lake winter boot alert, not sure if posted here yet

[GreyGoat]

in all my searches about the lake mx301s I found a hit on another forum that warns of problems with the BOA closures... couldn't find anything about it searching here so I thought I would post the link..
http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15562

[Portis]

in all my searches about the lake mx301s I found a hit on another forum that warns of problems with the BOA closures... couldn't find anything about it searching here so I thought I would post the link..
http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15562

Good Info. I just picked up a pair of the 300's on ebay for $75. I'm feeling better about my purchase all of the time. :D

[GreyGoat]

I'm anxious to pick up a pair of 301s, and will only opt for them over the 300s for the ease of entry, since I'm still babying a broken fibula... good to hear you still like the 300s.. I'm dying to get a pair of Lake boots, too hard/risky to walk in road shoes with booties with the big look cleat etc.. I waited this long only to see first if I would be able to ride outdoors at all with the leg broken.. I started riding again this week short easy rides 7mi(30mins) a day to get back in the groove.. now that I know I can ride, and MAN DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO BE RIDING AGAIN, I will be looking to order soon..

[Portis]

I'm anxious to pick up a pair of 301s, and will only opt for them over the 300s for the ease of entry, since I'm still babying a broken fibula... good to hear you still like the 300s.. I'm dying to get a pair of Lake boots, too hard/risky to walk in road shoes with booties with the big look cleat etc.. I waited this long only to see first if I would be able to ride outdoors at all with the leg broken.. I started riding again this week short easy rides 7mi(30mins) a day to get back in the groove.. now that I know I can ride, and MAN DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO BE RIDING AGAIN, I will be looking to order soon..

Glad to hear you are riding again. I have had my MXZ 300's for about a couple weeks now. I will post a review later. I don't want to give a full review yet, because we really haven't had any real cold temps. 22 F is the coldest i have used them in so far.

I am afraid that i am not going to be completely satisfied with them in real cold temps but it is too early to tell. I can PROMISE you that i would never spend $200 on these shoes. I bought mine for $75 on ebay and they are in new condition.

I have ridden in very cold temps with my oversized hiking boots and have never even had "chilly" toes. My toes were "chilly" on that 22 F ride. I think the problem is that the shoe is simply cut to tightly. A winter shoe needs to be extremely roomy.

That is just the opposite of most cycling shoes. They are always cut very tightly to the foot. I bought size 47 which is supposed to be the equivilant of a 12.5 US. The shoes are the perfect size for me, I wear an 11 or normally a 45-46 cycling shoe. There is plenty of length in the end for heavy socks. However, the sides and top and bottom are pretty snug. AND I HAVE A PRETTY NARROW FOOT! The thermal insole seems to make very little vertical room inside the shoe. It seems too snug. I also had to raise my seatpost almost a half inch. I have no idea why, but my leg wasn't nearly as extended with these on as my other shoes.

For you guys with wider feet, i think you would be in REAL trouble. Well, that is all of the review i am giving for now. I just wanted to share my thoughts before you buy. I know we are comparing different models of the shoes, but still I imagine they have some similarities.

[brokenrobot]

Sounds liek the laces are mounted improperly! By sheer coincidence, I spent some time last week lookign at the design of BOA closures because of a different problem I was having with one on a snowboard boot... There should be no knot in the lace at all - so it's not surprising that the knot is keeping the reel cover from closing down completely as described on that other site.

[willtsmith_nwi]

Glad to hear you are riding again. I have had my MXZ 300's for about a couple weeks now. I will post a review later. I don't want to give a full review yet, because we really haven't had any real cold temps. 22 F is the coldest i have used them in so far.

I am afraid that i am not going to be completely satisfied with them in real cold temps but it is too early to tell. I can PROMISE you that i would never spend $200 on these shoes. I bought mine for $75 on ebay and they are in new condition.

I have ridden in very cold temps with my oversized hiking boots and have never even had "chilly" toes. My toes were "chilly" on that 22 F ride. I think the problem is that the shoe is simply cut to tightly. A winter shoe needs to be extremely roomy.

That is just the opposite of most cycling shoes. They are always cut very tightly to the foot. I bought size 47 which is supposed to be the equivilant of a 12.5 US. The shoes are the perfect size for me, I wear an 11 or normally a 45-46 cycling shoe. There is plenty of length in the end for heavy socks. However, the sides and top and bottom are pretty snug. AND I HAVE A PRETTY NARROW FOOT! The thermal insole seems to make very little vertical room inside the shoe. It seems too snug. I also had to raise my seatpost almost a half inch. I have no idea why, but my leg wasn't nearly as extended with these on as my other shoes.

For you guys with wider feet, i think you would be in REAL trouble. Well, that is all of the review i am giving for now. I just wanted to share my thoughts before you buy. I know we are comparing different models of the shoes, but still I imagine they have some similarities.


I think a common complaint on the winter boots is that they are ALL too narrow. ALL of them. I have a Answer Kashmir (supposedly a little more roomy) that I bout a half size too big. It is too long for my foot and has problems with heel slip. But the width of the soul is quite narrow. Fortunately, the boots have three velcro straps and LOTS of adjustment.

I actually wear neoprene ankle supports (on top of two pairs of wool socks) just to keep my ankle from slipping while cycling. The Lake MXZ301s look cool. Someone commented they would wait until the BOAs were fixed. I will be waiting until they break down and start making WIDE sizes. Or at the very least, they should make a moderate width show instead of "SIDI last" sizing. Everyone could use a little more room for socks in the Winter.

[fruitless]

The 300's actually get easier to put on after they get a couple months of riding in them, the only other problem with them is the way the laces always get hung-up on the velcro straps when loose. Its hard to pass up the 300's over the 301's for the clearance prices they seem to be going for everywhere right now.

[DCCommuter]

As fate would have it, the left button on my 301's fell off today. Just as described. I have to figure out what to do.

[Portis]

I'd contact Lake and provide them with this link and the one above. I think they have a major problem.

[GreyGoat]

well i broke down and ordered the 301s from airbomb.com... with the tpm77 discount and shipping it came to 180 and change... I can live with that if they will fit and give me room, if it feels like they are not going to work out for width then I will have to return them and look for another solution.... if I keep them I will locktite them as mentioned in the link, to keep from losing parts.. I do not have a narrow foot and suspect these will be a problem.. not sure what my next move will be yet if this doesn't work out, but I'm already thinkin maybe a nice pair of non-cycling boots with a vibram sole and take dremel and start hacking out and area for a cleat, build my own..

[trailwarrior]

well i broke down and ordered the 301s from airbomb.com...
Hope these boots work out for you. I have been wearing mine for a couple of months with no problems.
I wear them with a pair of Teko Ecopoly Hiking Socks (http://www.tekosocks.com/product.php?id=6) and my feet have never gotten cold,
even after a couple of hours riding in below freezing temperatures.

http://files.uniblogger.com/imagefarm/images/blogs_uniblogger_com/the/877/r_IMAGE_00072.jpg

[Portis]

Hope these boots work out for you. I have been wearing mine for a couple of months with no problems.
I wear them with a pair of Teko Ecopoly Hiking Socks (http://www.tekosocks.com/product.php?id=6) and my feet have never gotten cold,
even after a couple of hours riding in below freezing temperatures.


I'm not saying these boots aren't warm below freezing temps. Please don't misunderstand. I am saying that I am afraid they won't be warm enough in temps that are substantially below freezing, like in the teens and below. The coldest i have worn them so far is 22 F and i had a slight chill. That was a red flag to me.

This is why i haven't given a complete review of my shoes yet. I want to try them in colder temps, but it has been too warm around here as of late. Usually in high 20's when i ride.

[brokenrobot]

Do the 301s use the steel laces used in the BOA system for other sports? If so, there's probably an easy fix... In the BOA mechanical drawings included with snowboard boots (and probably with the shoes), if you look at the section about changing / replacing laces, you'll see that the laces are supposed to be held in place in teh reel by two tension screws, one at either end, and should not be knotted. If the knots are interfering with proper button installation, take the knots out, check that the laces are securely held by their screws, cut off any excess, and install the button correctly. I don't ahve the instructions available at hand, but they should be pretty self-explanatory... probably not something that requires service by the manufacturer.