Bont Vaypor G – What More Could You Need In A Gravel Shoe

When we turned up at the Bont booth at Interbike 2016, we were teased with a new version of the Vaypor road shoe, the Vaypor G, along with the Vaypor+. At the time, in prototype form, the Vaypor G was still marked as the Vaypor S, but the sole was definitely not the standard Bont road sole. A year on, the properly labeled Vaypor G hit the market as the brand’s top of the line off-road shoe. We’ve had a chance to put it through some gravel riding and a season of cyclocross, and find it to be a capable shoe, though maybe a little stiff for cyclocross and off-road riding. Could it be the perfect gravel shoe? Read on to find out.

There are many hallmarks of a traditional Bont Vaypor. Super stiff tubbed carbon sole, Boa IP1 dials, and heat moldable upper made from Durolite. So, if you already own and love the Vaypor S, then the G isn’t all that different. For those that read our positive review of the Vaypor+, a shoe I continue to ride often and still find extremely comfortable and a bit more on the luxurious side than many shoes out there, you’ll also find a lot of similarities in fit and features.

The heart of all Bont shoes are the tub soles. Instead of a flat carbon sole, Bont extends the sole a bit wider than others and curves it up around the side of your foot. This design makes for one of the stiffest soles on the market, and the unique shape of the toe box leaves plenty of room for your toes to spread out while pedaling. The soles have a 3.6mm stack height though, so it keeps your foot close to the pedal for efficient power transfer. They are drilled for a standard off-road two hole system, but even the Speedplay Syzr cleat fit well.

As mentioned earlier, the Bont Vaypor G is heat moldable. This allows you to customize the fit to your normal or funky shaped feet. My feet have some quirkiness to them (bunion and Morton’s Toe on both), but out of the box, the Vaypor G’s fit pretty well. For most people, you probably wouldn’t have to mold them. But, because this is a review, I molded them. The process is pretty easy if you want to try it at home, and requires just an oven and a good thermometer. The other option is to have your local Bont dealer mode them for you. My oven wasn’t the most accurate (or consistent) with temperature, so it took a bit of work to keep the temps at 160 degrees using an additional digital thermometer. With the cleats and insole removed, I placed them on the rack for 20 minutes. Once the alarm went off, I took them out, slipped the insole back in, and carefully put them back on. Be careful, they will be pretty warm, but as long as you have some decent socks on that are not paper thin, you’ll be good. Just make sure you are wearing the socks you intend to ride in to get the best fit. Once on, I tightened the Boa dials and let them do their thing. If needed, you can reheat and remold as many times as needed, or reheat to work on specific trouble areas.

As with the Vaypor+, I’ve become a big fan of Boa dials. I still think that laces are also where it’s at, but the Boa’s on both pairs of Bont’s have done a great job at finding a solid fit that is free of any hot spots or pressure points. The two-way dials allow for quick and easy fit customization, even while racing cross. The adjustments are small, so you really can find that sweet spot by turning them one direction to tighten, the other to loosen. They have been extremely durable so far too, and if something does break, the dials and cables are replaceable.

 

 

One part we haven’t touched on yet is the tread. Attached to the carbon sole are multiple, replaceable rubber block treads, and threads for toe spikes if you want. We didn’t go full on buck teeth (flat, metal baseball spikes) as we did on our Giro Empires for cross season, and honestly, I didn’t miss them that often. It was only the nastiest of races that had the steepest, muddiest run-ups that I wish I had them. Like just about every shoe on the market, they got clogged with mud when running through the sticky stuff but shed it pretty well. Grip on dry dirt, grass, and rocks was very good. There is one strange little piece of rubber ahead of the cleat area that Bont puts on many of its off-road shoes. We aren’t sure exactly what it is for, but with some pedal systems, it seemed to almost get in the way of sliding your foot in to clip in. With Crank Bros Eggbeaters and Candys, I didn’t feel it, but with the Speedplay SZYR pedals, I seemed to hang up my foot at times. For cross, this could be an issue, but gravel and other events that dismounts/remounts aren’t really required, it’s a non-issue.

Now for our overall experience. Generally, I loved the Vaypor G’s. They are stiff, comfortable, and I feel like I’m riding road shoes and pedals, especially with the Speedplay SZYR’s (that review is coming soon). Off the bike for cross is where I found the stiffness to be a little much at times. Going back to Interbike 2016, we were told that they might be a little stiff for cross, and well, they were right. By no means am I saying I would never race cross in them because I did all season (14 races). Just keep in mind that if you tend to run a lot, or have technical courses that you might have to dismount often, they are really stiff. If you hop the barriers and ride the stairs, well, you’ll appreciate the power transfer efficiency of the stiff soles.

If gravel is your thing, the Vaypor G might be the perfect shoe for you, especially when paired with a pedal like the SZYR. The stiff sole will give you that road shoe feeling with a sole you can actually walk on when off the bike. I thought that shoe and pedal combo was the perfect pair for many of the road/groad/gravel rides I did last Fall and this Spring on my cross bike.

Now, for my only other negative, the price. At $399, it is on the more expensive side. Not as high as Mavic’s insane Comete Ultimate road shoe at $999, but still up there with other top end road or off-road shoes on the market. Is it worth it? Are you looking for one of the stiffest shoes out there that also happens to be extremely comfortable and allows you to custom mold them to your foot? Then I say yes.

Bont really created something interesting with the Vaypor G. It can act as an all-season road shoe for someone that prefers to ride two-bolt pedals and shoes that have proper tread to walk in. You can ride mountain on it, same with cross, but gravel is where it really shines. If any of that is your preferred method of riding, take some time to consider the Bont Vaypor G.

http://www.bontcycling.com