Canyon Tempr CFR Off Road Shoes

The Canyon Tempr CFR Off Road Shoes join the Road shoes also being released today to kick off their footwear collection. Canyon's apparel and accessories are sleepers that I've been impressed with over the years especially in terms of value for money. For these premium XC/Gravel race shoes, they tapped into some outside help from Carl Bird and Eric Horton of Form8tion on the design side. It's ok if you haven't heard of them, I don't get the feeling they're the self-aggrandizing type - but they have 50 or 60 years of bike industry design experience behind them and are the minds behind many shoes (and other products like gloves and helmets) that the NSMB crew has come to love over the years from brands like Specialized, Fox, Giro, Fi'zik, and Rapha.

Features & Design

On the face of it, these are XC race shoes with a full length carbon fibre plate, dual BOA Li2 dials, Vibram semi-lugged sole and a better than average stock insole co-developed with Solestar. The most notable design element is what they're calling the PerformFit Wrap system that is intended to hug your heel and arch and give you the ability to cinch down the upper BOA dial for a snug fit (and better pedal feel and performance) without creating pressure points on the arch of the foot. That last point was presented as a central theme in the design of the Tempr shoes. These are performance shoes, but a stiff race shoe is no good if it leads to uncomfortable feet.

Sticking with the top of the shoe, the tongue is really more like a sock which stretches across the arch of the foot and makes for a low-profile wrap that hugs the top of the foot. The upper flaps are thin and overlap beneath the top BOA dial and back towards the heel cup. It's a bit of a fiddle to get the flaps to overlap properly but once in place they never moved, and the secure and comfortable fit were worth that half second faff every time I put them on.

I'm a big fan of BOA in general, and especially dual BOA setups whether for an XC shoe like or a skate-style shoe. The anodized alloy Li2 dials used here are top of the line and you twist in either direction to tighten or loosen the fit, and lift the dial to release the lock. Although I didn't find myself doing a lot of fit adjustments while riding after the first few rides, I certainly appreciate being able to quickly back them off or tighten them down without much interruption to the pedal stroke.

The Vibram Megagrip outsole material is pretty good in terms of ground grip for an XC shoe and even where the sole is smooth, the contact surface is rubber instead of carbon or nylon composite, meaning that whether you're fighting for a little purchase on a pedal when clipping in or walking on uneven ground, the Temprs are grippier than most XC shoes you'll find.

My test samples were a unique automotive style dazzle camouflage with red BOA dials but the stock colours will be black with black soles, black with gum rubber soles, or white with black soles - all with gunmetal grey BOA dials. Classic conservative Canyon.

The Fit & Riding

The heel cup is snug and deep which was much appreciated by my mid volume heel. No one likes to feel their heel lifting in their shoes when they pedal, however I really like a locked in feel that makes me feel connected to the pedaling surface.

Canyon's claim that you could cinch down the top BOA dial for a really tight fit without cutting off circulation or causing pressure points on the top of the foot did bear out, though this is admittedly not a big problem for me. I compared with some other XC shoes I have and I'd give the edge to the Tempr CFRs in terms of how tight I could make them without it getting uncomfortable, but I've never had a problem making other high end XC shoes fit snugly enough on my feet in terms of foot wrap or heel retention. If pressure points on top of the foot or heel retention are issues for you though, I think the Tempr CFRs should be high on your list to consider.

The cleat pocket offers moderate range and is neither deep nor shallow. I slam the cleats back in all my shoes - even the ones I used for BCBR - and I was content with that position for the Tempr CFRs as a good balance between pedaling performance and downhilling comfort.

I haven't been doing a lot of strictly XC riding lately but I really enjoyed the Tempr CFRs on a number of aggressive and/or long trail rides I've been on lately. There's enough toe armour to not make me feel exposed, and a bit of added stiffness isn't ever something I mind for all but the longest descents. Obviously pedal performance translates very well to any kind of riding and Canyon's shoes offer that in spades. This shoe is as stiff as you could imagine needing for XC riding and racing, but thanks to good fit and shaping for my foot, I stayed happy even when using these shoes out of their intended context. Had I been racing BCBR last week, I would have gladly used the Tempr CFRs.

On longer rides my feet stayed comfortable and didn't develop any pressure points or weird sensations. I got the dreaded hot foot once on a particularly long descent, but after switching chocolate feet for 10 seconds it went away and never came back. Arch support was better than average but not as good as with a true aftermarket insole. It's a tough one to navigate for a shoe brand - stock insoles are usually terrible but if every customer doesn't want an upgraded insole, you're adding cost without everyone knowing about the added benefit. I think Canyon probably struck the right balance; those that always add their favourite custom or semi-custom insoles still will, and those that don't get a bit better support and feel than in most other shoes.

Stiff shoes are always a bit of a compromise for walking or hike-a-biking so it's unfair to compare these to a softer-soled skate style shoe, but among other shoes in this category, they walk well and pass the driving test easily. The moderate width forefoot was perfect for me, but if you need a Wide size, you may be better off sticking with a brand that offers Wide sizing.

I'm going to bottom line the Canyon Tempr CFR thusly: if you're looking for a stiff, performance-oriented XC/race style shoe with better than average categorical walk/hiking chops, love BOA and like to cinch 'em down tight on occasion, these are worth a look. Bonus points if you have high arches or sensitive feet, like a locked in heel and have a medium to high volume forefoot.

Canyon’s Tempr CFR Off-Road shoes are available in sizes 36-48 with half sizes from 40.5 to 46.5 from Canyon.com. They come in black with gum tread, or grey or white with a black tread, and weigh 290g (size 42).

Canyon Tempr CFR Off Road Shoes - 419 CAD / 329 USD / 329 EUR