Pearson x Lake Over and Over Road Shoes

These Pearson x Lake Over and Over Road Shoes, a collaboration between the two companies, have incredibly stiff soles, a genuine leather upper and twin Boa dials for easy adjustment on the fly. It's an impressive build for the money, though they aren't the lightest out there.

If you are looking for a road shoe with absolutely no give in the sole, though, then the Over and Overs need to be on your shopping list.

> Buy these online here

The 3k carbon fibre Lake sole is incredibly stiff and transfers power through the pedals about as efficiently as you can. The carbon gets thicker towards the centre of the foot, being at its deepest at the cleat-mounting point.

I must say I was surprised by how comfortable I found such a stiff sole, even on long rides. Some shoes can cause hot-spots when they are so stiff, but the shape of the sole here just seemed to suit my feet.

The three-bolt mounting area has a sandpaper-like effect, which stops your cleats from slipping, and there are loads of markings to help with alignment.

To keep your feet cool there are entry and exit vents to allow airflow to pass through, and some chunky toe and heel bumpers to protect the soles and help with grip when walking.

Moving to the uppers, Pearson/Lake have used Helcor leather which the maker says comes from 'split' leather, which is the lower layer of bovine skin after it has been separated from the outer layer.

Helcor-Leder-Tec explains it as having no 'face' to it, but by adding a 0.15mm breathable polyurethane layer it gives it a new finish, as you can see here.

It looks cool in my opinion and is certainly hardwearing. Lake has added a rubber toe cap to protect the front of the shoe, but anywhere else I have caught the shoe has shown no signs of scuffing, and they've always cleaned up with just a wipe with a cloth.

There are more vents on the upper to help with airflow; this ventilation work but it's quite minimal so they aren't as cool as some shoes when the temperature ramps up.

Pearson/Lake describe the shoes as a medium width and I'd go along with that. The size guide says a EUR 45 (as tested) is a UK size 10, which I found to be absolutely spot on.

There was room inside them for my feet to swell in warmer weather, and the toe box offers plenty of wiggle room too, but thanks to the suppleness of the leather and the Boa wire system used for retention, the Over and Overs wrapped around my feet nicely with no pressure points.

The twin Boa dials offer small increments of adjustment in both directions so you can back off the tension while in the saddle as well as tighten it.

I found the heel cup to offer good support and there is the addition of 'shark skin' material on the inside to stop your foot lifting on each pedal stroke.

For shoes costing £265, the quality is as you'd expect, very good indeed, and the finish is neat and tidy throughout.

The only thing the Over and Overs haven't got going for them is their weight. On our scales this pair weighed in at 701g, which is almost 200g more than the £250 Le Col Pro Carbon shoes I tested a little while back.

> 24 of the best performance road cycling shoes – get faster with light, stiff shoes

It's the same story with the Quoc Mono II shoes, weighing 518g for a EUR 44 size. Those cost £270.

To be honest, when you are on your bike, an extra 100g on each foot isn't a major thing, and I wouldn't say that they felt heavier when riding.

They certainly compete well on all other aspects with shoes of similar prices (and you get a free pair of socks with every pair at the moment – whoop!).

Conclusion

They might not appeal to the weight-weenies, but if you want a super-stiff, high quality pair of shoes that offer impressive comfort and durable leather uppers, they're very good.

Verdict

Not the lightest, but one of the stiffest pairs of shoes out there and very comfortable with it