Bont shoes
Moderator: robbosmans
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Arky wrote:I just received my Speedplay Bonts w/ratchet buckle in yesterday. It is a 150g reduction over my Sidis with the old Millenium II sole. The stack height difference is very noticeable just walking around in them.
Great! I'm another Speedplay/Bont fan. Make sure to shim under the cleats to keep the pedal from rubbing the shoe. I used milk jug plastic. It came out to just 2 grams or so, with around 1mm increase in stack height. You can also buy a metal shim from Speedplay.
I had to aggressively shape my Bonts to fit my feet... not the relatively lame method Bont recommends. Heating and immediately shaping it hard with my fingers to avoid some unkind pressure. But once I had it dialed, it was an excellent fit. The shoes are a joy to wear.
I also got my Bont shoes (with laces and a velcro strap). Glenn Koshi (the US representative for Bont, reachable via glenn at bont.com, see the Bont web site about full custom shoes) is very helpful and still answers my questions (e.g., how to properly heat mold the shoes: so far I haven't been successful at that using a heat gun). My shoes are size 38.5, usually I wear 40 or 40.5; they weigh about 226g.
ask here C3@c3products.com
following the bont-site (http://www.bont.com/cycling/pages/contact.html), this is the distributor for uk.
following the bont-site (http://www.bont.com/cycling/pages/contact.html), this is the distributor for uk.
- mitre_tester
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ABEL21 wrote:Can i buy Bont shoes in the u.k
Prologue, Geoffrey Butler and Sigma Sport, among others, have them. Definitely can't be bought online if you haven't used them before, as the sizing is nothing like anything else.
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I have a set of Bont shoes that I have only ridden 5 or 6 times (and heat molded 3 times -- I think I've got it now). Has anyone cut their straps? There are stitched points in the straps the seem to be places where they could be cut without long term issue. Most every set of Bont shoes that I have seen has had straps that were too long for the user. I hate the look of the straps just hanging off the edge.
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darbydog wrote:For those in the US where did you get your bont shoes from?
ConteBikeStore.com or call 703-248-9600
I saw them in the flesh today in the Conte store here in Va. Saving up some coin now for a pair
WW Velocipedist Gargantuan
welcomdmat wrote:I have a set of Bont shoes that I have only ridden 5 or 6 times (and heat molded 3 times -- I think I've got it now). Has anyone cut their straps? There are stitched points in the straps the seem to be places where they could be cut without long term issue. Most every set of Bont shoes that I have seen has had straps that were too long for the user. I hate the look of the straps just hanging off the edge.
Provided you restitch the velcro to the fabric across the cut end there would be no reason why not.
May pay to use a thin layer of contact adhesive between the materials too.
I guess Bont would have the right to decline possible related warranty issue following this, but thats true of every mod we make to our kit....
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shadwell wrote:Provided you restitch the velcro to the fabric across the cut end there would be no reason why not.
May pay to use a thin layer of contact adhesive between the materials too.
I guess Bont would have the right to decline possible related warranty issue following this, but thats true of every mod we make to our kit....
Yeah. On the straps, they have a few stitched lines across where it seems you could shorten the strap and not have to do anything (superglue the ends perhas). It was because of these "indexed" points that I figured someone else had tried.
Got my Orange Bont "Chris Sutton Edt "
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bqSi7cdNL_o/S ... podium.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bqSi7cdNL_o/S ... %3D-1.jpeg
Here original Pics:
http://forum.tour-magazin.de/attachment ... 1257584013
http://forum.tour-magazin.de/attachment ... 1257584013
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bqSi7cdNL_o/S ... podium.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bqSi7cdNL_o/S ... %3D-1.jpeg
Here original Pics:
http://forum.tour-magazin.de/attachment ... 1257584013
http://forum.tour-magazin.de/attachment ... 1257584013
BACK IN BLACK
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I have been reading through this and the other Bont thread in this forum and was thrilled to find that I had a Bont dealer within 5 minutes of my house. I went and tried on a pair of A1's and was prepared for the odd sizing and, sure enough, where I'm a 44 in my Nike Poggio 4 SL shoes I slid comfortable into a set of size 42 Bont A1's.
So I started wondering, since I've seen it mentioned in various places, what's the deal with Bont's seemingly off-kilter sizing? By happenstance I clicked on the FAQ on Bont's main site (bont.com) and it was answered as one of their questions. It was framed from a sneakers v. Bont skates point of view, but it is consistent with the cycling shoes as well.
Q: Why are my sneakers 2 sizes bigger than my Bont Skates
A: When Mr. Inze Bont first developed his last in 1975 he was a size 8. Over the years as sneaker manufacturers moved to Asia, last sizes have shrunk. Mr. Bont is now a size 10... So the simple answer is that our last sizes haven't changed for over 30 years where as your running shoe manufacturers lasts have changed.
I guess they didn't want to go through and relabel all those custom lasts that they'd made over the years. Can't blame them. At least it's consistent.
After trying them on and talking with the Bont folks I'm now awaiting a set of black leather A1's, Speedplay drilled with lace-ups and a a cover. It'll be 4-6 weeks but that's a small price to pay for shoes exactly as I want them without having to go the full custom route.
So I started wondering, since I've seen it mentioned in various places, what's the deal with Bont's seemingly off-kilter sizing? By happenstance I clicked on the FAQ on Bont's main site (bont.com) and it was answered as one of their questions. It was framed from a sneakers v. Bont skates point of view, but it is consistent with the cycling shoes as well.
Q: Why are my sneakers 2 sizes bigger than my Bont Skates
A: When Mr. Inze Bont first developed his last in 1975 he was a size 8. Over the years as sneaker manufacturers moved to Asia, last sizes have shrunk. Mr. Bont is now a size 10... So the simple answer is that our last sizes haven't changed for over 30 years where as your running shoe manufacturers lasts have changed.
I guess they didn't want to go through and relabel all those custom lasts that they'd made over the years. Can't blame them. At least it's consistent.
After trying them on and talking with the Bont folks I'm now awaiting a set of black leather A1's, Speedplay drilled with lace-ups and a a cover. It'll be 4-6 weeks but that's a small price to pay for shoes exactly as I want them without having to go the full custom route.