Product Review: Bont Vaypor and Vaypor XC
I have weird feet, apparently. It’s not really something you normally come to realize without asking questions that one rarely has reason to ask. I might have asked them, though, had I ever had any notion that feet don’t always have to hurt in a cycling shoe. Hurt might be a strong word – more like “squished” or “numb”. I’ve also had this weird thing where my feet tend to roll towards the outside of the pedals, as if all the awesome power dispatch from my righteous guns is concentrated on the outside of the foot, which is also the part of my foot that tends to go numb right away.
I say my feet are weird because they are apparently wide but also low in volume. To put it in technical terms, I have flippers for feet. You might think that would make me a good swimmer but my talents where swimming is concerned are more accurately described as “not drowning” than “swimming”. As far as fish’s grace goes, I’m more like the “free candy” fish than one of those sexy colorful fish that swim up in the good water.
Over the years, I’ve ridden in loads of shoes, to varying success. The Sidi Ergo 2 was possibly my favorite shoe, with its sufficiently stiff shoe and the delightful combination of three different kinds of buckles, which always served to fascinate me. The f”iz:ik white R1 is possibly the most beautiful shoe I’ve ever seen and the dead baby kangaroos were wildly supple and comfortable. The problem for me with those was not the width, but the volume; at one point, I had two pairs of insoles in them (at the same time) in an effort to reduce the volume to the point that my feet stopped sliding around whenever I let the cannons off the leash. Sometimes, no matter how badly you want to love a product, you have to recognize the reality that it simply doesn’t work for you, and that was the case for the Fizik line of shoes and me.
Bont shoes caught my attention at the Beijing Olympics and I became immediately fascinated by their approach to making a cycling shoe; fully heat-molded and a toe box designed to allow the foot to spread out into its most natural position. While most shoes are basically designed to constrain the foot in order to hold it in place, Bont takes the approach that a foot is actually very good at finding its most optimal position naturally, and designed their shoe to allow this to happen.
The result is a bit of a funny looking shoe; it doesn’t have the usual pointed toe box we’re used to seeing, but instead continues to expand until it reaches the end of the toes. Basically, it looks like a foot rather than a torpedo. And since feet aren’t shaped like torpedoes, it seems a sensible approach.
Bont also doesn’t fool around when it comes to the construction of the uppers; whereas cycling shoes generally have supple uppers with stiff areas placed strategically about the shoes for buckles and such, Bonts have stiff, unforgiving uppers which are also intended to be heat molded to form to your foot. The idea being that a stiff upper is more efficient than a sloppy one, and you can afford to have an entirely stiff upper when it is shaped precisely to the form of your foot.
Lastly, Bonts soles are also made of completely heat-moldable carbon fiber. I’ve never seen a sole so stiff and thin. The stiff sole is great for power transfer and the thinness of the sole improves pedaling efficiency by bringing the foot closer to the pedal axle. This also has the consequence, however, of requiring the shortest screws that come with your cleats or possibly even specialty short screws if necessary as they can stick out through the sole and poke your foot. Which is uncomfortable, assuming you have feeling in your feet.
I started riding the Bont Vaypors in July and spent about a week experimenting with heat molding them before I got them perfect. But once I got them right, I was absolutely amazed at how good these shoes are. At this point, I can’t imagine going back to a “normal” cycling shoe. In fact, I commuted a day last week in my old Sidis, thinking I’d use them in the wet and save the Bonts for dry weather. Nothing doing, pal – once you’re used to Bonts, there’s no going back.
For one thing, the stiffness of the sole is staggering and the resulting power transfer is amazing. The molded sole and uppers mean I have zero hot spots anywhere in the shoe and the numbness I’ve always experienced has gone away completely. Riding with feeling in my feet is not entirely unpleasant, as it turns out. The shoes have also managed to somehow resolve the pressure distribution in my foot; all the force of the stroke now comes down straight through the ball of the foot and into the pedal, fully supported by the length and width of the entire sole.
I’ve also been riding the Vaypor XC off road, and the shoe is similarly impressive. Bont basically took the Vaypor road shoe, added just a bit of extra padding to the uppers for comfort, and added some rubber grippers to the sole for those pesky occasions when you find yourself running with your bike, which everyone knows should be avoided if at all possible. Personally, I try to ride any climb, but after I crashed and monkey-jacked my chain, I was forced to find alternative means to complete the CX course; I was much more hindered by the broken bike and gash in my knee than I was by the shoe’s performance in a cross-country running application. On the bike, the shoe is nearly indistinguishable from the road shoe in terms of power transfer and pedaling efficiency.
These shoes aren’t for everyone, though; Marko tried a pair of both the road (Vaypor) and off-road (Vaypor XC) shoes and wasn’t able to get them to work for him. G’rilla, on the other hand, had complained on several occasions of a baby’s arm growing from one of his feet which made cycling shoes uncomfortable. The heat molding on Marko’s rejects did the trick for him and initial reports indicate these shoes work very well. You would think that as a courtesy for giving him a pair of shoes he’d not drop me on the hills, but some people simply have no manners.
Fitting & Heat Molding Tips
I had the opportunity to speak with Bont’s CEO, Steven Nemeth, on several occasions to discuss molding the shoes and I’ve outlined my recommendations below. Remember that these are high performance racing shoes and, while they are very comfortable after molding, they are unforgiving and stiff. If you’re looking for something of an evening slipper in your cycling shoe, you may want to pass over the Bonts and see about having a pair of cleats nailed to an old pair of oxfords.
Fitting & heat molding tips (please watch the official video on the Bont site first):
- Take out the insoles that came with the shoes. Throw them away because they are useless. Bont is working on making a better insole, but for now Fizik makes the best heat-moldable insole. I have used the Specialized blue foot beds myself and have been very happy with them. Keep that between us; if asked, I will categorically deny using any Specialized product full stop.
- Don’t worry about making mistakes, you can re-mold them as many times as you need to or want to.
- Ideally, you’d wear the shoes on a ride or two before molding them in order to get a feel for what parts of the shoe need to be worked on most.
- If you have particular hot spots, you can use gauze and athletic tape to build out those areas. Typical areas would be the Achilles heel or any protuberances on your feet. Tape the gauze to your foot and put your socks on over it before stepping into the shoes when molding them.
- Before chucking the shoes in the oven, remove the cleats.
- Don’t chicken out when heating the shoes; you want the soles to become fully pliable; they should be really soft by the time you take them out and put them on.
- The sole can be pushed out by as much as a half centimeter; don’t be afraid to push it out to give your foot room in places where you need more. If you need room in the toe box, push the toe box out with the handle-end of a screwdriver.
- When the shoes come out, put the new insoles in and put the shoes on. Stand in place, don’t walk around as you may crack the softened carbon in the sole.
- The cleat holes are mounted further back on the Bonts than most shoes; keep that in mind when placing your cleat.
- Bonts are designed to allow your toes to move, which is almost certainly contrary to the shoes you’re used to. Don’t let this freak you out; take a week to get used to being able to wiggle your toes. Despite this, when the shoes are fitted correctly, they hold your feet firmly in place.
- You can use the Bont fit chart for sizing; for me, the sizing transferred directly to Sidi (I wear a 46.5 in both). You should have a little bit of room in the length of the shoe to allow your toes to spread out when dishing out The V.
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I know what you mean, I tried some Bont A3s recently and the moment they went on my feet I knew they were not for me…understand they had not moulded yet but I really did not like the stiffness of the sole. This may change in the future but I cannot forgive the fact that the A3s had no micro adjustment….it was ratchet up and release so no adjustment on the fly as your feet swell…the shape I have to say was brilliant, I have flippers and a high arch so shoes either crush my widest point, or slip at the heels.
I am going to try out a pair of Lake CX236s in the new year, the tightening from the heel end of the shoes might do a better job of gripping my heel. Do the Vapours have a micro adjust on the ratchet?
Until then I will have to stick with my Sidi Genius Pro 5s which are good but a little too pointed on the toe to be perfect..
thanks for that Frank, you’ve taken a ton of time to think on this
I am sold on trying the Fizik next year, call it eye candy, but my feet are pretty normal, hope they work out
Bont though has a great product from what I hear, and you’ve bonified that!
Never thought I’d want to read so much about a shoe! Thanks, they sound awesome in many ways especially now in the cold where I find any pressure on the toesies no matter how many layers gives cold feet. The molding and hard sole make them something I nam going to look at when the “Silver” ladies are laid to rest.
Hey! I rode slowly at the last cyclocross race so you could finish ahead of me by a few places.
Next time, no kid gloves. The guns will be deployed.
I’ve had my A3’s since the notorious “Speedplay cleat coming off the Shimano shoe in the Pyrenees” incident back in July.
I have enormous flat feet that don’t like narrow shoes but wide shoes never seem to get tight enough and end up producing a big ridge down the centre that gives me a big blister. The Bonts are like podiatry porn. Really and honestly I like them so much that I should probably buy half a dozen and lay them up for future use just in case Bont decide to start making raffia table wear or something instead of shoes.
Also, apart from being male, the one thing I have in common with Wiggo is that I rock the Bont/Speedplay combo. If this site has taught me anything it’s that I know fuck all about cycling (thanks Oli) but I can’t conceive that there could be a better way of attaching myself to Charlene.
I’ve done maybe 1,500kms in them this year and I’m really looking forward to some big rides in them next year (Coast to Coast and London Edinburgh in two days already entered) as I know that I can forget about having sore feet and worry about the pain in my arse/back/head.
I know I’ve written this many times before but when you put them in the oven keep the toe bumpers away from the fan oven outlet or they will catch fire and you will have a charred toe bumper. Also your wife will call you a fucktard and the kitchen will smell like a burnt tyre for several days.
That nice Mr Nemeth said when he was interviewed in Cycling an issue or so ago used words to the effect that “only two people have ever fucked up moulding a pair of Bonts and they were complete idiots”. Well, guilty as charged m’lud and I will bear the charred left toe of shame all next season. One can only wonder what the other guy did.
@the Engine
Best advice ever.
@G’rilla
Excuse me fellas, but let’s not forget where the shoes came from – MN!
It’s no surprise pros aren’t contractually obligated to ride certain shoes. As Frank points out, the Bonts did not work for me and I tried, believe me, I wanted those XC’s to work. They didn’t work for me for two reasons – I have very flat feet with a long forefoot and the arch of the shoes hit me too high and too far forward. Also, the toe box didn’t allow for enough room for my middle and ring toes which are both freakishly longer than the rest by far. I could certainly see the magic though for the princess who fit those glass slippers. On the couple hundred K or so I did ride them (the regulars and XC) I’ve never felt a more direct transfer of power through a shoe. This, I feel, is because they are so minimalist, they’re built well but there’s nothing to them and what is there is stiff stiff stiff. This must be rooted in Bont’s history of making short track skate shoes. Of course to optimize that power transfer without pain the shoe has to fit extremely well and I just couldn’t make it happen. They are sweet though and eventhough I’ll be sticking with my beloved fizik’s I’ll be following them as a company in hopes that maybe one day they’ll have an XC option that fits me for graveling.
@Marko excuse you – Bonts come from ‘Stralia Mayte.
@Marko
This passage reminds me that I should correct the torpedo paragraph in the article to:
@Marcus
He meant the specific shoes G’rilla has came from Marko, who lives in MN. What his point was, however, I’m unclear on.
@the Engine
Nemeth is a class act. The first time I talked to him, he told me he would prefer to work with Keeper Jim due to their similar philosophical outlook on life. I assume he based this on Jim’s bio:
It was great chatting with him at the time that I did – Wiggo was leading and he was nervous about it and didn’t really want to say much about it for fear of jinxing it.
He told me he’d had a yellow pair made, but that he was certain Wiggo wouldn’t wear them on the Champs because of the risk of changing shoe and causing even the slightest injury – giving the Olympics, he never expected Brad to take that risk.
But then he watched the final stage and his daughter exclaimed that he was wearing the yellow shoes and he just about broke down in tears of joy.
Pretty fucking cool, I imagine, to see your shoes win the Tour like that.
@frank
Absent winning it yourself as good as its going to get in professional life I’d have thought. 50 years from now they’ll be posting pictures of those shoes on whatever they’ll be posting things on 50 years from now.
I now realise that I write more about my shoes than I write about my bike – its that whole Reverence thing – some inanimate objects just attach themselves to your soul.
Mind you there’s no accounting for taste – when I was 18 I was obsessed by my rucksack – must be the OCD.
@Marko
graveling eh Marko….its my new found love
gravel grinding
back to the Bonts’
@Souleur Yes brother
@ frank
No, not torpedoes. More like grain scoops. The curve in the bont toe box hit my extended ring finger toe in a harsh way. why that doesn’t do it in other shoes is beyond me but I’ve experienced it in certain ski boots.
And not that it matters but I was saying that G’Rilla is riding the shoes that were meant for me I thought. No big deal, just flipping a little shit.
@Souleur
I have been thinking through my graveling setup for next summer and wondering what to do about pedals – go road or go MTB. The Vaypor XC’s are so good, I’m not going to bother with the road pedals, I think – based on the cross riding I’m doing, aside from them being heavier, there seems to be no downside; the shoe is as stiff and you can get the cleat exactly in the same spot. Good stuff.
@frank I’ve struggled with that a lot. I deplore the mushiness and non-confidence inspiring feel of the eggbeaters which is why I largely use the Aristocrats and SPD’s on my gravel rid. That said, mixed routes like the Heck where there are dismounts, mud, and gnarly trail sections lend themselves well to MTB pedals (at least 10 percent of the time and it’s that 10 percent where the race is on). Maybe I need to find a better MTB mousetrap but I love long gravel rides (like the Almanzo) with road pedals and wouldn’t do it any other way. Or, I just swap depending on the ride.
Another timely article – I’m planning on ordering my Vaypors today. I’m also a Sidi user (Five carbons with Fizik insoles on the road bike for commuting, Dragon 2s for the MTB), but I’m hoping the Bonts will be a revelation in comfort. The only problem is I can’t justify a second pair to replace the Sidis when I realise how uncomfortable they are. I’m hoping for good things though – new shoes to go with new #1, picking up the Look next week!
@Marko
Also, the toe box didn’t allow for enough room for my middle and ring toes which are both freakishly longer than the rest by far.
WTF! Marko, only porn stars and cougars have “ring toes” … now you got me worried!
@Deakus
IDK WTF else to call the toe just outboard of the middle toe.
@Marko
Middle toe – that grows on oak trees doesn’t it?
Aha….OK your sub concious works on a different level to mine….but trust me that is no bad thing! I would have called it the 3rd toe or something very boring like that.
I still think “ring toe” sounds wierd….but you are certainly creative!
@Marko
How about the ‘Penultimate toe’? (assuming the count starts with the big toe)
As I recall the toes are numbered one through five from the big toe or first toe.
In areas where banjos and/or accordions are considered musical instruments one may have to count higher (or lower).
On going back to an “old” shoe – my Lake CX331 shoes are out of the lineup for a warranty repair. One of the attachment points for the cleat screws cracked. A very freakish defect. Anyway, I’m riding in my old Specialized road shoes. They are nice shoes, but I had become blissfully ignorant of hot spots and numbness in the Lakes. I’m back to occasional visits.
Will give the Bonts a try if the Lake “rare defect” turns out to be more of a design flaw. It will be a pity though. Like Frank with his Bonts, the Lakes go on and disappear for me.
Frank, you gotta stop talking these up so much! Very high on my list of bike gear I want to try out but the Bugetatus won’t allow it right now. It took me a year or two and many different insole/sock combinations to get my Sidi Genius 6.6s to fit well & not cause pain. Probably two years into some Ergo 2s that make my feet number on every ride. Argh. I have weird feet too. Very skinny with high arches and narrow heels. Someday I’ll find cycling shoes that work for me. Neck pain is cured, now I just need to cure foot pain and I’ll be in cyclist Nirvana!
Recently picked up some new soccer cleats and they’re Pumas with a similar designed/cut to the Bont. Look odd, felt odd for the first few times but now I love them. Feel great and fit great. And they’ve got carbon soles…so the only time I’m not in carbon-soled shoes is when I’m shufflin’ ’round town in some tennis shoes.
What you don’t wear Espadrilles round town like the rest of us?
Alright, I’m sold – just put in an order for a pair of Bonts. I’ve been fighting with my Northwave Aerator 3s for awhile now and although I’ve made them workable with a set of those As Seen On TV WalkFit arch supports, I think maybe its time to give up and see if I can find something better. I ordered a pair of A3s a year and a half ago, and even though I used the sizing recommendation provided I could barely get my feet into them. A larger size wasn’t available so I just returned them and moved on. This time their new online sizing genie recommends a 44.5 (a full size and a half larger than the A3s I tried) which seems to me more in line with what I would normally wear in other brands. Based on what I know of my foot shape and my complaints with other shoes, in theory the Bonts should be perfect – We’ll see.
I was thinking about getting some Bonts when @frank first mentioned them, as my Sidis were giving me lots of grief — the main problem being that I have a high arch. I got some Giro footbeds with adjustable arch inserts instead, at a tenth of the price, and put in the high arch insert. My relationship with the Sidis is now much less complicated.
@Sauterelle Toe-down suplesse?
@Sauterelle
Fuck I didn’t know they came in black….I’ve got the white already but they are no good for winter training!
@Sauterelle
Obviously a joke picture – mountain bike cleat on an obvious road shoe. The horror.
@frank
I assume the right to return them is cooked when you first place them in the oven? Would one know if they were keepers before baking? You sound like you have found the perfect shoe and that worries me. The perfect shoe, an interesting concept. My left R3 Fizik is perfect, the right not so much. It must be my foot not the shoe so I’m intrigued with the idea of custom moulding. It is a great concept.
They need to hire an Italian stylist though.
OK. Nothing like a shoe post to drag me out of my cave… Much to chew on here. My Carnacs are starting to show a bit of wear, and next years club kit is black and chartreuse with black socks (yeah, I KNOW!) , which is going to clash big time with the Orange Sunshines, so I’ve been thinking about new shoes… of course I’m keeping the Carnacs for the V-Kit! Like you Frank, I always liked my Sidi’s, but the thing I really like about the Carnacs is the wide toebox and further aft cleat placement. How do the Bonts run size-wise compared to the Sdis? Big? Small?
@Deakus
The dumbass with no trigger finger discipline is gonna shoot the end of that espadrille–and a toe or two–right off his fucking foot.
@sgt reckon these might fit the bill given your description of next year’s kit
How does the Bont sizing compare to Sidi?
@Mikael Liddy Im such a sucker for flouro. Dear santa….
Frank, Bont’s foot-shaped last is an amazing concept. Myself, I’m getting along very well with my Mavics (and am heavily invested in the Zxelliums and Tri Heliums, so that’s $450 worth of shoes I don’t want to ditch), but when these wear out, I’m getting Bonts.
What bought me over? Running. Specifically, companies like New Balance (with their Minimus shoes) and Altra Running. For a few months now, New Balance’s Minimus MR00 has been my main running shoe, and lately the Altra Adam joined it as my everyday shoe, and it’s pretty obviously foot/Bont-shaped and insanely comfortable:
The reasoning behind foot-shaped lasts is so sound that I wonder what the fuck companies thought when they decided we need bunched-up toes. In the last months I’ve found it uncomfortable to walk in anything that’s pointy-toed – half my dress-shoe collection sits unused – while the broader-toed ones (including, luckily, my boots and a pair of Oxfords) remained. Why companies like Nike still insist our feet are shaped like a Ballet shoe, I have no idea.
@tessar
Probably that foot-shaped lasts look like shit, which they do. Its fashion over function, plain and simple. Shoes like Bonts, Keen’s and Crocs (gasp) make a lot more sense from an anatomical standpoint, but I’ve yet to see one that looks good.
@Frank
You and me both brother, you and me both.
@Fausto
I found the sizing between Bont and Sidi to be the same, by the way, I ride the same size in both shoes.
Good luck with the Look!
@Deakus
I regrettable Google search reveals that most people who wear rings on their toes wear them on their second toe. So by Ring Toe Marko must mean the second, and now I’m completely confused.
I call it the Raost Beef Toe; because that is the piggy that had roast beef.
@Gianni
That’s a great question, but I’m actually wondering if you can still return them after cooking, assuming you have not mounted cleats…
I have always known that my feet are about a half Euro size off from one another, so shoes have always been weird for me. The Bonts correct that. Forgot about that one.
The styling grows on you after a while, but they are obviously made my an Aussie and not an Italian. I am just glad there are no sheep designs on there.
@sgt
Exactly the same for me…Those carnacs do match the V-Kit perfectly!
@MAK
Same. Third person to ask, I’ll add it to the list of findings up top. Thanks for asking.
@tessar
When Steven was explaining his design to me, he kept focusing on the fact that the foot has millions of years of evolution behind it, and its very good at doing what it does and naturally moves into the shape in which it can be most stable given whatever task its being given.
That really resonated with me, and it certainly seems to work for me. Steven gave me the impression that shoes are designed the way they are for ease of construction and for the simple fact that the accepted approach to stabilizing the foot is to lock it in place rather than to let it do its thang.
I’m working in Aerospace manufacturing these days (on the software side) and its amazing how much of the accepted knowledge is based on apprenticeship when it comes to actually building parts and planes. I imagine that since shoe-making is rooted in centuries of apprenticeship, that alot of concepts are taken for granted rather than re-imagined. Just a hunch, I have nothing to back that up. But I assume I’m right.
@CanuckChuck
I tried their footbeds and disliked them quite a bit – but I use their “turbo tubes”, mostly because they come pre-talc’ed in a little bag, perfect for stuffing in my middle jersey pocket repair kit.
And just like the footbeds, they stay hidden from view…
@frank
Shit, between you and RedRanger, I’m going to really have to start worrying about my safety when flying…
@Mikael Liddy
That’s a lovely looking shoe, assuming you’re Rule #36-compliant. Yikes. Matches that EMPS I had on my Mountain Bike in 1993. That thing was hot.
@mcsqueak
I’m making them easier and safer to build, and RR is building them. You should be worried about the ones you’ve already flown in, not the ones we’re making more awesome.
I’m training to be a aircraft mechanic. Ill be that guy replacing an engine right before your flight or wiring radios and antennas.
My advise would be to get your flying in now guys. Me and my class matea are going to be set loose on aviation by the end of the year.
Purchase temporarily paused while I do some digging into problems with threaded inserts spinning – anyone on here had any issues?
@frank
Hmmm, I found they came up smaller. I’m a 45 in both sets of Sidis (and my motorbike boots too) but I’m a 46 regular in Bonts – 45 were toe-curlingly tight.
Look pickup moved forward to Saturday *happydance*