I'm a 46.5 on my Sidi's.

Bont's online calculator for sizing says 44.5

Is Bont's calculator to be trusted?

I ended up buying 2 pair in order to get the fit right.

I'll check in the garage and let you know how they compare to shimano 48 EU.

You the boss. Thanks dude.

Depends! Bont has used (maybe still does?) different sizing conventions for some reason... which model(s) are you looking at?

Here's my cycling shoe history w/Sidi, Bont and Speci:

* Sidi Mega 43 - eventually fatted out and was too wide
* Sidi 43 - started tight and became a great fit as it fatted out

* Bont A1 42.5 wide - way too wide and returned immediately
* Bont Vaypor 42.5 - fit like a proverbial glass slipper after heat molding the toe box out a bit and never fatted out
* Bont Vaypor S 43 - my current shoe which hasn't fatted out yet, but is a bit longer than the Vaypor 42.5 it replaced [Vaypor and Vaypor S use a different sizing convention and their web said move to 43 ... the Vaypor S 43 is a hair longer than a Vaypor 42.5 and a hair shorter than a Vaypor 43 if that makes any sense!]

* Speci 42.5 mtb - fits great and a lot like my current Vaypor S 42.5

Overall, I'm a BIG fan of Bont. I've read they're not for everyone's feet, but they've fit mine very well before and after heat molding. I've never had hot spots unlike my Sidi shoes occasionally. Plus my Bonts have been extremely durable in comparison to my Sidi shoes that only lasted ~2 seasons. Go for it! (And good luck)

Mine did not end up being correct either. The wizard had me at a 43 wide and I ended up being a 44 wide. I have always recommended people to try in a specialized Sworks shoe to compare length. They seem to be on par with sizing.

I've tried on a non sworks specialized shoe for the length.. not sure if it would compare with sworks though.. darn.

The 2016 Vapor+ model

Oh I have Riots.

48 shimano is similar length to 47 bont riot.

I have flat, skinny feet, and I had to add foam to the tongue of the bont to get it sufficiently tight.

Even so, the width of both models are similar.

My shimanos are more comfortable but less supportive. I need the support of the bonts to keep my foot from pronating.

I looked at the label inside my Bont shoes and was amazed at all the sizing numbers. I bought my shoes from the local Trek dealer after reading the post about sizing issues. My normal shoe size is 13. My bonts say 14.5 US and 48 ? and there was a couple other numbers. My shoes are a couple years old now and look like they have been used hard(they have) and Im thinking about buying a second pair. Im hesitant about ordering without trying on.

There are no local dealers near me.

Scenario A: $25 to ship shoe, I get lucky they fit.
Scenario B: $25 to ship shoe, doesn't fit, restock fee of $10, $10 to ship back to them, then $25 again to ship from them to me.
Scenario C: $25 to ship 2 pairs, one fits, restock fee of $10, $10 to ship back to them.

How lucky do I feel: I think C is the way to go.

Dang thats a lot of thought for a pair of shoes. I will say one thing my shoes have been good for me and even though they look well used they are still working fine. One shoe hard sole is cracked all the way across near the heal. No effect when on the bike mashing pedals.
Hopefully yours work out as well as mine.

When I get an idea in my head...

I wear a 13 normally, and need a 47 Bont shoe. According to their chart that's a 14 US. With a 46 my toes are pushing at the front of the toe box. Bike shoe manufacturers are all over the place with sizing, it's silly. The only other industry that comes close to the silliness of trying to buy cycling shoes based on actual size is Nordic skiing.

I have three pairs of Bonts, and would advise you follow the directions in their sizing wizard.

It's pretty thorough, and I think properly following and executing the measurement procedures is far-and-away more likely to get you a shoe which fits than trying to compare size and fit to another brand.

The benefit of Bont's heat moldable tubs should be obvious, but let me say that spending a little time and taking some care to perform the molding procedure should result in a very comfortable shoe. I believe even the top of the toe box can be molded (i.e. the upper), so while I haven't had to do that myself, I do recognize that the toe box height may be a bit on the lower side, and is at least compared to a pair of Diadora shoes which I also use.

This is both a misleading statement and an incorrect use of the Bont size chart.

First, as has been noted above, there is no "Bont shoe" size as you state; different shoe lasts for the diverse models result in different size designations across the Bont range, so you cannot speak of one size in a Bont shoe. The model designation is critical.

Secondly, the chart is not intended for use as a cross-reference for what you believe your shoe size to be. It is simply a statement of the various sizing designations any given Bont model may have, and a reference chart for physical foot length measurements. It is not meant to be used as a way to determine which shoe size to buy based on any other brand or type of shoe you may own.

That's just silly. They are completely capable getting accurate measurements, it has nothing to do with the lasts. Virtually every shoe maker is capable of getting the sizes figured out after the fact and gets a lot closer to your measured size +/-2. Length is not a difficult measurement to make, humans have been doing it for a few years now.

I bought a "new old stock" pair of Bont A-three in euro size 47.5 from Performance on special a little over a year ago, I think. Was about $80 for the pair which was about the best deal I ever got on shoes. So my experience has been to maybe order a half size bigger? They really fit me like a glove after heating them up twice. However, I've never tried tracing and measuring my foot. I'm missing those shoes ever since I broke the plastic strap that goes into the buckle. The shoes are pretty beat up so didn't want to spend $40 or whatever it was to get new buckles and straps.

Edit: Looked on the Bont website:

https://shop.bontcycling.com/epages/B...20Kit%20Set%22

And its $16 + $25 shipping or $41 total. Eeek...

This makes me wish I had really small feet:

Bont A-Three Road Shoes - Closeout

$54 for the same A-three that I had. That's almost giving them away. Sheesh...

Get the orange ones. The green ones are fugly.

You did not understand what I wrote, and I can't figure out what you're objecting to. Bont says they use differnt lasts for the tub layups on different models, and therefore designates different size fitments based on that. It's not difficult to understand, nor is it uncommon. A 12 is a 12 is a 12 does not mean anything, and it has to do with things like shape, construction and material, not an inability to make accurate measurements. Where'd you get that idea from, anyway?

Green was OOS, Orange was the go to. I ordered 1/2 size up from what the wizard recommended. We'll see.

Here's the half size up from the wizard. Where my nail on my thumb ends (thumbfinger) is where the end of my toe nail is in the bonts.
Thinking that they fit spot on. The upsize to this would've been a full size jump to 46 and I'm going to bet that would've been too large in comparison.

Notes on the shoe: Lightweight, BOA really locks down top of foot, nice coloration. Overall, looks like a hurried product as far as construction - some of the stitching, cutting of leather, and overall construction looks rushed and a tad 'off' for a shoe at this cost. I've seen dress shoes in similar price ranges that were immaculately constructed. This is very much so a rushed shoe out of a large shop that is not USA or EU based. While it's no doubt an impressive shoe, construction is lackluster for price point.

'Construction notes' - extra charm or get on the horn for a return?

That'd bother me. Will they pay for return shipping?

Not to make excuses, but Bonts have always looked that, or since the days of the A-series, anyway. Again, I'm not saying anything about whether some of their shoes are better-built than others, or if they should be built better, or if they should be less expensive, just that those rough bits seem par for the course for them.

Some of it may be due to construction technique; most standard shoe designs do not terminate the upper on the outside of a rigid tub like that. Dunno.

It was less excusable when they were hand-built in Oz, where the new V+ may be, I dunno, but most of their production is China now, IIRC.