SBRcanuck wrote:
jonnyboy1000 wrote:
Hello
I pickup up a pair of Bont Zero + shoes in the black friday sale and was wondering if any one else had done the oven heat molding?
Are they just as good without it? i am abit worried about putting my nice shiny new shoes in the oven
Any tips?
My experience with a few pairs of Bont's, including the Zero, is that the molding claims are mostly marketing BS. Even heating in an oven and going above the recommended temp, and even with a heat gun on low, I could never get them to change much at all.
So to answer your question, if you heat them based on the recommendations from Bont, you shouldn't hurt them. BUT, IMHO if they don't feel good on you out of the box, then chances are no amount of 'heat molding' is going to change that.
I second this sentiment as a wearer of Bont shoes for the last dozen years. One thing however, that you might notice while standing on them when trying them on, is that you feel pressure on the arch of your foot. I've only felt this off the bike, standing, it's never something I've had to deal with on the bike. I think when we stand on cycling shoes, we put a different type of pressure on the shoe.
The last thing everyone does out of habit is walk in the shoes. Don't do this, it makes no difference as far as how good of a shoe they are for you... your heel will feel like it slips out of the shoe, which it will because your heel lifts, and the shoe doesn't bend with it like a walking/running shoe.
Great shoes, but like anything, they're not for everyone. Don't waste your time going through the heat molding process if they don't feel comfortable. Or if they do.