Just got a pair of basically brand new Sub 8 shoes with one of the T-nuts needing replacement. I have a few questions if anybody is familiar with this.
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I see Bont site offers two sizes of these T-nuts, “big” and “small”, anybody knows which size I should be ordering.
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Is there a place in North America, online, where those can be ordered
Related to fit and heat molding. Right now they feel absolutely awful, no arch support at all, stiff as a brick top and bottom, rubbing my achilles badly. Did molding process improve the fit and feel significantly or not. Can the molding be done in conventional oven and are there any good tips before I engage in cooking and baking the carbon shoes. 
Can’t help you with the t-nut question, sorry, but no arch support!?! My sub 8s came with mountains for arches!
Yes, they are very stiff shoes. The upper loosens a bit, not much, and you’ll get acclimated to the feel in time but they’ll never feel like “normal” cycling shoes. My biggest beef with the sub 8s is that I can never get the front of the shoe to tighten enough. IMO there’s a reason other manufacturers haven’t used that design.
Regarding heat molding, just follow bont’s directions.
Thanks for your response. I gotta pick your brain more since you are the sole responder.
“mountains for arches” : let me just clarify, my shoes just have a black, flat, thin, removable insole, with Bont written on it, than a size sticker on it. I see no additional device…When I do slip the shoe on, it feels much like very neutral flat run shoe in the arch area, no support for arch, that is how they feel for me. Was there anything else supposed to be there? Did the mold process allow for changing of arch support?
Thanks
It sounds like you got the same insole as me but, when I first got my bonts… I don’t really know how to describe this… the shoe forced that part of the insole “up” into an arch support. Initially this wasn’t very comfortable for me as it was too high and in the wrong place. After moulding my shoes twice that part shifted and flattened out a bit.
That’s funny. Bont must have shit for quality control/ My Bonts were missing one t nut also. I pulled one out and got a really close match at Home Depot. I had to grind a little off because it stuck up into the insole about a mm, but it works fine.
From Bont’s website:
http://shop.bontcycling.com/products/t-nuts
T-Nut (big one) for cleat of shoe base (Pack of 6 pieces)
Or, T-Nut (small one) for rubber of shoe base (Pack of 4 pieces)
As for molding, I have done mine in the oven at home. I have been careful not to overheat them, I actually put a barbeque thermometer from my Weber in the oven as the oven gauge starts as 100C which is too hot.
The molding does make a massive difference. Straight out of the box mine were really uncomfortable. I molded them a couple of times so now they’re fine.
As for the arch support, mine just have a very thin black insole, the inside is basically flat so no arch support. I’m not sure how flexible the sole gets during molding, if it would get soft enough to alter the arch support.
I have the sub-10 and sub-9 in different sizes and molded them both in a conventional oven. Took a couple of goes to get each just right but the smaller of my 2 pairs fit like a glove (the larger size is for winter riding with socks). I had to replace one T-nut in the past - and I repeated the molding process to help lock it in place. No issues after that.
The low rise means that some of the bolts provided with cleats will be too long so take care to check.
I’ve tried other shoes since I first started wearing Bonts and have always gone back to them. Not for everyone but now you have them a bit of time and effort will make a world of difference to the fit.
Thanks to all of you guys, great help. I am really looking forward to baking some tri shoes and fitting them on. All of your tips help a lot. My owen goes to 170F so I will crack the door open and keep them in maybe 15min to make sure I don’t over cook them. I will than do the molding when I replace the T-nut.
Thanks for the T-nut guidance, I ordered the big ones on Bont.com.