Further update: with a lot of work, I've been able to conform the shoes to my feet. Basically, the web instructions are woefully inadequate. After heating the shoes to 185F, I quickly remove them from the oven, put them on my feet, reach in with my fingers, and with reasonable force, deform the offending section of the side of the shoe outward. It gives a bit, then starts to set. Repeating this multiple times essentially eliminated the contact point. The feel is now quite good. The Bont labels at the back of the shoe deformed, so I peeled them off. This saves 5.6 grams
, and it looks fine without it. Furthermore, the epoxy on the rubber pads doesn't stand up to the heat treatment. I need to reepoxy these as the screw isn't enough to hold them in place.
I've been advised a heat gun (after removing the insole), locally applied to the sole, can help with heat-forming.
So I reevaluate what I wrote. I believe I'm managed to get quite a good fit with considerable effort.
Next up: I'm going to shim the cleat slightly away from the sole, as the pedal rubs somewhat against the carbon fiber.