[dgangi]

I'm looking at replacing my very old Shimano MTB shoes and the Lake MX160 shoes have struck my interest. But there are no reviews for Lake shoes on MTBR -- (why ??) -- so I thought I would ask if any of you use Lake shoes.

If you do, are they durable? What kind of foot do they fit? Wide or narrow? Flat or arched? And do they have a wide range of adjustment?

I ride in AZ where we have a lot of rocky terrain. Often times we have to hike-a-bike and the hard-soled racing shoes like Sidi's are a PITA. There's nothing like hiking up a rocky ledge with your bike, only to end up on your ass because your shoe can't grip. That's why I like the Lake's as they have a Vibram sole with a good amount of rubber tread.

Thx...Doug

 

[CraterMaker]

Good and cheap (MX220's)

I have wide feet (normally wear New Balance 4e's) and I have been looking for a comfortable MTB shoe for years. Tried the Sidi Mega and they are nice, but didn't fit my foot as wel as I would like and are very expensive. Finally picked up a pair of Lake MX220 Extreme's about a year ago and I'm very happy with them. Very comfortable, durable and cheap. They're normally around $120 or so, but I got mine for 20% off $79 when Performance was having one of their big sales. Liked them so much I bought a pair of their CX220 road shoes when they went on sale. I've never worn the MX160, but if they're anything like the MX220 I would buy them in a second.

 

[CraigH]

I have two different models, and they are okay. I'm a little disappointed with the life and wear of the more XC shoe. The other shoe I use for commuting, but I bought them on close out from a LBS and they were almost free. I need to buy a set of XC shoes soon.

I'd say that my foot shape is wide in the forefoot and narrow in the heel area.

The other shoes I've owned:
Alpinestar - great shoe, and very well made, needed more tread in the arch area though
Vans high top BMX shoe - very dissappointed with the life, the pins from the pedal tore the tread up
AXO (now 661) Dually high top shoe - great flat pedal shoe
I have a pair of road shoes too, but can't recall the brand.

 

[dgangi]

Which models?

I have two different models, and they are okay. I'm a little disappointed with the life and wear of the more XC shoe. The other shoe I use for commuting, but I bought them on close out from a LBS and they were almost free. I need to buy a set of XC shoes soon.

I'd say that my foot shape is wide in the forefoot and narrow in the heel area.

The other shoes I've owned:
Alpinestar - great shoe, and very well made, needed more tread in the arch area though
Vans high top BMX shoe - very dissappointed with the life, the pins from the pedal tore the tread up
AXO (now 661) Dually high top shoe - great flat pedal shoe
I have a pair of road shoes too, but can't recall the brand.

Do you know which models you have? Do the shoes fit your feet well? Or is that the issue? Your feet sould similar to mine - wide in the front and narrow in the heel, like duck feet.

The new MX 160 shoe has the Vibram sole, so the durability should be much better than older models w/o the Vibram sole.

 

[CraigH]

I'll take a look at them tonight and post model numbers tomorrow.

 

[Berkeley Mike]

Lake 176

Probably not made anymore but I've had 3 pair in the last 5 years and I just wore the dang things out. A little bit of a high top just at the ankle, more for cross, nice lugs. They must be a bit narrow as I have skinny feet.

 

[CraigH]

Commuter shoe is MX100.

I looked at the XC shoe but couldn't find a model number. There are green and grey, with laces and 2 velcro straps. I'll see if I can find a pic of them on the net and add it to this thread.

Edit: They are probably a MX 200 they look closest to this pic I found on the net, but the colour is different.

BTW, Lake bike shoes are reviewed on this site (although there aren't many comments):

https://www.epinions.com/bike-Components-All-Shoes-Lake

 

[MrXC]

I've been using the Lake CX 125 when MTB'ing for the last year or so and have been very happy with them. Technically this is a road and spinning shoe, but it has rubber soles at the heal and toe that give it traction on the trail as good as the Nike and Specialized MTB shoes I also own. I haven't had any durability issues yet (wish I could say that about specialized which fall apart in 1 ride). They also fit me well, but that, of course, doesn't mean they'll fit you well.

Oh yeah, there also only $25 at pricepoint.com!

I'm looking at replacing my very old Shimano MTB shoes and the Lake MX160 shoes have struck my interest. But there are no reviews for Lake shoes on MTBR -- (why ??) -- so I thought I would ask if any of you use Lake shoes.

If you do, are they durable? What kind of foot do they fit? Wide or narrow? Flat or arched? And do they have a wide range of adjustment?

I ride in AZ where we have a lot of rocky terrain. Often times we have to hike-a-bike and the hard-soled racing shoes like Sidi's are a PITA. There's nothing like hiking up a rocky ledge with your bike, only to end up on your ass because your shoe can't grip. That's why I like the Lake's as they have a Vibram sole with a good amount of rubber tread.

Thx...Doug

 

[hstrobl]

Lake MX 220

I have wide feet (normally wear New Balance 4e's) and I have been looking for a comfortable MTB shoe for years. Tried the Sidi Mega and they are nice, but didn't fit my foot as wel as I would like and are very expensive. Finally picked up a pair of Lake MX220 Extreme's about a year ago and I'm very happy with them. Very comfortable, durable and cheap. They're normally around $120 or so, but I got mine for 20% off $79 when Performance was having one of their big sales. Liked them so much I bought a pair of their CX220 road shoes when they went on sale. I've never worn the MX160, but if they're anything like the MX220 I would buy them in a second.

Dear CraterMaker,

can you tell me how the Lake MX220s run? Is the size conversion chart on their website correct? What is your New Balance size and what your Lake size? I am asking because I would like to order a pair of Lake MX101 or MX220 wide shoes and dont know what size I should take. I am living in Germany and for that ordering 2 pairs and sent back one pair would be too costly. My shoe size is 13 EE for casual leather shoes and according to their size conversion chart 48 EE should be enough. But almost always cycling shoes run much smaller as their size label shows so I am not sure if 48 EE or 50 EE....?

 

[cbmtbr]

I've had the mx160 shoes for a couple of years and they have taken their abuse very well. The soles are great for hike-a-bike. They are, however, quite narrow in the pinkie toe area, and I have pretty narrow feet to begin with. Another quality shoe with a walkable sole is the Answer impact, which is a bit more comfy for me (but overall the lake is better).

 

[gonzostrike]

Lake MX 155 in size 45.0 work for me, I usually wear anything from a 10 US to an 11 US (men's sizing). for comparison, I wear a Montrail Kalahari trail running shoe in size 11 US and a pair of Etnies Signal skate/BMX shoes in 10.5 US

I have a narrow heel, average midfoot and wide forefoot - prominent bunions on the big toe joint of each foot (the "ball" of the foot). They lace up perfectly, not too little adjustment and not too much.

rubber compound on sole tread is very sticky and is excellent on rocky surfaces.

 

[shabbasuraj]

Lake MX160 are very nice. Full Vibram heel are awesome.

I am a size 10 and the 44 fits perfectly.

 

[Ol' DirtDawg]

I'm looking at replacing my very old Shimano MTB shoes and the Lake MX160 shoes have struck my interest. But there are no reviews for Lake shoes on MTBR -- (why ??) -- so I thought I would ask if any of you use Lake shoes.

If you do, are they durable? What kind of foot do they fit? Wide or narrow? Flat or arched? And do they have a wide range of adjustment?

I ride in AZ where we have a lot of rocky terrain. Often times we have to hike-a-bike and the hard-soled racing shoes like Sidi's are a PITA. There's nothing like hiking up a rocky ledge with your bike, only to end up on your ass because your shoe can't grip. That's why I like the Lake's as they have a Vibram sole with a good amount of rubber tread.

Thx...Doug

Doug

I have two pair of "Lake" MTB shoes.

MX-101

MX-165

I wear a size 43, and the fit is perfect for my feet.

Try a search on this forum, and you will find many threads that reply to your questions.

Overall summary:
Excellent shoes, proper fit, very good traction in all conditions, they look sharp, and speaking for myself, I wouldn't own any other brand.

(hope this helps)


Live long,...Ride Hard

Ol' DirtDawg

 

[vermont]

wearin Lakes for 10 yrs.....

i have tried a couple of other brands over the years but i always gravitate back to Lakes....they last long and the fit my wide size 13 foot (esp in winter w/wool socks)

not sure of the model # the ones i buy are aggressive/race shoes

 

[smaledog]

super durabe

I've had Lake MX 201s for a couple of years. They've got three seasons of trail riding and about a year of commuting on them and have held up amazingly.

They handle hike sections well. I always have alot of deadfall on Mt. Hood, OR trails during the early spring and have no problem scrambling over downed trees. I went on a mini-epic ride on my day off yesterday and there were a few dusty, rocky hike sections. No problem with the two front cleats and heavy lug tread. The tread does lend some weight, however.

The model I have holds alot of water because of the fabric and leather/pleather and can get heavy in wet rides, so that's another weight issue you should consider.

 

[HPilot]

I have the MX220 Extremes

I've been using these for about a year now and they are GREAT! I wear a 9.5 EEEE street shoe and bought the 44 wide 220's. I don't use the laces, only the straps and they feel great. I refuse to spend over $200 for a pair of shoes that get beat up on the trail. Especially since two of my buddies with the Shidi's had buckle problems. The Lakes aren't the lightest shoes, but I'm not a weight weenie so I don't care. The tread sticks to rocks and gets me up wet hills. The toe spikes are a great feature as well. The only problem.... good luck finding MX220 wides anywhere now. Seems that everyone dropped their Lake shoe lines except for leftover inventory. Not sure where to buy them now. It's a shame that there are only two companies smart enough to make wide shoes. When will New Balance come out with MTB shoes??????

 

[Picard]

I have lake MX 220 year 2003 model. It is very good especially vibram sole. Lake shoes might not be good looking as sidi, however, it is well made, strong and made in wide version.
I don't know the 160 model. I can't say about it.

 

[Christine]

Love my Lakes. If I were buried in them, that would be fine with me.

You see, I bought them spur-of-the-moment about 2-1/2 years ago, when I was still riding a HT using toe clips. Thought I lost my regular mtb/hiking shoes during the AZSF'03, so I ran into a bike shop and bought them, around $80.

They fit great right out of the box, no blisters or anything. Because they were able to convert to clipless, took that as a sign, and went for it.

Don't know which model they are, all I know is that they've left quite an impression on me. Never owned such carefree shoes.