A few weeks back, I posted a Q&A with Carbitex, a manufacturer of flexible carbon fiber textiles. It’s a pretty cool technology that Lake Cycling incorporated into their CX403 road shoe design that launched in January. I had the opportunity to talk with Chris Dimmick, General Manager at Lake Cycling, to understand how and why they chose to incorporate CX6 technology.
The CX403 uses kangaroo leather, yes kangaroo, for the shoe’s uppers because it’s extremely supple. The properties provide comfort for long days in the saddle. However, one issue is that the kangaroo leather stretches over time. Some wearers of different models found that they couldn’t crank down the BOA closures tight enough over time if the leather stretches too much. According to Dimmick, CX6 technology solves this problem.
Lake Cycling uses the CX6 fabric across the saddle of the shoe. They chose to use this technology because it’s flexible but doesn’t stretch, translating to more power to the pedal. Combine the kangaroo leather with the CX6 fabric, and you have a beautiful, durable shoe that provides high performance and comfort.
The CX6 material also has properties like UV resistance to avoid discoloration and degradation to outdoor exposure and resistant to water absorption. Both ideal properties to have on a cycling shoe.
Lake has taken the use of carbon one step further on the CX403 with an integrated carbon sole and heat-moldable heel cup. Following the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, individually heat each shoe in a 200 degree F oven. The carbon heal cup becomes malleable, allowing you to adjust it to the shape of your foot, providing a more customized fit.
All this high-tech carbon technology, kangaroo leather, and BOA closures come at a hefty price tag, $549.99 for the CX 403 Chameleon. It will be interesting to see new uses for carbon as companies like Carbitex and Lake Cycling continue to push the envelope and leverage technology to improve cycling performance. But you also see that with carbon wheels and frames.
Sheri Rosenbaum regularly contributes articles and reviews products for RBR. She’s an avid recreational roadie who lives in the Chicago area and a major advocate for women’s cycling, serving on the board of directors and volunteering with the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. Click to read Sheri’s full bio or visit her web site sunflowersandpedals.com.
Sheri, although interesting, it sounds like you did not actually test the shoes? So, do we know anything about comfort, performance, etc? At that price, I’d neve buy them. I have Bonts, with the moldable feature. BTW, in the 60’s our running shoes were all kangaroo leather! (Adidas, Tiger, those were it!)