Price: $200 [Check eBay for Current Prices]
Why Buy?
The Nike Cryoshot Tiempo is an interesting design and extremely well made.
Why Avoid?
The Nike Cryoshot Tiempo isn’t a daily sneaker – both from style and from durability.
Specs
| Model | Cryoshot |
| Height | Low |
| Materials | Leather / TPU |
| Size | 13 |
| Weight | 610 g / 1 lb 5.5 oz |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | China |
History
The Nike Cryoshot is a culmination of several trends that have been building over the past several years.
Of course, the biggest influence is the so-called “boots only summer” from 2025 where guys were wearing actual soccer cleats (or boots to my British readers) around. While that one was only followed by a few guys whose only reprieve from sounding like a tap dancer as they walked was when they inevitably fell down in any store, there was a clear connection to the much more popular “bloke-core.”
This particular pair of Cryoshots go further than that. The upper of this particular version is a direct nod to the 1994 version of Nike’s Tiempo Premier cleats designed for the World Cup. This direct nod to the 1990’s captures yet another major recent trend – separating these from Adidas’ ultra-modern take on the sneaker/cleat combo.
Most fashion items that so clearly follow trends tend to be kind of garbage. Add in that soccer cleats are just about the least comfortable type of shoes to wear casually, and this could be the recipe for a disaster. Has Nike found a way to thread the needle? Or, are these the worst of both worlds? Let’s dive in and find out.
Quick note: before you drop a comment below, if you have a problem with the term “soccer” take it up with the University of Oxford.
Looks
Upper
The upper of the Nike Cryoshot Tiempo are a surprisingly accurate representation of the original Tiempo premier. In fact, as someone who was playing soccer back when the 1994 version came out, these are somehow closer to the idealized version I remember than actual pairs were back then.
A few black leather panels make up the majority of the upper. On first glance you might think the entire upper is just one piece with a heel cap, but as you look closer there are a few nylon straps that break up the larger panels.
The front of the sneaker features stitching lines that act as areas for the sneaker to bend, and sewn onto the side is a large white Swoosh both inside and outside. Around the back a gigantic NIKE branding can be found, with a golden colored swoosh stitched in above it.
Covering the laces is an extended tongue with a basic pressed on swoosh, but flip it over and you’ll find very nicely sewn Nike and Tiempo branding. Where some of the Cryoshots allow you to choose if you want the extended tongue, this one is non-removable.
Inside, the throat of the sneaker is lined with an extremely supple leather, with a quilted (!) lining near the front of the shoe.
Mid- and Outsole
Here is where things start to get strange for the Nike Cryoshot Tiempo. The sneaker features the studs of cleats encased in a clear plastic TPU. It’s as weird in hand as it looks in photos.
It’s worth noting – these don’t just look like tiempos with a glass case on the bottom. In order to make these sneakers actually wearable, Nike added a layer of cushioning under your foot. That means there is about an inch between where your foot sits and where the studs come out. They try to hide it by extending the black down slightly and the white up slightly, but there is only so much you can do to trick the eye.
Speaking of the casing, it does a great job of looking premium. It’s not perfectly translucent, instead bending light from different angles as you look through it. That being said, I’m very worried about how quickly these will yellow. Nike includes a tag saying that humidity will build up inside these as you wear them, and you should give them a couple of weeks between wears to let that dissipate.
It’s great that they are thinking about this and have found a way to address humidity – but if there is humidity inside of these for weeks every time you wear them, that transparency won’t last long.
On the bottom of the sneaker, the rubber outsole sections are limited to the points of the studs.
Summary
Let’s set aside the sneaker/cleat thing for a minute – these Nike Cryoshot Tiempo are probably the best made sneaker I’ve ever seen from Nike. The stitch quality, hidden details, leather choice and more are genuinely good. Not “good for Nike,” but as good as brands that regularly sell for more than $200.
With that out of the way, styling these is kind of two worlds. The uppers are extremely flexible – a well-made primarily black Nike with a white swoosh? That goes with just about everything. At the same time, the extended tongue and outsole does limit these. If nothing else, you’ll very quickly become the “sneaker cleat guy” if you wear these to the office regularly.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
I went in expecting these to fit on the narrow side – not only do Nikes generally run more narrow than other brands, soccer cleats are typically extremely narrow in order to keep your foot in place while kicking. In another major surprise for these sneakers, I found they fit very true to size. Even slightly wider than standard Nikes.
One flag – while they all share the same general last, the upper on each Cryoshot pair is different and this can impact sizing.
Comfort
If you go in expecting the Nike Cryoshot Tiempo to feel like a soccer cleat, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. The drop in midsole, which utilizes Zoom Air as its primary cushioning. There is real cushioning in these, so it won’t feel like you’re standing around in cleats. Further, the soft upper feels great.
At the same time, if you go in expecting a modern sneaker, you’re probably going to be disappointed. The combination of a full-sized midsole, the cleat outsole, and then the thick TPU case means that these sneakers are stiff and heavy.
Overall, the closest analog I’d have for these is the Foamposite. Heavy and stiff, but wearable due to the awesome Zoom Air cushioning. Still, these would likely be reserved for times when I’m sitting around with friends, rather than when I’m on my feet all day.
Materials
In a sneaker full of surprises, perhaps the biggest is the quality of materials. Like the construction, these are actually something you would want, not something you tolerate because you want the swoosh on your sneaker.
The upper is made of a black leather. Thin, though that is for flexibility, but more importantly not caked in PU. The tongue and interior lining are leather as well. Even the swoosh, which is synthetic on nearly every other Nike, is real leather here.
Inside, a faux-suede heel panel and nylon liner is what your socks will actually touch, and rubberized straps keep the tongue in place. Under foot, a rubberized lining on top of the drop in insole covers a full length zoom air unit. The cleat studs are actually a foam.
Finishing off the sneaker, the clear plastic cage is a TPU with small rubber outsole pads.
Pricing & Value
The Nike Cryoshot Tiempo came in at an MSRP of $200. Most sizes are still sitting around, so I would expect discounts to come, though some sizes have sold out and are reselling a bit over MSRP.
Objectively, basically no sneaker is worth $200. However, comparatively, the Cryoshot offers surprisingly good value. The materials used are better than Jordans that cost 10-20% more, the technology is similar to other Nikes in this range that would come with plastic uppers, and the tooling to create the midsole is likely still being paid off.
Wrap Up
The Nike Cryoshot Tiempo is ultimately a strange shoe. Nearly all the inputs in the sneaker – materials, technology, build quality – are great. However, none of that really matters because the fake cleat look is going to be the sole reason anyone decides to buy this sneaker or not.
Personally, I actually kind of like the cleat as a sneaker look – though that is an entirely subjective statement and it’s pretty clear that the majority of the sneaker community disagrees. For that reason, I really hope Nike takes this exact upper and makes this sneaker available with a standard indoor soccer outsole just so people can really appreciate this shoe.
