Lake CX 1

The Lake CX 1 shoes are well built and can hold either two- or three-bolt cleats. Their extremely stiff nylon soles give excellent power transfer, and if you're happy fastening your shoes with laces rather than more exotic closures, these are a solid choice – in every sense of the word. Only people with very narrow feet are likely to find they don't fit; people with wide feet might just find shoe Nirvana here.

• Pros: Extremely stiff nylon sole; compatible with 2- or 3-bolt cleats
• Cons: Laces aren't adjustable on the fly

The CX 1s sit somewhere near the bottom of Lake's road shoe range, which stretches all the way up to much more expensive models like the CX 402 and down to cheaper variations like the CX 161. 

The really striking thing with these shoes is the soles. Each is a substantial smooth black plate cleanly bonded to the leather. In the hands, the soles feel incredibly solid; bending and twisting a shoe produces no flex at all in any direction. The nylon slab feels utterly and reassuringly sturdy.

Performance

The first thing you'll notice about these shoes, though, is that they need lacing up – something I haven't done with a cycling shoe for years. But, as I was reminded the first time I pulled them on, shoelaces are really the original micro-adjusting closure system. As runners will tell you, it's perfectly possible to adjust laces to relieve pressure on one part of the foot while ensuring a firm grip on another part.

Once I got over the novelty of going back to laces, I found that I could get these shoes to grip my foot just fine. Of course, there's no reaching down to make small adjustments to the shoes' tightness on the move, as you can with, say, Boa fasteners. You're going to need to dismount if you want to tighten or loosen the shoe (perhaps as your foot expands in the heat).

While laces might take a few seconds longer to fasten and release compared to more modern systems, you'll soon make that time back on the bike. Because when I started to ride with these shoes I was immediately impressed with their pedalling performance. With those hefty nylon plates under my feet, it felt as though every single Watt I produced was getting through to the pedals. There was simply no hint of flexing, just a steady feeling of assured power.

Body & sole

With holes for mounting either three-bolt or two-bolt cleats, the shoes are suitable for a wide range of pedals. Under the toes and heels there are raised ridges of hard textured plastic for grip when walking. Although I didn't experience any problems with slipping while I wore these, I'm not sure how much use the grip under the toes will be in practice. Its positioning relative to the cleats means it will always be the cleats that make contact with the ground at the front of the shoe when you walk, rather than the gripper.

I used the shoes with Shimano SPD-SL road cleats, but even SPD cleats, which on most shoes are recessed into the sole, would stand proud of the toe-gripper on these shoes. As such, a little care might be needed on smooth surfaces.

The quality of construction seems high, and the stitching is neat and looks strong. No problems with their build emerged during the time I was riding in them. Perhaps thanks to the unyielding sole and the hefty leather uppers, the shoes aren't the lightest. A single shoe, without its cleat, came out at 383g on my kitchen scales. But on the other hand, I never noticed this weight when riding thanks to the excellent performance provided by that solid sole.

Uppers

With uppers of white and coloured leather, the shoes have a stylish, classic look.

The small holes across the sides are intended for ventilation but, as I established by trying to blow and suck air through them (before getting them dirty!), they don't actually provide all that much movement thanks to the holes' tiny diameter and the fabric liner that sits behind them. Overall, the interior of the shoe feels relatively sealed-in. While that made the shoes ideal in single-digit autumn/winter temperatures, I suspect they could get slightly clammy in summer.

Fit

Lake describes these shoes as being constructed on its CX/TX Competition Last. In Lake's words, 'with a profile specifically designed for very high-cadence riding & higher pressure, our Competition last features a more curved profile than the Sport last. The main differences include increased toe pitch & heel lift, a tighter heel & a slightly wider ball girth to allow the foot to expand under high pedalling pressures.'

What this meant for me was that my ridiculously wide feet were comfortable in these shoes right from the start. With wide feet, I often have to buy shoes one size too large and thereafter put up with my feet slipping forwards and backwards. With the Lake Competition fitting, the additional width meant I didn't feel my feet were being squashed, even in my regular size. 

All told, the Lake CX 1s should work for everybody except those with particularly narrow feet. If you do have really narrow feet... well, it's not like there aren't plenty of gorgeous Italian shoes that fit you and not the rest of us.

The heel cup, which feels rigid in the hands, grips the back of the foot well and I never felt my heel moving up and down when riding or walking. Not visible from the outside, the toes and the widest part of the forefoot are similarly surrounded by firm internal walls, which means you'll be protected should you accidentally kick a rock or table leg when walking around.

Lace appealing

You might get on with laces, or you might not.

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Personally, I'd be tempted to pay the extra to get Lake soles with a different fastener (and lighter weight) in the CX 301 model which has a carbon version of this sole. But that does bump the price up to £239, and you might well decide that saving £70 makes laces suddenly look more appealing.

Or, for a similar price to these CX 1s, you might instead consider Shimano's RC7 shoes – although these lack the ability to use two-bolt cleats, and don't have the effective reflective strip on the back like the Lakes do. The Giro Trans are another one to consider, and are slightly cheaper than the Lakes.

Conclusion

These are well-constructed shoes with an excellent sole, and compatible with most cleat systems out there. With soles this good, the only question you need to ask yourself is how you feel about the look of the uppers and the use of laces. If you like these two choices, then the Lake CX 1 shoes are a great choice for fast riding, sportives, touring, day rides or commutes – especially if your feet are on the wider side. Tourists in particular might like the way a lace can easily be replaced in the field in a way that other fasteners cannot.

• As a buying note, we're told by Lake distributor Moore Large that the carbon soled version is not a UK stock line at the moment, though some stores will have stock from the end of February. They can also be specially ordered by dealers if you'd prefer to buy locally than online; this would take a couple of weeks. To find your nearest dealer, email: sales [at] moorelarge.co.uk.

Verdict

Well-built shoes with excellent, stiff soles; the main question is whether you're happy with laces