lake shoe sizing vs. s-works

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sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

after a few years with my favourite shoe being the s-works, my old ones finally were retired and replaced with the current (2013?) model

but i just don't like the fit as much, length is ok, width is ok at the widest part of my foot, but when it gets to the toe box they have far too much volume, using the velcro strap to get the fit similar to the older model creates a huge crease in the shoe

now i'm thinking of switching to the lake cx402 (like the style and i'm attracted by the speedplay sole option)

old s-works size label: eu 46 / us 13
new s-works size label: eu 46 / us 12.35

in both cases i found 45 too small and shops did not have half sizes to try, with 46 doing the 'pinch test' there's a few mm space at the tip of big toe, maybe 45.5 would be ok but probably not much in it

btw i use esoles e-fit with the highest arch support fitted, but these add no bulk at the forefoot vs. the normal insoles

sidi winter shoes 46, a bit snugger than the s-works, wouldn't want them any smaller

non-cycling, my old comfy converse all stars us 11, other shoes uk 10 / us 11

i looked at lake's website and according to the instructions for measuring foot size i'm about 285mm longest, 105mm widest, the size chart says eu 45 / us 11 probably regular fit

i've never tried lake shoes before and have no idea on the fit vs. s-works, if i plump for the lakes i'll be buying online from germany so really want to get it right, it looks like regular width will be ok, but the question is do i go with 45? 45.5? 46?

if you've ridden both, it would be really useful to know how you found sizing

thasle
Posts: 77
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:11 pm
Location: Oslo, Norway

by thasle

I could just fit into the 44.5 2013 S-Works (tried 44.5 and 45.0), but otherwise i use 45.0 in just about every other road cycling shoe. I write for a magazine, and tried a lot of models over the last few years (Giro, Pearl Izumi, Shimano, Northwave, FLR, SIDI, Rapha/Giro, Diadora, Specialized). I ended with Lake 402 (and also 401 a few years back) in 45.0 as well.

Their size chart (Lake) advised me to 45.5 based on the length of my foot, but 45.5 was a bit to big. I know that the last of the 401/402 differs just a little bit from the rest of their range, so that might be the reason for that.

Old and new S-works have different lasts. I guess you could be on slightly smaller 2013 models? 45.5? Buying shoes without trying them is difficult, all feet are different. I heard some riders need to size up a half size changing to Specialized, while I could go down 1/2 size.

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sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

i just got around to replacing my now very battered s-works (previous version, 2013)

went for the lake cx402 (speedplay) regular width, as the vast toe box of the current/previous s-works really spoils them for me and i wanted to try some shoes with speedplay sole

followed lake's sizing instructions, re-checked at different times of day, definitely within their range for 45 - which i do take in some shoes/boots - i decided to buy online from a store that i could also visit if needed

shoes arrived, you guessed it, way too small

gave up and travelled out to the store to swap for larger (sigma sport, great service as usual)

even wearing winter socks the 46 is ok, with a bit of room all round the toe box (lake vs. my esoles made no difference)

i'd say the lakes are a bit smaller than the 2013 s-works, the fit is more like the pre-2013 s-works (whichever was the first model with dual boas, maybe 2010)

just fitted cleats and heat moulded them (i had to leave them in the oven about twice as long as the instructions said), need to have a second go at this i think, but will do a test ride first to get a feel for them

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

went out for a test ride, had my old footbeds in, the right arch felt really high and there seemed to be much less room in the shoe than when i'd tried in the shop (with the old footbed), the cup was also pressing on the side of my foot

took a screwdriver with me, then once i'd warmed up went through a few stop/tweak/start cycles to get the float set exactly the way i like

did about 90 minutes, keeping mental note of what needed adjusting when i had the next go at moulding them

took out insoles, warmed oven, heated shoes, i was just about to put the insoles back in when i noticed there was already a g8 insole in the right - i'd left it in the night before when swapping different ones between shoes to experiment, d'oh

yes, i'd ridden with two insoles in that shoe, the high arch and tighter fit were now explained

put in correct insoles, moulded, they now feel much better, especially on the right :)

sethjs
Posts: 279
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:02 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA

by sethjs

You'll likely get a different answer from everyone. In the newest sworks I'm 43 wide. In the lake 331 I'm also 43 wide. I'd say the specialized feel slightly smaller in the toe box than the lake.

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