Cycling shoes for bunions and difficult foot shapes

Finding your fit with problem feet and cycling

One of the most difficult issues when looking at cycling shoes is bunions and other foot shape problems. Ultimately, there is no standard foot shape, width, length or volume. However, for cyclists with bunions, trying to find comfortable and pain-free cycling shoes can be almost impossible. Nobody wants to have painful feet when cycling; and yet, too many cyclists do suffer from this due to bunions or the unusual shape of their feet. Cycling can be tough enough on its own – especially when you hit the hills! No, bunions and cycling shoes are not always a good mix, with too many cycling shoe brands creating shoes that are narrow and too tight, resulting in a constant pain or hotspots and numb feet when cycling.

Without going into too much detail, it’s useful to know that bunions can be caused by a combination of factors, including a genetic predisposition, inflammatory medical conditions like arthritis, age, certain neuromuscular or joint conditions, and to some degree through lifestyle choices such as wearing ill-fitting footwear – including ill-fitting cycling shoes. We’re not clinicians, but we do know that while ill-fitting shoes don't directly cause bunions, they can and will aggravate them and increase your pain and discomfort. Getting a cycling shoe that fits your actual and quite individual foot shape is critical for all cyclists.

Thankfully, here at Lake, in over 42 years of cycling shoe development, we’ve thought about all cyclists and all manner of foot shapes and sizes. Our design team, led by Hutch, are constantly reviewing and looking at how we can continue to make some of the most comfortable and pain free cycling shoes in the world. Let’s guide you through a few different models from the Lake cycling shoe range and tell you more about how each shoe model is specifically created to give you a pain free cycling shoe experience, wrapped in comfort.

CX242: Whatever the width or shape, we’ve got you covered

Not only do we produce cycling shoes in three different width fittings, and numerous last shapes; our Lake CX242 road cycling shoe and MX242 off-road shoe is specifically designed for problem foot shapes such as bunions. It’s the cycling shoes that will deliver a pain free ride to everyone who struggles with finding a comfortable cycling shoe to fit them and their bunion issues.

Thanks to the articulated panel upper and the dual Boa closure system, the CX242 wraps perfectly around your foot shape, with each panel operating independently by using the relevant Boa to pull the upper close to the foot like a second skin. Alongside this, we’ve also designed in a Carbitex panel to the upper, which gives extra support and helps to stabilise the foot, maximising power and performance, as each pedal stroke is converted into forward momentum. The BOA dials are also positioned to ensure that they don’t cause pain by adversely pressing down on overly sensitive areas of the foot.

Made with a heat moldable heel counter and that uniquely designed upper, with the ultimate in adjustability, it can accommodate feet with any instep height or foot volume, too. We believe that the CX242 and MX242 is one of the most innovative and pain free cycling shoes in the world – so, why not visit our expert Lake shoe partners and find out more!

Feet come in all shapes and sizes – like Lake cycling shoes

We constantly talk about the shoe last here at Lake, and so we thought that we ought to explain a bit more about it. When discussing problems such as foot shapes, it’s the cycling shoe last that will ultimately provide you with the answer and a comfortable cycling shoe.

Ultimately, one shoe last does not fit all; which is why so many cyclists wearing other cycling shoe brands get painful feet or hotspots. Quite simply, the more shoe last that use, the greater the variety of foot shapes we can cater for – and we currently use 6 different lasts across possibly the best range of pain free cycling shoes in the world.

A last is basically an engineered form shaped like a human foot, to specific dimensions. It is used by shoemakers across the world as the foundation for a specific shoe design. Many famous people have their own custom shoe lasts made. Basically, lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for and the foot types that we want to create a cycling shoe for.

Three current shoe lasts that we’re using here at Lake are:

The Comfort Plus last – Lake CX201

Our Lake ‘Comfort Plus last’, is designed for a more natural foot shape, giving the ultimate in pain free and comfortable cycling shoes. Taking comfort and fit to the next level, we use this last in our CX201 road cycling shoe. Featuring a wider toe box and a unique construction that offers a light weight and extremely breathable shoe, it’s the perfect cycling shoe for those indoor cycling sessions over autumn and winter. It comes complete with a generous forefoot platform that accommodates a multitude of foot shapes.

The Competition last – Lake CX239

With a profile specifically designed for very high cadence riding & higher pressure, our ‘Competition last’ features a more curved profile than the Sport last, giving a benefit to feet with more volume. 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 pedalling pressures.

The Competition Last features a larger toe box and a tighter heel cup than the Comfort Plus last and follows the lines of a different foot shape to that which would benefit from the Comfort Plus. Our CX239 and MX239 has a tighter heel, to help to deliver that stability and maximise pain free power transfer.

The Race last – CX20R

Featuring a slightly narrower toe box & tighter heel than the Competition last and less overall volume than the Sport last, the CX Race last is designed for very high cadence riding and higher pressure and gives a slimmer fit for a narrow foot shape.

The Lake CX20R road cycling shoe offers cyclists a lightweight, breathable and extremely adjustable upper that is available in 3 widths and also comes in women’s specific size options. Utilizing Clarino microfiber, mesh, laces and Lake’s Handmade CFC 3K carbon fiber sole, this cycling shoe that is ideally suited to indoor cycling over the colder months, when a Zwift session and coffee is more inviting that cold wind and rain. Each of the shoes mentioned here use different lasts, because we know that you’re unique and different. When you think about it, you can buy cycling jerseys and shorts in different shapes, so why not cycling shoes! Whether you have bunions or just a slightly different foot shape, you deserve to have the choice of a cycling shoe that gives you pain free cycling, and that allows you to ride in comfort all day long.