Spin Class - What to Wear?

[Catrin]

I've been attending spinning classes for about 2 years now; I wear bike shorts and my shoes with SPD cleats - I understand almost every spinning bike out there has SPD on one side. We do have a couple of spinning bikes that have SPD on one side and Look on the other, but most are a combination of platform and SPD.

If I am going just to spin when I generally just wear one of my jerseys as it wicks better than my other tops. If I am strength training before/after then I wear my normal workout top, bike shorts, and of course I always change shoes before class. I HATE those toe cages on the platform side.

Sometimes I wear lycra shorts, other times I wear my mtb baggies, it just depends on what is clean. No one else cares what I have on and they have too much time on their hands if they do

[Irulan]

our gym has a minimal number of bikes with cleats on the pedals. You need to get there early to snag one,or you'll be using toe clips.

[nscrbug]

It's interesting to hear that so many of you wear actual cycling shorts for spin class. Maybe it's the area I live in, or the clientele, or whatever, but I can honestly count on 1 hand, the amount of times that I've seen cycling shorts being worn during ANY of the spin classes in my gym (a Bally's). Cycling shoes are a different story, as I see many of those...but shorts, nope. Most just wear regular gym clothes and sneakers. On the rare occasion, I sometimes see folks wearing regular STREET clothes. My gym is pretty lax on enforcing the "wear appropriate workout clothing" rule. I see guys working out in jeans and work boots all the time. Seems uncomfortable to me, but whatever....

[surgtech1956]

One other thing I forgot to ask. Do you use your own Ipod?

[Dogmama]

One other thing I forgot to ask. Do you use your own Ipod?

The instructor should provide music and combine it with moves on the bike.

I've seen shorts, bike shorts and full kits. I will say that the full kits were overkill.

Gloves, I wear them because my hands get sweaty & I won't slip off of the bars.

[Crankin]

At my former gym, I'd say there were as many people wearing full kits as those wearing a combo of bike shorts and other tops.
It depended on what class you went to. Some classes had more outdoor riders in them, especially the ones that were added in the winter, for "training," and were geared for cyclists. If I happened to go at 9:30 AM, well, it was the housewife crowd. But, most of them wore bike shorts.
I couldn't sit on those seats in regular shorts.

[Irulan]

The instructor should provide music and combine it with moves on the bike.

I've seen shorts, bike shorts and full kits. I will say that the full kits were overkill.

Gloves, I wear them because my hands get sweaty & I won't slip off of the bars.

I have seen people bring their own players/headphones and do their own thing... rude I guess but sometimes the music sucks so bad....

[OakLeaf]

Wow.

I don't teach indoor cycling (and I'm *really* glad to have the bikes' long crankarms and my knees as an excuse not to), but there's a contingent of people who show up for my strength and step classes and don't pay attention. In that situation, it's "merely" rude and distracting to the other participants.

But in a spin class, where bikes are nearly always limited, it's more than rude to take a bike that someone else could be using and then not participate in the class. If I were the instructor in that situation, I'd speak to the person after class, and if they continued to do that I might even speak to my program coordinator.

[Dannielle]

If I don't wear padded shorts I regret it. Every time. I didn't wear padded shorts one day last week and afterward I resolved to wear them from now on even if it means changing before/after class. I will continue to do so until they outfit spin bikes with Brooks saddles. ;-)

But yeah, bike shorts and a tank/cami (I get way too hot/sweaty for a cotton tshirt!).