To kick of the blog I am starting a series of posts that show you just how bad I’ve got gear lust, and how much of my life is spent drooling over bike gear. I have quite odd feet, my big toes bend inward producing bunions. They have in the past been painful but mostly it just makes shoe choice pretty important.
Shimano RO75
My cheapo Shimano RO75 shoes actually fit pretty well, the velcro straps don’t create any hot spots and spread the load well over the entire foot. There is one problem with them however. They just aren’t cool.
Sidi Ergo 2
My Sidis look an awful lot better but aren’t as comfortable as the Shimano. The size 44 were very tight around the toe box, the 45s were a much better fit in that respect but something I didn’t notice until getting them home and walking in them is that there is a little bit of heel lift. I’ve tightened the heel cap adjusters but unless I really rank down the main strap the shoes move a little (and it really is a little) when climbing or sprinting. So I find myself tightening them up at the bottom of climbs which is actually not a problem with the excelent adjusters that Sidi use. So the lust is for a pair of custom/semi custom shoes. The ones that caught my eye are made by a company called Bont. Bont appear to be a major player in the inline skating world and all their expertise from that field has been applied here. Avaialble in all sorts of colours and all sorts of strap configurations, if you can get over the shiny look then you should find something to suit.
Bont A One
The fitting (from the UK distributor) entails you tracing the outline of your feet onto a piece of paper and sending that off by fax. When your shoes arrive you can heat mould them (and can do it over and over again too) so they fit the contours of your foot perfectly. I’m probably going to buy a pair, they aren’t cheap at over £200 but if they prevent foot pain and look good they have to be worth that if not more.
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