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The Bont A1′s I reviewed for this article are still going great, hence the surprise!

It’s been over 4½ months since I ordered and paid for (in full by the way) a pair of Bont A1 cycling shoes and I have yet to receive them. There have been numerous emails, phone conversations, heated debates, sizing complications, color misinterpretations, added shipping charges, and don’t let me forget about the entire month of February were everyone apparently stops working in order to celebrate the “Chinese New Year!” These are just some of the obstacles and excuses thrown my way by Bont Cycling; for example, for the past 2 weeks I have been told by Bont that my shoes are in the air and on their way, but stuck at customs. I know this is a new company and international expansion is a good thing, but if you can only make 30 shoes a day, then don’t take other people’s money for orders you can’t possibly fill. The bottom line is that Bont shoes are now made in a factory in China, even though at their debut at Innerbike in Las Vegas last year all you heard about was their Custom Cycling shoes that were handmade in Australia. After being promised by Bont that my shoes would arrive in less than three weeks time, I finally got a package after 2½ months. They were gorgeous, except for being the incorrect size, the wrong color, and they had a buckle (I wanted the three strap version-No Buckles)! Bont told me that they would NOT REORDER my initial specs until they physically received and processed their mistake, which cost me 2 more weeks of waiting. I was back to square one! I did at least slip them on just to get any idea of their fit and stiffness, buckled ‘em up, took one step on my carpeted floor and the heel support broke clean-off! And I only weigh 140 lbs! Oh yea, I had to pay for the return shipping never to be reimbursed. After “reconfirming” my initial order over the phone, I was then told that the three-strap option and color choice I selected 2½ months earlier would now bump my order from Stock to Semi-Custom status and an additional $80 would be required before they would proceed. Oh yea, and additional shipping charges were added on again. After feeling totally vulnerable and like things could not get any worse after being promised once again I would have my Custom shoes (or should I say “Semi-Custom shoes”) on my feet in less than 4 weeks time, I paid the added fee and waited. . . I waited. . . And, I waited. . . That was over 2 months ago, it is now late spring, and the race season has begun. I’m thinking about taking up fishing instead of cycling. Anyone who wants to purchase Bont Cycling shoes be very cautious, they do require that you pay-in-full and upfront and they will NOT RETURN, REFUND, OR CANCEL any Semi-Custom or Custom orders. I have asked, begged, demanded, and even threatened Bont in hopes of a refund, but was told “No, its a Custom-order!” Right now, I would only recommend buying the stock versions from a local shop that you can physically try on and walk out the door with them on your feet. I hope in the next year or so Bont can modify their return policies and any guarantees, service issues, expectations and fix all the international miscommunication between Bont itself, its distributors, and its retail shops which is crippling their name and their product, but until then please be cautious!

The Boy without a pair of shoes