Come on. Mama needs a new pair of shoes.

As many of my friends know, I love shoes. I have well over 100 pairs. I've slowed down buying shoes when I started working from home. Barefoot is more to my liking these days.

But I've been looking at buying a new pair of cycling shoes. I'm always amazed at how expensive they are. More than a good pair of Italian boots and definitely not as pretty. I still haven't made the switch to road shoes and opt for MTB with SPD. I find the MTB style easier to walk in with the recessed cleat. Also I would have to change the pedals of at least 2 road bikes. An added expense I have yet to justify.

Another issue with cycling shoes is they don't come in larger women's sizes. I'm 6' tall and wear a women's 12M shoe. As a result I'm stuck buying a men's shoe and wearing thicker socks because they are too wide. About 3 years ago I switched to SIDI brand with the ratchet closure at the top. But you could never tighten the Velcro bottom straps enough to avoid your foot from sliding around.

So I've been eyeing shoes with boa closures. They bring the price up on the shoe, but I figured it would allow me to tighten it easier across the whole length of the shoe. The online reviews I read helped me decide to look at shoes with at least 2 boa closures so you can tighten/loosen both the top and bottom differently.

I ended up with a pair of Lake shoes. I choked at the price ($300 MSRP) but justified spending it because they were on sale, I'll use them a lot AND I'm worth it!!! I tried them for the first time last week during a CompuTrainer session. Figured using them indoors would allow me to return them if needed to as well as having my SIDI shoes ready in case the Lake shoes weren't feeling too good.

The two boa closures is what sold me on these shoes

I'm happy to report that the 2 boa closures really helped to get the shoe snug and my foot wasn't sliding around. They have the right amount of stiffness and seem to be able to transfer power nicely.

They aren't the sexiest pair of shoes in my closet, but definitely one of the more expensive. Maybe next year I'll try a road shoe. We shall see.

What shoe do you like and why? Share your comments.

Enjoying the ride with some new shoes,
Sheri