Which shoe size?

spacedyemeerkat

I've just had delivered pairs of size 42.5 and 43 heat mouldable Bont Riot Road+ shoes. Wearing cycling socks, the 42.5 feels fine on my right foot whereas the big toe on my left foot virtually reaches the end of the shoe. It's not scrunched up, I'm just aware it's touching. The 43s don't have this problem but feel just a little too big. Question is this: do you think I am better off going with the 42.5s, and heat moulding to fit the left big toe more comfortably? Or should I go with the slightly oversized 43s?

Width-wise, the 42.5s could do with a tiny bit more on the right foot but I am guessing heat moulding will take care of that, too?

Any advice greatly received!

schlepcycling

I had the same problem between 44.5 and 45 and thought that I could heat mould the 44.5 to fit. However the guy in the shop advised me that it would be easier to mould the 45 down to fit, so I went with the 45 and they've been fantastic. Obviously I can't guarantee that I couldn't have made the 44.5 fit but I'm more than happy with the 45.

spacedyemeerkat

Thanks for replying. Isn't it a pain being between sizes, eh?! How did you mould down the 45, just sort of push it in with your hand with the shoe on?

Edit: Hello to Jason Isaacs, indeed 8)

itboffin

I have exactly the same problem, bont sizing is totally bonkers

It might be my imagination but the cleat holes also seem further back than my other shoe brands

whyamihere

I have heat moulded my Riot+ shoes to account for my big toe on one foot slightly touching the end - It sounds like exactly the scenario you have. It worked fine. The rest of the shoes fitted perfectly though, so if you have other areas where they don't quite fit, it may be better to size up and mould them in slightly.

sungod

i'd definitely go for the 43, you can mould the heel cup more easily than the forefoot

the bont footbeds are fairly thin, swapping for some thicker ones (specialized bg for instance) will use up a bit of volume if the 43 feels too roomy

spacedyemeerkat

Thanks for the replies, folks, very useful. Sounds like going for the 43s and moulding the heel cup might be wise. sungod, do you know how easy that is to do? Do you have the shoes on and try to press the back in?

Regarding the Spesh BG footbeds, I have those in a pair of Lakes. The problem I have with them is they're too narrow for the shoes, ie there's a gap between on the outer side of the footbed and the shoe wall. Bizarrely, my right foot can really feel it whereas my left foot can't. I'm just not wired up right, am I?

schlepcycling

spacedyemeerkat wrote:

Thanks for replying. Isn't it a pain being between sizes, eh?! How did you mould down the 45, just sort of push it in with your hand with the shoe on?

Edit: Hello to Jason Isaacs, indeed 8)

I found a video online I think from Bont that said once you've heated the shoes (minus cleats, laces and insole) that you put them on with the type of socks you're most likely to use and then squat down and hold the position for a few minutes. This has the effect of pushing your feet down and out into the footbed which then moulds to this shape. If necessary you can use the rounded end of a screwdriver from the inside to press out any parts of the shoe if you have any specific lumps and bumps.

sungod

i've tried lakes (cx401 with the speedplay sole) but gave up, the fit wasn't good for me and one pair i had to take back due to the poor finish internally with a piece of cf sticking out into my foot!

the fit of bont is different, best i've found but fit is personal so it's really a matter of try and see, you can try a larger size footbed and trim down

i've got bont riots and vaypor s (the sizing/fit is a bit different between the two)

the riots i didn't need to mould as they were snugger, the vaypor s i moulded

for moulding i use a heat gun set to 100c (with the oven method you are supposed to remove the cleats which is a pain with speedplay), and mould the heel with a gloved hands, i found it easier than trying to do it on my foot and it allows making a change to just one area