Inertianinja

I have Sidi Ergos, and i use a Specialized Blue footbed.
i've just always used Sidi, and i'm wondering if something like Bont (heat moldable) might fit better.

So, to anyone who has them - can you compare?

Quel

I've never worn Sidi, but I have some Bonts. From everything I hear about Sidi (narrow), they are nothing alike. The Bonts are very wide, especially in the toe box. Their fit is unlike anything else I've seen.

For what it's worth, I just took the cleats off my Bonts and went back to my Shimanos. I could never get them to where there wasn't some serious numbness on longer rides. I've heard the same from plenty of other people. They are really overly stiff...or just don't have enough padding...or something.

I buy most things on the internet sight unseen, but I've fallen firmly into the camp of not buying shoes without trying them on first. One of the few things I'll say that about.

Inertianinja

is the change to the shoe after heat molding significant?

if it is, i'm guessing that even trying them on wouldn't give me a perfect idea of whether they'd work for me, you know?

Quel

Well, the heat molding I did really changed the upper of the shoe, but didn't change the footbed too much. Enough to make it better, but not to fundamentally change it. The base has a pretty unique shape that may or may not work out. There is some weird stuff going on with the arches of the shoes that isn't found anywhere else. For all the hype they had, I just wasn't impressed.

Harun

I have worn both. Bonts are definitely a lot stiffer, both in the carbon sole and the upper material. The heat molding does help if there are little pinch areas on the side of your foot, but if they are already too narrow then molding won't help. I think Bont also offers wide sizes though if the regular sizes don't fit.

I have pretty high arches and out of the box the Bont's were very uncomfortable (like uncontrollable foot cramp uncomfortable). I put some Sole moldable insoles in my Bont's and after molding both the Bont soles and the Sole insoles, together they are the stiffest, most comfortable shoes I've worn (after coming from a couple pairs of Sidis).

Whatever you do make sure you try the shoes on before you buy them.

ravenmore

I like my bonts. Nothing like sidis though for fit. Much wider shoe especially in the toe box as someone mentioned earlier.

gg-madone

I never had sidis, but have used shimano, lake, and specialized. I ordered the bont off internet at carbon connection. only store that had my size. I also run sole carbon insoles like Harun.
I am split in my opinion. I don't like the construction of my vapors Its primary purpose is to be stiff and light. so everything that is not essential is taken out. it doesn't have a full tongue. and when I was streching out in the grass the paint on the buckles were scratched off. but it is the most comfortable shoe I have due to the carbon tub and not just a sole plate. Becuase of that carbon tub, when you heat mold them to your foot you need someone else to massage them to help mold them while to stand in them. they got rid of the hot spot at the small toe that I have always had.

I would get the Sole custom moldable foot bed first then if your feet aren't happy get the bonts. I put sole footbeds in all of my shoes now.

Inertianinja

i have felt like my sidis are too narrow on the bottom of my foot. I think i have wide feet from years of walking around in flip flops.

kimconyc

I have the Sidi Ergo 2 and Bont A-One shoes and they are completely different in terms of fit.

The Bont's have a much wider area for your toes and seem much wider in general. I had to mold them without a foot pad twice to get the fit right. They are much, much stiffer than the Sidi shoes and much, much lighter as well.

Inertianinja

kind of interesting - i paid $270 for my Ergo 2s.
the 2011 Vaypor is about $240 online.

ravenmore

One interesting thing about the bonts is that before I heat molded them they pinched a little on both sides at the arch area of the foot. That got a lot better after I molded them. I can still feel it a little though - I might try it again to see if I can get it a little wider there.

2ndGen

I just got my Ergo 2 Vernices not too long ago. Oh Em Gee.
I thought they'd be too narrow for me, but they fit damn nice.
Using Superfeet Yellow footbeds with mine.

BTW...Before shopping around, have you seen "these" yet?




fml

2ndGen

I did something I rarely do when I got mine. I payed "near" MSRP.
At the time, I couldn't find them anywhere.
I didn't like the 2011 colors and they weren't making them
in all black vernice anymore and my size especially was rare.
So rare I found them only at 2 places and one gave me a wait time of a month.
I paid $370. and more than what the 2011's were going for at the time
(+ I paid extra $35 extra for express shipping). BUT, I got exactly what I wanted.
The only difference in the 2010 & 2011 besides color was a vented tongue strap.
That's something I could upgrade to (one thing I love about Sidis).

Turns out that demand was so high for black that Sidi ended up producing another run anyway. (Shimano does the same thing for old parts; they kept producing 7800 bits even after releasing 7900 because the demand was still there...very smart IMO).


[But, I got my first pair of Sidis (Raidens) for about 70% off MSRP,
so I split the difference in my head and felt better about my purchase. ]

Biscayne05

ressurecting this thread:

I'm getting mixed opinions on the sizing. I wear a Sidi now but would love to get a wider shoe this time. I could never get the perfect tightness (that's what he said) dialed in with my Sidis. Partly because I have wide feet. They're ok for 1-2 hours but 3 hours and more I get hot spots. I also use some custom orthotics.

Anyhow, should I stick to my Sidi size?

StanSeven

If Sidi's are tight, try Specialized or Bont. If you like being able to make fine adjustments and don't mind spending the money, the Specialized S-Works might be perfect.

kleng

Used to use sidi's but the flat low arched feet now fit much better in shimano's which have a straight last rather then the curved of the sidi's.
The new SHR-320 is great value, https://road.cc/content/review/77542-shimano-r320-shoes

Biscayne05

I'd like to try other brands but I'm getting a deal on a paid of Bonts.

Just wanted to know if I should just stick to my Sidi size or go .5 + or -

Thank you

unionmade

not sure if it worrks, but the bont website has a sizing wizard. Might want to check it out.

bikepro

If you pay full price for Bont's, they have various widths. I mention this because both Competitive Cyclist and Colorado Cyclist have them on sale, but I'm sure they don't have all sizes and widths. I just bought a pair of Bont A-Ones, on sale and used the same size as my Sidi's. The biggest difference between the two is the Sidi's are comfortable out of the box. Bont's have to be heat molded, one or two times, before they are comfortable. Once they are molded and fit properly, they fit like a glove. But there is no in-between. If they don't fit properly, they are quite uncomfortable. If you already have a custom orthotic, it may not fit properly. The shape of the Bont closely resembles a foot, rather than being pointy like most cycling shoes. Another thing. Bont's have a very thin carbon sole. It was 3mm thinner than my Sidi Ergo 2's. This is good because it places your foot closer to the pedal, but you may need to lower your saddle.

pdedes

Use the sizing wizard. It put me in a shoe 1/2 size bigger than I would have picked