Peloton bike comes with already built-in delta clips that require use for road cycling shoes with cleats. This allows for better performance and foot stability.
Another option is to use a peloton without cycling shoes, but this requires different pedals.
In general, you can use a peloton bike without shoes, as long as you attach toe cages that allow you to slide your regular shoes. Peloton toe clips can be attached to your delta pedals. Alternatively, you can remove the peloton pedals and using the 3mm allen range assemble a new toe cage pedal.
There are multiple reasons why you should consider adding toe cages to your bike, especially if more than one person is using the bike.
Are Peloton shoes necessary?
In general, peloton shoes aren’t necessary because you can use regular running shoes, as long as you attach toe clips, or you change the pedals that have straps.
However, when the peloton is delivered it comes with the delta clips only for road cycling shoes.
In a nutshell.
- A delta cleat is a connection between the road bike shoes and the pedal.
- With a peloton (see picture above), this is the red attachment that comes together with the shoe.
- It is assembled with 3 screws on the ball of your foot and allows you to clip into the delta pedal.
The delta cleat is also present on the bottom of the peloton toe clip.
On the top, you see a cage with a stop to buckle up your shoe and make it tighter. It clips into the pedal just like a cycling shoe.
You can wear sneakers on the Peloton bike
You can wear sneakers on the bike only when you adjust the pedals and add peloton toe cages.
Without adding the additional toe clip with a delta cleat, you can only use a peloton bike with cycling shoes.
What are Peloton toe clips?
Peloton toe clips are one of the bike accessories. Toe clips allow you to slide your foot in the buckled cages, without the need of using road cycling shoes.
This way anyone can use the bike, even with just regular sneakers or tennis shoes.
Benefits
That is really handy for a few reasons.
- If you have a big family and not everyone wants to get cycling shoes
- If you have visitors that you want to give access to your peloton
- If seniors or people with restricted mobility are using the bike
In general, peloton does have toe clips (cages and straps) available on their website in the accessories tab.
The toe clips have a built-in delta cleat which is easy to assemble because you clip them in just like you would your road cycle shoe.
Peloton bike doesn’t come with toe clips
As a whole, the peloton bike doesn’t come with toe clips. You can, however, order a pair from their website, Amazon, or any online cycling store.
When you look for toe clips, you need to make sure they are compatible with delta cleats.
Peloton toe cages vs cleats
In a nutshell.
- The difference between peloton toe cages and delta cleats is that peloton cages help to make the bike more functional for people who use the bike on occasion.
- It is also good for people who don’t feel confident using road cycling shoes. The delta cleats only allow you to use the bike with road bike shoes.
Of course, there are lots of benefits of using the delta pedals together with road cycling shoes.
- It allows you to generate more power and transition energy to the bike.
- This means you have more control and not only you can push the pedals down, but also pull it up on the stroke.
This engages more muscle groups and provides you with a better workout. However, you still can mimic those benefits using the peloton toe clips.
Peloton with or without shoes
Here are some of the pros and cons of using peloton cages vs cleats.
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Peloton with shoes | Engage more muscle groups Adds more power to the stroke Helps to make the harder work easier | Can be complicated to clip in and out of the pedal Needs specific cycling shoes Cannot be used by friends or family who don’t have the right shoe |
| Peloton without shoes | Easy to use You can use any shoes you want Good for seniors and people who have mobility problems Good for guests who want to use the bike | Lower power transfer Doesn’t allow to pull during the upstroke Requires additional toe clip attachment |
As you can see, there are pros and cons to using both cleats and toe cages.
Also, I know many peloton owners that told me their peloton shoes feel small, so getting a toe cage was a quick and easy fix.
At the end of the day, I would recommend taking a closer look at what is your goal and who else will be using the bike.
For example, if you have a little home gym that many people use, adding the toe clip can be very beneficial because it can be used by anyone.
It doesn’t require dissecting the entire bike. It’s just a matter of 2 minutes set up.
How to attach Peloton toe clips to the bike?
When you get peloton toe clips, they come with already assembled delta cleats. All you need to do is to attach them to the pedals.
Here is the step-by-step guide on how to install peloton toe clips.
- Wrap the strap around the toe clip.
- Make sure that the buckle faces down.
- Put your feet into the cages, and pull on the strap to tighten them up.
- Get on the bike and clip them in just as you would with cycling shoes.
- You can adjust the screw to make it firmer.
Here is the video tutorial.
How to remove Peloton toe cages?
To remove peloton toe cages you can unclip the whole attachment by twisting your foot to the side, just like you would with the shoe.
Alternatively, you can unbuckle the strap, take your foot out of the cage and keep the attachment on the pedal.
How to tighten Peloton toe cages?
- Place your foot in the toe cage.
- Wrap the strap around the cage through the plastic holes.
- Pinch the metal buckle and slide in the black strap.
- Pull the strap to tighten the cage.
Make sure that when you lace the strap around the cage, the silver buckle is facing outside.
What toe cages are compatible with Peloton?
Several toe cages are compatible with the Peloton bike and bike plus. As long as the cage has the delta cleat system on, it will work for the peloton.
Peloton offers toe clips which come with the price of $40 for a pair.
If you’re wondering where to buy peloton toe cages, at the moment there are over 20 different companies on Amazon that manufacture toe clips, and are price range of $40 – $50 a pair.
Can you get regular pedals for Peloton?
In general, you can get regular pedals for the peloton.
The bike comes with the delta pedals, however, you can always detach them and screw your favorite pedals that are suitable for your shoes.
Some pedals have a mix of features and can accommodate delta cleats, SPD cleats, and regular shoes.
Peloton pedals allow only to attach one type of cleats.
However, if you look around on the market, you can actually get a universal pedal that has all three features.
- Delta clip (SPD SL)
- SPD clip
- Toe Cage
Those types of pedals are extremely handy because they save you a lot of problems.
Not only you can plug in any cycling shoes you want (both MTB shoes and road bike shoes) but also you can use any regular “non-peloton” shoes.
What are SPD cleats? SPD cleats, just like the delta cleats, are the connection between the shoe and the pedal. SPD cleats are smaller and usually used for mountain bikes. Because they’re small, they can fit into the shoes that allow for walking and hiking.
You can use Peloton shoes on a road bike
As much as peloton and road bike are completely different, the shoes do fit into both, as long as you have delta cleats (also called SPD SL).
- They have a triangular shape and a wider surface area than SPD clips.
- A larger attachment surface results in more stability when pedaling and better power output.
In the picture below you can see two types of cleats.
- On your left side is the SPD cleat.
- On the right side is the Delta cleat.
As you can see, the shoe plastic sole also has an option for both of the cleats.
Can Peloton shoes use SPD clips?
No.
Peloton shoes cannot use SPD clips because the shoe has only 3 bolts to attach to the cleat. The 3 bolt system can be only used by the delta attachment.
Several cycling shoes have options for both SPD cleats and delta cleats.
If you go to the regular indoor cycling class and you see people with their spin shoes, those shoes are most likely to have SPD blocks.
This means you cannot wear your peloton shoes to spinning class because they won’t be able to clip into the bikes.
Peloton pedals with toe cages
Instead of getting just an attachment of toe cages, you can try to use the peloton pedals with toe cages that allow you to fit all types of shoes and cleat systems.
This is a great option for people who want to use other cycling shoes on the peloton.
This is a great option for:
- People who have different bike shoes.
- People who want to use their off-road shoes on the peloton.
- People who want to have a toe cage available for others.
- People who use peloton with plantar fasciitis or other foot-related problems.
How to change pedals in Peloton
If you decided to change and install the whole pedals in your peloton here is the handy tutorial that explains exactly how to do it and what type of tools you need.
Peloton without bike shoes
Using the peloton without bike shoes is convenient, especially if you don’t like the feeling of being clipped into the bike or you simply used to use toe cages from the gym spin classes.
However, in the long term, if you’re planning to do a lot of rides on your bike I would recommend considering getting road cycling shoes.
The only reason is they will allow you to get much better results.
So, should I get Peloton shoes?
In general, you should get peloton shoes because they help you to do the harder work easier.
Being attached to the bike helps to generate more power, transfer more output to the pedals, and give your foot better stability.
Even if you don’t want to get the branded shoes from the peloton, I strongly recommend using any cycling shoes. There are several peloton compatible shoes available online.
What if my peloton shoes don’t fit?
In case your peloton shoes don’t fit, you have 2 weeks of return policy that peloton offers. This way you can try and see which shoes are right for you and if necessary, send them back.
Conclusion
- Using a peloton without cycling shoes requires adjustments in the pedals or getting a toe clip attachment.
- The attachment looks like a regular toe cage that you see in the spinning bikes.
- It allows you to slide in your foot, regardless of the shoes you’re wearing.
- The setup is relatively easy. All you need is a 3mm allen range to slightly loosen up the screw that holds the pressure on the delta cleat.
- If the screw is tight, it won’t allow for the cage to snap out of the pedal.
- On the other hand, if you leave the screw loose, it can easily detach from the pedal, especially during hard cycling class.