Lake CX401

Lake's CX401 race shoes are expensive, there’s no two ways about that, but they might just be the most comfortable you ever buy thanks to their custom fit.

When we say ‘custom fit’, we’re not talking about moulding the insole or even heating the upper with a hair dryer, as you can with shoes from some other manufacturers. No, it’s the carbon fibre sole that’s shaped to your foot – or, more precisely, the section of the sole that wraps around the sides of the shoe to form the heelbox.

The dealer will do this for you when you buy a pair of CX401s. They put the shoe in an 80°C oven for a few minutes until the carbon fibre becomes malleable. Then you dap your foot inside – don’t worry, it’s not uncomfortably hot – and they form the carbon around your heel. They can adjust things considerably so that the shoe holds your foot securely and, if necessary, the process can be repeated as many times as you like.

The uppers are made mostly from kangaroo leather which Lake reckon is the lightest, strongest and most durable leather out there. It might be – who knows? It certainly scores highly on all those counts. It’s extremely soft and supple too, and is lined with an Outlast fabric that helps shift sweat and keep your feet comfortable. There’s a fair bit of mesh on the toebox to let air in and several vents in the sole too.

Closure is handled by a Boa system over the padded tongue. You know all about Boa? Several manufacturers, including Specialized and Scott, use Boa laces on their high-end shoes, and Lake use them on a lot of their models. Essentially, it comprises a mega-strong line that’s tightened by a dial-driven ratchet.

What are the advantages? It’s light, it tightens evenly all the way up your foot, and it’s easy to adjust on the fly. We’re big fans. The only potential problem is that you can’t separately control the tightness at different areas of the closure.

Huh? Say you found the Lakes a little loose down at the bottom of the closure; you couldn’t tighten that bit without tightening the top section too. Well, that’s not completely true. You kind of can – the lace guides allow you to double the loop at a couple of points – but you don’t get as much adjustability for the different sections as you do with, say, a three-strap system. We had no problems on this front, but it’s something to be aware of when you try on any shoes like this.

That little leather tab that reaches across the front of the tongue, by the way, doesn’t help the Boa system with closure; it’s there purely to give Lake a little extra advertising space.

Out on the road, I found these as comfortable as any bike shoes I’ve ever used – and I’ve used a lot of bike shoes. Lake offer them in Euro half sizes (42-48) and in a wide fit as well as the standard version. Along with the custom fitting, this means you’re sure to get shoes that are absolutely right for your feet, and that’s half the battle.

I’ve been wearing the CX410s for short rides, long rides and everything in between and they’ve felt great throughout – no hotspots, no heel slip, no pressure points… no nothing. They’ve kept my feet cool enough however hard I’ve been going, and the soles are really stiff so power transfer through to the pedals is spot on. We’ve really got nothing negative to say about the performance. Weighing in at 644g for the pair (size 46), they’re pretty lightweight too.

You do need to bear in mind, though, that these are race shoes, not everyday shoes. You get a rubbery toe bumper and a tiny, replaceable heel strike pad, but there’s really not much protection for the shiny carbon soles when you walk. The leather panels reach around to the bottom of the outsole up front too. They don’t touch the ground when you have cleats fitted, but they’re not far off. What we’re saying is that you don’t want to be clip-clopping around in these any further than is absolutely necessary… they’re race shoes.

As well as a standard three-hole drilling, the CX410s are available with a Speedplay cleat pattern.

Verdict

Very expensive – but the custom fit means these might be the most comfortable race shoes you every buy