Lake MX331 Cross shoe

The first thing that strikes you is the colour. It’s orange. Not a really bright orange but orange enough to get you noticed. If you wear these you are making a statement of intent.

The second thing is that they are very minimalist; they really do look like a road shoe with a few spikes and knobs bolted to the underneath. For this reason the carbon sole looks to be very exposed. You will also notice that the carbon sole is very thin but very stiff.

Lake MX331 Cross Shoe

For those of us brought up on using mountain bike shoes for cross and often seeking out more flexible soled shoes that better facilitate running, this super stiff carbon sole may seem a bit odd. It’s in direct opposition to the new Pearl Izumi ‘cross’ shoe which has a very flexible mid-foot to allow some degree of flex when running. And running is a part of cross, so why the super stiff carbon sole?

Lake MX331 Cross has minimalist full carbon sole

Lake claim that research showed that cyclocross is all about power transfer whilst on the bike. Thinking about this in context, running is a part of cross but is always over very short distances. The MX331 Cross’ sole is stiff but so are those of other carbon soled mountain bike shoes we have; the difference is that the carbon on those shoes is hidden below huge rubber treads so it’s not as front of mind.

Lake have simply removed this tread for weight saving purposes, and with most cyclocross races taking place upon grassy fields, in loamy woodlands or amongst sand dunes, perhaps there is no need to have the amount of protective tread you find on mountain bike shoes, which often have to tackle rocky terrain? We’ll soon put this to the test.

Fully carbon, replaceable treads and studs/spikes – this is a serious cyclocross race shoe

Lake don’t actually mention running at all, so we’ll be putting the MX331 Cross’ running ability to the test as well. It’s never been an issue in our current carbon soled mtb shoes so we probably won’t notice any difference here.

It’s interesting, and slightly unusual in the cycling shoe market, that different manufacturers have taken very different approaches; as well as Lake and Pearl Izumi, Northwave have also launched a new cross shoe, and it’ll be interesting to see their take on the perfect cyclocross race shoe.

Rear of the sole has a small vent and two replaceable studs/spikes

 
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