Best indoor cycling clothing: Lightweight indoor-specific kit

Indoor cycling is now more popular than ever. Completing a structured indoor cycling workout is at times a lot more appealing than braving the elements when the weather isn't nice. Instead of suffering whilst freezing on the bike, you can ride in the relative comfort and safety of your own home. 

Cycling indoors will protect you from the weather outdoors but it comes with its own challenges. Working hard indoors can leave you and the kit you wear soaked in sweat pretty quickly and at times overheating. 

Cyclists all over the world are logging countless virtual miles on the best smart trainers thanks in no small part to the numerous indoor cycling apps that make indoor training exciting. This appetite has prompted the creation of a new category of indoor-specific cycling kit and equipment to help riders stay comfortable whilst completing Zwift workouts or training indoors.

The best indoor cycling kit is super lightweight and does a solid job at wicking sweat and managing heat to keep you comfortable. Paired with the best indoor cycling shoes you'll be ready to maximise your indoor training comfort and motivation.

If you still need some help head to the bottom of the page for advice on how to choose the best indoor kit. 

Best indoor cycling clothing: The list in brief

The best indoor cycling kit: In detail

Jerseys and suits

For those who take virtual racing and indoor training seriously, there is always a hunt for that extra advantage over your opponents or additional gain that help you perform at your best. NoPinz addresses the omnipresent issue of overheating with its SubZero Race suit, which uses freezable gel packs to help regulate temperatures when racing is heating up.

The sleeveless race suit uses a very light perforated material for ultimate ventilation and breathability. NoPinz has used an indoor-specific chamois as well, compliments of Dolomiti Pads, for greater comfort and support, given the demanding nature of e-racing and the efforts required to put in top results. 

The stand-out feature is the addition of the FreezePockets which store the optional extra frozen gel packs. Positioned just below the neck and on the lower back, the gel packs provide around 20 to 30 minutes of cooling in these key areas. The race suit can be supplemented by two sweatbands on the wrist/lower forearm which also make use of pockets for smaller gel packs or even energy gels. 

Madison says they took a standard road jersey and stripped all the bulk and unneeded features out to maximise comfort while you ascend virtual mountains. Gone are the rear pockets because your snacks can sit on a trainer desk or chair right next to you, but it retains a full zipper to add cooling when you need it, with zipper guards to prevent irritation.

The open-mesh fabric was chosen for its wicking and cooling properties, but Madison also decided to avoid external prints so it can be washed on a hot cycle (60C/140F) to prevent the jersey from adopting a permanent stink. Madison has doubled up on its war against funk as the brand has applied an antibacterial coating, too. 

For those who prefer something a bit more free-flowing, the Rapha Indoor Trainer shirt is a loose-fitting muscle-tee made from a technical fabric that's designed specifically for the rigours of your Zwift or TrainerRoad session. Before you turn up your nose at what may appear on the surface as an expensive tank top, look a little closer, and you'll see there is quite a bit more to it. 

First and foremost, the Indoor Trainer-T is sleeveless, not so that you can put on a gun show but for temperature management, and the armholes are cut to facilitate your position on the bike, so no chafed armpits. Rapha has chosen a gradient knit fabric that sucks the moisture off your skin quickly to keep you cool and dry. It's also cut slim and slightly articulated to prevent pinching or binding as you reach for bars.

Castelli designed the Insider Jersey specifically to meet the conditions found in the pain cave. Constructed of a 3D-mesh fabric that lets air flow freely, the materials wick better than a traditional cycling jersey.

Where the Insider jersey excels is that it's not transparent, so when you head to the fridge for a snack, house guests won't be met with the sight of a sweaty you wearing what appears to be a skin-tight fishnet top as you stuff a slice of pie in your face for energy. The jersey also has a full zip and two rear pockets, so while you may be tempted to wear this top for an outdoor ride, be warned it's not SPF-rated so you would need to apply good suncream to stay sun safe. 

Polartec's Delta fabric sees hydrophilic yarns intricately knitted into what the textile experts call radiating structures to take full advantage of the body's cooling mechanisms to keep you comfortable. The idea is fabric quickly pulls the moisture off your skin to maintain airflow and prevent irritation, and holds it away from your skin and drying at a slower rate to maximize cooling. 

This is the same fabric you'll find in base layers from Castelli and Santini but the dhb version is half the price. The Aero Lab Poartech Sleeveless base layer is lightweight and body-mapped to fit perfectly on the bike without pinching or bunching. The seams have all been offset so as not to irritate, and there is a dropped hem, so there are no gaper gaps when you reach for the bars. 

Shorts

If you're anything like this writer, quite often, I will ride the trainer with my bib straps down to expose as much skin as humanly possible to the fans pointed at my front and back. Because you're plonked down on the saddle, not really moving around much, your shorts more or less stay put and so bibs aren't really all that necessary.

So dhb's Aeron Turbo Shorts, which forgo the bib straps, actually make a bit of sense. They're made from a super-light partially transparent fabric over the quads and a marginally heavier gauge fabric in the middle and rear.

The Elastic Interface NICE HD Super Air pad is exclusive to dhb and was developed specifically with indoor sessions in mind. With a more pronounced central panel for pressure relief, the top fabric has antistatic and bacteriostatic properties, making it quick-drying and eco-friendly.

Designed to be used in collaboration with the brand's Insider Jersey, Castelli's Insider bibs are well suited to long sessions in the pain cave. With an articulated fit, the Inferno fabric that makes up most of the shorts is 80 per cent polyester and helps to wick sweat without becoming a sopping mess, aided by the Giro Air elastic mesh leg bands. 

Inside is the brand's Kiss 2 Air seat pad, which gets rid of the modesty flap and shrinks the overall footprint; the focus again is pitched towards breathability. Castelli has also beefed up the area of shorts that come into contact with the saddle to improve durability and longevity. 

Madison's Turbo shorts are designed with the same ethos as its indoor jersey, getting rid of everything you don't need, to maximise wicking and breathability. While they're not made of mesh, the polyester-lycra used throughout has an antibacterial treatment and can be washed on a hot cycle (60C/140F) to kill off any microbial hangers-on. 

Madison collaborated with TMF to design a pad that will keep you sitting pretty on your second trip to Mount Ventop; the pre-curved fit bib straps fit comfortably without pulling on your shoulders as you reach for the drops.

While mountain bike bib liners are not the first thing that may come to mind when shopping for the kit to use on the turbo trainer, they are one of our go-to options. Because bib liners are designed to be worn underneath baggies, they are usually made of mesh or extremely lightweight materials to maximize breathability. While the waist liners may leave you wanting when it comes to the pad, bib liners typically have a high-quality chamois. 

The Velocio Trail Mesh Bib Liners are made entirely of a wide knit mesh and are cut identical to the brand's Lux shorts. Because they are made entirely from mesh, they are also entirely see-through, unlike the partially transparent dhb so best not to answer the door wearing just these. Inside is Velcoio's exclusive CyTech chamois that offers ample padding for extended periods of stationary pedalling. Bib straps are just a simple piece of elastic microfibre that is comfortable on your shoulders and don't cover too much skin.

Socks

There is no such thing as indoor-specific socks, so rather than seeking out the lightest, most ventilated foot tubes that money can buy, we've instead picked the most comfortable socks we can find. At the top of that list sits the Swiftwick Aspire. 

They are about as technical as socks come, using Olefin fibre and intricate knitting patterns that make the socks supportive, lightweight, and highly breathable. 

Like the Swiftwicks, Shimano's S-Phyre socks are completely over-engineered socks that sound like marketing fluff until you pull them on. With a tall cuff, they provide pleasant compression, are left and right foot specific and have mesh panels that extend around the bottom of the foot, and padding on top of the foot, which lines on with the top Boa on many shoes to provide a touch of additional comfort. I've worn a pair of these same socks for years for everything and they are still in great shape.

The DeFeet Aerator are the original socks, and there are quite a few brands that sell these socks with their logo stitched into them. Cyclists have worn them for years. 

With most of the entire top section of the sock open mesh, they breathe well and come in a variety of styles, and cuff lengths, so you really can't go wrong. 

Accessories

While microfibre towels are absorbent and fast-drying, they aren't great for the environment, and the 'squeaky' texture can be off-putting. As grabbing the nice towels from the linen closet for trainer use is generally frowned upon (speaking from experience), a set of cheap bath towels that won't disintegrate after the first wash will keep everyone in your household and your bike happy. 

As far as cheap bath towels go, we've had pretty good luck with the Amazon Basic Bath Towels. For about $25 you can get six 100-per-cent cotton towels in three different sizes. They aren't quite your plush, Turkish cotton model, but they will more than do the job.  

The Halo headband is technically designed for running but has a nifty sweat guide that makes it perfect for heavy trainer sessions. Made from Dryline wicking fabric, a silicone strip on the inside not only prevents it from creeping down but creates a seal against your forehead to direct sweat away from your eyes and down the sides of your face.

It may sound like a gimmick, but it does well to create a gutter that keeps the torrent of sweat from running down off your forehead and into your eyes mid session.

Quite a few people wear cycling caps when they ride the trainer, and while a classic cotton cap may look nice, it's not overly functional. On the other hand, Castelli's AC cap is made from a lightweight mesh that is ideal for riders whose heads are of the Q-ball variety. The lightweight open mesh breaths well but also wicks sweat off your head and adds some evaporative cooling, too. 

The peak isn't doing much to protect your eyes from wind, sun, or rain on the turbo trainer when in the riding position, it guides the sweat so that it drips off the end of the peak rather than off your eyebrows and into your eyes

A towel is a necessity for any trainer ride, and while you can use any old towel from the linen closet, we like microfibre towels. Not only do they dry faster than double-struck lighting, but they are also amazingly absorbent and can contend with even the sweatiest turbo session without being overcome.

Over the years, both on the trainer and camping, we've used all manner of camping towels, ranging from the various outdoor brands to the '5 packs' you can buy on Amazon, and as far as we can tell, they are all basically the same. Some even come in multipacks with a range of sizes; you can drape one over your bars and one around your neck, tie another around your head, and still have a few spares.

How to choose