Any ladies tried Bont road shoes?

jd843
jd843 Posts: 59
edited September 2016 in Women's cycling forum
Hi,

I'm on the hunt for new road shoes at the moment, but I'm not having much luck. My feet are quite wide at the base of my toes, but quite narrow at the heel, so most shoes I try are either too tight at the front and fine at the back, or fine at the front but loose at the back. I've tried on three pairs that were all like this, as well as my own current shoes.

I've seen this pair of Bonts: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bont-blitz-road-cycling-shoe/ and I'm considering trying them. I'd be keen to hear what experiences other ladies have had with the brand though, as they aren't women specific shoes. Annoyingly, wiggle don't have 39s in stock, and I'm almost certain that's the size I need based on Bont's size guide. I guess I will need to find a site with as a good a returns policy as wiggle to order them from...

Also, any recommendations for other brands of shoe that might fit my weird feet would be welcome! :)

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Disclaimer: not a lady - but I do take a Clarks G fitting...

    Bonts do tend to suit wider feet quite well and the heat mouldability (if that's a word) will also help to a greater or lesser extent. Size-wise, I was fine with just buying the same size as I would normally buy cycling shoes in - which is usually a size up from my regular, non-cycling footwear. HTH..
  • Lookyhere
    Lookyhere Posts: 987
    the new shimano womens wr84 is much wider shoe than the older wr83 and the buckle has 2 positions to lock in a narrower ankle.
    we found this out when trying to replace my daughters trashed wr83, the 84 is far too wide.
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,313
    Where are you located? You could try women specific shoes eg Sidi or Specialized or Bontrager. Heat mouldable are good because they should fit your feet once moulded. You need to find a good dealer who can show you different brands. Going online is a nightmare. Also, having insoles to suit your feet is a way forwards as well
  • jd843
    jd843 Posts: 59
    Imposter wrote:
    Disclaimer: not a lady - but I do take a Clarks G fitting...

    Bonts do tend to suit wider feet quite well and the heat mouldability (if that's a word) will also help to a greater or lesser extent. Size-wise, I was fine with just buying the same size as I would normally buy cycling shoes in - which is usually a size up from my regular, non-cycling footwear. HTH..


    Cool, thanks.
    Lookyhere wrote:
    the new shimano womens wr84 is much wider shoe than the older wr83 and the buckle has 2 positions to lock in a narrower ankle.
    we found this out when trying to replace my daughters trashed wr83, the 84 is far too wide.

    Thanks for your reply. I'd heard similar stories about Shimanos so I tried the wr84s on in a branch of Evans. Unfortunately, the 39s were too tight on the toes and the 40s were too slack on the heel. A shame, as they're very nice shoes!
    amrushton wrote:
    Where are you located? You could try women specific shoes eg Sidi or Specialized or Bontrager. Heat mouldable are good because they should fit your feet once moulded. You need to find a good dealer who can show you different brands. Going online is a nightmare. Also, having insoles to suit your feet is a way forwards as well

    Cumbria, so not many cycling shops around that stock a wide range of women specific shoes... My LBS has two pairs of women's shoes, one of which is the pair I already own, and the other is a very similar pair. I tried a pair of Sidis in two sizes and neither fit well — I had a similar experience with them as with the Shimanos I talked about above. I always have this issue with shoes, women specific or not — just a shame no one seems to make wide-fit women's shoes.
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,313
    Bonts can be wierd in sizing. Evans might be a good bet but if you can get to Manchester you could try Cyclefit who know all about the shoe fitting business. Granted a long way but your feet are one of the 3 points of contact so important to get right.

    http://cyclefit.co.uk/products

    4 x brands stocked. Lake are v.similar to Bont. I'd recommend getting insoles as well but I don't know your budget although Bont riot are available at Sigma Sport for a good price
  • pocketrocket76
    pocketrocket76 Posts: 1
    I could've written that exact same email one month ago.

    After 2 months of wearing Specialized shoes that were slightly too narrow at the toe box i was in terrible pain in my left foot and was unable to walk anywhere. I then bought a pair of specialized zante shoes which seemed fine in the shop, but after 2 rides i was again in agony in the right foot at the base of the 5th toe where the bone is - again the shoe was too narrow.

    I tried on sidis, giros, fiziks, lakes -all too small/narrow and was starting to despair until i got talking to another girl in my cycling club.

    She recommened northwave shoes - not a brand i wouldn've considered but after a quick internet search apparently they do suit people with wide feet. Currently on sale on Wiggle so i bought a pain of the NW womens starlight SRS in a size 41 (I usually wear a 39 in normal shoes) - NO PAIN SINCE! :lol:
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,427
    fwiw can't help with the ladies' perspective, but i've got some bont vaypor s, which i've read is a similar fit to the blitz, based on that...

    the toe box is low compared to many shoes, but you shouldn't be scrunching up your toes so really no need for a lot of headroom

    they do have a fair bit of arch support compared to some shoes, if you have flat feet they might be a bad match

    measure carefully using the correct bont chart for the blitz (the charts vary by shoe), both feet, go with the larger

    http://www.bontcycling.com/items/support/sizeChart.html
    or use the 'size wizard' here... http://www.bontcycling.com/products/roa ... index.html

    make sure you choose a size a few mm longer than you measure (see bont's notes)

    if you are towards the upper end of the width range, you can mould them out but it takes some practice, this was the bit i spent most time getting right as i needed a bit wider at a couple of points, if you are on the limit of the width imho it'd be better to try and get a pair in wide fitting (not easy) or see if you can go up a size

    unless the fit is perfect as-is, getting the moulding right takes time (i need high arch support insoles, this definitely makes it much more difficult than 'normal' feet), it's an iterative process, but i'm pretty much there now, compared to previous road shoes i think they will be the best and comfiest i've ever worn (others have been two models of s-works, also lake and sidi)

    i've found using a temperature controlled heat gun is best, or even a hair dryer, the oven method takes ages and makes it impossible to change just one area (if the whole shoe is heated it seems to 'relax' back to original shape)

    you can mould in the heels quite a long way (i had to) to get a comfy fit with no 'lift'

    based on where you are, might be worth trying to visit merlin, they have size 39 and there's a sale on at the moment...

    https://www.merlincycles.com/bont-blitz ... 80119.html
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Vamper.cc
    Vamper.cc Posts: 2
    Yes! I have narrow heels but my feet are fairly wide at the front. I went for the Bont Blitz in size 42.5 after doing a lot of measuring with a piece of paper and a pencil. The sizing is very small: I usually wear size 40 shoes but the 42.5 are spot on for my feet. I've been happily wearing them for 6 months, they're great! You can read the review here: https://vamper.cc/review-bont-blitz-neo ... ing-shoes/

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