Lake

MX238 Wide Gravel Cycling Shoe - Men's

Changing from SWorks Recon to Lake MX238

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

43.5

Height:

6' 1"

Weight:

175

My bike fitter recommended I get a wide shoe and size down. So I lose my beloved SWorks and start the hunt for a new shoe. I've worn Sworks for as long as I can remember. I always wore a size larger than I needed to accommodate my flat feet. Lake has a fantastic foot sizing instructions on their website. Go there first. Measure, measure again, and measure again. Review the matrix. The quality of the shoe appears fantastic. They also look fantastic. They fit like a casual shoe. It's amazing. So why the three stars? First, these shoes are heavy. My oh my are they heavy. Why are they so heavy? Almost 200 grams more than my Sworks and my Sworks are size 45 (Lakes are 43.5). The gravel series are the lightest version of the MX238. I do A LOT of racing, so adding 200 grams and a tough pill to swallow. I doubt it's really going to impact anything, but my fellow racers understand the mental block on adding weight. Second, these shoes run hot. Your feet will sweat. The Sworks are basically mesh. So much ventilation. I asked on Reddit about using these in the summer and few people said they don't use these shoes in the summer because they run hot. Thus far I've only done 1000 miles on Zwift, but even inside with a fan blowing directly on my feet, they get hot. These are two big negatives for me, but the big positive is that I have yet to experience numb toes. Healthy feet make a faster rider. This summer will be the big test on the ventilation. The sale price makes it easier to gamble on these shoes.

Lake shoes rock!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I own road and gravel versions of these. Fit my wide feet better than any shoes I’ve ever owned

Bad tread design

I like the way Lake shoes fit my feet. These are no different, but the tread pattern is horribly laid out. I had to trim the rubber so my SPD pedals could engage. Pretty absurd that they don’t accept one of the most common formats.

Meh. Way underwhelming for cost

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

I had been eyeing these for so long. The suede exterior is awesome. That’s about where the good stops. The heel is so loose. The insoles are awful. The cutout the cleat bolts line up in is angled very weird (a straight mounted cleat would mean your toe is pointed outward at an extreme angle). Also the cleat mounting is pretty far forward, I heard being able to mount the cleat further back was an advantage to these shoes but they are way more forward than my specialized. The boa’s create a good hot spot. The overall shape and fit of the shoe is just a bit awkward also. I would return them if I hadn’t already mounted cleats