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Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:09 pm
by mdeth1313
LouisN wrote:I suggest this topic shoud be divided in two :

Topic No1 title: I hate Bont shoes

Topic No2 title: The "I like my Bont's" topic

It's becoming more and more a Bont bashing contest here...



It's not all that bad- I loved my bont shoes- I like the design, even the look, they were just killing my feet- I tried everything and in the end I found a different brand that my feet are very comfortable in. When they work, they're outstanding, just not for me. (sounds like I'm running for political office)

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:09 pm
by Weenie

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Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 4:27 pm
by UncleJamsArmy
No Bont bashing here. My A-One's fit perfectly, with just the stock insole. I bought a second pair for when the first pair is done.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:05 pm
by kytyree
I just picked up a set of the A-ones last week on closeout, I've wanted to try them for a while but the MSRP is a bit higher than I wanted to go. I've molded them once and tried them out, pretty happy with the way they fit, I like that it feels like there is a lot less shoe on my foot than normal, more of a slipper feeling.

As far as the tight fit, I measured my feet as they describe on their site and picked the size that left a similar amount of toe room to other shoes I have that I am happy with, that ended up being a Euro size smaller than normal for me but the overall effect is about the same. I put a piece of folded paper in my sock on top of a hotspot that appears in any shoe and that seems to have been enough to keep the pressure off it. That particular problem is not something everyone has and I only have on one of my feet. It took me several tries to mold a pair of Lakes around it but that was more a case of my weird outside ridge not matching with the shape of the carbon fiber Lakes. Plus because of the similarities between the shoes I anticipated it with the Bonts.

I considered waiting to get a pair of the newest model but decided the price was right now on the A-1's, the velcro straps do so little on the bonts that unless there is some other significant advantage to the vaypors over the A-1's then the price difference seems hard to justify as long as you can find your size in A-1's on closeout. I'm not a huge fan of the buckle on the A-1's, seems cumbersome compared to say the one on Sidi's. Part of that is I have to take the ergo strap all the way out each time and and it just seems awkward, maybe I will get used to it.

I love the boa on my Lakes though, easy on, easy off, if I could pick and choose I think a Bont A-1 with boa closure would be nice. No the Bont's don't need that type of closure because of the way they fit, but I think its the easiest of the mechanisms to use.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:15 am
by SQ
[quote="kytyree"]II'm not a huge fan of the buckle on the A-1's, seems cumbersome compared to say the one on Sidi's. Part of that is I have to take the ergo strap all the way out each time and and it just seems awkward, maybe I will get used to it.

Ditto the buckles. Bulky and not that great. I bought some Sidi buckles and straps, you'll just need to snip out a very small part of the of the material eiether side under the "T" of the Sidi strap so that it fits into the Bont loop on the ratchet strap. Hard to describe, you'll see what I mean if you try them, it doesn't affect the integrity of the strap.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:34 am
by GZA
nemesis seams to have dissappeared! Has anyone else has their heel counters split and lose the heel protectors? I have had Shimano shoes last for 5 years and these A1's are pretty much done after one year - it looks like the models have been improved alot recently so I'm wondering if I have a justifiable warranty claim?

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 4:54 am
by Johnny Rad
I pulled the trigger on a set of Bont A-1's in size 42.5 Wide (507g with insoles and no cleats). Interestingly, the right shoe (243g) weighs ~20g less than the left (264g).

As I wrote earlier this week, I tried on A-1's in size 42 and 42.5. Both were darn tight, but the pre-owned and pre-molded 42.5 felt pretty good. Since I've got fat err wide feet, I went with a wide and am glad that I did. Out of the box, I was relieved with the feel. They're very noticeably wider.

After heat molding these Bont A-1's, they seem to fit like a glove. It was a noticeable improvement from a pretty good fit to a really good fit. Two-thumbs up, but I haven't ridden them yet. Stay tuned!

I almost forgot to remove the Bont insoles before heating them, which I read earlier in this thread will disintegrate them. That was a close call.

Next up is the Pearl Izumi 1:1 foot bed insoles. The Bont insoles look and feel better than the ridiculous OEM Sidi units, but are still suspect.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/09/ ... 10_pearl27

P.S. Giant thanks to mdeth1313 for the retailmenot link to the online discount code at "Department of Goods." It seems that I got in at the last moment because the online coupon is no longer being accepted.

Image

I've saved a none to trivial 87g or nearly .2lbs off my Sidi 6.6 size 43 (non-Lite model) assuming 70g for Speedplay Zero Ti cleats.

The toe boxes on the Sidi 6.6 and Bont A-1 can't look any more different. The Sidi is pointed and the Bont is squared off. Removing the insoles, my foot is a decent match for the Bont insole whereas the my feet hang over the edge of the Sidi insole and my toes come way short of the end. That said, my last two shoes have been Sidi and they generally treated me well. From a width perspective, the non-mega Sidi is definitely narrower feeling and looking than the wide Bont.

Image

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:47 pm
by spinwax
Glad you got squared away Johnny Rad. Keep us posted on how you like them.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 10:14 pm
by Biplrsaba
2 pairs. If you have any background in speed, hockey, or any other skating specific sport the Bont bathtub will make your foot feel right at home. If you have not locked your foot in before the stiffness and style might be a bridge too far.

If your a power to the line kinda of guy/gals these are the bees knees.

Guys at the local hockey store, while baking my Bont's were amazed at how similar the shoes were to the new Vapor line of hockey skates.

Arch issues were solved with Superfeet yellow.

Time to crush souls in my new kicks.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:28 pm
by djconnel
Johnny Rad wrote:Image


The buckle adds a lot of weight, clearly. Here's my all-Velcro 4-hole size 40 (normal) shoe with the Speedplay cleat attached:

Image

3.5 grams heavier, but including the cleat.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:50 pm
by nothingman
@djconnel's pic of his 3 strap Bonts. I'll be damned.

When did they start doing that style of three straps?

I feel totally vindicated for arguing against the A3's system and for pressing their USA office about how the shoe's velcro design was useless. (see my previous, fairly long account)

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:47 am
by djconnel
nothingman wrote:When did they start doing that style of three straps?


It used to be a standard option in the earlier version of the shoe. Now it's by special request.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:13 am
by Johnny Rad
Now that I've got my Speedplay Zero cleats attached, my right shoe weighs 301g or 58g more than without it (243g).

Editorial: Speedplay's claim that the Zero cleat weighs 70g/set is probably true of the cleat only and not the other ancillary mounting components (screws, mounting bracket, etc). Before I comment on the accuracy of their weight claim or their semantics, I'm going to think about it ... I don't want a "cease and desist" letter from their corporate paralegal team. I digress.

I'm thinking your 3-strap Bont shoe weighs a paltry 199g considering that a Zero cleat with all mounting gear seems to be 58g/shoe. That's better than a current edition S-Works shoe! (Unless, of course, you're using a 4-hole Bont shoe...)

Comparing apples to apples, the per shoe difference (not including cleats) between my size 42.5W and your 41 is 44-65g.

Yeah, I guess we can see the buckle and plastic strap weigh more than the velcro ... but, your shoe is 1.5 sizes smaller and maybe narrower. Bont's website says the 3-straper is 25g less. Therefore, my semi-educated guess is that the difference is about half related to the size difference and half to the buckle / strap combo.

Let's take it a step further. What's the weight of your other shoe? Since there's two of us with a ~20g spread between a left and right, I wonder if it's the same for you?! Your other shoe might just be lighter! Let us know.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:27 am
by boots2000
For you guys/gals with Bont fit problems- Keep molding them!
I had my pair just about perfect- then I switched orthotics. Made them feel terrible and tight. I was ready to replace them with something else.
So I re-molded them in the oven, then re-did the heels with a heat gun.
Now they are perfect again.

Bont shoes

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:29 pm
by gumgardner
Anybody give the Bont Zero's a try? They claim they are an everyday shoe.

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:38 pm
by EGreenberg87
anyone know where to order bont zero's online?

Re: Bont shoes

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:38 pm
by Weenie

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Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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