MX169

I have yet to try these but here are my first impressions of the shoes.

The first thing I noticed is that they are heavy. They weigh a little over a pound each. They are also hard because the sole is simply a blunt weapon. I am not sure why they didn’t use a more supple material that would offer some grip, some weight savings as well as some protection if you have to slam a foot down. The upper is stiff and it’ll protect your foot and will keep you warm in the winter. The heel box is big and without some thicker socks I feel like you will come out of the shoe a bit, at least at times. Oddly they didn’t bother to put an elastic of some sort that will hold your laces in place so that they don’t come untied or get in the way.

However none of that really matters if you have a wide foot. I wear an Altra Escalate 4 in size 10 and in a 44 these are a good it, although I have not done anything but walk in them. My toe is pretty much as far forward as it should be but with a thicker sock I will be fine. The sole is zero-drop so that the heel, mid-sole and the toe box are all the same height. There is some heel spring at the front of the shoe that I assume is there so that its easier to walk in. There is plenty of room for me to try the shoe on while wearing toe spacers —no problem. Bottom line is if you have wide feet and need a shoe that isn’t going to cram your feet into an unnatural position and allow your toes to splay then this is the shoe for you. In fact it is the only shoe for you, which begs the question as to why Lake doesn’t seem to keep these in stock. If they improved upon these by taking into account what I said above these would be amazing but nonetheless finding a shoe that fits is amazing

I have switched to barefoot wide-toebox shoes and was excited to try a mtb shoe that didn't cramp my toes. The MX169 is a super heavy shoe, which I can deal with, and is comfortable, but there is ZERO stick to flat pedals. Not recommended if you like to pedal hard, jump, and ride technical trails.

My tennis shoes are 46 and I got the same size biking shoe. Great fit for my wide feet. Well constructed and very comfortable. I used the Shimano cleats I had on my old Lake shoes without issue. Great find! Definitely recommend!

Nice roomy toe box and stiffness, great shoe!

I do get a bit of the heel slip but I deal with that with lacing methods. My feet also will swell on longer rides and that helps. Overall, I'm pleased because my foot is so wide I'm happy I can wear anything but I really dislike how heavy and clunky these are. But if you need a wide toe box shoe because you wear Xero, Altra, Lems, etc etc, then this is a fit.