Review: Lake's Race-Ready MX 332 Shoes

Lake's MX 332 is one of their most expensive off-road offerings. Its MSRP tops $400 USD and it is designated as a racing shoe. To that end, the 332 is built on a slightly narrower last than the brand's sport shoes, but that doesn't mean you'll have to cram your foot into it like technical rock climbing footwear. The MX is carefully profiled to conform to the shape of your foot from toe to heel.

"Get that right," says Lake's Liam Walsh, "and you don't need to crank down the laces to prevent your foot from moving around while you pedal. Your toes won't go to sleep on long rides and you won't get heel movement."


The difference was readily apparent. I needed much less tension on the laces than I was used to - and I reduced it further during the review period. The MX 332 features a pair of Boa lacing systems, which look a little futuristic for my taste, but admittedly, they provide more accurate and even tension than conventional shoe laces. The bottom line, however, was that my toes didn't get beat up and my heels remained snugly in the back of the shoes. No mid-ride adjustments - check. Comfortable fit - check.

Construction Features

Lake's MX 332 uses a combination of synthetic and natural leather upper (called Helcor), sewn in an asymmetric pattern that eliminates pressure points. The toe is reinforced, so you won't feel the brunt of rock strikes, and the tongue is padded. As mentioned, Lake uses a twin BOA lacing system with a simple pop-up release. Ventilation holes throughout the upper help ward off heat, and its carbon fiber heel cup can be custom contoured by heating it at home to ensure the most direct power transfer. A removable insole affords some padding from its contoured carbon fiber sole.

There is no hiding this shoe's racing heritage - its stiff, curved sole will make you walk a bit like Donald Duck. That said, the front of the sole has a well designed "rocker" that makes walking feel much more natural that most XC racing shoes do, and well-placed lugs made from tacky rubber ensure that you can scale rocks and slippery slopes with far more dexterity than most flat shoes can muster. Also to Lake's credit, the hard carbon sole is coated with rubber that's placed to grip the pedal should you need to get a dozen pedal strokes in while unclipped. Both the front and rear traction patches are replaceable too.



Riding Impressions

Disclosure: Lake makes a roomier more trail friendly shoe called the MX 168 Enduro, but I chose the racier MX 332 because it featured an equally aggressive sole and a tough upper, with the additional benefits of lighter weight and the promise of better efficiency. "Enduro" usually means "heavier" when it comes to shoes. On that subject, my size 42.5 Specialized 2FO flat shoes weigh 900 grams, my size 42 Sidi Defenders weigh 800 grams, and the size 42 MX 332 weigh 740 grams for the pair.


If you like your cleats slammed way back, Lake's SPD-type cleat slots are set back to accommodate the contemporary mountain bike pedaling position, but fall about six millimeters shy of the rearward positions that Five Tens and my Specialized 2FO flat-soled shoes allow. I had no issues locating my cleats, and there was room to move them farther back. Some like their cleats slammed as far back as possible, so heads up.

I used my MX 332 shoes with both Shimano SPD and Time pedals and found them to be easy to engage and disengage in both dry and muddy conditions. There appears to be plenty of lateral wiggle room in the sole's channel design. Vertically, the MX 332 comes with a warning that at Crankbrothers cleats require at lease one spacer to release properly. This is typical for other shoe-makers as well. I did not need nor try shims using Time or Shimano cleats.

Of course, the big question is, "How much better do your $400 shoes pedal compared to my $150 dogs?" A little bit better is the honest answer. I can say without a doubt that there is a better feel under power and that acceleration feels sharper and more energetic than any flat-pedal shoe I've used - which is why many prefer racing-style contoured shoes. For a back-to-back comparison to a heat-molded Shimano racing shoe or a comparably priced Sidi racing model, I'd rate the Lake a notch lower in absolute comfort to the Sidi, on par with the fit of both, better than both for durability, and a couple of notches above each for walking traction and off-the bike shenanigans.


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