I’d like to say I’ve been rockin’ Lake’s CX401‘s for the last ten months, but in reality all I’ve done is wear them while riding my bike, no rockin’ included. And while I also failed to exhort anyone to hang loose with the clever use of hand gestures, I did manage to put in a fair bit of miles in all sorts of weather. In the interest of journalistic integrity I also threw in a couple of crashes.

I’ve only tried a few brands of shoes (Sidi, DMT, Diadora, Adidas, Spiuk), and I’ve never been in love with any of them. I decided the Lakes would be my ideal shoes because of its moldable sole and its 4 hole Speedplay driling, and they did not disappoint. (New to the U.S. Bonts share many of these same features).

The carbon fiber sole plate extends up and wraps around the heel. To mold the shoes simple toss one in a 400 degree oven, remove in 3-4 minutes when the temperature sensitive sticker turns black, put it on, and mold the shoe to your foot while wearing oven mitts. Lake suggests having an qualified shop employee do this, but I had to experience it for myself.

I prefer a good deal of arch support, so I worked that area of the sole up. I also pressed in the heel quite a bit, wrapping the sole tightly around my heel bone. Once i was done the shoe was about 3-4 mm narrower at the heel, and had a distinctively svelte shape. As molded, it takes a bit of effort to slip into the shoe. The tight heel cup keeps your foot from slipping on the upstroke, which eliminates the need to overtighten the closure.

After the first ride I decided I had been too aggressive with the left sole (it was biting into my arch), so back it went in the oven. One more ride and re-molding later I was satisfied. The instruction booklet says you can re-mold as many times as you like, but Lake’s Chris Oloroso told me not to exceed eight trips to the oven. In the ten months since I’ve been conscious of discomfort on my feet on only two or three rides. You can’t ask for much more from your shoes than blissful ignorance.

More of the Good

The insides of these shoes are clean and finished, so you can go without insoles if you choose for an even lower stack height.

These are one of the few shoes that offer Speedplay drilling. Speedplay lovers can lose the adapter plate and lower their saddles 2-3 milllmeters. And if you believe this, these shoes will bring you another step towards going backwards in time on a bike.

The Boa lacing system is simply wonderful. One knob tightens the whole shoe, and the pulley system distributes tension to ease hot spots. It’s very easy to reach down and cinch it up a couple of clicks. The smooth upper makes these really easy to slip into shoe covers and booties.

Crashing

My main concern with these shoes was all that exposed carbon. Ten months later those doubts were put to rest. Normal wear will scuff up the soles, but the damage was purely cosmetic. I did, however, drag one shoe on the pavement pretty badly in a crash, leaving deeper scratches and separating a 1" piece of the upper from the sole. The scratches were painted over with nail polish and haven’t worsened. The upper was reglued with 5 minute epoxy and has held fast since.

The Bad

At 325 grams per shoe they’re light (size 45.5), but a far cry from the claimed 235 grams.

Due to the thickness of the soles, Speedplay’s standard 11mm bolts are too short for these shoes. You’ll need to use 15-6mm bolts or your cleats will not hold fast. Unfortunately Lake doesn’t tell you about this, so I only figured it out after stripping out a few screws. You can pick up longer screws from your bike shop at an exhorbitant price as part of Speedplay’s shim kit, or you can order them on the internets. Lake should ship these shoes with the necessary screws to save their customers the frustration. I was lucky that it was the screws and not the mounting plate that stripped.

Oh, and another thing. These babies will set you back $490, and apparently we’re in a recession or something.

So…

These shoes are tight where they need to be, roomy where they don’t. They’re light, stiff, and pretty. They’re the most comfortable shoes I’ve owned, and they can take a beating. $490 is a heckuva lot of money, but if you think of it as years of pain free riding, it’s an investment that’s easier to justify.