Canyon’s Tempr CFR Off-road shoes are the German bike brand’s first step into the shoe business, which is a competitive place to get a foothold. These XC/gravel performance shoes come in at a premium price and boast an array of top-draw specs and features – did the brand produce a winner?
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Canyon Tempr CFR Off-road – Technical details
There’s a whole lot of technical jargon and wizardry touted by Canyon with the Tempr CFR Off-road shoe, and I’ll do my best to explain it.
The shoes are essentially race performance off-road shoes that come in either black (as tested), white, or grey. Sizes range from 36-48, with half sizes available between 40.5-46.5, and fit is unisex.
My EU47s weighed in at 364g per shoe, which is competitive in this price-performance range, but not quite the lightest out there, though given the quality insole and tread it’s plenty light enough.
The upper is a soft, perforated synthetic multi-panelled fabric, while the tongue is like an elasticated sock, which is designed to do away with ankle irritation and hold your foot sweet and snug. The heel cup is well cushioned and quite pronounced, with a rigid inner heel cup and an outer shell that moulds into the sole.
The footbed is based on a stiff carbon fibre plate with a thin/low cleat slot stack height, designed to minimise foot-pedal distance and increase power transmission. The soles have regular two-bolt cleat slots and a Vibram Megagrip tread (no toe spike holes), which also wraps into the lower toe box for added protection.
The inner of the footbed is quite pronounced in terms of arch support, and this wraps around into the inside of the shoe to make a cradle-like support system. Inside is also a very good (for most feet) Solestar shoe-specific insole, which is also quite pronounced and adds to the arch support and fit. They also have quite pronounced mid-foot metatarsal pads, designed to allow your front feet to spread and for blood to circulate better. The insoles also mould to your foot after a while, to an extent.
Pulling the whole shoe together is an intriguing double Li2 Boa system, which works to wrap the shoe around your foot and allow for a more natural and custom fit. This whole combination is specifically designed to work with this shoe, and the design was a collaboration between Canyon, Solestar, and Vibram. Canyon refers to the combined system as PureFit360 and PerformFit Wrap.
Canyon Tempr CFR Off-road – Performance
Shoes are a very individual thing, and fit can make or break a ride, and your feet – and not everyone’s feet are standard issue.
Cycling shoes, especially performance shoes, often tend to run painfully narrow, so much so that I’ve come to believe I must have freakishly wide feet (which I don’t). I’ve also always been finicky with my cycling footwear and their setup, and have suffered through several shoes and setups of late, and so was a little worried about slipping into the Canyon Temprs, although I had been working my way into the Tempr road version for three months already, and they are essentially the same shoes – apart from the tread and cleat fixing, so I knew what to expect.
Sizing, after finding the Canyon Scamprs I reviewed a while back, a little tight in 46, I went for a 47 in the Tempr (I usually order a size up when ordering online shoes), mainly being concerned about toe box space. Turns out, for me, that the Canyon online sizing chart is about right, and a 46.5 would have been roomy enough for me.
Surprisingly, I found the shoes really comfortable, supple and roomy enough straight out of the box – even, with my sticky out big toes, no rubbing or cramping, and thanks to the fit systems, there was zero rubbing or chaffing around the heel and ankle either – much to my relief.
However, although the Solestar insoles and inbuilt footbed arch support are a huge step-up from most insoles provided with shoes, I find the arch support to be a touch too far back and intrusive for my feet and have suffered right arch/ankle pain on some days.
The G8 2620 adjustable insoles I’ve been using for two years focus on the front arch of the foot and strengthening (I also have a heel wedge on the right), and I’ve become reliant on them. Sadly, no matter how much I’ve cut and shoved the G8s, due to the inbuilt footbed curve, they don’t fit nearly as plush, so I’ve been persisting with Solestars.
Although the inbuilt shaping and support should work for most regular-footed folk, it won’t work for all. Although several brands take this inbuilt approach, personally, I think a more neutral approach and having the ability to customise or swap insoles more easily would be a better idea, as with the Giro Empire VR90 recently reviewed.
I’m still trying to bodge a solution to this and am getting more acclimatised to the standard fit, but not fully yet. Some days I can ride three hours and only have some discomfort after the ride, on others it niggles more often from the off, and some days nothing. Other than that, they are pretty plush and comfy (sounds like a contradiction – but it is true, for me – apart from the arch irritation), and you get used to the metatarsal tabs, which do seem to reduce the carbon hot foot issue some, which is often found with carbon shoes.
The Canyon Tempr CFR shoes feel very racy in use, and there is no sensation of flex felt. Power transmission is precise but not harsh, and they live up to the performance promises Canyon makes.
I’ve ridden five to six weeks in them on gravel, riding most days, and in very hot weather. Although the ventilation isn’t excessive, I’ve had no wrinkly hot feet. I have ridden the Tempr road version in the rain – and these are not waterproof by any means, but do drain and dry pretty fast, though they’re not designed for real winter riding.
Fast XC and gravel riding and racing are their domain. For ultra long rides and tours – they should pass fine for most – but are perhaps not pinned for that long multi-day comfort and walking flex that’s often demanded.
On foot, they are rigid, yet the superbly grippy and absorbing Vibram Megagrip soles are effective in all conditions, including on wet rocks, shiny floors, and the tread is well spaced to clear mud.
I’ve run the shoes on Hope Union RC and Shimano SPD pedals, and, as with most shoes out there, I would advise using cleat shims to clear any pedal-tread rubbing.
Canyon Tempr CFR Off-road – Verdict
The Canyon Tempr CFR Off-road shoes are without doubt a plush, handsome, and well thought-out performance XC/gravel shoe, that should fit like a nice slipper – unless you have fiddly or very wide feet.
The build quality, the features, and performance are up there with the best of them in this rather expensive price range, although they are not quite as light as the Specialized S-Works Rebo or the Shimano S-Phyre XC, and don’t offer the wider fit options of the Lake MX239. Either way, they are certainly they are a compelling option.
My biggest niggle with the shoes lies in the lack of adjustability in the arch and the difficulty in using certain other insoles due to the footbed shaping. This will likely not be an issue for the majority, but for some, it will be a deal breaker.
If considering buying any premium shoes online and you have any foot issues, then I would advise trying on a pair first. If in doubt, try calling either Canyon’s partners, Veloroo in Sheffield, or Moloko Cycling in London, who may have a sample pair in a similar size. If you’ve run other “shaped” shoes, don’t have very wide feet, or have other foot issues, all should be good. If you have suffered slightly cramped forefeet with other narrow shoes, then I would size up by a half.
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