Tester: Andrew Freye, Team Bikeman.com Pro Rider, Certified Bikeman Product Tester Conditions: Pro MTB races from New England to New Zealand and everything in between.
Review:The best shoe I have ever used in my cycling career. I have used a handful of other shoes in my years of racing bikes and none of them had the fit, durability, and price offering of the Lake MX225.
Lake is one of the few companies that offer shoe laces which provide a snug comfortable fit that 3 Velcro straps can not offer. In addition to the shoe laces you can tighten the fit with some heavy Velcro straps. Relying purely on Velcro can leave you shoeless when forced to run while racing in muddy conditions which is where the shoe laces are very handy. A ratchet system starts to fail after time making it harder and harder to take your shoes off after a muddy race. Plus the ratchet system only gives you one tight area to secure the shoe to your foot where the laces distribute an evenly snug fit to the foot.
The leather is thick and durable and the stitching is equally as tough. After a full year racing from early April through October my shoes are still in one piece. This past year I demanded more out of my footwear then ever before. I was on the road for long periods of time which meant only packing one pair of shoes, my Lake MX225. Previous shoes of mine would not last for more than a year, but these shoes are still working fine.
The down sides to the shoe are that there are not replaceable toe cleats. This is a minor problem for cross and muddy mountain bike races. Also the weight of the shoe is a little high for an elite cross country shoe, but given the reasonable price you one can not complain. This is a great shoe for all mountain bikers of all levels.
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