Lake MXZ302 Winter Boot

Come winter, cold feet are the bane of every cyclist’s life, mine especially. Thicker socks can reduce blood circulation, ironically causing cold feet when you’d hope to cure them, and I find overshoes can be a bit of a faff, and never where they’re supposed to be when you need them. So, a fully winterized cycling specific shoe seemed to be just the job.

First off, this is not strictly a road orientated winter cycling boot. Lake do produce a winter road boot (the CXZ302) but it’s not available in the UK. Personally, I’d be less than happy tackling icy road surfaces wearing a smooth road type sole anyway, so the rugged Vibram outsole of the MTB orientated MXZ302 is definitely not a negative feature. The downside of this is that the MXZ302s are only suited to use with SPD cleats rather than road style cleats. Again though, if you’re a multi-cycle household (and let’s face it who isn’t?) then a boot you can pop on for road riding, touring or mountain biking has got to be a good thing- provided you run SPD pedals on all of them obviously.

The Vibram outsole, as mentioned, is rugged, grippy and has an aggressive tread that’ll cope well with snow or mud. The boots also take removeable studs (two on each foot) and eight are supplied as standard along with a stud spanner. The outer of the boot is high quality Pittards leather, which can easily be protected with waterproofing products such as Nikwax (a sample sachet sufficient to treat both boots is provided). This does not have the lifespan issues that similar footwear using Gore-Tex can experience. In prolonged heavy use the pores in Gore-Tex membranes can become clogged, greatly diminishing the breathability of the shoe and leading to uncomfortable perspiration issues- not good in a winter shoe where sweaty feet = cold feet. So an all-leather boot, using no waterproof membrane, just the external leather treatment should remain breathable and serviceable for many years, provided you continue to look after it. There are generous Scotchlite reflective patches on the leather too for increased after dark visibility.

The boots work beautifully at keeping feet dry, even in torrential rain, provided your tights or socks give a sufficient ‘seal’ around the top of the boot. The neoprene collar is comfortable to wear, but for those with slimmer ankles, it might be a little roomy without longs or long socks. The boots fasten using the glove friendly Boa mechanism – as commonly seen on triathlon shoes- which is really easy to both tighten and release, as well as giving a comfortable wear and easy on the fly adjustment. The upper ankle area secures with a simple Velcro fastening flap. A special little tool comes in the box with the shoes for Boa maintenance.

In addition to simply keeping feet dry and blocking wind, the MXZ302s also feature Outlast technology, which was developed by NASA to help astronauts manage their temperature. Roughly speaking Outlast holds heat when you don’t need it and releases it when you do, meaning your feet stay a stable temperature rather than fluctuating between hot and cold. It certainly seems to do the trick, even on a very cold hilly ride of a few hours, where my feet would normally have been frozen after the first descent.

The only minor niggle, apart from the staggeringly high price, is the fact that cleat adjustment is somewhat limited by the volume of the boots. Position the cleat too far over and you can end up rubbing the boot against the crank on every pedal stroke. The narrower the crank and bottom bracket, the less this is a problem, but it’s still something to watch out for.

The MXZ302s come in a unisex fit (suited my average feet just fine) in sizes 40-48. Sizing is a little on the small side, so a 40 was perfect for my size 38.5-39 feet with warm but not over-thick socks.

Verdict

An investment piece of kit that will help keep winter riding as enjoyable as the rest of the year and hopefully prevent slackening off.

Warm, dry and well put together.