Recognising excellence – with Lake cycling shoes
As the main road and off-road cycling season draws towards a close, with the riders in the pro peloton heading up the steep slopes in the Spanish mountains and getting ready to sprint into Madrid, we’re reminded that cycling isn’t just a performance orientated sport – it’s about inspiration too.
Riders all over the world, look for their own summits and their own routes towards personal victories. Here at Lake, our ambassador, Nol Van Loon, has spent a greater part of August traversing the deserts and barren trails of the Silk Road Race, in unimaginable conditions; being spurred on by his partner and other friends as they watched his dot move across the map, where isolation and the environment were as big a challenge as the epic distances on un-made roads.
Closer to home, Debbie Frenken has taken herself on a 3-country, solo bike-packing trip off-road; riding the gravel trails of the Alps, for no other reason than she can and it seemed like a good idea at the time! Yes, there are many more cycling stories like this; from all of our Lake cycling ambassadors, and from other seemingly ordinary cyclists around this amazing global village. And it’s right that these should be as much an inspiration for us, as the leaders of the Vuelta in Spain.
Don’t get too wrapped up in the pro peloton’s footwear
There is a however when it comes to being inspired by the pro peloton, though. The likes of Wout van Aert and our own Lake pro rider ambassador, Fred Wright, are built differently from each and every one of you – and their feet require a different solution to your own. We’ve written about this before, but it’s always a worthwhile subject to focus on; especially as the cycling season comes towards an end and ordinary cyclists maybe try to find their own performance solutions from simply copying the pro riders.
At a very basic level of understanding, pro riders have grown up spending a lot of time on a bike. You, on the other hand, will have been weight-bearing more; a result of which is that your feet will generally be wider – save of course for any genetic issues. Many other cycling shoe brands design their footwear for a narrow foot, or for a specific foot type that may be common in a particular geographic marketplace.
We’ve all had those moments, when we put on that very stylish looking cycling shoe used by our cycling hero, only to find out that it gives us painful feet and hotspots once we start riding. Each and every one of our own Lake cycling ambassadors – from Olympic and World champion Eleanor Barker to globe-trotting Duncan Covey – have different shaped feet. They will have different arch support requirements, different volume and width requirements, and they will use their pedal action in a different way too – all of which are impact factors when it comes to getting your feet properly measured for the best cycling shoe fit possible – by Lake.
Make a lasting impression – with Lake
When you get a professional bike fit, or an expert shoe fit from one of our retail partners, they have the knowledge, the kit and the equipment to measure every aspect of your feet and to take an impression of your foot too – for custom insoles. All of this data is then used to help them to guide you towards the best fit for you, from our extensive range of cycling shoes. Here at Lake, we use several different cycling shoes ‘lasts’, each of which is slightly different from each other, and which fits and supports different foot types and shapes
The Lake CX239 and MX239
For instance, our best-selling Lake CX239 uses our renowned Competition ‘last’, with a profile specifically designed for very high cadence riding & higher pressure. The Competition ‘last’ features a more curved profile than the Sport last, and a larger toe box and a tighter heel cup than the Comfort Plus ‘last’. It also comes with slightly more overall volume than our Sport Last. It’s an exceptionally secure cycling shoe, while having a slightly wider ball girth to allow the foot to expand under high pedalling pressures.
Ultimately, the Lake CX239 is the evolution of the cycling shoe and comes with an integrated tongue to the medial panel of the upper for a firmer foot hold, ensuring that power is maximized into forward momentum through improved stability. Whilst it doesn’t support every foot type and shape, when it does, it maximises comfort, leading to the ultimate in power and performance.
It has a fiberglass reinforced internal heel counter, creating a more stable heel hold, and has more spacing between the two BOA® dials to give greater zone adjustment to the forefoot area. It takes one of our favourite cycling shoes to a whole new level of comfort, fit and performance, with modern styling as standard.
The Lake CX403
For those performance-orientated riders with the right foot shape and physiology, our Lake CX403 is the ultimate in high performance cycling footwear. It’s one of the most technical and performance orientated cycling shoes in the world, built on our CX/TX Race ‘last’ and featuring a slightly narrower toe box and tighter heel than the Competition ‘last’ and less overall volume than the Sport ‘last’. As you can see, it’s a cycling shoe for racers that we’ve designed for very high cadence riding with a slimmer fit foot.
The CX403 is the pinnacle of performance cycling shoes. Every aspect of this shoe is purposeful, with a goal of offering you, the highest performance and comfort, while also delivering optimal power transfer to the pedals.
Whichever cycling shoe you choose; once you’ve had your feet properly measured and fitted by Lake, one thing that you will share with all of our Lake cycling shoe customers around the world, is the knowledge and comfort – literally - that you’re wearing one of the world’s best cycling shoes.
Be inspired to simply be your own best version
Inspiration comes in many forms and in many shapes and sizes. Nobody knows that better than the team here at Lake; and it’s why we design and create one of the most complete and varied range of cycling shoe options in the world. Ultimately, we know that comfort and a great fit equals smiles along those miles – on tarmac or trail. And, when you’re on your own special journey, maybe following in the tyre tracks of Nol Van Loon on the next Silk Road Race, that’s what matters – comfort, performance and power in perfect harmony – only from Lake!
Getting ready for the rough stuff