Lake CX402 cycling shoes review
The most expensive shoes currently on the market, can the Lake CX402s live up to expectations with a price-tag uncomfortably close to £400.
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Eye-wateringly expensive, the Lake CX402s certainly deliver when it comes to stiffness. However the trade-off with the super-stiff sole is a lack of comfort on longer rides, while folds in the leather compromise the look.
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Seriously stiff sole
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Heat moldable fit
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Expensive
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Uncomfortable on longer riders
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Folds in leather compromised the looks
You can trust Cycling Weekly.
The most expensive shoes on test, it goes without saying that we were looking for big things from the Lake CX402 cycling shoes in order to justify that slightly eye-watering price-tag.
Certainly nothing is compromised when it comes to performance. The Custom Fit carbon sole, which even rises up around the sides and back of the heel, is seriously stiff.
>>>Buyer's guide to road cycling shoes
Like many shoes of this price such as the Shimano SH-R321, the Lake CX 402s are heat mouldable, meaning that you should be able to look forward to a perfectly fitting shoe after a five-minute trip into the oven. Certainly this creates a shoe that, if you pardon the poorly chosen idiom, fits like a glove. This close fit meant I was able to make the most of the ultra-stiff sole, although on longer rides I had to loosen the two Boa dials in order to relieve pressure.
As you might expect from a shoe of this price, there’s barely an inch of synthetic material, with both the upper and the lining formed from kangaroo leather. This certainly gives the Lakes a luxurious feel, with the lining keeping my feet firmly in place, but the white outer developed some small folds which I thought seriously compromised the look.
For more details visit Todays Cyclist.
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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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