That’s because earlier this year the Bont Crono, a time trial specific shoe, became outlawed by cycling’s international governing body. Banned in an email directly from the UCI a ruling was given that the shoe would be prohibited from competing at all UCI racing events. With one keystroke the Crono was officially blacklisted for Bont’s rigorously innovative design.

But Steven Nemeth and his cunning crew have come up with an answer – a refinement to make the Crono street legal, and they’ve dubbed it the Gen2 Crono.

I couldn’t wait to see this new shoe and when Nemeth’s associate returned from the car he brought a chic, white canvas bag with him. When he unzipped it the new Gen2 Crono was unsheathed. It was light as a feather and like a rare exotic sportscar the Gen2 was flying while merely sitting still. Aside from giving me goosebumps for its sexy aerodynamic construction it didn’t standout from the original, until I took a closer look.

The rocket-like styling and space-aged detail are still there, along with the fully customizable construction. The Gen2 looks like a sword or a javelin ready to slice through time-robbing air and undoubtedly attract a plenty of attention at post-ride coffee stops. But even though this was the sweeter, nicer, more law-abiding sister somehow I thought the updated refinements actually made the Gen2 Crono look more attractive – and I was ready to introduce her to mom.

Nemeth described the update to me, “The angles aren’t as sharp.” As seen in the pictures below, the toe and heel are a bit more subtle and rounded. But the lace enclosure that fastens shut with velcro is now attached on the inside of the upper instead of detaching altogether as it did on the original Crono.

Even with this new model Bont isn’t taking any UCI decision as final. Nemeth continues to appeal and lead a discussion with cycling’s governing body about innovation. “It’s not a financial concern,” Nemeth said. “They can’t just keep holding the sport’s development back. The sport needs to progress, it needs to move forward and we want to help take it to the next level.”

The Gen2 Crono is also not approved by UCI yet, but the updated design could be available for purchase as early as mid-summer 2011. It will retail for $500 US. In the future Bont plans to devlop a Triathlon-specific version to keep the new technology rolling.

Check back for continuing coverage on this shoe and a look at some of Bont’s other models soon.

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But what about the shoes? That’s what you’re here for right? Point taken. Let’s play some music shall we and talk about what your favorite pro’s are wearing when they’re not shooting up with chemicals and inorganic matter. Keep the science in the soles fellas so we all can play along without paying twice as much to ride our bikes. Thanks in advance.

It was easy to see lots of pretty shoes mashing the pedals on the Tour of California’s course this year. Shimano’s crown-jewel, the R315 was by far the most frequent shoe in the peloton. It’s also always in white like on Tom Zirbel’s feet. In fact Shimano R315′s are unanimously on each rider of Team Type 1, Jamis-Sutter Home, and Rabobank.

The peloton of the cycling elite seems to be naturally finding its roots and already turning its back on Armstong’s penchant for black feet. But if I were buying a pair of new kicks to spin the coming summer months in I don’t know they would be Shimano because the shoes are kind of boring and the technology is the same custom-molding that can be found pretty much everywhere now. Shimano was one of the first companies to pioneer the wonderful world of custom to our bike closets but the design of their high-end shoes for over $300 (even online) are simply ho-hum. There’s simply a lot more fun out there for your hard-earned dinero.

Spoiler alert: Chris Horner (RadioShack) won the whole-dang-race and as he is company guy he stays close to his Trek sponsor with a pair of red Bontrager RXXXL’s and a relaxed interview relevé. So does RadioShack MVP Matthew Busche for his tireless efforts on Saturday’s climb up Mt. Baldy protecting Horner and Levi Leipheimer from meddling attackers. However, Levi is the first man to jump ship with his own pair of black Giro Prolight SLX. Lance Armstrong may be gone but Levi is the one stronghold to carry on the black socks, black shoe tradition. But those Giro’s will set you back $350 in the US. Don’t worry, they are also offered in white.

Levi is not the only Giro-footed racer on RadioShack. Ben King who had his final race in his stars-and-stripes jersey as the reigning 2010 US road champion. King may have the stars-n-stripes but he doesn’t race in the Prolight’s. Instead he has a more modestly-priced, more fashionable Giro Factors in red and white that sell for $279. King does have a chance to win another national champ jersey next weekend, he enjoyed a shortened stint as US pro road champ when US Cycling moved the Championship race from late August to Memorial Day weekend when most of the rest of the world also crowns it’s victors.

As I was walking through the team rigs noting both racing and podium shoes, I turned and recognized newly crowned Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Van Summeren (Garmin) in a spry pair of Bont Vaypors. Even some of Garmin’s mechanics are spoiled with MBT Mahuta trainers that will make you $230 lighter. The only better ride on this team was Coach Vaughters’ temporary team car.

Jelly Belly’s shoes are as mixed as a bag of their beans. Ken Hanson is all kitted out even before his water bottle but Jeremy Powers tries to relax before a long day in the saddle, even during interviews. And if you had to abandon the race early like Alastair Loutit did after a bad wreck, this is your new shoe of choice. Don’t worry, they know how to keep from swappin’ sweat. It may not be euro but I think it brings his whole Brad Huff look together.

Andy Schleck straps on a rare pair of Northwave’s while his other Leopard Trek teammates prefer a little more click. Jason Donald (Kelly Benefit) is one of the few Mavic riders, Taylor Phinney is so young he still goes casual until racetime, and Frank Pipp seems to enjoy his DMT shoes along with the rest of his Bissel Cycling teammates even if some of them go with wind covers every day (even pro’s ride with holes in them.)

Liquigas-Cannondale keep it classy in their Italain-made Sidi Ergo 2′s and Team Saxo Bank follow their bike-supplier Specialized. But I wonder if Juan José Haedo isn’t thinking tonight that he could have won the stage’s sprint finish if only he kept his shoes as clean as his brother Sebastian does. Juan José came in tenth both at the finish line and second to his team bus door when he tried to avoid me taking a picture. At least one time in my life I can say I beat him.

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UCI rules state that “non-essential items of clothing designed to influence the performances of the rider” are prohibited and forbidden.

Bont’s Crono shoe is a clever aerodynamic shape to minimize air resistance of the largest moving parts of the bike – your feet. Its tear-drop, diamond-shaped toe and a sharply profiled heel is as unique but fitting to most time trial equipment. Even the heel pad has been shaped like a fin for minimal airflow disturbance making the shoe look almost more like a sail than shoe. Each pair goes for a pricey $500 US dollars but is customizable to the rider’s foot and backed by Bont’s reputation for quality.

The ruling seems ironic compared to other equipment designed to reduce air resistance available to racers, especially this year as new technologies gaining big race attention. Johan Van Summeren won the Paris-Roubaix wearing a new pair of Castelli Free Aero Bib Shorts and Giro’s new Selector helmet has interchangeable tail sections.

The shoe became controversial at the world track championships in March when the Russian National team wore the shoes to a second-place non-victory. Usually shoe covers and booties intended to provide warmth in cold weather conditions are denied for indoor racing use, but Bont’s Crono shoe design seems to be time-trial specific and not weather sensitive.

Bont has stated they will challenge the UCI’s decision and the shoe maker has already generated some attention from the cycling community on their Facebook page. The outcome of the shoe banning will be followed by cyclists and industry professionals as the UCI faces growing dissatisfaction from the cycling community.

By nature cyclocross is brutal – at times testing riders against harsh winter elements. But this is Los Angeles and while the sky went from pleasantly sunny to pleasantly cloudy the worst conditions racers faced was the film of dust kicked into the air.

The course itself was challenging, seeming to be a no-flow hamster-cage taunting racers. Even as route revisions made after the first-day of racing ironed out some excessive braking, growing pains on the field’s pitch were still noticeable to both spectators as well as racers. But the atmosphere was stirring, locals were excited that racing had come to Hollywood and many amateurs wish the SoCal Cross Prestige Series luck in returning to Griffith Park next year.

As the Elite Men took stage in the late afternoon, fan favorite Ryan Trebon (Rideclean/Kona) won the hole-shot before Adam Craig (Rabobank/Giant) worked his way from fourth to victory. Craig passed Trebon at the top of the course with four laps to go and rode a steady pace escaping Trebon and even increasing his interval with waning each lap. It was Adam Craig’s second win of the weekend.

At the finish line Trebon seemed disappointed but his Shimano M315 mountain bike shoes were much less dusty than Craig’s. Mountain bike champion Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air/Specialized) always rides his Specialized S-Works.

Mavic mountain bike shoes also stood out in the pack decking out the fashionable Rapha Focus team with their bright yellow kicks and lightweight profile. Crowds were drawn to a celebrity appearance by Team RadioShack star Chris Horner. The American surfaced pre-race in a pair of gray Pearl Izumi tennis shoes before donning black Mavic MTB shoes for the race. Wearing black shoes keeps with the RadioShack uniform as team mate Lance Armstrong is notorious for preferring black shoes.

Horner finished respectfully in the top-ten after getting tangled in an early crash despite commenting that his shoes help him “keep the rubber side down.”

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At first glance they offer the sleek performance, look and feel that we are used to seeing in shoes at this higher price range. The quality of build appears good, but I can’t attest to that personally.  Bont has a history in building shoes for competitive sports, but only recently expanded into the cycling market with noticeable success.  They offer technical shoes with specially sourced grade of carbon fiber from Toray, Japan for a strong, light platform that cushion your feet with closed cell memory foam (which doesn’t absorb water.)

The tech specs sound like they stand up to the competition and their designs remind me of Northwave shoes with sweeping lines and Velcro straps. I can’t wait to try them out.  Anyone have some long term riding on these and want to chime in?

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Im guessing Lance will be ok and you can bet a fresh pair of shoes and cleats were ready to go.

Makes you wonder if they have a pair already broke in or if  they anticipate needing to switch out foot gear in the middle of a race? I searched around google images looking for a shot of the crash and very few are available and it’s impossible to find a cracked cleat shot. They must treat his shoes like drug tests… hush hush.

So what does a former Tour champion lace up after a tough day of cobblestones and crashes? Some sweet custom Nike kicks of course!  Apparently these are Team Radio Shack shoes made for Lance and Co by Nike. I like the high tech gray and red motive and the red eyelets look great. The soles almost put  these over the top for me, but Im sure I could get used to them

And, what a difference it makes. having a good pedal-shoe-cleat system that is working properly can change your ride experience from a tolerable one to an enjoyable one. I have let go of  trying to know how everything works and every detail of technology. I depend more and more on my local shop and mechanics. It’s not the mechanics fault that I grabbed the wrong cleats off the shelf. It’s mine. It’s a good idea to read the instructions or at least bring your bike or shoes with you and get the right part the first time. That way you can spend more time enjoying your ride .
I recommend the Speedplay Zero pedals, easy to get in and out when you want (as long as you have the right clips), float adjustment, light weight and low maintenance. Read more about them here >

The Minnaar’s will feature the same Stealth Rubber soles that make FiveTen sought after. This legendary sole is wicked popular among gravity riders. But Minnaar’s will be for riders who want to ride clipped-in with SPD’s. With the sticky sole you’ll be able to find the pedal and bang-in to the clips smoothly. The Sam Hill Monster shoes also have the S1 version of the sole without SPD compatibility.

The sole is not particularly flexible, but feedback is positive enough to know where you are on the pedals, and power transfer solidly delivers without energy loss.

FiveTen could have featured both Minnaar’s and Sam Hill’s name more prominently but a lot of racers in the Pro field want to ride them so they pulled back only printing his name on the back of the shoe near the ankle.

The Sam Hill Monster shoes are available now, and the Greg Minnaar Clipless Shoes will be hitting stores in late Spring in the middle of May 2010.

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Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis/Rocky Mountain) adjusts himself to the race conditions

FONTANA, CA – The US National Mountain Bike Race Series kicked off in Southern California this weekend just an hour and a half outside Los Angeles in the industrial belly of Fontana, California. The Spring weather sunny and clear… but windy. The temperatures actually got above eighty degrees by race start time but the wind played a more major race factor blowing sand all over the course and into racer’s teeth. Some of the elite women were even blown off their bikes on the steep sandy climbs.

The wind was blustery enough to give Canadian racer Geoff Kabush a surprising slap in the face while he was trying to chill-lax pre-race outside his custom U-Haul trailer that acts as his team rig for Team Maxxis/Rocky Mountain. The experience left sand all the way from his lawn-chair to his sandals.

Upon getting up close and personal with a gail-forced dust devil he exclaimed, “I’ve been getting that from time to time all morning.” Kabush concluded that the wind might actually groom loose sand from the sketcher portions of the tail, “the corners might get a little more sticky,” he noted. Kabush was looking to win in Fontana for a fifth-consecutive year.

The wind gave it’s biggest due to the women sending their more petite frames scattered across the course. “I got blown off my bike on that one climb,” Willow Koerber (USA) Subaru-Gary reported after finishing third in her Shimano WM80′s.

Lene Byberg (Nor) racing for Specialized won the women’s field handily by over a minute. After the race she had a slight scratch above her left ankle but her Specialized Women’s BG Pro MTB Shoes looked unscathed.

From an overall footwear standpoint at this National level of Elite Pro Racing there were two surprises. One being how many feet Bontrager RLX race shoes were supporting, by far the most dominating shoe in both men’s and women’s Pro fields. Probably because Trek and Gary Fisher continue to be devoted to mountain bike racing in the US and sponsorships go further than just bike frames and jerseys.

There was also a surprising lack of Sidi shoes on Pro feet at this US National. While Sidi is currently the most popular shoemaker sold in the US, they aren’t appearing on Pro feet as much. So much so that you have to hunt to find them.

As the afternoon developed the wind subsided and the Elite Pro Men were called to the line. All the North American stars were in attendance including Jeremy Hogan-Kobelski, Ryan Trebon, Sid Taberlay, Todd Wells, Geoff Kabush, Eric Batty, Carl Decker, Barry Wicks and legendary veteran Tinker Juarez.

Just before staging I spied a sweet looking pair of Specialized S-Works on Todd Wells’ feet. I asked him if they were brand new but he confirmed that they were already three races old. Even though he was about to be called to the starting line he took time to explain how much he was enjoying his light-weight shoes and how easy they were to clean and keep their fresh look.

I asked Todd what size he wore. “I think they’re a 44,” he replied. Funny, I didn’t expect him to not be sure about his shoe size but he knew he was number one when he capped off his day with a big win.

It was a big day for Specialized and their shoes, both enjoying victories in the women’s and men’s elite races.

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US Pro XCT #1, Fontana, CA March 27, 2010

Men’s Results

Women’s Results