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TECH NEWS

Eurobike: Bont shoes 2012

The shoe brand the UCI loves to hate now more widely available in UK… and cheaper too

What do you know about Bont shoes? They look unique. They’re Australian. Lots of big name riders wear 'em. There aren't too many of them around.

Correct on all counts, you might also like to add that their top models are mouldable and that they made their name in skate shoes. Oh, and their Chrono aero shoe isn't that popular with the UCI. You might not know that Bont now have a new UK distributor in the shape of Saddleback – home to Felt bikes, Enve wheels and Castelli clothing among others. They should be way easier to get hold of from now on, and the prices are pretty normal – a bit lower than before, if anything.

Bont are the shoes worn by the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Thor Hushovd and Saddleback are distributing three road models. Top of the pile is the Vaypor (main pic and above) which can be heat moulded as often as you like – unlike most mouldable shoes which have a limited number of remoulds in them.

The lower strap crosses your forefoot twice while a ratchet buckle takes care of closure up top. That one comes in at £235 – which isn’t cheap, clearly, but it’s not as outlandishly expensive as some high-end shoes.

The next level down is the A-two which is a pretty similar design although it’s made from slightly lower grade materials. That comes in at £180.

The entry-level model is the A-three that features a glass fibre sole. You get those distinctive Bont looks for £110. This one has been redesigned for 2012 with a ratchet closure on the upper strap.

Saddleback will also be distributing three triathlon shoes at the same price points. The Sub-8 is the top model and it gets a new design for 2012 with a humungous foot hole and one strap closure to speed up time in transition. That’s £235.

The carbon-soled Sub-9 is £180 and the glass fibre-soled Sub-10 is £110.

Bont's website is www.Bontcycling.com while Saddleback's is www.saddleback.co.uk
 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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4 comments

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Coleman | 12 years ago
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I don't like the big curly piece of black plastic at the back of each shoe. Shoely that would affect one's cadence?

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Mat Brett replied to Coleman | 12 years ago
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Coleman wrote:

I don't like the big curly piece of black plastic at the back of each shoe. Shoely that would affect one's cadence?

That's just on the tri shoes, not the road shoes. You grab the loop with your hand to hold the shoe steady while you get your foot in. Bont make the loop bigger than anyone else so that it can act like a shoe horn and guide your heel in the right direction.

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JonMack | 12 years ago
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Are they going to be stocking Speedplay drilled models?

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stuke replied to JonMack | 12 years ago
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JonMack wrote:

Are they going to be stocking Speedplay drilled models?

You use the 3 holed plate adaptor that comes with the Speedplay cleats and the attach the 4 screw Speedplay metal cleat to this.

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