer. We didn’t like the Velcro straps and we think that the hardcore spin cyclists will want to choose a shoe with a more snug design.
Pros:
- Venzo offers a 2-year warranty on these shoes.
- They work with multiple cleat and clip options.
Cons:
- These use Velcro instead of the better BOA dial closure system.
- These shoes only come in one color.
Buying Guide
There are many things to consider before deciding on the shoes you want to wear for spin. Things that could completely change your overall comfort and ability to perform your best. One of those things is the style of the shoe itself. We’ve described how some spin shoes will look and even function like regular athletic or casual shoes, and while this will work wonderfully for many, some may not be able to adjust to this style. They may want the contouring snugness and stiff sole of the average spin shoe.
You also want to keep in mind which types of cleat they are compatible with. Some will have multiple types they work with and some will only work with one type. You need to make sure it will work with what you or your gym has.
Lastly, and honestly least important, is the appearance of the shoes. If you do decide you want to wear them out, you will want to think about how they look. If you hate the color or style, you will likely opt to wear something else and therefore won’t get as much use out of them as you could have.
Final Verdict
The Shimano SH-IC500 Spin Shoe came out on top for its great fit and support, and decent style. We found these to be the perfect option for those who use a spin bike regularly. They hugged our feet and worked well. While it may have been nice for them to work with more cleat options, the Shimano SH-IC500 Spin Shoe pulled ahead with their mesh design and full footed plate in the sole that kept our feet in the right position.
The Shimano SH-IC300 was a close second. Except for multiple cleat styles, it had everything the SH-IC500 didn’t in that it looked more casual and fit wider feet. It seemed that while the Shimano SH-IC500 was perfect for more hardcore spin bike users, the SH-IC300 was perfect for those who want to use a spin bike as part of a more varied workout or only occasionally. Both are great in their own way, but because our focus for this list was on spin shoes, we had to go with the one made more specifically for spinning.