Bont Shoes -- experiences...fit...?

[OakLeaf]

I don't know about Bont, but you might also look at Lake. No idea if the new Lake shoes fit the same as the old ones, but they're keeping the old model numbers and also coming out with a CX-specific shoe next month. The old ones at least had a very square toe box, the new ones are still available in wide, best fit I've found for my flippers.

[ny biker]

I like my Bontrager shoes, but I was only looking for something wider in the toe box than Sidi, since my feet often fit in regular-width shoes.

At a minimum, there is a 30-day guarantee, so you can return them if you wear them and then decide you don't like them. And there might actually be a 60-day guarantee period on the shoes -- check with the dealer.

I have these:

http://www.bontrager.com/model/09597

I do find that I can't fasten the Velcro straps all the way over as they are shown in Bontrager's photo. I need them looser than that.

The buckle is very easy to loosen while riding if my feet swell on a hot day.

I usually wear pretty thin socks -- DeFeet Aereator or Wooleator. I haven't tried my Woolie Boolie socks in the new shoes yet.

[zoom-zoom]

This is the thing...all the reviews I read of my current shoes is that they tend to run on the wide side. I tried a pair of Northwaves back in the day, since everyone said they run wide, but found the only thing wide on those to be the heels. I'm guessing all WSD shoes are off the table. A women's medium is a B and I am at least a D width (men's medium -- I even wear men's Nike Free running shoes, because the women's are vise-like), if not a EE. My husband wears a men's 11 (4 full sizes than my sizing in men's shoes) and his foot is only 6mm wider than mine. I have flippers.

[OakLeaf]

Well if you can wear Nike Free at all, your feet are way narrow compared to mine. I have to go up one size in freakin' Lems to get them wide enough. My running shoes are men's EEEE at least two sizes too long. But I can wear Lake.

[zoom-zoom]

Well if you can wear Nike Free at all, your feet are way narrow compared to mine. I have to go up one size in freakin' Lems to get them wide enough. My running shoes are men's EEEE at least two sizes too long. But I can wear Lake.

And Nike Frees are relatively wide -- or at least they were until recently. I could wear the Free Run+ 3 in women's, but when they discontinued that shoe and replaced it with the Free 5.0 they completely changed the fit. The sole is the same, but the upper is WAY narrower. Fortunately the men's fits about like the women's used to fit. Not sure how the Free 4.0 or 3.0 fit. I had always heard those were narrower. I must say I miss my NB 902s. They came in wides and the women's wides were WIDE! Then NB changed all their lasts from SL-1 to PL-1 and I haven't had any luck with any of their shoes since. The NB Minimus line looks interesting, but is super narrow and curved. My feet are freaky straight.

In regular shoes I live in Keens and Dansko. Dress shoes...forget it!

[ny biker]

And Nike Frees are relatively wide -- or at least they were until recently. I could wear the Free Run+ 3 in women's, but when they discontinued that shoe and replaced it with the Free 5.0 they completely changed the fit. The sole is the same, but the upper is WAY narrower. Fortunately the men's fits about like the women's used to fit. Not sure how the Free 4.0 or 3.0 fit. I had always heard those were narrower. I must say I miss my NB 902s. They came in wides and the women's wides were WIDE! Then NB changed all their lasts from SL-1 to PL-1 and I haven't had any luck with any of their shoes since.

Why do they do this??? WHY WHY WHY??? I wore NB running shoes for decades, literally, and loved them. After my ankle surgery they were the only shoes I could wear without pain. And then suddenly they changed the lasts so that now they all feel like there are big rocks under the balls of my feet. I had to get rid of a nearly-new pair of shoes that cost something like $130 because they hurt so much.

I did eventually find one pair of NB cross trainers that I can still wear. I don't run, just need good support for long walks and gym workouts, so the cross trainers are okay for me. But they are leather, not the airy mesh of the running shoes, so my feet get hot in them. I went back to the NB store to see if they had a more-mesh shoe with the same last, but they didn't have anything. Boo.

I tried some Nikes (Air Pegasus maybe?) and they seemed okay at first but after wearing them a while I developed terrible pain in my left foot from having my toes crammed into shoes that were too narrow. Even the wide version was too narrow. Though I had never had pain from my Sidis before, once the Nike caused my left foot to hurt the Sidis made it hurt, too. Which is how I wound up with the Bontragers.

BTW I do prefer the D width for the NB shoes. I might be able to get away with the regular width, but I like to give my feet plenty of room when I'm working out.

[zoom-zoom]

BTW I do prefer the D width for the NB shoes. I might be able to get away with the regular width, but I like to give my feet plenty of room when I'm working out.

Yup, I lived in size 8D NBs for years. I didn't have to do any creative lacing to give myself more forefoot room. Now I often do goofy lacing to allow my forefoot more room in running shoes.