Why We Like The CX201 Cycling Shoe
Lake is all about crafting that perfect shoe for your perfect ride. The brand is known for their cycling shoes, and they're constantly working on new innovative tech to improve on their designs. The CX201 Cycling Shoe, for instance, is one that features a wider toe box and unique construction for lightness and breathability. With a combination of Clarino Microfiber and NuFoam mesh, the shoe's upper is extremely breathable with a generous forefoot platform that accommodates a variety of foot shapes. We like that this shoe maintains a quick-drying lightness for our longer rides.
Details
- Comfort plus last shoe with a unique construction for a comfy feel
- A wider toe box featured for varying foot shapes and sizes
- Lightweight and breathable thanks to a mesh and microfiber upper
- Generous forefoot platform accommodates most feet
- Comfort Plus last, see size chart for fit information
- Item #LKCZ02Y
- Upper Material
- Clarino Microfiber, NuFoam mesh
- Closure
- BOA LI2 lacing system
- Sole
- Lake Comfort Plus Carbon Composite
- Cleat Compatibility
- 3-hole road
- Claimed Weight
- [single, size 42.5] 10.5oz
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 2 years
Reviews
Q&A
Overall Rating
4.5 based on 2 ratings
Review Summary
Fits True To Size
Screen reader users: the following list provides a visual scale to illustrate the product fit. Please refer to the heading above for the fit type in text.What do you think about this product?
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Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageAugust 14, 2021
Perfect For Wide, High Volume Feet
- Familiarity:
- I returned this product before using it
These road shoes are unique, they have a much wider and more rounded toe box, the upper from the bottom of the instep forward is a soft, breathable mesh, and there's no closure of any type across the forefoot. These road shoes are designed for a foot that's both wider and high volume, right through to the heel, which is also wider than in any other road shoe I've tried. I wanted to love these shoes, but although I have a wider forefoot, I don't have a high volume foot, and the heel cup was way too wide, I could easily insert a fingertip on either side of my heel, and heel slip was pronounced. So, didn't work out for me, but Lake should be applauded for making a shoe for those who simply can't fit into the typical narrow euro style shoes, with pointed toes, a narrow toe box, and a super snug heel cup. Anyone who's tired of squeezing their feet into too tight bike shoes should give these a try. Also, Lake has, by far, the most comprehensive sizing guide, and on their website they provide the length and width specs for every one of their shoes, in every size and width. I used their sizing guide, and found their recommendation to be spot-on for sizing. I gave these shoes four stars, I think the heel cup should have been a bit narrower, but if the shoe fits&
May 17, 2021
Comfort Plus Cycling Shoes
- Familiarity:
- I've put it through the wringer
- Size Bought:
- 43.5
For reference Me: 5'7", 146, 68yr old male. Purely recreational, mostly solo rider for 16 years. Instead of chasing PR's, now focused on stability, comfort, and safety first equipment. Starting with my new 2020 Diverge with 38c tires and future shock. Experiencing increasing foot numbness for a while, probably from age induced flattening and spreading of my metatarsals and flat arches that are now allowing the ankle to roll increasingly inward. Feeling the compression from my previous Italian designed shoes, I started my search for a wider fitting shoe. Tried the Sidi Genius Mega, nope, still too much metatarsal compression. Tried the Lake CX238 as it was described as wide fitting, nope, felt just as tight as the Sidi Mega I did a side by side comparison with. Instead of ordering more shoes based on advertising descriptions and review opinions I decided to get serious about the math involved in a correct fit. Sidi, Giro, Specialized, Bontrager, etc, shame on you! None publish the width specs for their shoes. Even called the Gearheads here and other sites hoping they had a secret file of specs proved fruitless. Amazingly, the Lake cycling site is a model for the shoe fitting process. I followed the instructions to trace an outline of my foot with a cycling sock on, measured the length plus 5mm, measured the width, and referred to the sizing chart to see which models would fit. I measured 106mm in width. From the chart there were several models that would fit. Note, the CX238's I returned were 101 in width. There is a fit matrix chart which matches different foot shapes with models accommodating to that shape. This is where I decided the CX201 was the one to try. Width in my 43.5 size is 107mm and the shape is high volume according to the fit matrix chart. There are some really great reviews of the CX201 on Youtube so I won't rehash but will add my observations, relative to my profile, that I did not think they emphasized quite enough. As the reviews show this shoe last is built like a hull for your foot. Your foot fits inside the foot bed instead of hanging over the edges of the foot bed like most conventional designs. After a number of 40 mile rides I am struck most by the stability the full foot bed produces. This "hull" spreads the pedaling force over the entire foot bed. No more sore "spots". My inward ankle roll is corrected and voila I have no knee irritation now with the extra support keeping my foot and knee aligned. The encompassing foot bed makes this shoe unbelievably stable when walking too. The rubber heel and toe protector give some grip. No more skating on vinyl flooring at the convenience store getting my Gatorade refill. The forefoot mesh was very noticeably cooler, I live in FL. The single BOA draws the mid shoe and heel areas tighter without compressing the fore foot at all. You can actually wiggle your toes anytime. I don't feel a pressure point under the Boa either. My right foot is slightly larger than my left, not by a lot but I always size any footwear to my slightly larger right foot. My right foot also suffers from a lingering high ankle sprain, so it likes even less compression. The CX201 really shines in this respect as there is a massive amount of adjustment available in the upper that easily compensates for my slight asymmetry. I was very concerned about heel lift as that aggravates my plantar fasciitis. The feeling at the heel is not as locked in as the Italian shoes but after adjusting the BOA to a comfortable level I got no heel lift and I don't sprint like Peter Sagan so it's no issue. Their sizing (length) was spot on too. If your profile resembles mine, the CX201 offers some solutions to some common cycling footwear problems. More colors choices would be nice.
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