I've been testing spin shoes for Fitness Magazine the past 2 years. It's usually around this time of year that I begin to receive boxes of shoes. Then I submit my reviews to them and it comes out in one of the spring issues. I received the shoes I'm supposed to test this week. I can't blog about the actual shoes prior to the issue, but I have to say that I am SO excited about one pair in particular! They are like the most amazing shoes to spin in and I can't wait to wear them more! It's hard because I only want to wear them from now on to my spin classes, but I have to make myself wear the other ones since I want to give an honest review based on my experience with each pair. I'm trying to make myself go to at least 10 spin classes in the next few weeks so I can wear each pair multiple times - talk about motivation to work out!
I gave away the shoes I've received before, because let's be honest, how many pairs of spin shoes does a girl need? I don't even have enough cleats for them all and it's a nuisance to keep switching cleats from one pair to another. I will be doing the same this year! So stay tuned... that is, if you don't mind that I've worn them once or twice during my testing.
So what I really want to do next is to get on their running shoe testing distribution group! I know I know, so very greedy of me. Don't get me wrong, I love getting the newest spin shoes in the market to test out. But I run more than I spin, and running shoes don't last nearly as long as spin shoes for me (I don't do outdoor cycling). So it would be great to get a few extra pairs of running shoes. I hinted that to them this year, but it didn't happen haha. I hope they continue to keep me on their list so that I can maybe switch over next year! But either way, I'm not gonna complain about free shoes! Seriously though, how great is Fitness Magazine that they give their readers opportunities to do this kind of stuff. It always makes my holidays more exciting! When I see a FedEx box from Fitness, it's like receiving a Christmas present and I can't wait to rip the box open! Hehe.
How do you become a shoe tester for Fitness mag?
ReplyDeleteWhat size shoe do you wear? :)
ReplyDeleteAnd how do you know when a pair of spinning shoes has kicked the bucket? I typically just wear my older running shoes to spinning (I don't have cleats).
Wow, super interesting post!! Such a lucky ducky, it sounds so cool & fun to be able to do that! I agree, since I don't spin, I'd love to see running shoe reviews, although I mostly run in my Vibrams or other less built up shoe like that.
ReplyDeleteYes, what size shoe do you wear! I always just spin in my running shoes... unfortunetly there are more important things to put my money towards then spin shoes.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear about these life changing spin shoes. I only hope they aren't $200+. I hate my current shoes - the balls of my feel go numb if we do a lot of standing. My brother told me to get gel inserts but I would love all new shoes. Please post about your reviews when you get a chance. What shoes do you use now?
ReplyDeleteHi guys! I will definitely be writing about each pair once the issue comes out! Right now, I have a pair of Pearl Izumi SPD shoes. I've worn them for almost 2 years now and they are still as good as new. I love them, but I think I might love this one pair I just got more!
ReplyDeleteI normally wear size 6, but I believe they gave me equivalent to size 6.5 or 7 (they are all in European sizes) to allow room for swelling. But I think they would work if you are a size 7 as well.
I have been spinning with tennis shoes too and believe me, the cleats make all the difference in the world! The first time I wore actual spin shoes to class I was amazed at the noticeable difference. My gym has bikes with double sided pedals (Look and SPD), so everyone wears spin shoes. If you don't have any, you have to actually go get those toe strap thingies and try to put them on your pedals. It's too much work for me!
How I became a shoe tester is... I saw an ad online of them wanting people to become shoe testers. So I answered the short list of questions (mostly about where you live, your lifestyle, what type of workouts do you do, etc.), and sent my answers to the email listed. And low and behold, they picked me! It was very exciting. =) I think they do it from time to time because I've seen multiple postings about this so if you keep your eyes peeled maybe another opportunity will come along!
@RunningOnCoffee: I have yet to see a pair of spin shoes hit the bucket... I think if you use them for a couple hours a week, it will take a long long time for them to go. You may have to replace the cleats every year or so, but not the shoes themselves. So they are actually a pretty good investment. But I guess if you do a lot of mountain biking or trail biking or something, they might go faster because of the outdoors elements...
ReplyDeleteThe spinning bikes at my gym have the toe strap built on one side, or you can use the other side of the pedal for cleats. It seems like only the instructor has official spinning shoes. I have thought about getting them before, because from what I understand it will make you use more of your leg muscles when you're pulling your leg back up. The toe straps are annoying because I have size 6 feet as well, and while I try to tighten it so that the ball of my foot is on the edge of the pedal, as the class goes on, my feet slip further into the toe pocket thing (does that make sense?)
ReplyDeleteI don't like toe straps either. The shoes with cleats just make the pedals follow your feet a lot better so you can go faster and smoother. So can you take off the toe straps on your gym's bikes? If you had shoes, would you still have to pedal with the straps on the opposite side? That would be annoying too.
ReplyDelete