Bont Vaypor G – Small Updates Shine Bright on a Top Gravel Shoe

A little over five years ago, we reviewed the Bont Vaypor G and found it to be a great gravel shoe that is perfect for cyclists looking for a more road-like offroad shoe, thanks to the extremely stiff, full tub carbon sole. Beyond testing some other shoes for product reviews, it has been my go-to shoe for gravel events. So what could Bont do to make the shoe even better? How about upgraded dials and a few flashy new colors.

The majority of the shoe remains the same from when we last reviewed it, and that’s a good thing. The Toray unidirectional carbon fiber tub sole includes their proprietary resin that allows you to heat mold the shoe as many times as you need to for that perfect fit. The anatomically shaped last matches the shape of your foot instead of the traditional dress shoe shape. This allows your feet to have plenty of room for your foot, allowing your toes to spread out for improved comfort. The extremely stiff chassis means power is transferred efficiently, keeping you as close to the pedal as possible. The 3.6mm stack height is one of the lowest on the market.

Durolite upper paired with an anti-stretch material also remains the same. This keeps them comfortable and durable but also means the fit will stay the same throughout the life of the shoe. The faux suede liner helps keep your foot locked in pace, even without having to crank the BOA dials down. The upper wraps over your foot as you tighten the upper dial, with a lower BOA tightening the forefoot over the tongue.

This is where we start to see the new features. The updated Vaypor G replaces the IP1 dials with Li2 The Li2 is slightly smaller than the IP1 and keeps the dual-direction adjustment, allowing you to tighten or loosen the shoes without having to release them. Each click of the Li2 is a little smaller of an adjustment over the IP1, allowing you to customize your fit even further.

Inside of the dial, there is a change that you don’t necessarily see. In the IP1, when you adjust the shoe, both ends of the lace are being tightened or loosened. With the Li2, one end is fixed in place, and the other end is what is being tightened or loosened, adding to that even smaller unit of adjustment. The insides are built a bit more robustly for durability, although BOA still guarantees the dials and laces for the life of your shoe. The Li2 also uses 10% less plastic compared to the IP1, and the brand is working to use more recycled plastic and become waste-free in the future.

The other big change is the Reflex reflective treatment on the Durolite upper. The treatment is embedded into the material for durability and doesn’t affect the comfort or weight. I’ve had a chance to ride the reflective Giro Empire ACC’s, and unlike the Bont Reflex reflective treatment, I could tell a difference between the two uppers. The reflective upper just felt a little stiffer and less supple than the regular shoes, but in the case of the Vaypor G Reflex, both feel just as supple on the foot.

The Reflex colors are available in two colors, Ghost and Havoc. The Ghost is a lighter silver with dark accent pieces, while the Havoc is a dark gray with lighter accent pieces. Both look fairly standard when looking at them in natural light, but when hit by an artificial light, they light up. With many gravel events being 100+ miles, many start early in the day and end later in the afternoon/early evening. Many shoes will have reflective touches on their shoes, but having an entire reflective shoe is even better.

Out On The Gravel

Slipping the new Vaypor G felt very familiar, just like my old Vaypor G. Especially with being molded, the fit is near perfection, and the stiffness of the tub soles really shows when you are putting the power down. Really, there is no change from the previous model.

On and off the bike, they felt the same when using the dials. They are slightly smaller, which is helpful when wearing shoe covers, but still very easy to find and grip, even when riding with gloves on. The internal change in how the Li2 dial works compared to the IP1 was not noticeable, even down to the smaller increments of the adjustment. It is good to know that you can fine-tune your fit, even taking into consideration that you are maybe wearing a thicker sock, and still find the same fit as a thinner sock.

About the only downside I found, I didn’t even realize until I added the Cobra9 insoles to the shoe. The Vaypor G with its stock insoles provides some arch support, but not a ton. If you have a higher arch, you would probably notice this, but standard to low arches might not. Adding the Cobra9 Vaypor insoles added a little more support that I didn’t notice without them, but definitely prefer after using the insoles. The insole uses a carbon fiber core from the heel to the arch and is wrapped in an EVA foam cover. They are available in low, medium, and high arch support, and are cut specifically for the shape of Bont Vaypor shoes. They are a bit of a premium at $99.95, but if you need a little more arch support, I highly recommend them.

The Reflex color doesn’t affect the ride of the shoe, which again is a good thing. But knowing that the shoes will reflect lights back to motorists is probably the biggest factor of why you would buy this version of the Vaypor G over the standard black. Even on a muddy gravel ride, as long as there are some clean parts of the upper, they will light up when hit by artificial light. These days, that additional visibility can make all the difference.

The Vaypor G is available in a standard all-black, along with the Reflex Ghost and Havoc colors. Sizing runs from 36-50, with half sizes sprinkled in to cover from 4.5-12.5 US, along with standard, narrow, Asian-fit, wide, and double-wide widths. Bont does offer instructions on how to measure your feet and then a chart that converts to their sizing. I highly recommend doing these measurements to find the right size and width. If you want to go flashier, the Vaypor G is also available in their semi- and full custom options. Semi-custom allows you to customize the colors of the shoe, while full customization means creating a cast of your feet and having the shoes custom-made to your specific sizes, along with customizing colors.

While the upgraded dial and Reflex color are not a major change to the shoe, the Vaypor G really didn’t need a major overhaul. It is a very solid shoe to begin with, about as close to perfection as you can get for a gravel shoe that feels more like a road shoe. If you do a lot of hike-a-bike, the stiffness will be noticeable when off the bike, but when on, you’ll be thankful to have it when hammering down. Bont continues to be one of the few brands out there that offers at-home heat molding, which makes them a great option, whether you have normal or funky feet. At $425, they are a premium shoe, but well worth the investment as they will last you for many, many years of hard gravel riding, especially with the replaceable tread blocks.

For me, the Bont Vaypor G is the perfect gravel shoe. It gives me the stiffness I want from my road shoes but provides the ability to run a two-bolt cleat and walk in them when needed. The ability to mold them to my feet helps to eliminate hot spots, and adding the Reflex colors to provide more visiblity completes the package.

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