Questions on Lake shoes

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DeLuz
Posts: 405
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:30 am

by DeLuz

I have been using S-Works shoes for some years, but recently got some new 2015 shoes and the toe box is killing my toes.
It seems that the older model (2011?) I fit in a 42.5 but the 2015 my toes were touching the end so I sold them and bought a 43 but now the toe box is just too small and still smashing my toes. I read that Lake shoes have a roomier toe box. I am looking at the CX237 and CX331 (CX402 is too expensive).
The CX331 seems to have advantage of heat moldable heel and better leather, but CX237 has dual BOA system vs single.
I am wondering if the CX331 is being discontinued since it has the single BOA and I don't see many of them left for sale.
I don't really care if it has one or two BOAs as long as there is a good snug fit. It also seems Lake runs small and that I might need a 43.5
I am going to pick up some Bontrager RLs today that the store ordered (43.5) today. if they don't work out I might want to give Lake a try.
Bontrager has a 30 day return policy, unlike Specialized which really sucks when it comes to returns, you can't.
Thanks for any feedback on these shoes.

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Bogan
Posts: 301
Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:47 pm
Location: Boganville, Australia

by Bogan

I have a pair of CX331s, really good comfortable shoe with room in the toebox. Like you I had some S-Works and found the toe area cramped. I sold them. I also have Mavic Cosmic Ultimates, but I prefer the Lakes. Very comfortable. And I have never bothered moulding them.
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mogwaiboi
Posts: 211
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:09 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

by mogwaiboi

I have the wide CX237 and also the wide version of Shimano R321. I have quite a wide foot and I actually find the Shimano shoes more comfortable overall. I have never had any issues with either hurting my feet. The CX237's may be almost too wide for my feet. If you look inside the Lake's they are a basic shoe, the inner sole is absolute rubbish (if you have custom insoles it's obviously not an issue), where as the Shimano have the custom mold sole and shoe. I have my eye on the black Shimano RP9 now as well (damn shoe fetish of mine). Unless you must have BOA I would check out the wide Shimano as well.
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DeLuz
Posts: 405
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:30 am

by DeLuz

Thanks for the feedback.
I don't have wide feet, normal width.
Its just my toes are maybe big or sensitive to pressure.
I did try on Shimano SH-R171, nice shoe but overall its too wide for me.
I am hoping the Bontragers will work for me, the toe box did feel good.

Zigmeister
Posts: 938
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 8:09 pm

by Zigmeister

I also have CX 331 currently. I don't think they run small. I believe I'm still wearing a 44, and my Specialized were 44 as well if I recall.

Anyway, I needed more toe room box area myself. I don't have a wide foot at the arch etc...but my outside toes are more straight wider, hence the "toe box" talk.

I purchased the Wide version of the shoe anyway, hoping to get a wider toe box. It is slightly. There is some slight extra width, and tighten up the shoe has taken most out, but it isn't like wearing socks any of these shoes, or good running shoes. I'm not sure why cycling shoes, at $400+ often, are so terribly uncomfortable in general. So what, some carbon fiber??

So the wide version, although slightly too wide at the arch portion, did help at the toe box section.

With that said, I still had to put my shoe stretcher in the 331/toe box area get it slightly wider/roomier to relive pressure on my 3rd/4th toes, especially my 4th toe, that is the problem for me.

I did put it in the oven to get the molded heel how I wanted it. That worked well, but you have to sit/hold it with your fingers and let it cool, which could take several minutes...so keep that in mind. Have some gloves that can handle some heat while doing that on your fingers, towel. But after, they def help hold my heel in the shoe, actually allowing a slightly looser setting often on the single boa to give my feet some slight movement/room and not worry about my heel ever lifting up. It does a great job of that.

I would really like to get a pair of Bont personally. They have a toe box that appears more like what you really want/need, at least for me. The Lake was on sale, and they had a wide version, so I went with it.

Also, I run a custom pair of inserts made of hard foam that were molded for my feel, and they were shaped to fit the inside of the shoe as well. Something else to consider if you have custom inserts, they will need tweaking/modding likely, or they might not fit properly at all, too small, meaning, now your inserts are ruined/don't fit the wider toe box/shoe etc. I got lucky, when I switched shoes, I had my custom sole guy look at it, and he needed to shave some of it off to fit properly up around the toe.

Good luck...only real way to know is to try them on someplace if possible, otherwise, buy them, try them for awhile and see how it goes.

I will say this, they are better than my Specialized comp model I had a few years ago for the width/toe box, but they still don't feel as good as I think they should for the nearly $400 I paid for them...kangeroo skin or not...

11.4
Posts: 1095
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 4:33 am

by 11.4

I've had several Lakes including the 402 and also some D2's (from the same design team). A few comments:

1. Shoe width and toe box height are two completely different things. Many shoes avoid high toe box height for a variety of reasons, starting with style. They also surprisingly don't understand how the forefoot moves during the course of a pedal revolution, or they would include more toe box height.
2. When shaping a Lake, it isn't just about managing width but about moving the extra width up into the volume of the upper. You can probably improve your Lakes quite a bit if you make another try at heating and rather than just fitting the sole tight, shape it to loosen up more upper fabric for the toe box height. You can buy perhaps an extra quarter inch of upper that way, which is a lot.
3. If you are having issues with Lakes, I wouldn't look at Bonts. You might try Fizik; their R1 is a remarkable shoe that starts with a high toe box and is otherwise made to the top-of-the-line Lake quality standard. In my experience Specialized S-works shoes have some of the lowest toe box heights while Lake and Fizik do much better. Shimano R321's are better than in prior versions insofar as high box height is concerned, but I find that the materials over the toes is pretty rigid and when you do contact it, it feels as bad as having a lower but more supple box height.

the jackel
Posts: 129
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:44 pm
Location: London

by the jackel

I have gone from s works to lake cx237 in the past few weeks. I got the lake shoes for a a bargain so thought why not. I take a 44 in Specialized and they fit snug. Without doubt my Lakes, also 44, are much roomier. So much so I wonder if I have some how ended up with the wide version although there are no markings suggesting so. They seem to be on a different level when it comes to stiffness, much firmer under foot. I have to say that I find the dual boa closure to be a good thing and wouldn't want to be without them

DeLuz
Posts: 405
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:30 am

by DeLuz

I picked up the Bontrager RL shoes Friday and went for a hilly 40 mile ride on the tandem with my wife yesterday.
I had to size up from 43 in Specialized to 43.5 (10.5) in Bontrager so they run a little small.
The shoes have plus and minus:

The good:

There is a lot room in the toe box, I never felt any pressure on my toes.

The sole is slightly wider and felt more solid and stable than Specialized especially when standing.

They have a 30 day return guarantee.

The not so good:

Coming from the dual BOAs on S-Works, didn't care for the ratchet and velcro straps. The ratchet puts a lot of pressure around the ankle and the velcro straps don't do much so your foot is mainly held from the ankle. But its possible that keeps my toes from moving forward into the front of the shoe.

The shoe has too much volume over all and found it difficult to get a snug fit in the mid foot.

The upper materials while they look ok and easy to clean are very stiff. On the front of the shoe where it touched my front tire which is unavoidable, the surface of the material rubbed off very easily.

Overall I like these shoes, but thinking about trying the XXX model which has the BOAs and nicer material. They are $400 bit would be worth it if they have the same toe clearance and the BOAs work well to get a snug fit. I think the last works better for me than Specialized.

FactoryMatt
Posts: 1014
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:35 am

by FactoryMatt

lakes are wonderful. they run a bit big. im a 44.5-45 in sidi and a 44 in lake.

i have cx 402 speedplay
mx 237
mx 331 cross

any specific questions?

gtinut
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 4:04 pm

by gtinut

237 and 331 are not the same.
331 has a race last while 237 has wider toe box.
237 in 44.5 wide fits perfectly after finding 45 being too big. 331 in 45 wide fits me fine but toe box is narrower.
For those with narrow feet there should not be any issues.

by Weenie


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DeLuz
Posts: 405
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:30 am

by DeLuz

I went on a marathon shoe hunt yesterday visiting three shops:

First I went to a Trek Store to try the Bontrager XXX. The problem is the the sole was totally different than the RL shoes I bought last week and like the shape of that sole. the XXX sole is a little narrower and comes up on the side to form an arch which is too high for my flat feet.

Second shop had Lake, Sidi and Vittoria.
The lake CX237 seemed well made and BOAs function well but other than the roomy toe box the fit was totally wrong for my feet.
It felt like I was standing on lump between my heel and arch and the heel was very loose.

I tried Vittoria Ikon and Hora. Made in Italy very stylish almost in a over the top way also very expensive at $500 for the Ikon.
But both shoes suffered from a really loose fitting upper and really flat sole which didn't feel right against my foot. The toe of the Ikon would get pushed down when tightening the BOA which seems like a design flaw.

I tried several Sidi's which I have not had much luck with in the past. The Wire's were the best by far with the forefoot feeling better than other Sidi's but had some pressure around the heel area with narrow fit. The wire system is very good, much nicer than BOAs IMO. They were very expensive at the store being $500 but I know I could get them much cheaper elsewhere. I left feeling that this shoe might work for me but could also be a problem.

The last store was another Trek store because I wanted to try Bontrager RXL which is the higher end version of the RLs I currently have. The RXL had several advantages. The ratchet comes over the top of the foot using a separate pad (similar to Sidi) instead of a single strap wrapping around the ankle with the RL which I don't like. The upper of the RL is very loose fitting and the velcro straps don't help much. The RXL upper fits a little snugger and the material is a little more supple with more of a matte finish to it. The RXL heel cup is much beefier and has a metal support that can be used to adjust the fit. Finally the RXL has a stiffer carbon sole and heat mold-able arch supports. The RXL cost $100 more than the RL at $280 plus tax, but I found last years model which is virtually the same on e-bay for $120 so I bought those.

I wanted to try on the newest S-Works shoes since they are supposed to have a larger toe box but have not done so yet and they cost $400.
I did try some on a few months ago but don't remember how the toe box felt but didn't like how high the shoe is around the ankles.
S-Works shoes have worked well for me in the past but the 2015 model was a disaster for me with my toes getting smashed.

I am hopeful the RXL shoes will work out, if not I will consider the Sidi Wires and new S-Works shoes.

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