It was only a matter of time before Canyon entered the world of footwear. They are currently a one-stop-non-bike shop for everything you need, and soft goods are the final frontier. They are taking what they know from supplying World Tour and MTB World Cup champions and putting that knowledge into high-end race footwear. Meet the all-new Canyon Tempr CFR shoes.
Canyon Tempr CFR Shoes
The new Canyon Tempr CFR footwear line covers the off-road (let’s lump gravel in there, too) and road racing worlds. It is a high-performance shoe line focusing on power and foot stability. The all-new Tempr CFR shoes look to strike the sweet spot between speed and comfort, giving the forefoot room to flex, locking in the heel, and embracing the foot to provide a platform for fluid, direct pedal strokes.
Bring in the Big Guns
Canyon called on the expertise of industry veterans Carl Bird and Eric Horton of FORM8ION to bring their knowledge and input to the designs. You might remember Carl Bird and Eric Horton from projects by Rapha, Giro, and Specialized, among others. Canyon also partnered with respected companies in the footwear world, like BOA, Solestar, and Vibram, to create a high-level shoe with names that riders will trust.
“Our expertise in developing world-class bikes is second to none, so it was only natural that we bring that world-class talent to shoe developments too, completing the connection between the rider and their bike,”
Canyon’s Stan Mavis, Global Director Gear.
Power, Comfort, and Stability
Canyon focused on answering three challenges during development: optimizing the footwear’s ability to produce power and maintain comfort while eliminating wasted movement to measurably increasing watts.
The answer comes in three leading development technologies:
Together with Solestar, Canyon co-developed their PUREFIT360 insole to match the foot form and naturally move it, returning it to a neutral position for maximum power transfer without any impact on comfort. Temper CFR shoes also feature Canyon’s full-length CFR carbon fiber internal plate (more on this later). These technologies combine to bring sturdy power transfer while stabilizing the foot.
BOA Collaboration to PerformFit
In collaboration with BOA, Canyon developed the unique PerformFit Wrap system to encircle your heel and arch. We’ve seen this foot wrapping in footwear before, notably in Giant’s latest road shoes, but Canyon takes it to the next level with the PerformFit Wrap. It is intended to control the instep and lock the heel, eliminating unnecessary foot movement within the shoe.
The shoes are already podium-worthy thanks to Canyon athletes such as Petr Vakoč, Zoe Bäckstedt, Luca Schwarzbauer, and Dante Young, who’ve won elite-level Gravel, Cyclocross, XCO, XCC, and Road races in them this season.
Canyon CFR Shoe Standout Features
- Unique sock-like stretch tongue material to hold the foot snugly.
- Easy to get on/off
- Road and Off-road shoes with identical fits
- Two anodized aluminum BOA Li2 dials offer a multi-directional, efficient, fine-tuned, durable, and replaceable fit.
- Off-road shoes use the Vibram Megagrip outsole, which offers best-in-class traction.
- Unique expanding panel for first metatarsal bone offers pressure relief
Canyon Tempr CFR Pricing, and Availability
Canyon’s Tempr CFR Road shoes are available in white and black variations and are guaranteed to match your kit.
The Canyon CFR off-road shoes come in black with gum tread or grey or white with black tread.
Both shoes come with minimal branding, with a small Canyon CFR logo on the heel cup and a Canyon motif on the back of the heel.
Price: The Canyon Tempr CFR shoes, in off- and on-road versions, cost $330 US and €330.
Sizing: Both off-road and on-road versions of the Canyon Tempr CFR shoes are available in EU sizes between 36 and 48, with half sizes from 40.5 to 46.5, exclusively from Canyon.com or via the Canyon app, where you can also find service instructions.
Canyon Tempr CFR is available now in European markets and should ship in the US in a few weeks.
Canyon Tempr CFR Shoe Weights:
- Canyon Tempr CFR Road Weight: 250g (size 42)
- Canyon Tempr CFR Off-Road Weigh: 300g (size 42.5)* actual weight
Canyon Tempr CFR Review
The Canyon Tempr CFR off-road shoes look exactly like the combination of my favorite footwear: Specialized Recon, Rapha Explore, and Giro Empire. I was pumped when I learned the critical designers from my favorite kicks were spearheading the new Canyon line. The shoe’s design is unabashedly performance-focused, with an undying commitment to comfort. The team pulled out all the new and old tricks to get the Tempr CFR to tick the right boxes for the race crowd.
Feature Rich
A few of my favorite features include the wrap-around enclosure paired with the alloy/notched (easy to adjust in gloves) BOA dials and a “compliance panel” that allows for a natural stretch of the fabric-ish material to conform around the first metatarsal bone.
The sock-like knit enclosure is the best I’ve tried. Compared to Specialized and Trek, the Canyon Tempr shoes are easy to slip on and require zero extra effort. I struggled with my Specialized Ares shoes, and after that, the Trek RSL Knit made them feel like slippers. The Canyon Tempr, on the other hand, is easy to put on and adjust.
Lastly, I like the understated nature of the design and color palette. Yes, we have the super cool “undercover” versions of the off-road shoes. But I am a fan of plain shoes, black or white, with limited logos, especially for matching different kits.
Our shoes came in at 300g per shoe, and the insoles weighed 41g for the pair. Not the lightest, but very respectable.
Solestar-ish Insoles
The Solestar insoles are more flexible than others that I’ve used. Notably, Ergon sells an excellent Solestar (Ergon model) insole, and I liked it so much that I moved to Solestar carbon-based insoles with much success. They fit perfectly in the Shimano S-Phyre shoes I’ve called home for the past few years.
However, the insoles in the Canyon Tempr CFR shoes are flexible, unlike the Solestar insoles I’ve encountered. This flexibility may be to conform around the carbon base plate, or Canyon sees them as a replacement item that most riders will exchange for their custom version. Either way, it’s not the extra supportive Solestar insole I’m used to.
Carbon Base Blues
The Canyon Tempr CFR shoes’ carbon base has a curve. This curve helps wrap the foot at the arch and stabilize it. This carbon piece plays off the Solestar minimal arch support and the non-attached material on the shoe’s base. It’s all to support the foot in a cradlelike manner, with the BOA dial doing the lifting/binding.
Unfortunately, this feature was a miss for me and my foot shape. The carbon hits me in the wrong spot on my arch (for reference, I’m a size 42.5 with a slightly low arch). No matter what I did, the hot spot would not dissipate on my first few rides. I tried loosening the BOA enclosure, changing socks, and doing more of the same with no reprieve.
After many miles, the sensations in my arch started to lessen but never disappeared. I tried replacing the Solestar stock insoles with my personal carbon-based Solestar insoles. The stack height was too high, and the shoe was too tight, but it did ease the carbon-base plate pressure.
Ride Performance
My review rides were a mix of XC mountain, gravel, and early cyclocross prep. There is no mistaking that the Canyon Tempr CFR is a race shoe. It’s light, stiff, and stacked with marginal gains – but only if they fit your foot correctly.
Even while I had mild (not hot towards the end) spots during my rides, I could feel the power transfer and stabilization in the shoe. The Vibram rubber and hollowed-out lugs are excellent on wet roots, rocks, and general walking around. I noticed this firsthand while bailing at the last minute on a feature, expecting to lose footing on a wet log and surprised to stay planted.
The shoes offer no additional toe spike support, much like the new and updated S-Works MTB and Shimano RX-8 Gravel shoes. I get it; it’s cheaper and lighter, and you can add more tactile tread to the toe box. However, cyclocross riders might feel left out, and MVDP rides Shimano shoes, so he is not worried.
Final Thoughts
The more I rode in the Canyon Tempr CFR shoes, the more they broke in. Only to a point where the sensation of arch discomfort was mild, not hot. Shoes, like saddles and other touchpoints, are personal. I have a reasonably regular foot with a low arch, making it slightly wide.
That aside, the shoe’s performance is top-notch, and I imagine if it fit me better, it would be my go-to. That said, they require a thorough try-on.
If you have narrow feet and fit older Specialized footwear well (think 2015-2018), the Canyon Tempr CFR shoes are a great option. The price is on the top of the bubble for high-end shoes, but it comes with a hefty amount of Canyon support and customer service.
The only problem is, where can you try them on if you don’t live near a Canyon showroom?