What to Wear for Indoor Cycling: Trainer, Zwift and Spin
Indoor rides run hot. What to wear on the trainer, what to leave off, and the setup that keeps you cool through a winter of indoor sessions.
In this post
Riding indoors is hotter than you think. There's no wind to cool you down, so a trainer session can feel like riding up a climb in summer, every time. What you wear makes a real difference to how long you can hold the effort, and how much of a puddle you leave on the floor.
The short answer
Wear your lightest summer kit: thin, breathable jersey, good bib shorts, and nothing else. Then add a fan. Here's why each piece matters.
Bib shorts: still the most important piece
On a trainer you sit still in one position far more than you do outside. There are no corners, no traffic lights and fewer reasons to stand. That means more steady pressure on the same spot, so a good chamois matters even more indoors.
- Wear real bib shorts, not gym shorts. Gym shorts bunch and rub, and you'll feel it in 20 minutes.
- Stand up every 10 minutes for 20 or 30 seconds to take the pressure off.
- Use chamois cream on long sessions. Sweat plus friction is the recipe for saddle sores. Our saddle sore guide has more.
Jersey or no jersey?
Plenty of riders go indoors in just bib shorts, and that's fine. But a light, breathable jersey often keeps you cooler, because it pulls sweat off your skin and spreads it out so it evaporates in the fan's air. Skin alone just drips.
Look for:
- Light fabric. The lower the GSM (grams per square meter), the lighter it is. Around 115 to 140 GSM is ideal indoors.
- Ventilated panels under the arms and on the back.
- A full zip, so you can open it right up when the intervals get hard.
Two good options: the Einstein jersey, built from lightweight 115 GSM Luna fabric with ventilated underarm panels, and the Corbah 23 summer jersey, our most ventilated jersey.
Skip these indoors
- Base layers. Great on cold mornings outside, too warm on a trainer.
- Arm warmers, vests and jackets. You'll be warm within five minutes.
- Cotton anything. It soaks up sweat and stays wet and heavy.
- Your helmet. You don't need it on a fixed trainer. A headband or a cycling cap worn backwards keeps sweat out of your eyes.
The rest of the setup
- A fan is the most important thing you can buy. A strong fan pointed at your chest and face makes a bigger difference than any piece of clothing.
- A towel over the handlebars and stem. Sweat is corrosive and can damage your headset and bolts over a winter.
- Two bottles for anything over an hour. You lose more fluid indoors than you'd expect.
- Open a window or ride in the coolest room you have.
Washing indoor kit
Indoor sessions soak your kit more than most outdoor rides. Wash it after every session, cold and inside out, and hang it to dry. Don't leave it balled up in a bag overnight. Our jersey washing guide has the details.
Make it more fun
Virtual group rides are still group rides. If your club does a weekly session online, pick a theme and turn your cameras on: a funny jersey or a black-tie tuxedo kit makes the hard intervals go by faster. When spring comes, the same kit works outside. See what to wear at every temperature for that.
