It is the last day of February and the snow has been falling all morning long. I thought that I would be putting my winter gear away but no. This year I added to my bag of cold weather cycling tricks the Lake MXZ301 winter cycling shoe. Previously I wore my the same shoes all year long with the addition of sealskinz socks and neoprene covers for cold/wet weather months. Now that I have a full season of riding with these shoes I know that I can never go back. The shoes were warm and dry. The did exactly what they were supposed to do. With the exception of some days when the temps dropped to zero, I wore the same socks that I wear all summer long.
I bought the shoes a size bigger to allow for big bulky socks but rarely needed the extra insulation. I think that the extra space helped keep the blood flowing through my feet. I was suspicious about the Boa lacing system. I still believe that the cable will be the first thing to break on the shoes but it hasn't happened yet and I really do like the easy of adjustment it provides.
The sole does a better job of providing traction on icy sidewalks than my Sidi Dominators but it still is not sticky enough for my thinking. There have been some days in the upper forties when the I had some ankle sweating but I agree with the advertised upper temperature range of 50 degrees. The final caveat is that these are not performance cycling shoes. When I switch back to my regular shoes I know that I will feel a big difference but these babies are for comfort not racing.
I am glad I got a pair before the price went up because I would have thought twice about buying them at the $250, but the value can only be determined after many years.
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