New shoes, Bont and Giro?

[PLuKE]

I asked not to long ago regarding insoles for my shoes, I think my foot or shoe has changed for me causing pins and needles/numbness around the ball of my food all the way to my little toe.

I have looked, and researched slightly on my next pair of shoes, which I would like some of your input, you knowledge lot.

Empire SLX, I like how light they are, and always get good reviews, I am ok on the looks, prefer the ACC version design wise.

Bont Vapour S, love the look of these, low stack and look sleek on the foot.

Bont Vapour Plus, these look great too, I like the idea of the carbon tub sole too.

With the Vapour Plus vs S, does anybody have any first hand experience with them, which fits better, lightest comfort?

Many thanks

Luke

[RyanH]

Bonts are polarizing shoes, people either love them or hate them. I gave the Vapour Plus and the Giro ACC. I prefer the giro for the most part except in hot long days where my foot tends to swell and then I get pain.

The Vapour however I kind of hate but I still wear them. They're supposed to be worn so that the front of your foot can move around. This is unlike any other shoe I've ever used. For whatever reason, on long rides my foot tends to go numb which baffles me as I wear these barely clicked down (that's another part of the design). Since the insole is so thin, road vibrations begin to annoy me at the end of long rides. On short rides I find them fine. I didn't find them revolutionary as the many that love them do.

What shoe are you current riding?

[kytyree]

I love the Empires, and also use their lace up MTB shoes.

If you try them definitely try out the different arch supports that come with them. With both shoes I feel very comfortable with the medium supports in but with the thinner ones not so much. They're light etc but for me they just fit well.

[silvalis]

I had some vaypor plus. Didn't get along with them. Could never get the carbon tub right - but couldnt get a lake cx402 tub to work either.

Also had an issue with the positioning of the Boa that would sometimes cause my foot to go num within minutes (50/50 chance) - just by pushing down lightly on a nerve or something.

In my opinion, bonts are a definite try-before-buy type of shoe. If they fit, great, if they don't, world of pain.

[TonyM]

I have the Bont Vaypor and the Vaypor S. The Vaypor are great and stiff but the Vaypor S are much more confortable! I ride them all the time in the summer up to 7.5 hours ride w/o problems! Love these shoes!

[PLuKE]

Bonts are polarizing shoes, people either love them or hate them. I gave the Vapour Plus and the Giro ACC. I prefer the giro for the most part except in hot long days where my foot tends to swell and then I get pain.

The Vapour however I kind of hate but I still wear them. They're supposed to be worn so that the front of your foot can move around. This is unlike any other shoe I've ever used. For whatever reason, on long rides my foot tends to go numb which baffles me as I wear these barely clicked down (that's another part of the design). Since the insole is so thin, road vibrations begin to annoy me at the end of long rides. On short rides I find them fine. I didn't find them revolutionary as the many that love them do.

What shoe are you current riding?

That's interesting, i have seen that people like or dislike Bont, but not many people dislike the Giro. I want something that is comfortable, and Giro give you different arch supports to put in, which seems a good idea. Do you find the Giro insole is more padded than the Bont then? I like my foot to feel some plushness not like I have my foot on some concrete!

I currently running Spuik 16RC shoes, they have been great for the past 3yrs, until April this year where all my discomfort has began!

Luke

[PLuKE]

I love the Empires, and also use their lace up MTB shoes.

If you try them definitely try out the different arch supports that come with them. With both shoes I feel very comfortable with the medium supports in but with the thinner ones not so much. They're light etc but for me they just fit well.

This is something I like the the Giro, the different arch supports, it seems as if they have gone for comfort for the rider. Not to say Bont haven't, but seems not all who try Bont like them. Which for me is a slight concern.

Luke

[PLuKE]

I have the Bont Vaypor and the Vaypor S. The Vaypor are great and stiff but the Vaypor S are much more confortable! I ride them all the time in the summer up to 7.5 hours ride w/o problems! Love these shoes!

Ahhhh, some good news! What is the arch support like on Bont shoes, is it noticeable? Is that inbuilt to the carbon tub? I prefer the overall look of the Vaypor S to be honest too.

Luke

[jekyll man]

I bought a pair of Vaypor's as a spare set/ winter shoes and persevered for a good 18 months with them.
They were okay and i did some big rides in them, but there were times when they didnt feel as awesome as the hype, no matter what heat molding i did.

I then changed my best shoes from sworks to Empires, and it was a eureka!! moment.
Binned off the Bonts to ebay, and managed to get a last years model Empire at a decent price, and now I've "happy feet" all the time.

Only downside to lace up's is, stop midride and they feel slack, so you tighten the laces, only for them to feel too tight once you start riding again.

Build quality is better than the bonts too

[glepore]

Interesting comments.

Like many I here I have both Vaypor and Empire. The Empires are perfect. The Bont's I would rate as very good, the high sides of the carbon sole make them feel stiffer but I don't know that they are. They do allow a fair amount of freedom but as Ryan says, you need to wear them in a manner that feels "loose" almost compared to a normal shoe. They're not loose, but if you cinch them you'll lose the benefit of their intended fit.

I have a morton's neuroma on my left foot, and the Bont's require a metatarsal pad to deal with that. The Empires don't. The Bont's also are sensitive to foot swell, whereas the laces on the Empire allow for this.

[kytyree]

The Giro line just seems to fit my feet the best.

Exactly, the same for me.

[PLuKE]

Thank you for your comments everybody.

A mixed bunch, nobody seems to dislike Empire's!

Why are Bont shoes so hit and miss for people? I am guessing it's the carbon tub shape for the sole, according to Bont, there insoles are cell foam, so they sound good? Or are they just to thin making you foot push through the insole and your weight is then on the carbon sole.

I feel torn now, maybe it's worth ordering a pair of Empire SLX and Bont Vaypor S and try them on.

Luke

[bilwit]

Thank you for your comments everybody.

A mixed bunch, nobody seems to dislike Empire's!

Why are Bont shoes so hit and miss for people? I am guessing it's the carbon tub shape for the sole, according to Bont, there insoles are cell foam, so they sound good? Or are they just to thin making you foot push through the insole and your weight is then on the carbon sole.

I feel torn now, maybe it's worth ordering a pair of Empire SLX and Bont Vaypor S and try them on.

Luke

Can't comment on the new Bont stuff but I had Bont Zero's from I think 2013 (laces+velcro cover) before switching to Giro Empire ACCs. The Bonts looked great and were stiff as hell but were a little harsh and my right foot never quite fit right, seemed like the shoe was 1mm too short for it so my foot would go numb on long rides. Life was so much better after getting Empires. I still use the original arch/sole they came with, threw away the other arches because I didn't need them. I didn't think I would care much but the padding on the inner sides are very much appreciated where the stiff Bonts would rub hard and get sore at times. They even insulate better in the winter despite the exposed lace/tongue.

Would love to get a pair of Empire SLX at some point, my ACCs are a bit scuffed up now but can't really justify dropping that much money to replace them when they're still going strong.

[TonyM]

I have the Bont Vaypor and the Vaypor S. The Vaypor are great and stiff but the Vaypor S are much more confortable! I ride them all the time in the summer up to 7.5 hours ride w/o problems! Love these shoes!

Ahhhh, some good news! What is the arch support like on Bont shoes, is it noticeable? Is that inbuilt to the carbon tub? I prefer the overall look of the Vaypor S to be honest too.

Luke

The arch support is definitely there! You don't need any change (except if you need a very very weak or a very very strong one. Then mold )

I would suggest you however to try them. You will immediately know if they fit. At least at the beginning.

Many riders want Bont shoes because they are crazy stiff but their feet don't accommodate with that stiffness.

At the end if you feel some pain it is not worth it.

[RyanH]

The Giro insole arch support isn't sufficient. It's soft and spongy. I use the Specialized insoles with the Giro. I tried to use them with the Bonts but it took up too much volume since the Bonts insole is paper thin.