Here's a comparison of the Bont with the Sidi shoe. There's a 4mm difference in the stack height by omitting the adapter plate. That allows me to eliminate my spacer from the stem.

great looking shoe djconnel. But don't you need that thin thin metalplade underneath the cleat to protect the carbon soles?

The pedal shouldn't reach the sole. But if I get marks, I'll use a soda can to shim and thereby offset the cleat.

djconnel what size sidi did you wear and did the bont size match the sidi size?

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Ride Vellum Cycles

I really would reccomend a pair of these from speedplay with that sole:



g

Darbydog, I'm a 39 on the right and 40 on the left in the bonts and was wearing size 42 sidi.

Sorry for the lack of pictures guys. Good to see that they've changed the heel pads to a conventional design.

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This board would be a nicer place if everyone would take themselves a little less seriously.

Yes -- the Bont sizes are several smaller than the Sidi sizes.

Actually, right now the shoes aren't working out well for me. They contact the side of my arch, and I've tried many times to mold them to eliminate this contact point, without luck. I've been able to ride in the shoes, although when applying any substantial force on the pedals, there is discomfort. The problem with this sort of thing is it can quickly lead to pain via the loss of skin. So I may have overestimated the benefits of "heat molding": the custom version may be the better choice, although it is not described on the Bont web page (at least for cycling).

Certainly, the heat molding process recommended on the web page is inadequate. Simply strapping the shoe on, at least for the all-velcro version which is lighter, is not enough force to do anything with the sole. It takes a considerable application of force for this. But my problem is coming from the side of the shoe.

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.

A little update on my side, I managed to take a nick out of the upper when I missed putting my foot in. I've done this a few times with my sidis with no worries but this quite easily hurt the material. Nothing to really worry about but just something there for those that might be interested. I had previously thought the upper was very durable. I must say that the 40 vent thing is a bit of a joke as most of the holes have solid carbon directly backing the 'holes'. No heat issues at all with them so far though.

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This board would be a nicer place if everyone would take themselves a little less seriously.

How do my Rocket 7s compare in weight? I used to wear 42.5 Sidis and now have 42D R7s. The shoes weighed 195 grams each (bare) when I got them. I later modified them to eliminate the 3-hole adapter. They now weigh about 250 grams each, with cleats.

By the way, you better get a wear plate between the carbon sole and pedal. I made my own from plastic milk jug material and it's been holding up well for the first 1000 miles.

My shoes, with cleats, are now 255.5 and 258.4 grams.

A plastic milk jug (okay, I have only orange juice) sounds like a good idea. I'll do that ASAP.

Just a little soemthing for those looking to buy Bont. A guy I was riding with lsat week has't been able to use his as the top buckle doesn't tighten down enough to keep his foot secure. Might be something to think about for those with long small feet (if that makes sense).

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This board would be a nicer place if everyone would take themselves a little less seriously.

A friend of mine who rides Bont's for some months now noticed the same. In his view the buckle strap stretches under (sprinting) force and hence grow longer.

I have the all-velcro version, size W (which fits my toes nicely), and have the same issue. (1) I periodically retighten the straps, (2) the straps are basically at their limit. I've been considering getting the straps shortened, which should be fairly straightforward, to tidy them up.

Still, my foot is secure in the shoes, even when the straps loosen a bit.

I love the look of these shoes, but the Bont molded soles look awfully wide, especially around the heel. Has anyone noticed any difficulty as far as heel hitting the crank or not being able to get as close the crank as other shoes? Thanks for any feedback. - Jeremy