Tag: cyclocross

I always thought that the shape of any shoe, may they be trendy, casual, dressed or for sports, never fitted my foot shape.

Not that I have any sorts of congenital deformation or an abnormally shaped foot. I just always felt like if my toes were crammed at the front of a shoe, it would limit my ability to perform whatever I want to do and would eventually cause long term injury.

Take any Italian designer shoe… change the materials, drill 3 holes under it and Voilà! You are a cycling shoe designer!

Most cycling shoes look really good. They however don’t offer any sorts of comfort and most of the time you will end up with numb feet, cold feet and/or blisters and small injuries.

Same goes for running shoes, golf shoes, climbing shoes etc. We like good looking things, fast and modern looking sports equipment. It’s a non-sense when it comes to shoes, in my opinion, that looks should prevail on function.

A sports shoe is a tool used to enhance your performance, not limit it. Anyway…

What are people buying?

I worked almost 20 years in bike shops, and rarely did I ever sell a shoe that would perfectly fit anyones’ foot. (or feet, ’cause you know, most of us have 2). Most cycling shoes from the early days till mid 2000’s where narrow, uncomfortable but hell! good looking. People would come in whenever an Italian brand had a new model out and purchase them. The requirements were: as stiff as possible, as light as possible, good looking.

It did not matter if they were not comfortable. Looks, prestige and the promise of higher performance trumped any other considerations beside price of course.

I can list all the cycling shoes I had in my life. Very few were comfortable and all the ones that were had something in common: they had a sole shape and body shape that was more round than most pointy aesthetic shoes and they did not squeeze my big toe outward.

Here are some of the shoes I had in my life. The * marks the ones that were well made.

The idea is to let you know that I owned a lot of shoes, and tried even more as I did loads of product testing when I was working for my local bike magazine.

From that list, I still own the Nikes (that I keep because I feel bad throwing them away) and my Specialized shoes.

My opinion all those years was and still is: why do we, humans, make shoes that absolutely do not fit our feet? Has anyone looked at their feet before sliding them in any new balance runners or Sidi shoes? (I do not have anything against these brands specifically, they are successful brands and make good products). And I wonder why, even if they do realize their toes will be crushed, they still purchase them.

What’s wrong with most cycling shoes?

I am not a physio, doctor or health professional. So, I will not pretend to know more than what I can feel and experience. But you will find many articles about proper footwear fit and why it’s so important, if you look around a bit.

But please try this: squeeze your finger together and pretend you are making spoons with your hands, like if you were using them to drink water. Now, keep your hands in that form and try to do 10 push ups. Well, try just 1! See? something is not right. If you are looking to perform in any kind of sport I think you should be able to stand and push on your feet without them being crushed laterally.

Essentially, most cycling and sports shoes are too narrow. The pointy tip of the shoe makes it aesthetic but compresses your toes and could, over years, be the cause of bunions (Hallux Valgus).

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Bont Cycling

The first time I saw those, they were Exotic AF (and still are for most of us)

Bont is established well enough now. But the first time I saw a pair back in the mid 2000′ I was stunned how different the shape was. It stood out completely from anything else that was available on the market in that era and, sometimes, still does to this day. The Vaypor G is a clear example of that.

So what is so different about these Bont shoes?

They make anatomically designed shoes. Simple as that.

This explains the unique shape of Bont shoes. It’s made to let your feet naturally sit on the sole while also being supported.

There are many shape/fit available from Bont Cycling plus the fully custom option.

• Standard
• Wide (some models have 2x wide)
• Asian
• Full custom

The review

When Bont offered me to try their shoes, and review them, I was stoked! So I might say I was a bit biased before even seeing the product.

That being said: I was not sure about the Vaypor G at all when I first tried them on.

First impressions:

I don’t think there is another shoe out there that has a foot bed like the Vaypor G.
So It is quite surprising when you first try the shoe on. The shoe feels very raw. You can perceive every bits of it, the sole, the upper, the carbon foot bed, everything.

First ride:

I am not the type of guy who has fun spending too much time on adapting and fitting my equipment. So I took the shoes out of the box, slammed some cleats on them and went for a ride.

On my first ride, I thought that maybe I should have heat molded them. The carbon foot bed is very stiff. In fact the whole shoe is very stiff.

It’s not made for walking (if you are that type) and definitely is a high performance Gravel oriented shoe.
I guess you could use them for Cyclocross as well, but running uphill on roots and rocks might not be the best experience ever with these shoes. I’d say that most elite racers do not even get off their bikes anymore.
It’s less of a concern if you can bunny hop and ride up and down most obstacles thrown at you.

Anyway, after my first 70km, my feet where hurting and I had a couple of blisters which made me think that I should have prepared better.

Many many rides later

I can easily blame my first ride experience on myself. I could and should have tested the shoes on shorter distances and, I barely rode my bike before going out for 70km of gravel. Which was dumb.

The discomfort went away on the second ride. Like most new shoes, it takes a little while getting used to them. Again, I was dumb to just go out on a long ride and think I would be fine. After loads of shorter rides, a few cyclocross races and another Gravel event, I can say that I can’t really go back to my previous shoes. I prefer the fit of the Bonts.

I did not attempt to mold the shoes as I never saw the potential benefit but I will, just for the sake of testing it.

What I would recommend is to explore the different insoles that Bont offers. You can get low arch, mid and high. There is so much room for your foot so why not improving even more your fit and comfort.

Final thoughts.

The Bont Vaypor G cycling shoes offer a distinct type of fit, some adaptability with heat molding and a stiff carbon sole capable that should assist and allow you to perform at your best level. The boa retention system works flawlessly and each dial can be replaced, with different colours also offered.

Venting and heat management is quite good. I do prefer warm weather, so I did not experience any episodes of overheating.

Power transfer is well transferred to the entire carbon sole. Even under heavy load, you can’t feel the cleat pushing against the sole like on so many other shoes out there. That is a huge plus.

If you’ve always compromise on shoe fit and comfort and lost faith in finding the right shoe for you, I would recommend that you visit their website and go through the FAQ and different models they offer. It’s totally worth it.

Pros:

• Stiff
• Anatomical fit
• Boa retention dial placement is optimal
• Replaceable dials, studs, heel pads and sole guards
• Wide range of fit and size
• Custom option available
• Heat moldable
• Competitive price for this level of quality, fit options and features
• Awesome support from the company and the FAQ has loads of useful articles.

Cons:

• Rarely available in store for sizing and fit check
• Not the best looking shoes out there
• Requires a lot of research before ordering the right pair. If you are an impulsive buyer, make sure you take your time and read all the pertinent FAQ articles.
• Longer delivery time (again, it’s a serious purchase, and one that will last a long time)(not a issue for me, but in a world where everything gets delivered next day, it’s something to keep in mind)