Have you tried the new Peloton Bike Bootcamp classes? They are a great cardio + strength + core workout… except, doing them while wobbling on your Peloton bike shoes with those giant cleats doesn’t feel secure. The recommended 60 second recovery to stop and change into different shoes is unnecessary and interrupts your flow. Same thing for rides in a stack with yoga, strength or any other non-cycling activity.
Wouldn’t it be great to just hop off your bike and get right into the strength work without messing with the shoes? You can, with two modifications to your Peloton: new pedals, and bike shoes to match.
THE PEDALS
Peloton pedals are made to hold Peloton shoes. These shoes are commonly used in road/racing bikes – when you see the riders in the Tour de France, these are the shoes and pedals they are using. This system is referred to as the “SPD-SL” or “Look” system. In this system, the shoes have enormous cleats that fit very tightly into the pedal, and are designed to squeeze out every last bit of power with every move these elite riders make.
But not all races are the Tour de France, and not all cleats and pedals are that big and tightly fitted. Mountain bikers often use a system called just “SPD”. (It’s a little confusing; just keep in mind that SPD-SL = racing/Peloton, and SPD = mountain bike). SPD shoes also have cleats that clip into pedals, to maximize leg power. But SPD cleats are lower profile or even recessed into the sole and are a bit more flexible — giving mountain bikers the ability to unclip quickly and walk more naturally on rougher terrain. And this is the same kind of ability we’re looking for in the Bootcamp experience.
To provide this ability in the most versatile way, the first change we are going to make is swap out the Peloton bike’s pedals, with another dual system. Venzo offers a great product that has the Peloton (i.e. SPD-SL) pedal system on one side, and SPD on the other. I have used these pedals extensively and can vouch for the quality. The provided link here will take you to Amazon’s page for the exact right model. These pedals come with cleats included, which can be mounted onto shoes with one of the Allen keys that come with Peloton Bikes. With a dual system pedal, we can use either kind of shoe, whenever we want.
You can use an SPD shoe for bootcamps, and still use the standard Peloton shoes anytime! It’s very easy to install these Venzo pedals. I just used the wrench that came with my Bike+. The only thing to remember when installing them, is that the left pedal spindle on bicycles is always reverse threaded. The easiest way to picture which way to turn is this: for both pedals turning towards the front of the bike is tightening, towards the back of the bike is loosening.
THE SHOES
Because the SPD system is common on mountain bikes, a lot of SPD shoes are designed for walking too! These ones are ideal for the bootcamp experience, as the cleats are fully recessed into the sole of the shoe, and the sole itself is more flexible and natural to step and walk on. Careful, not all SPD shoes have recessed cleats. Make sure to get the right kind. Here are a few great choices:
