The best cycling shoes for your personal cycling needs

Bike fitting and the 3 points of contact

Fundamentally we are all different. We think differently, behave differently, and our bodies are different – as is how we use our bodies when cycling. Ultimately, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to cycling, and buying an off-the-shelf bike, or a pair of cycling shoes online, without accurately knowing your own individual needs – well, it simply won’t work. And, at some point in the future, your body will tell you that you’ve got things wrong – through pain and discomfort when cycling. Ordering cycling shoes – or indeed a bike – as a last resort, and without accurately knowing your true size, foot length, width and volume, is simply not going to lead to comfort. You need to have your feet properly measured and to feel the shoe on the foot, to know that it fits the form and shape of your own feet, and that it will ride well for you – and the same goes a bike.

Here at Lake, we work alongside specially trained bike fitters and shoe fitters around the world, to ensure that cyclists get the best opportunity to buy the correct cycling shoe for their own individual needs. Ultimately you see, there are 3 key points of contact between the cyclist and the bike, and the feet are the first one to get right. From here, a trained bike fitter will work through how your body operates during each pedal stroke and fit the rest of the bike according to the data identified.

Finding your feet in cycling

We recently attended a conference held in the U.K., where bike fitters came together from around the world, sharing and discussing information and findings to improve the delivery of bike fitting. It’s always good to support such initiatives – especially when it has a positive impact on cyclists’ foot health.

Fundamentally, a bike fit looks at optimising the 3 primary points of contact between rider and bike: the feet and pedals; the pelvis and your seat; and finally, the handlebars and how this affects your positioning and comfort elsewhere. If they can make you comfortable, that’s the first step towards maximising performance. Once you feel comfortable, you are better able to increase power and efficiency while reducing the risk of injury. The shoulders, back, pelvis, knees and feet can all suffer unnecessarily through ill-fitting cycling shoes and an ill-fitting bike.

Getting the feet properly measured, fitted with the correct cycling shoes and then aligned on the bike is critical to maximising comfort. Ultimately, your feet provide the foundation for that all-important power transfer. We’ve talked recently about cleat positioning in detail; highlighting that your cleats should be angled to allow a natural, comfortable foot position, preventing twisting or tension in the knees and hips. And, alongside this, a stiff-soled and well-fitted cycling shoe will hold the foot stable and help to distribute pressure across the footas you constantly go through the pedalling motion.

Having the feet comfortable and now operating with your own natural and uninterrupted pedal action, will also ensure less pain and discomfort higher up the body. To help you to achieve this, Lake have created several different shoe lasts, all with unique variances, so that our varied tapestry of cycling shoes gives you the best opportunity to fit your own fit and comfort.

Aligning yourself to cycling comfort

The saddle and handlebars

The remaining 2 points of contact are no less important – and are covered in more detailed blogs on our website. The saddle is the most common area for pain and discomfort and is often a result of incorrect height or positioning too. How many cyclists know their own saddle hight, or the fore and aft positioning. The tilt of the saddle should be level to prevent sliding forward, and the width of the saddle should relate to the positioning of your sit bones and not place undue pressure on soft tissue and nerve areas.

Handlebars are often a last-minute thought, as people buy off-the-shelf bikes, only to realise that the handlebars are the incorrect width. The width should in basic terms, match the width of your shoulders. The height should be chosen for comfort, not just aerodynamics. A common starting point is having the bars 1–2 inches below the saddle for road bikes, or even lower for racing. In terms of the reach, the distance to the bars should allow for a slight bend in the elbows to act as natural suspension. A simple check is to place your elbow on the tip of the saddle; your fingertip should just touch the edge of the stem. However, for true accuracy, we’d always recommend a bike fitting session by a professionally trained expert.

Your feet are the foundation for comfort

Lake have been designing and innovating our cycling shoes for over 40 years, working with the leading bike fitting experts in the world. We continue to focus on fit and comfort, knowing that this is the true foundation for performance and enjoyment on the bike. Whatever level of cyclist you are, and whatever style of cycling you undertake, there’s a pair of Lake cycling shoes that will fit you and wrap your own unique feet in that perfect balance between comfort, performance and style – in that order.

Isn’t it time that you looked at our latest cycling shoe range, including our all-new Lake CX400 and our new CX178, and ride into the future with Lake on your side – and on your feet.