Preview: Lake CX218 Road Shoe

Nicole Dyson

We preview the Lake CX218 road shoe.

I’ve just taken delivery of a very nice looking pair of Lake CX218 road shoes and I’m excited! They’re my first ‘proper’ road shoes, and I’m looking forward to trying them out and seeing if they make a difference to my riding.

The lake CX218, my first ‘proper’ cycling shoe!

The CX218 is a carbon soled, leather racing shoe, with a single BOA closure. They weigh in at 250g and the sole is drilled for a Look type cleat. The split leather upper has a PU treatment, which reduces the leather’s stretch and increases it’s water resistance. It comes in one colour – white – with black details and is a very handsome looking shoe. Three mesh panels combined with a drilled tongue and sides, should help with cooling in the summer.

Closures on the CX218 are handled by a side mounted BOA L6 lacing system and a powerstrap. The BOA closure secures the top part of the shoe and is something I would love to have on my running shoes! It looks quick and easy to operate, no more messing about with laces. The powerstrap is a velcro strap that tightens the bottom half of the shoe, around the forefoot.

Black and white makes for a classic looking shoe

Using Lake’s CX/TX Competition Last, the CX218 has “profile specifically designed for very high-cadence riding & higher pressure”. The last has a tighter heel and more room around the ball of the foot, this allows the foot to “expand under high pedaling pressures”. All of this sounds perfect for fast road riding!

The carbon fibre sole has two vents to allow some cooling air in and a substantial, but not replaceable, heel counter. The sole has a printed grid pattern – called the OCTAD system – to help with aligning your cleats. I’ll be trying these shoes out as I take my first serious steps into the world of cycling and cycling kit, watch out for my review.

 
Buy Now: Lake CX218

 
Lake

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