Riding for smiles, not miles

Quality counts in cycling, because comfort isn’t optional

One of the great things about cycling is that it involves some very interesting people. Vladan Hájek, from the Col de Bonte cycling studio and stores in Czech is one such person. Alongside his business partner and former 3x Czech national road cycling champion, Petr Benčík, they’ve created a cycling experience within the Czech cycling community that caters for the heart of cycling – those people who understand that riding a Colnago isn’t just a physical experience. Yes, cycling is a passion; it’s a living, breathing, constantly evolving entity and it needs to be nourished with the finest foods – or products – if we are to create the most smiles along the often physically demanding miles.

Thankfully, Lake shoes not only fit into the ethos of Vladan and Petr’s stores – Lake is a central theme, being the only cycling shoe brand that they want to sell - alongside other world leading carriers of cycling excellence, such as Colnago and Assos.

Quality counts

What you ride and what you wear has to matter and has to fit who you are, where you ride, why you ride and want you want to discover from the simple act of cycling. After all, when you wear Lake shoes wrapped around your unique feet, it says something about you and how comfortable you want to be – how quality counts and how important it is for you. In truth, it’s as important as the name badge and logo on the front of those legendary Colnago bikes, carrying not only a message and symbol of excellence – it carries forward a legacy and a whole history of leading cycling innovation and producing the finest products over many years. It’s about developing cycling products that allow comfort and performance to ride side by side. Dare I say, it speaksabout the sole of cycling – pardon the pun – where Lake cycling shoes exist; and it’s why Vladan and Petr trust Lake to deliver time after time.

Talking with Vladan, it’s immediately obvious how much passion he has for cycling and for delivering excellence. I learn so much more about so many aspects of cycling products that I hadn’t really thought about. He tells me about the innovative aspects of the straight bladed, carbon road bike fork development from Ernesto Colnago and how important this was and still is to cycling design. And, in the same manner, he tells me why Lake is the only cycling shoe brand that they sell. Ultimately, cycling is all about ensuring that the two most connected parts of the human body to the bike – your bottom and feet – need to rest in peace and comfort. Vladan points out, quite rightly, that a great bike can be messed up with the wrong shorts, or indeed badly fitted cycling shoes. Get these elements wrong and there’ll be little joy in riding – less smiles on those all-important cycling miles.

Creating an environment for excellence

Unlike Petr, who is still deeply involved within the cycling scene from his days as a top pro rider, Vladan describes himself as purely a cycling enthusiast – and yet, his knowledge of the sport and its technicalities is superb. His background is in luxury and high-quality, high-performance retail. It’s a journey that has taught him that the most important ratio is smiles per mile; how art lovers and artists learn as they develop and how we all learn in more depth as we progress in any aspect of life. Relating this to cycling, he talks about the number of riders that they’ve had in their bike-fitting studio, having been sold the wrong bike for them, or had the bike badly fitted elsewhere, leading to pain and discomfort.

Finding the fit

For Vladan, this aspect of cycling retail is critical – getting the products that match the rider – not the other way around. In terms of bike fitting, it’s knowing what type of cyclist people are, how their body operates and feels – and it always starts with the feet. Every bike fitting begins with measuring the unique feet of every rider and finding the Lake cycling shoes that match the needs of the individual, from one of the most varied and extensive cycling shoe ranges in the world – Lake.

Whilst data and information are important, Vladan explains that seeing the rider in a natural position is equally so. There are a multitude of things to take into account, and that can adversely affect the comfort, the position and the handling of the bike under the rider. Getting the right thickness of the cycling shorts matter, and the thickness of the soles of the cycling shoes – all small but important details. Different people flex in different ways ride in different ways, and bike fitting is about bringing all of this together in a unique package, so that when they ride their Colnago into that corner, the pressure on the outer pedal is correct and the cycling shoe is stable and secure as it helps to deliver the control and performance required to exit the corner at the right time and the right pace. It’s not necessarily about having a shoe that’s simply made to look good. That shoe needs to fit to form and to allow the rider to feel at one with the bike, with the terrain - to live the experience and to smile all ride long.

Standing out from the crowd is good

Col de Bonte sell the world’s finest cycling brands from their two stores and cycle studios – and they only sell Lake cycling shoes. Why – because they trust Lake and know the value of the brand on the feet of the all-important cyclist. Across their vastly experienced team too, they all wear Lake on their own feet – because they believe passionately in the brand.

It’s as Vladan tells me, ‘Whilst the design isn’t necessarily the fanciest, there’s a reason for that and it’s a good reason. Lake is all about bringing together quality and performance, but in the most comfortable way possible.’ He describes Lake cycling shoes as ‘silent luxury’, and how Lake cycling shoes allow feet to breath whilst remaining stable, maximising comfort and performance.

Lake cycling shoes – for delivery of excellence

For himself, he currently rides in our Lake CX333 – the ultimate in modern styling, comfort and performance. In creating this innovative cycling shoe, we’ve used over 40 years of experience to bring you the best technologies, such as a Carbitex arch support panel, and a heat moldable internal Thermaform Carbon Fiber heel counter, to give you the most secure fit possible. We believe that we’ve achieved the impossible, by wrapping your feet in a performance oriented second skin, whilst giving you breathability alongside our legendary Lake cycling comfort – and Vladan agrees with this, or this man of detail and excellence simply wouldn’t recommend it, which he does.

His colleague Petr, along with many of the former pro riders that now form part of the unapparelled team of experts at Col de Bonte, wears our race ready CX403. It’s the pinnacle of high-performance cycling shoes, as every aspect of this shoe is purposeful, with a goal of offering the highest performance and comfort while also delivering optimal power transfer.

Whatever style of riding you do, if you live in Czech and near to Prague; spending time at the Col de Bonte cycling stores would be time well spent. It’s like buying a watch. You could go out and simply purchase a Rolex – or you could spend time speaking to a passionate expert such as Vladan and end up with a Patek Philippe on your wrist. It will give you more joy and create more smiles. It’s like wrapping your feet in over 40 years of cycling shoe excellence and innovation; and that only means Lake. One of the finest and most comfortable cycling shoe brands in the world – for those whose heart beats with a passion for cycling.