The common saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies to the latest edition of the Bont Cycling Vaypor S shoes we’ll be looking at in this review. Rather than redesigning the shoes from scratch, Bont Cycling has taken the popular Vaypor S shoes and incorporated the latest dual BOA Li2 dial system. The updated shoes have a retail price of $415 and are offered in standard as well as wide widths. The Vaypor S can also be customized under the impressive $529 Semi-Custom (additional widths / full color selection) or the $1099 full custom option that is literally built around your foot shape. The reflex collection color scheme which incorporates a unique retro-reflective finish that ensures you’re visible in low-light conditions is reviewed here. As with all Bont Cycling shoes, the Vaypor S has heat moldable carbon outsoles and anatomically correct shaping.
The Bont Vaypor S combines an anatomically shaped heat moldable carbon sole with the latest BOA Li2 dial closure system.
| Retail Price | $415 |
| Rating | Design: A- Closures: A Comfort: A Value: A |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 532 (EUR 44 Wide) |
| Likes | + Anatomical shape + Retro-reflective finish looks great during day and light up at night + Dual BOA Li2 provide micro adjustments |
| Dislikes | – Not as visually attractive as other shoes |
| Where to Buy (US) | Bont Cycling |
UNBOXING
The Vaypor S shoes come in Bont Cycling’ branded cardboard shoe box with basic specs written on it. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Bont Cycling Vaypor S Shoes
- Branded travel bag
- Information card
- 6 cleat bolts
Interestingly, the shoes shipped in the shoe box itself rather than a generic container box. While we appreciate the minimalist packaging you’ll want to quickly bring it inside the house to avoid potential theft.
FIT & FINISH
To be frank, Bont Cycling shoes have always been the ugly duckling when it comes to cycling shoes. Unlike the premium knit DMT KR0 or the modern Shimano S-PHYRE shoes which are drool worthy from every angle, the Vaypor S’s “function over form” isn’t particularly attractive. The anatomical design means the Vaypor S shoes are wide from heel to toe instead of a traditional tapered form. Even with retroreflective exterior finish, which is either a gray Havoc as shown in this review or a lighter gray Ghost finish, the shoes aren’t able to visually compete. That said, we’d highly recommend the reflex color schemes over the standard colors as they provide additional safety in low-light conditions and look unique. The Havoc color scheme looks gray in standard lighting and has shiny silver tongue and side reinforcements.
The shoes also have contrasting white stitching down the center and along the wrap-around top piece. For airflow, the front of the shoes have a grid of ventilated perforations as well as meshed vents on the toe bumper and on the sole. Dimples along the sides provide some visual contrast and line up with the front perforations. Branding is limited to Bont printed on the heel, Vaypor S on the top, and Bont Cycling printed onto the carbon sole. Consistent with the “function over form” design, the carbon soles extend up and around the heels for additional support and performance. The Vaypor S also boasts a 3.6mm stack height, the distance between your feet and the pedals, which is one of the best on the market. In addition to the standard 3-bolt cleat setup, Bont Cycling offers Wahoo SPEEDPLAY sole option that allows you to directly mount the cleats instead of using bulky adapters.
CLOSURES
One of the major updates with the Vaypor S are the BOA Li2 dials which replace the IP1 dials found on the previous version of the shoes. The shoes retain their dual dial design with a wrap-around top ankle support and a dual row bottom toe box region. Functionally the BOA Li2 dials are nearly identical to the previous IP1 dials but have a lower profile and more modern visual design. Even though the Vaypor S uses a standard lacing pattern, especially compared to the exotic helical cable routing of the Bont Cycling Helix, it’s highly effective and easy to fine tune. With Li2 dials, there is finer grain control of the tightening and loosening allowing you to find the perfect fit.
COMFORT
To optimize the fit of the shoes, you’ll want to make sure to heat mold them first. For more information on the heat molding process you can see our full guide here, but it’s quite straightforward and only requires heating up your oven to 160F (or the 170F minimum if you have a convection oven) and removing insoles / cleats from the shoes. The Vaypor S shoes can be molded as many times as you need, and we’d recommend at least doing it twice for best results. After a few rounds in the oven the Vaypor S shoes felt perfectly molded to our tall arches and wider feet.
Thanks to the combination of the anatomical design and heat molding, we found the Vaypor S to be a perfect fit and comfortable from the first mile we rode them. In fact, these updated Vaypor S shoes fit nearly identically to our two-year old Bont Cycling Vaypor S Reflex shoes. While we can’t promise you’ll have the same experience, the Vaypor S shoes are still one of our favorite shoes and remain comfortable on multi-hour rides. Even though the shoes don’t have large vents, they have enough airflow to keep you cool even on hot days. The heel and toe bumpers also make them easy to walk and are replaceable.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Bont Cycling Vaypor S shoes to be extremely comfortable and stiff. The anatomically shaped heat moldable carbon sole provides a customized fit and optimal performance on the road. After a few rounds in the oven, we found the updated Vaypor S shoes fit as well as our two-year old set from the first mile we rode with them. Although the Vaypor S shoes are far from the prettiest cycling shoe on the market, the heat moldable sole and dual BOA Li2 closure system are hard to beat. We’re also fans of the reflex color schemes which look understated during the day but are highly reflective in low-light conditions. While the BOA Li2 dials aren’t game-changing, the sleeker and more refined dials are a welcome update to the high-performance Vaypor S cycling shoes.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Bont Cycling. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.