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Lake describes the MX239 Gravel as its “most popular gravel biking shoe for adventure seekers”, with modest but meaningful updates over the previous MX238 Gravel to boost comfort.
The brand says the MX239 Gravel is designed to combine the comfort and performance of a road cycling shoe with the walking ability of a mountain bike shoe, without excess weight or bulk.
These top-end kicks seriously impressed in testing, proving very comfortable over short and long distances, and the fact they come in a load of options should appeal to a lot of riders.
It’s a shame the durability of the tread in front of the cleat is the shoe’s weak point, which led to the carbon sole fracturing after almost a year of very heavy riding. However, it’s fair to say my testing took the Lake MX239s into scenarios well beyond the normal use case for typical gravel shoes.
Lake MX239 Gravel shoe – what you need to know
- The MX239 Gravel sits at the top of Lake’s gravel shoe range – although the brand’s costlier MX333 shoe can also be used for gravel, Lake regards it as more XC-oriented.
- Features Lake’s MX Competition Last, which sees a larger toebox and tighter heel than its Comfort Plus Last and slightly more volume than its Sport Last.
- There’s a new fiberglass reinforced heel counter.
- The new shoes feature Lake’s Competition 100% Carbon Fibre sole. Underneath this is Lake’s Mountain Race X real rubber sole for grip off the bike.
- Two upper options – Clarino Microfiber and a more sustainable Recycled Leather.
- Close via two Boa Li2 dials, which are further apart than on the MX238 Gravel to enable more forefoot adjustment.
- There’s now an integrated tongue to the medial panel of the upper.
- 415g actual weight (size EU45) – 2g heavier than the MX238 Gravel.
Lake MX239 Gravel shoe performance
I’ve been testing the MX239 Gravel shoes for almost a year, in which I’ve covered just under 4,700km. Temperatures have encompassed low single digits through to searing 38ºC heat and they were tested on Shimano XT M8000 and XTR M9200 pedals.
Almost all of my mileage was gravel riding, with the odd mountain bike escapade.
While the outgoing MX238 Gravel was a competent shoe, I started to get uncomfortable after the five-hour mark, with the soles of my feet feeling battered.
It speaks volumes for the small updates Lake has made to the fit that I’m happy to use these MX239 Gravels for all-day rides, especially considering the carbon sole hasn’t changed.
Thanks to the revised tongue, heel cup and Boa dial spacing, my feet felt much better locked into the shoe.
In fact, they’ve been my shoe of choice for three ultra-endurance races – Across Andes, Race Around Rwanda and Basajaun – with Race Around Rwanda the longest of those at 1,000km with in excess of 19,000m elevation.
They were very quick to break in, too, and I didn’t have any issues with hotspots during my initial rides.
Ventilation is superb, despite the leather construction, which you’d expect to be restrictive – I’ve never found my feet getting hot, even in 38ºC heat.
The sole doesn’t feel outrageously stiff, which can be a problem with some premium carbon-soled shoes when riding over long distances. In both Race Around Rwanda and Basajaun, I wore the MX239 Gravels for six days straight and my feet didn’t complain.
The tread provides lots of grip when walking (and boy, was there a lot of it, particularly in Basajaun), and the tight-feeling heel means there’s no slippage.
I have no complaints about the intuitive Boa Li2 dials, and they’re easy to get spares should you ever need them.
In terms of value, the MX239 Gravels are pricey, but they compare well with other premium gravel shoes, undercutting Specialized’s S-Works Recon EVO at £399 / $549.99 / €479 and the Fizik Vento Ferox 2 at £319.99 / $329.99 / €329.
Lake MX239 Gravel shoe sizing and fit
My feet are reasonably wide with a narrow heel, and I tend to take a size 45 in most brands, upsizing to a 45.5/46 for Sidi.
The MX239 Gravels are available in a wide range of sizes, from EU size 37 all the way up to 50, with half sizes offered between 37.5 and 46.5. You can also choose between a Regular and Wide fit.
I’ve opted for the Regular width in a size 45 in the Black / Gold colourway – the fit was exemplary, with a nice and roomy toe box and a tight-feeling heel cup.
There’s scope for the heel cup to be even tighter, but I didn’t experience any heel slippage in testing, even on punishing hike-a-bike climbs.
As with all cycling shoes, sizing and fit will come down to the shape of your feet and personal preference. As a result, I’d highly recommend trying shoes on for size before buying.
Finding the limit
The weakness I’ve encountered is the tread in front of the cleat plate on both shoes has taken a lot of wear over the past year, to the point where the sole on the right shoe fractured during my most recent bikepacking trip in Belgium, from where there wasn’t the material to protect it.
Obviously, that’s not an outcome anyone would want, but in the shoes’ defence, I’ve done a lot of walking in these – Lake says the MX239 mountain bike shoes are designed to better withstand hiking. Still, it’s an area I’d suggest could be better reinforced seeing as it’s the only part of the tread that has worn down this much.
When I put this to Lake, the brand said: “This level of hiking on rough terrain is going to put a lot of stress on the shoes. Ultimately, they are designed for cycling in, with some off the bike movement. The soles are extremely stiff and therefore there is not the flex at the toes that you would get from normal hiking boots.”
The brand said I therefore wouldn’t be eligible for another pair under warranty if I were a customer because “it is not a manufacturing defect, just wear and tear”.
While it’s disappointing that I’ve managed to wear these shoes out in less than a year, it’s important to recognise the extreme conditions they’ve been subjected to, which are well beyond the normal expectations of a gravel shoe.
Provided you’re not subjecting yourself to gruelling ultra-endurance races with copious amounts of walking, I’m confident you’ll get significantly more mileage out of these than I did.
Lake MX239 Gravel shoe bottom line
The MX239 Gravels are an excellent update over their predecessors, and thrive over long distances, usurping Sidi’s Dust MTB shoes as my long-distance performance benchmark.
The fact that they’re offered in such a broad range of sizes and widths is a plus, and the fit is exemplary.
I’d like the tread in front of the cleat to be as hard-wearing as the rest of the shoe, which would make them more durable for extreme use cases – but it’s also fair to point out that most riders aren’t going to torture them in the way I have.
For the vast majority of riders, the Lake MX239 gravel shoe will be an outstanding choice.
Product
| Brand | Lake |
| Price | A$499.99, €339.00, £300.00, $369.99 |
| Weight | 415g |
Features
| Winter-specific | no |
| Triathlon/TT-specific | no |
| Shoe closure | dial |
| Cleat fitting | 2bolt |
| Sole | Lake Competition 100% Carbon Fiber Sole with Mountain Race X real rubber sole, |
| Features | MX Competition Last with Clarino Microfibre or Recycled Leather upper |
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