Louis Garneau CFS 300 road shoes

The Louis Garneau CFS-300 shoes provide decent comfort and performance and their novel vents help cool your feet in hot weather.

Heat mouldable shoes are becoming more common and the CFS-300's here are Louis Garneau's take on the custom fit option. For once though its not the sole that you mould but the upper.

Open up the box and you'll find more than just a pair of shoes, there are aero toe covers, a choice of inner soles depending on temperature and a shoe bag printed with all the instructions for the moulding process.

Carbon soles are pretty much a given at this price point but its not often you see them with vents like the CFS-300's. Its what Garneau calls 'Exo-Jet', a vent system that takes air in through the front and exits it out through a mesh vent under your arch in a bid to keep your feet cool.

These holes have no effect on performance though. The soles are as stiff as you need for sprinting and other hard, flat-out efforts.

You can mount any three-bolt cleats, and the sole surface is roughened for grip where cleat and sole meet.

To keep them looking fresh, toe and heel tabs protect the sole when you're off the bike. The rear tab is replaceable.

The upper is made from microfiber leather with a 'wet-look' finish which feels very supple, and there are loads of nylon mesh vents to aid cooling.

Your foot is secured by two Velcro straps and a ratchet strap at the top. Pretty standard you may think but there is something a bit clever about the CFS-300.

The middle strap attaches to the HRS-100, better known as the heel retention system. The black section that runs around the shoe pulls in around your heel as you tighten the middle strap. Along with non slip material inside the heel cup the HRS works very well, so well in fact you can run the ratchet strap looser than normal reducing pressure on the top of your foot.

To mould the CF-300s you remove the top strap and bung them in the oven for 20 minutes at 65°C. When they're ready, take them out and slip your feet in wearing your usual socks,then tighten them up as if you're going out for a ride and let them cool. The majority of the upper is mouldable and it can be done as many times as you want.

The resulting fit is pretty good. On my feet, they're not quite as comfortable as Giro Factor shoes but they're good nonetheless.

Some of that comfort is because there is no actual tongue in the upper. The outside of the shoe positions itself under the inside so there is no bunching of the material when you tighten the straps. In effect, you are wrapping the shoes around your feet.

The CFS-300s do seem to come up a little big. Our sample was a size 44 (UK 9.5) and were spot-on, whereas in all other makes I need Euro 45s for my UK size 10's. We'd advise you try before you buy.

Overall the CFS-300's are a pretty impressive pair of shoes offering decent comfort levels and performance. One bonus of all that venting though is with the mercury recently touching 28°C they do keep your feet super cool. You'll need the toe covers and cold weather insoles to keep the chill off for early spring and late autumn riding.

Verdict

A good all round package but there are lighter and more comfortable shoes out there at this price point.