The thin EVA insole is supportive once the shoe is moulded, and between them, the monocoque tub and straps grip tenaciously. The thin sole means you instantly feel more connected to the pedals, with a great directness and stability.

The microfibre uppers are tough and easy to clean, but rely on 40 perforations and small arch gills for ventilation, so they aren’t the coolest.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine

Since conquering the Tour de France with Bradley Wiggins in 2012, Bont have focused on a different sort of mountain climbing with their Vaypor XC shoe.

The upper is unchanged from the road version, but the off-road/cyclocross model’s carbon ‘tub’ has a number of additions, and weight for our size 45s increases to 795g.

Seven small mesh vents in the toe protector aid cooling on dry days but are easily blocked by mud, the perforated top of the toe-box faring better in the sticky stuff.

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) protector strips are fitted across each side of the forefoot to guard against the crank arm and passing obstructions. Harder wearing than rubber, the TPU bumpers shrug off abrasion effectively and are virtually unmarked after weeks of use.

Replaceable grippy rubber sections transform the sole, and a pair of toe studs can be fitted for extra bite. The two-bolt cleat-fixing slots are flanked by a pair of angular, grooved pontoons, and at the back is a generous star-shaped heel.

Between heel and cleat is a fixed rubber patch that provides purchase should you miss the pedal when remounting. The rubber is quite soft, gripping superbly, especially on hard surfaces where plastic soles slip, but a couple of rubber blocks on our shoes already show signs of splitting.

The heat-moulding process gives a great fit, and in a cyclocross race revolutionised the drive we could transmit when sprinting from the start line and out of low-speed corners. With road buzz not an issue off-road, comfort on the bike is excellent.

The main compromise of a totally stiff shoe is when you’re dismounted; the complete lack of flex requires the ratchet strap to be done up tightly to keep the foot in place, and running works the ankles harder than usual as there is no sole and little upper deformation. Soft ground helps the Vaypor grip, by giving where the shoe can’t, and studs are essential when running uphill.

Stony ground will scratch the unprotected carbon, and you may need to trim the ratchet strap, but for incredible security and power transfer, and an upper that sheds mud well, the Vaypor XCs are our favourite off-road race shoes.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine,

The Bont Zeros are lightweight, mouldable top-level shoes that are as stiff and efficient as we've ever used.

The Zeros are the shoes that Bradley Wiggins wore for his wins in this year's Tour de France and Olympic time trial – not that they'll necessarily deliver you the same success, but it proves that they can cut it at the very highest level.

The outsoles are made from 100% carbon fibre which extends well around the sides of your feet and into the uppers. There's another 4cm of carbon that you can't see around the heel cup, for example, so each foot sits in something like a little carbon bathtub. Those soles are a distinctive shape – much closer to that of your foot than most with a shaped arch support – and the forefoot is quite broad.

The soles are mega-thin; the stack height is just 3.6mm and the lack of material helps keep the weight down (see below). The low stack height is certainly noticeable. You'll probably have to drop your saddle height a few millimetres.

Despite being so slim, the soles are incredibly stiff. These things just do not flex or twist. Heel and toe sole guards do their job pretty well and they're replaceable should you wear them out over time. The sole is fully heat mouldable and that's an idiot-proof job in the kitchen.

The uppers are really unusual. For a start, they're made from laminated silver glass fibre. It's not as supple as some materials but it's very light and it's bonded in place rather than stitched.

The next curious feature is that the Zeros have a lace closure. That allows you to get the precise tightness you want – well, you know how laces work! – but it does mean that on-the-fly adjustments are more difficult than with ratchets, dials or Velcro straps.

Then, of course, there's that flap over the top of the laces. It's designed to keep everything looking neat and to improve aerodynamics. It's held in place by a large Velcro tab so it always stays where it should.

We have size 47s here, which equate to a size 46 in everyone else's sizing, and they weighed in at 502g the pair. The Bontrager RXXXL's that we reviewed recently were just a touch lighter.

In use, the Zeros felt good. Once moulded, the soles fitted my feet really well, the bathtub shaping providing plenty of support without being restrictive. It was especially noticeable when I was standing on the pedals and throwing the bike around; your feet can't slip over the sides of the sole and push the uppers out like they can with some shoes.

I get on really well with Bont's forefoot shaping too. Your toes can spread out just a little more than in most shoes. If you have broader feet and struggle to get a good fit elsewhere, give them a go.

The lace closure takes a bit of getting used to. Like most people, I occasionally fine-tune the fit of my shoes on the go but you can't do that here. I actually got around it by using a triathlon-style lace lock that worked well. Then I could easily slacken them off a bit if they felt too tight without the need to stop.

The insoles aren't very deep but they provide effective cushioning. There's plenty of comfort there. The uppers, as I said before, aren't especially supple. They feel firm compared to some so I didn't find these quite as comfortable as the Bont Vaypors, for example, but there's no doubt that they'll stay in place. For that reason, rather than using the Zeros every day I'd be keeping these for racing only – especially considering the price.

Verdict

Very light, mouldable race shoes that are as stiff and efficient as any we've ever used.

Make and model: Bont Zero shoes

Size tested: 47, silver

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Bont say the Zero is, "Built to be a climb specific shoe, but strong enough to be the choice of sprint specialist and time trialist's in the pro peloton.

"The Bont "Zero" model cycling shoe combines all our technical knowledge into one state of the art racing shoe designed specifically for the art of climbing, but to be just as much at home on flat roads.

"The Bont Zero is handmade and has a 100% carbon monocoque chassis with a laminated silver fiberglass upper. Our carbon layup techniques have been further refined through testing to reduce the effective weight of the shoe without compromising its structural integrity and performance."

They're pro-level shoes, essentially – as demonstrated by the fact that Wiggo used them to win the Tour de France.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The sole is a unidirectional carbon construction with a cosmetic layer on the top.

All good. The uppers are bonded in place – there's very little stitching here – but don't let that put you off. It's all neat and strong.

Very light, very stiff – just what you want. The only question mark is whether you'll be happy with a lace closure.

After several weeks of hard use, everything is as good as new apart from a few little cosmetic scuffs on the outsoles.

I didn't find these quite as comfortable as the Bont Vaypors but the fact that you can mould them to your feet means you'll get an excellent fit.

Oh, I don't know. These are far and away the most expensive shoes we've ever reviewed. I'm guessing you'll make your own mind up on whether they're worth it or not.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

If you're after lightweight and stiffness, you'll do well to find better.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Mouldability and those super-stiff soles.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The price, obviously. On the whole, I'd rather go with a strap, dial or ratchet closure for more on-the-fly adjustability.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? If I had a big wedge of cash burning a hole in my pocket.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

If you were watching closely, you may have spotted a pair of natty yellow Bont's gracing the feet of a certain B. Wiggins in July this year. Wiggins no doubt likes their customisability and stiffness, and these less expensive Bont A-Three road shoes perform just as well, albeit for a few grams more.

Known for their bathtub style soles and alternative design philosophy, Bont have brought the A-Three to market promising to bring the performance that have made their top end shoes a favourite among many top pros, down to a more affordable price point.

In order to hit this price point, the A-Threes come with fibreglass soles instead of top end carbon fibre. Don't be jumping to the conclusion that these are in any way 'soft' however, as the stiffness is right up there with anything I've ever experienced.

I'd always thought claims of shoe stiffness were something that reviewers only mentioned to justify their own existences, but these Bonts really did blow me away – the difference was immediately noticeable.

I've found myself choosing the A-Threes over a number of more expensive carbon-soled options due to their shear solidity under power. Aggressively stomping on the pedals has never felt so great.

Not only does the bathtub style sole deliver terrific stiffness, but the A-Threes are also very supportive with the fibreglass extending right up the arch providing a solid platform to push down on.

I tend to suffer with collapsing arches under power and have to resort to customisable E-Sole insoles in other shoes, but found the thin stock insoles to be more than adequate.

Through the custom moulding process, which takes just 20 minutes in a standard oven and can be repeated any number of times, you can even increase the support provided by pushing the sole inwards at this spot.

This also lets you adapt the shoes to any particular oddities your feet might possess; and let's face it, we all have some. (An added benefit of the custom fit procedure, is that you can dry your shoes in the oven after a wet ride - just remember to remove cleats and insoles beforehand.)

A stack height of only 4.8mm, just 1.2mm less than the range topping Vaypors, also helps to reduce any rotational loads around the pedal leading to increased stability. It's likely that you'll have to lower your saddle height to compensate for this.

When fitted with cleats, the cleat is fully supported across its entire surface no matter how far inwards it is positioned. There's no point having a super stiff sole if half the cleat is hanging off the edge and can flex freely.

The tight grid spacing is another welcome touch and speaks to the performance intent of these shoes. Too often, cleat placement takes a back seat in shoe design, but here you can tell that Bont has made it a priority with well positioned bolt holes and the aforementioned grid.

The uppers too are significantly different from traditional shoes. On first use, they can seem very stiff and unyielding – Italian race slippers these are not – but the counterpoint is that heel retention is great.

The Bonts are very wide across the forefoot and particularly in the toe box which more closely follows the shape of an actually person's feet than more symmetrical and pointy shoes. This can lead to a feeling of 'swimming' about in the shoes, especially for someone with low volume feet such as mine, but once I'd stuck them in the oven and cranked the straps down, my feet felt much more cosseted.

Instead of the more traditional tongue+sides construction, the A-Threes forgo the tongue completely with one of the sides wrapping over and around the top of the foot. This forces the foot back into the heel of the shoe and is one of the keys to the lack of heel lift when using the A-Threes.

The main ratchet strap is very broad and acts in the same direction as this wrap of material, further helping to lock the heel in place. The middle Velcro strap acts more across the foot, to hold the forefoot in place. The front strap is pretty redundant and could easily have been omitted for further weight savings.

A side effect of the lack of tongue is that Bont shoes in general really free up the front of the ankle to flex and bend without restriction. This will be music to the ears of those who pedal with a more heal-down action and have suffered from tongues biting into the front of their ankles. It does initially make you feel quite 'naked', and you would have thought that heel retention would suffer as a result, but not so.

The A-Threes feel a lot more comfortable out on the bike than when you first put them on. The stiff uppers, which seem unyielding when standing or walking, provide outstanding support when really laying down the power, while the super stiff wraparound sole distributes the pedalling forces over one's entire foot, eliminating hotspots.

At £125, the A-Threes can hardly be termed 'entry-level', but in a world where top end shoes are pushing over the £300 mark, these A3s start to look like an absolute bargain. No other shoe that I've come across comes close to providing the features (custom-fit etc.) and sheer performance that these do in this price bracket.

Yes, other shoes of similar price may come with carbon fibre soles, but ultimately, performance is what counts, and not the use of any specific materials.

If there's one thing you can knock the A-Threes for, it's their lack of ventilation built into the uppers. There are no areas of mesh to speak of, just a few sets of holes punched into the synthetic material on either side of the forefoot.

In typical UK conditions, overheating feet has never been an issue for me and indeed, the extra warmth could be seen as a selling point, but on a eight- suffer fest through the Pyrenees in temperatures approaching 30 degrees, my feet did suffer from the heat.

Granted, this discomfort is par for the course on such a hard ride, and I'm not sure I would have been truly comfortable in any pair of shoes.

Verdict

If you're after performance on a budget then look no further. The Bont A-Threes combine supreme stiffness with custom fit comfort, all at a price that puts other shoes to shame

Dropping into Bont’s road shoe line-up below the Vaypor models, the a-two offers many of the features of its more expensive siblings.

The £50 saving over the Vaypor swaps its full carbon chassis for a carbon and fibreglass composite construction; the upper material changes from shiny to matte microfibre, with a microfibre lining instead of suede; and the Z-form strap is replaced with two separate Velcro straps. The penalty for these changes is only about 30g per shoe, and at 298g for our size 45s, the a-twos are still very light.

It’s essential to buy the correct size, and Bont’s simple size guide makes that a breeze. Because the shoes are shaped like a foot and available in three widths, it is possible to achieve a great fit, which is completed by the heat moulding process.

Bont’s website outlines the procedure for heat moulding, which requires the shoes to be placed in an oven at 70°C for around 20 minutes, then worn to achieve the correct shape. Our oven temperature gauge wasn’t accurate enough, leading to several attempts, which is fine because the Bonts can be remoulded infinitely.

The sole has a detailed fitting grid and accepts three-hole cleats, with replaceable bumpers at heel and toe. The Bonts can be tightened very effectively using the ratchet system and Velcro straps without pinching or affecting circulation, which really aids performance.

The thin sole gives a low stack height of 4.4mm and feels incredibly direct, with that wraparound carbon tub giving excellent pedalling stability. Ventilation comes from a range of frontal vents that do a good job, and the only criticism after a month or so of wear is that the uppers crease slightly when tightened.

Bont’s road shoes are the stiffest we’ve ridden. But even with their minimal insole, the a-twos have been nothing but comfortable, and their performance is outstanding.

Bont, who started out manufacturing speed-skating shoes, have only been making cycling footwear for a few years but already their products have been seen on the feet of riders such as Thor Hushovd and Bradley Wiggins.

The Vaypor is their new top model and features fully mouldable uppers and soles. Rather than just slipping them on and adjusting the straps to fit, you pop them in the oven at 70°C for 20 minutes or so, remove, wait until they’ve cooled enough to touch, then put them on and adjust the straps and buckle. As they cool, the uppers mould around the top of your feet while the bathtub shaped base moulds around your sole.

The result is a wonderfully close and secure fit. If you suffer from bunions or bumps you can shape the softened shell with the blunt handle of a screwdriver, pressing out the shell where needed, and don’t be worried if you don’t get the fit right first time because they can be reformed as many times as you like.

Once on, they’re adjusted with a diagonal toe strap and a wide padded ratcheted top strap, a combination that lets you strap them down significantly closer than standard shoes without pinching.

The sole is much stiffer than anything else we’ve tried, which is impressive for a shoe that weighs just 282g (size 45). It’s also thin, giving you the feeling that you’re really connected to the pedals, although the low stack height meant adjusting our saddle height fractionally before riding with them.

With shoes this stiff we expected some discomfort on longer rides, but the opposite was true. They’re so stiff and stable our feet were never allowed to roll or move around to create any kind of friction or heat build-up.

The finish is cleaner than Bonts of old, but being essentially a handmade shoe the joints and bonding can look a little crafted when compared with better finished footwear from the likes of Specialized or Fizik.

Okay, £225 is a lot to pay for a race shoe, but it’s cheaper than both the previous top shoe, the CTT-one, and the previous second-in-line A-one. It’s rare that an improved product comes with a lower pricetag, and we reckon that’s something Bont should be applauded for. An extra £25 will get you the premium version Vaypor with laminated silver glass fibre straps or upper.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine

Bont's Vaypor shoes are lightweight and amazingly stiff and you can heat-mould them to your feet for an excellent fit.

You've probably heard of Bont shoes, if only because the UCI banned their Crono time trial shoe last year. Bonts certainly attract a lot of attention because they're very different from the norm – not just the TT shoes, but the rest of the range too.

For one, Bont shoes look distinctive. The longest part of most bike shoes is down the centreline, more or less. With the Vaypors, the point furthest forward is at your big toe, which makes a lot of sense to me because that's how your foot is shaped.

Bonts are a touch broader than normal in the forefoot too. If you find other brands tight in that area, it's worth trying these on for size. If you don't need that extra wiggle-room, it's easy to draw the upper in via a Velcro strap that starts out right down by your little toe, and you can alter the shape by heat-moulding them (more on that in a sec).

The extra width also means that a large road cleat like a Look Kéo or Shimano SPD-SL is fully supported by the sole. With every other pair of cycling shoes I have, I need to set the cleat so that the corner hangs slightly over the edge of the sole on the instep side in order to prevent my shoe from rubbing the crank. With these shoes, the whole of the cleat fixes against the sole providing a solid foundation for laying down the power.

The soles arc around the sides of the upper to cradle your foot and hold them steady. Around the heel cup, the carbon extends virtually up to the opening; you can see a lot of it although the top inch is covered by leather. It's similar at the front end. Although it's mostly covered up, the carbon forms a trough that your foot sits in.

This might cause discomfort but for the fact that you can easily heat-mould the carbon. You put your shoes in the oven at 70°C for 20mins until the resin becomes pliable, let them cool just a little, then put them on and allow them to cool properly... job done! You can do this as many times as you need to in order to get the perfect fit. I found mine a bit tight in the mid-foot so I heated them up, pushed them out a little in that area and they've been spot on ever since.

The carbon-fibre soles are among the most rigid I've used – maybe the stiffest. It's virtually impossible to bend at all, and because they're shaped precisely to my feet, they're perfectly comfortable despite featuring very little padding. That padding comes largely in the shape of a very thin EVA insole (that's also mouldable) and memory foam in the tongue. They don't feel soft and yielding like some shoes, but I've been out on big weekend rides in these and never had to give them a second thought. I've certainly not had any hot spots or any other notable discomfort.

The stack height – the distance from the bottom of the outsole to your foot – is just 3.6mm, which is lower than any other shoes I've ever used. Why's that an advantage? People sometimes go on about a low stack height equaling increased efficiency but I don't buy that. I mean, you'll have to put your saddle down a few millimetres if you swap to these shoes but I wouldn't get too excited about that.

The uppers are all-leather although the standard Vaypor uses microfibre and is £25 cheaper at £225. Both versions come with perforations above the toes and in the tongue for ventilation, and another vent on the instep.

In terms of weight, these are certainly light, my pair of size 47s weighing in at just 596g. You can get lighter but these really don't trouble the scales much at all, particularly considering that they feature a ratchet closure rather than just lightweight Velcro straps. The advantage is that they're super-easy to adjust from the saddle.

Bont's sizing, by the way, is much smaller than everyone else's. You might have to go a Euro size larger than usual. Bont do have a size chart on their website but it didn't work very well for me – I needed a size larger than it suggested.

There's very little protection on the bottom for those shiny carbon soles – just a little guard at the heel and toe. That keeps the weight down but it does mean the soles are vulnerable when you're off the bike. Those guards are replaceable if you wear them out but you really won't want to walk far in these.

Verdict

Lightweight and very stiff racing shoes that you can heat-mould for the perfect fit

Bont Vaypor Shoes

The latest range-topping shoe from Bont has an ultra-stiff, bath type sole that’s laid by hand using both unidirectional and woven carbon fibre. It’s fully heat mouldable at home or you can go for a truly custom fit by having your foot laser scanned. This size 44 sample weighs just 264g which is exceptionally light for a shoe with a ratchet closure. It’s no slipper inside but the Vaypor is so incredibly stiff that you won’t care for a one-hour race.

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  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.