Bont shoe input desired

[ultraman6970]

I have used bont and are good shoes, my issue with them is that were tad small, since was a test I did not care that much. Im in lake now and always looking for a set of bonts for the right price and the right size at ebay.

I have not read the other guys input in bonts ok? so i will give you mine with the issues and how I fixed them.

I have flexible arches so my feet tend to flat the arches, that bieing said if you have the problem then the shoe will pinch you a little bit, when you try it.

THe A1s i have are stupidly stiff, and probably the only one that stiff I had tried is the high end 500 bucks lake.

If the Bont shoe bothers you while trying them in your living room doesnt mean they will bother you in the bike, the shoe is designed to riding a bike, not for going to starbucks ok?.

Coming back to the arches thing, if your arches are low the shoe will pinch you and probably will hurt you in the arch, the reason is because the guy built it with a really high and stiff arch, the issue with that is that not everybody has the arch in the same place ... in my case if i use a size 36/37 insole, the heel and the arch are in the perfect position.

That being said, to avoid the pinching/hurting of the arch what i did was to use pieces of cork sheet to kind'a smooth the arch transition from the front to the back. I will explain... the imagine like a mountain tip, since is the tip the one that is bothering what I did was to add material in front and back of the tip in that way the curve is smooth and you distribute the load through the whole arch, not only in the tip. THat way the pain went away. It will take some testing till you get it right.

Molding, well the A1 i got was the wrong size, molding helped but what I had to do was just make my own super thin insoles of cork sheet, was the only way for me to make more room... doubt will be the problem of the op since he is getting the right size, i was like half number too small.

The arch I cant tell you if you can mold it because is a really stiff area, the rest of the shoe I imagine with new models is easier to mold, there is a big chance you dont need to mold anything because the shoes are really big, one thing tho... they will feel weird, as i said before arent made for walking so the 1st try will be super weird, once in the bike you will notice that the shoe just works.

Hope this helps.

[Bikeman7]

I have worn Bont Vaypors in 44.5 wide for four years. They fit great and have a wide footbed. Before the Bonts I wore Sidi Genius Mega’s in a size 43.5. I always felt my foot “spilled over” the Sidi footbead; something that does not happen with the Bonts. For both shoes, I wear an orthotic that takes up some space. My normal shoe is a 9.5 EE.

[pdonk]

I would agree. Don't judge them by standing or walking in them. Mine were torture devices until on the bike then except for the bolt issue almost disappeared on my feet.

The lakes are similar. Not good to walk in but are unnoticeable on the bike.

In terms of molding the arch I was able to adjust it enough so it cupped and supported my feet properly.

[RKW]

Originally Posted by donevwil

I never found an explanation on what "Asian Fit" meant, good to know.

Asian Fit refers to Wide in the tow box and narrow through the heel

[weiwentg]

Originally Posted by RKW

Asian Fit refers to Wide in the tow box and narrow through the heel

I was under the impression that it was more like higher volume in the toe box, not necessarily wider. I Googled this, and in Bont's case, you appear to be right: Asian fit means wider but lower-volume forefoot, narrower heel. Corroboration from Cyclingtips' and Red Kite Prayer's reviews of the Bont Vaypor+.

[RKW]

Originally Posted by weiwentg

I was under the impression that it was more like higher volume in the toe box, not necessarily wider. I Googled this, and in Bont's case, you appear to be right: Asian fit means wider but lower-volume forefoot, narrower heel. Corroboration from Cyclingtips' and Red Kite Prayer's reviews of the Bont Vaypor+.

As the owner of 4 pair in Asian fit Bonts, I know I’m right. That said, everyone else is right. If they don’t feel amazing in the store, moulding then isn’t going to make it any better. And they are hot. So much so that I’m trying a pair of the SWorks EXO out...


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[weiwentg]

Originally Posted by RKW

As the owner of 4 pair in Asian fit Bonts, I know I’m right. That said, everyone else is right. If they don’t feel amazing in the store, moulding then isn’t going to make it any better. And they are hot. So much so that I’m trying a pair of the SWorks EXO out...


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Interesting about the Specialized shoes: the S-Works shoes seem to fit me pretty well, even in the standard width. James Huang (writes for Cyclingtips) also reviewed their fit very favorably.

[RKW]

Originally Posted by weiwentg

Interesting about the Specialized shoes: the S-Works shoes seem to fit me pretty well, even in the standard width. James Huang (writes for Cyclingtips) also reviewed their fit very favorably.

Truth be told, I wanted to hate them, but they’re surprisingly comfortable, and cool. That said, they’re ugly as sin.


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[jimoots]

I have had a pair for around 2 years (30,000km) and they are good, but being white they’re starting to look tired.

I have wide feet and a bunion, so 44 wide is just wide enough for me. I’d consider custom for my next shoe.

I found they have a pretty high arch out of the box. I tried moulding to fix this (I have low arches) but actually found that by putting a Shimano inner sole in (with no arch) it balanced the arch and made the shoe suit.

Otherwise I did mold the front end of the shoe for extra width. Bont suggest using the oven, but I found a heat gun was good for working on pressure spots.

The heat gun was much faster than the oven technique and also easier to work on pressure spots one by one as I found when you pop a shoe in the oven, it somewhat returns back to original shape.

As far as heat goes, I am in Australia and it’s pretty warm here. It’s not unusual to be 30+Degrees and I rode a couple of times at 45 degrees (113F). The shoes didn’t bother me (not to say the heat didnt)!

[donevwil]

I appreciate all the input. Gives me some food for thought, unfortunately it still looks as though my only option is to buy a pair, try them on and return them if they're not for me.

Do any of you Bont Wide or Asian fit folks think trying on a standard width Bont Vaypor in my size would be of any value knowing my foot is absolutely a wide (or Asian fit)?

Now that I have a better understanding of the various Lake lasts it might serve me to try an MX237 with the competition last.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by donevwil

I appreciate all the input. Gives me some food for thought, unfortunately it still looks as though my only option is to buy a pair, try them on and return them if they're not for me.

Do any of you Bont Wide or Asian fit folks think trying on a standard width Bont Vaypor in my size would be of any value knowing my foot is absolutely a wide (or Asian fit)?

Now that I have a better understanding of the various Lake lasts it might serve me to try an MX237 with the competition last.

Yes to your width question. If the outside of your foot is rubbing in the toe box straight outta the box, it won't get fixed by molding.

[Blown Reek]

And for what it's worth, I've never molded the soles on any of my Bont shoes. They fit nicely right out the box.

[sun]

Previous shoes were Bont Vaypor Helix in size 42 wide. They generally worked fine. Heel cup was nice as you can mold it, but otherwise, molding didn't do anything for me. I didn't feel like they were wide enough. I'm now on Lake CX237 Wide in 42. Toe box is bigger, but not as foot shaped as the Bont. They are a lot higher volume as there is extra material on the top of the shoe. The Lake heel cup isn't nearly as good as other shoes. The CX237 isn't moldable, so that doesn't help. Overall, I wish I could get a combo of the 2 shoes, which is really just a wider Bont.

[glepore]

Just to dogpile, I've been riding Bonts almost exclusively for 5 years or so.
The online size guide is better than it used to be.
The insoles, as mentioned, suck. I have morton's neuroma, and that combined with the stiffness is a problem. A good insole like sofsole or similar with a metatarsal pad solves that.
They're warm, but not as hot as some people claim.
The t nuts for the cleats can me easily moved if you want a more midfoot cleat position.
Heat molding only works if you go at it with something like the handle of a screwdriver, and then only for small pressure points.
All that said, if they do fit, the toebox is amazing.

[ultraman6970]

THat i know of nobody here sells asian fit, and from what I know the asian feet fit is wide at the toe and tight in the heel, shoe might be set for lower instep. Doubt will be like a big of a difference tho. Never seen an asian fit bont shoe but im asian tho... :P

For the dude using the cx237 having problems, if you have kids pick the insoles of your kids which will be smaller (test), that will sit the heel lower. I have that issue and thats how I fixed up. I have insoles # 36/37 and just cut the front of another shoe to fill up the difference to a 45. After 30 minutes you wont feel the joint anymore. Hope this helps. Took me years to figure it out this trick.