Does anyone own a pair of both Lake MX and CX 237 or 238 - Deep dive in to shoe fitting

joeyhalloran
joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
in Road general
I have some MX237s which I find amazingly comfortable, they're like old slippers. I have some CX 237s which are painful after ~20-30 minutes.

I contacted Lake and they have said they are made of the same last using very similar materials, bar the obvious differences like the grip on the bottom of the MX237s. I have also heard this repeated at various shops. They also list the MX238 and CX 238 as having the same width and length on their sizing chart
However, in the last section on the website it lists MX and CX Competition lasts with different descriptions:

CX/TX Competition
With a profile specifically designed for very high-cadence riding & higher pressure, our Competition last features a more curved profile than the Sport last. The main differences include increased toe pitch & heel lift, a tighter heel & a slightly wider ball girth to allow the foot to expand under high pedaling pressures.

MX Competition
Featuring a larger toe box & tighter heel than the Comfort last and with slightly more overall volume than the Sport last. Exceptionally secure for hard riding/racing with enough room in the toe box to prevent binding when running up inclines or negotiating a hike-a-bike section. Designed for performance riding & racing.

I have also used my calipers and seem to measure the MX as a couple of mm wider than the CX.


So I wanted to know if anyone else has both sets of shoes in the same size and if you notice a difference? If one is tighter than the other for example?

I ask because the MX237 is amazingly comfortable that I want a similar pair for road cycling, logic would point to the CX237 (or 238) but this just absolutely does not work for me. Any help or input appreciated.

Comments

  • paulbnix
    paulbnix Posts: 631
    I don't own those.
    I have a pair of Lake 218 that I successfully used a shoe stretcher on.
    This should work if shoe width is your problem.
  • MidlandsGrimpeur2
    MidlandsGrimpeur2 Posts: 1,362
    Not strictly an answer to the question you asked, but I have two pairs of Lake CX332. They are obviously the same size but the actual fit is slightly different. The one pair are slightly longer and wider in the toe box. I suspect this is due to the two different materials used in the uppers, which may have stretched or been shaped differently. I guess my point is that the same size shoes from the same manufacturer, especially two different styles, may have a slightly different fit and feel.
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    MidlandsGrimpeur2 said:

    Not strictly an answer to the question you asked, but I have two pairs of Lake CX332. They are obviously the same size but the actual fit is slightly different. The one pair are slightly longer and wider in the toe box. I suspect this is due to the two different materials used in the uppers, which may have stretched or been shaped differently. I guess my point is that the same size shoes from the same manufacturer, especially two different styles, may have a slightly different fit and feel.

    So if one was comfortable and the other not how do you think you could resolve it? I find it's not so much width that's my issue it's volume, the height around the toe box. In part this is because I have custom insoles but they fit and work well in the MXs so im at a bit of a loss with the CXs. I've ordered the next size up in the CXs to try but as everyone keeps saying the last is the same I don't want to end up with shoes that are too big.

    Thanks for the input so far
  • MidlandsGrimpeur2
    MidlandsGrimpeur2 Posts: 1,362
    So if one was comfortable and the other not how do you think you could resolve it? I find it's not so much width that's my issue it's volume, the height around the toe box.


    I could tell just by sight that there was a difference in length between the two but your post encouraged me to measure it, there is actually a 3-4mm difference between both pairs. I have no idea how the same model/size/width could generate almost a half size difference!

    With the shorter pair it was only the right foot that I had issues with, I think that small difference in length placed the ball of my foot slightly out, which seemed to have an effect on my ankle and meant my foot was going numb after a couple of hours. Nothing particularly technical as a solution, I just played about with the boa closures, altering how tight/loose the shoe was. Having it slightly tighter across the uppers seems to keep the foot more stable and in place within the shoe. So far, it seems to have solved the problem.

    The longer pair are no issue at all, I can keep them tight across the uppers, or a bit looser and they are always comfortable.

    Have you tried the different widths if the toe box is an issue? I have the wide fitting in Lake which is a much better fit and I don't have particularly wide feet. I know you say width is not the issue, volume is, but a wider fitting will have a bit more volume and height around that area.
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    Your post is somewhat discouraging but fits with a recent experience of Lake too; I ordered a pair in EU45 Wide fit and despite the insole and the inside of the shoe saying wide they are exactly the same fit as my regular width shoe. I event lined up the insoles and they are exactly the same, the only difference being one has "Wide" written on the bottom!

    Maybe Lake's manufacturing tolerances are the reason for the difference in fit between my CX237s and MX237s which would explain why everywhere I read says they should be the same, yet my feet clearly think otherwise.

    I also ordered some CX218 in EU45.5 (same last, different material) and they seem to fit tighter than the CX237s but the extra half size means they actually feel pretty good. There is some heel slip but I am not sure that would be an issue when cycling.
  • paulbnix
    paulbnix Posts: 631
    My normal shoe size is 41 and my feet are wide.

    I previously used Shimano RT82 touring shoes but I had to buy size 43 as Shimano are notoriously narrow.

    They were very comfortable but are no longer made so I bought some Lake MX218 size 41 wide.

    They were too narrow and constricted around the toe box and across the width of my foot.

    I exchanged them for size 42 wide.

    These were slightly constricting so I used a shoe stretcher and they are now very comfortable and I'm really happy with them.
    There is a bit of heel movement when walking but I've not noticed any on the bike.

    I just wonder how constricting the narrow Lakes are because the wide fall a bit short of fitting that description.
  • gmbarton
    gmbarton Posts: 1
    I purchased the MX237 Supercross wide and was thrilled with the fit for my wide feet. I then purchased the CX237 in the same size for my road bike and the fit was noticeably tighter, in spite of being told by Lake that they would fit identical.

    I got some shoe stretchers for the CX237 and eventually worked them into shape so they fit well.

    My MX237 are now wearing out and I'm trying to decide what to replace them with. The MX238 or MX238 XC should be similar.

    Does anybody know how the MX238 fit relative to the older MX237? If the fit is the same, the I'll order the same size. If the fit is more similar to my CX237 then I'll order a half size larger.

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