Tested: Canyon Tempr CFR Off-Road Shoe

Today Canyon announced its first foray into footwear, the Tempr CFR line, although we’ve been seeing Canyon shoes atop cyclocross, cross-country, and road podiums for some time now.

Canyon brought in some big guns to design its new footwear line – industry vets Carl Bird and Eric Horton of FORM8ION, who were responsible for shoe, apparel, and helmet designs for brands like Specialized, Rapha, and Giro, came on board to make sure Canyon’s first shoes stood out from the crowd. They also partnered with BOA, Solestar, and Vibram, ensuring the shoes are packed with high-tech features.

I did some big rides and races in the Tempr CFR Off-Road shoes and while they definitely lived up to their performance claims, although I have had some fit issues.

Canyon Tempr CFR in a Nutshell

• Size Tested: 40
• Sizes Available: Euro 36-48 with half sizes from 40.5 to 46.5
• MSRP: $329.95
• Closure: Floating straps with two anodized aluminum BOA Li2 dials
• Weight: 276 g (Size 40)

Canyon Tempr CFR Fit

Canyon’s marketing campaign around the Tempr CFR line is heavily fit-focused, and once you slide a foot into this shoe that makes sense. Every detail is next level – the sock-fit tongue encases your foot like, well, a sock, and I love that the tongue is attached to the shoe so there’s no chance of it moving around.

The twin multi-directional BOA dials gently cinch or loosen the pressure-dispersing straps and the heel hold is probably the most secure I’ve ever experienced in an XC shoe.

The sizing seems normal if somewhat narrow in the forefoot. The shoe immediately feels snug yet roomy, an unusual sensation that Canyon explains with a lot of trademark and copyright signs that denote how much tech is wrapped up in the shoe:

“BOA® Fit System’s PerformFit™ Wrap evenly disperses pressure, eliminates fit discomfort and enhances power transfer while the Canyon’s PureFit360™ foot-form shoe fit system and the sock-fit tongue construction boosts comfort and all-over supportive fit. In combination with the Solestar® insole, which is designed to take any foot type and return it to its natural neutral position, plus the pressure relief zones, the shoe feels snug with adequate space for the foot to expand in the heat.”

So yeah, it feels great to wear around the house, but how does the Tempr CFR ride?

Performance

The Tempr CFR Off-Road Shoe has all the trappings of a performance race shoe. It weighs practically nothing – a little over 500 g for the pair, which is very competitive with similar models from brands like Specialized and Fizik that have a much longer history of footwear. The shoe upper breathes well in the heat. The Vibram sole with proprietary “Megagrip” rubber has great traction and the grippy tread, combined with that excellent heel hold, means that this is a great shoe to walk/run/hike in, despite how stiff it is.

And lordy, it is stiff. The full carbon shank provides a powerful and instant transfer of energy to the pedals, but doesn’t feel harsh or board-like underfoot, even on longer singletrack descents where too-stiff soles can start to become a liability instead of an asset.

I did have to shim my SPD cleats so that these shoes didn’t interfere with my Shimano pedals. I find this is usually the case with XC style shoes, which is annoying. Since I’m using what is likely the most common cleat on the market, it really begs the question, why don’t shoe designers just account for those millimeters of height difference and make the tread just a hair shorter, or just a smidge farther away from the cleat so it doesn’t interfere? I’ve searched the internet to no avail, trying to confirm if everyone in the world is just shimming their cleats constantly or if my “unusual” cleat positioning is what’s sabotaging me. (I would argue my cleat position is very normal.)

The Tempr CFR shoe has the best application of BOA dials that I’ve seen yet. I love that with the new Li2 dial you can loosen up the straps just a click or two, and it’s easy to do so while riding. I ended up running the lower dial wide open (to try and alleviate foot pain, unfortunately) and the strap hold still felt secure when pedaling.

Now for the bad: even though Canyon’s marketing explicitly and repeatedly says this shoe is designed with pressure release zones and has space for the foot to expand in the heat, I found that the shoes aggravated my “sixth toe” foot area badly on longer rides. I don’t have an especially wide foot and I haven’t experienced outer foot pain while riding before, so this was a pretty disappointing discovery about a shoe that seems so promising.

Obviously my experience isn’t universal, so this is just a good reminder to try before you buy.

Who’s the Canyon Tempr CFR Off-Road Shoe for?

Canyon’s first mountain bike shoe is a big swing with a lot of proprietary technology. If you are an XC or cyclocross racer looking for a high-end, lightweight, super stiff carbon-soled shoe with impressive heel hold, the Tempr CFR is a good choice, but be aware that this shoe does fit like a glove, for good and for bad. We’re interested to see where Canyon takes the rest of their cycling shoe line.