BONT shoes : what's your experience with them

[bladerunner]

I'm using TIME Impact & RXS pedals with Time & Shimano shoes and I really like them. In general, I like a cycling shoe with a "high heel" fit. I see a lot of pros ride BONT shoes and I can see that they are quite different to "standard" shoes especially with their 3 to 4 mm stack-height. If you've tried and are using BONT's please share your views/experience. Thanks.

 

[El Oso]

This is second hand information from a teammate who had them but:
Fit really well, but poor quality. His fell apart after one year. Now on Giros.

 

[ElChingon]

Its all here:

Bont Shoe Reviews

 

[bladerunner]

Thanks for your input so far but I'm looking for feedback from riders who actually have tried or are using BONT shoes.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I have been using the A-One for a year. I haven't had problems with them at all. The sole is very stiff. The quality is very good and they don't get scuffed up easily. The heel pad on the sole can get detached and lost very easily, so be careful with that. I'd recommend putting some Loctite on the screw.

The sizing is a bit odd. They run about half a size large. I actually have two pairs a 42.5 and a 43. I generally use a 43. The 42.5 fits really snugly which is great for avoiding any foot movement and hot spots. However, the inside of the ratchet mechanism is a bit uncomfortable on my foot. I would put some sort of velcro on the inside to avoid this.

I did have to adjust my saddle height by 3/4 of a centimeter as well. Otherwise, great shoes. I'd recommend them, especially with their online sale.

Hope this helps.

 

[bladerunner]

Thanks for that Moose, it's particularly useful to know about the tab & ratchet.
You are spot-on about their online discounts too. And as I'm looking to order online and my local bike shop doesn't stock BONT, on the sizing of BONT's, when you say "they run about half a size large" do you mean for a given size, BONT's feel a bit bigger & more roomy than usual?
Also, I take it you meant you lowered your seat-height because Bont's soles are generally 7 to 8 mm thinner than most other shoes and therefore they put your feet closer to the pedal.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Thanks for that Moose, it's particularly useful to know about the tab & ratchet.
You are spot-on about their online discounts too. And as I'm looking to order online and my local bike shop doesn't stock BONT, on the sizing of BONT's, when you say "they run about half a size large" do you mean for a given size, BONT's feel a bit bigger & more roomy than usual?
Also, I take it you meant you lowered your seat-height because Bont's soles are generally 7 to 8 mm thinner than most other shoes and therefore they put your feet closer to the pedal.

Exactly. With other shoes, I need to raise the seat height a bit.

Yep, the Bonts feel a bit roomier. Form-fitting them helps, and you can add in a higher-quality insole if you want to go that route. With the 43 I can do that. With the 42.5, the fit is spot on with no additional room available. So, for me the difference is about a half size. Honestly, though, I prefer the 43 size because the inside of that ratchet gets really uncomfortable and I haven't gotten around to putting anything on the inside of the shoe.

 

[Master50]

I have Bont A-2 for about a year and 1/2. I was wearing specialized shoes with a certain satisfaction for 3 or 4 years but the last couple I was getting really bad foot cramps late in the ride so I knew I needed a shoe that was wider and offered better fit in the forefoot.
After my first molding I could tell these shoes could be raced without buckling them very tight as the fit was close and well distributed and really felt solid without needing to be buckled tight also good for foot circulation. Now I also changed pedal systems at the same time too. I went from Pro fit to SpeedPlay so I needed to lower the seat a bit maybe 5 to 7 mm. I also moved my cleats back a little more as I had been moving them before the switch.
SO the shoes and pedal interface was incredible for the feeling of connection and the stability you get the closer your foot gets to the pedal axle.
I was pushing out the pressure points using a hairdryer so the fit was getting better each ride. It took about 2 months to get the fit really good and I have lost a couple of callouses because they don't rub anymore.
Now for the things that did not work out of the box. Their insoles didn't do a thing for me in fact the cramps still happened but later and a little less severe. I was pretty disappointed as I was really counting on the shoe as a solution. I was given a pair of super feet insoles for cycling shoes and that was the ticket.
I read they fit big? My specialized are 44 as are my Bont. I could wear a 43.5 but I like the space and these shoes work well even with the space . I like them but they are a little rough in finish because they are hand made. The Price is pretty reasonable for a mouldable shoe.
The foot bowl was pretty hard and comes a ways up the sides of your feet so the work to push out hot spots gets critical My right big toe was always asking for a little more bump out and I had to push on the 1 area 6 0r more times to get it right. That is a beauty of the heat moulding as you can do it time and again. I hear Bont reduce the height the sole wraps up the sides so maybe that is addressed?
I still am not in love with the look of the toe box but it fits my foot and works Funny how we don't like the looks of shoes shaped like our foot?
I hope you take that I like them because I do and until I can find a better fit in a shoe I like the looks of I am a Bont Fan. I would buy another pair now if they made them Speedplay compatible without adaptors.

 

[PCutter]

The foot bowl was pretty hard and comes a ways up the sides of your feet so the work to push out hot spots gets critical

+1 I also found the high foot bowl a little strange feeling when I first put them on. I took a 42 in Bont's compared to 43 in my Sidi's. Their website has a measurement tool where you enter the length and width of your foot (they have a video to show you how) and it spits out your size, and I found this spot on for me.

Might just be my impression, but I think they are the stiffest shoe I've ever tried. Even the low end (I bought a pair of the Sub-10 tri shoes - shhh, don't mention that I also do the odd tri in here) non-carbon soled shoes are incredibly stiff. Much, much stiffer than my Sidi Genius 5 pro's

 

[STODRR]

I love mine. I had a pair of specialized shoes and I was planning on using both sets. One for road and crits and one for TT. But once I molded the Bont's I put the specialized pair away. I tried anouther pair of of shoes that would mold to your feet. I sent them back. I could never get them to mold correctly. I did have to loc-tite my cleats down they would come loose. Also on a hard crash the ratchet was sheared off. Bont sent me two new free of charge.

 

[ustabe]

After lusting for these for almost a year, I bought a pair of Cervelo Test Team A3s on clearance as a Chrissie gift to myself. Coming from Pearl Izumi Pro Road IIs, I'm amazed all around.

The fit is spot on, thanks heat-molding and the wide toe box. The Bont rep recommended using an aftermarket footbed, so I've continued using my heat-moldable Soles insoles. While the Pearl footbed is slightly concave (for stiffness, presumably), the Bont is perfectly flat, which is a lot healthier for my feet. I don't need to buckle down as tightly because the shoe matches the shape of my foot so accurately. Although the A3 sole is the thickest of the three levels, the stack height is still ridiculously low, and the cleat holes are a farther back so I'm back to my preferred position over the pedals.

The only drawback that I've noticed so far is that they feel colder in winter--the threaded inserts for the the cleats protrude through the midsole and conduct that outside cold a lot closer to the foot. Time will tell if that translates to overheating in the summer.

 

[bladerunner]

Thank You Thank You ALL for your comments.
'Nuff said : I ordered a pair.

 

[ustabe]

I'm using TIME Impact & RXS pedals with Time & Shimano shoes and I really like them.

With RXS pedals you should be getting a super low stack height and a lot of leeway with cleat placement. I should add that Bont runs small. I hope you ordered up a half-size from your Shimanos.