Individual Review Long-Term Review: Roxa R3 130 T.I. I.R.

[nay]

Zombie thread time.

I finally bit the bullet on full cabrio after years of the hybrid Salomon QST Pro and its Endofit tongue that fit my instep and resisted tongue shift, which particularly plagues me on my right side. That’s better now that I broke my femur at the hip and got bolted back together in a traction jig, bbowed tibia are bowed tibia.

I with the latest model R3 in 120 flex based on the comments that the 130 is stiff even in soft mode. I don’t have anything funky foot width-wise - low volume feet, medium width, no extra toes, high arches and decent instep, narrow calves. I’m 6’2” and 170 lbs when I’m mountain bike fit, which these days is most of the time, and a particular appeal was the tall cuff.

I really debated the 130 as that’s the model where you can get the wrap liner (no tongue shift), but I will tour in these and I just like a 120 flex - I prefer a more neutral upright stance and not having to drive into a stiff boot and I am religious about not skiing hard snow. I get along well with more center mounted skis.

My initial impressions, without needing any molding, are that the boot has excellent suspension for being so light and is very laterally quick. This model has an integrated power strap and top buckle, which I really like.

The key is getting that top just right - tighten it up and it skis from the top of the cuff and feels stiff and hollow at the top of the instep. Get it right and you have snug ankle and instep, no pressure points, and great suspension for the weight.

The tall upright tongue is a blessing for us tall folk. This is loose buckle, inside of course

I am still getting a bit of tongue shift on the right side unless I tighten the upper cuff more than I want. I’ve always wondered why there is no solution to lock the tongue in place once you are in the boot given not all of us are blessed with perfect alignment. I doubt this is intended use…but it works perfectly for now.

I have a suspicion that the stock liner proves to be too thin for most - pretty sure it is 9mm for weight. Going 12mm and molding, with the option of wrap liner, feels like a good approach to future proofing a really light boot with outstanding snow feel with you low down in the boot, close to the snow.

More to come.

 

[Andy Mink]

I’ve always wondered why there is no solution to lock the tongue in place once you are in the boot

I agree! Of the adjustments I may have to make during the day moving the tongue back into place is the one I do the most. It hasn't mattered which boot. The tongue moves to the outside on all of them unless they're clamped too tight. Maybe some velcro somewhere would work.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I agree! Of the adjustments I may have to make during the day moving the tongue back into place is the one I do the most. It hasn't mattered which boot. The tongue moves to the outside on all of them unless they're clamped too tight. Maybe some velcro somewhere would work.

Do your boots have lace-up liners? All mine do and I suspect it helps with the tongue staying in place.

 

[Andy Mink]

Do your boots have lace-up liners? All mine do and I suspect it helps with the tongue staying in place.

I'm using the ZipFits now so yes on the lace-up. They still move a bit. Must be the way my leg is shaped.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'm using the ZipFits now so yes on the lace-up. They still move a bit. Must be the way my leg is shaped.

None of my boot liners have this feature, but I think lace up liners should have that tab/slot where you crisscross the laces that helps hold the tongue in place like many athletic shoes do. Although as I look at the hiking boots I have on right now, that isn't a perfect solution, either. :-|

 

[ted]

I have a pair of Lowa boots with a stud on the tonge to keep it in place. I thought it was a gimmick, but it actually works great. I don’t know how you would put one on a boot tounge but it’s worth thinking about.
At about 3 minutes it‘s shown here-

 

[Andy Mink]

I have a pair of Lowa boots with a stud on the tonge to keep it in place. I thought it was a gimmick, but it actually works great. I don’t know how you would put one on a boot tounge but it’s worth thinking about.
At about 3 minutes it‘s shown here-

The only tongue stud in which I'm interested.

 

[Jeronimo]

Man the irony... I have, and hate, this same boot. Can't stand the Cabrio design and feel. However, I do not tour! So my feedback is largely irrelevant. That said, I always felt like I could feel the top of the cabrio piece driving into my shin when I really pressured the boot. The flex just felt, weird...

Also the fit on these is significantly more narrow than the R/Fit (wide width) and R/Fit Pro (med width) series. But those are pure downhill boots so eh

 

[nay]

Man the irony... I have, and hate, this same boot. Can't stand the Cabrio design and feel. However, I do not tour! So my feedback is largely irrelevant. That said, I always felt like I could feel the top of the cabrio piece driving into my shin when I really pressured the boot. The flex just felt, weird...

Also the fit on these is significantly more narrow than the R/Fit (wide width) and R/Fit Pro (med width) series. But those are pure downhill boots so eh

I don’t think many people are agnostic to cabrio vs. overlap boot styles. And it probably falls strongly on the ability to make quick lateral moves vs driving the ski tips from a more rearward binding mount.

I’m naturally an ‘upright neutral stance’ type, and I get along really well with more forward mounted skis - I’m currently running around on 120mm Bent Chetlers because that ski has insanely low swing weight and if it’s 192cm then it’s not really that fat, right?

I don’t think that ’50/50’ exists. It’s more “I like low weight everywhere and the snow feel that comes with it” vs. “I want my full suspension on resort and ultra light touring as two different setups”. I don’t personally believe that weight is neutral just because you ride a lift - maybe if you are fully directional always driving the ski tips, but it sure is not if you vary to more two footed skiing. Soft chop is my favorite condition and really light weight setups can be a ton of fun skiing athletically in those conditions. I love the Shift binding on resort because of its low stack height and low weight - close to the snow, not adding to swing weight. All of that pairs well with a cabrio boot - and touring less so because you have to get the tongue out of the way. But I don’t tour all that much and not for long distances in serious scrambling terrain.

All of which to say is…I think you nailed the “cons” that show up in boot reviews for the R3. The cuff is thin and abrupt, so if you are driving the boot more two footed the engagement will be a lot smoother and not feel so pointed to skiing off your shins.

@Andy Mink tongue shift is the bane of all skiing. That little zip tie trick is revolutionary but probably not a long term solution - I imagine I’ll just end up doing a wrap liner. If it weren’t for footbed boot heaters I’d probably just swap liners between resort and tour. In the interest of answering “why are my legs like this and should I keep putting up with my boots loosening due to tongue shift” it’s stupid to not just get a wrap liner.

Unless of course those things shift around, too, but it would seem that the entire point is they can’t?

 

[cantunamunch]

Unless of course those things shift around, too, but it would seem that the entire point is they can’t?

Eh. About that.

Depends upon how much overlap you actually wind up with, and don't forget that the overlap goes down all the way into the clog. There is totally a thing where us chunky footers (small remaining overlap) get crinkling and shifting all the way down past the break of the boot.

 

[nay]

Eh. About that.

Depends upon how much overlap you actually wind up with, and don't forget that the overlap goes down all the way into the clog. There is totally a thing where us chunky footers (small remaining overlap) get crinkling and shifting all the way down past the break of the boot.

That makes sense. I’m low volume all the way around, but unless there is a lot of overlap it can still shift and possibly even then depending on your bone structure.

Back to my thoughts that since the bane of skiing is liner shift, why tf hasn’t somebody come up with a simple solution to lock the tongue to the upper cuff of the boot? Laces are fine, but they don’t stop tongue shift fully and they make it impossible to get into the boot.

Keeping the tongue in place is a revolution - preventing that run to run tongue shift and constant buckle adjustment is unreal. I had no pressure on the powerstrap/buckle on Monday and didn’t bother to fit it because I was liking the softer flex in the conditions of the day. Simply unheard of, but thats why I stayed in the QST Pro Endofit tongue for so long. That boot had so much promise with a fixed boot tongue and liner tongue that attached to the fixed tongue in a hybrid 3-piece/overlap design.

And then Salomon ditched it so that you can go see a bootfitter for sh*t they can’t fix. But hey, at least we have BOA now, because liner to shell function is best addressed in the clog.

 

[ted]

That makes sense. I’m low volume all the way around, but unless there is a lot of overlap it can still shift and possibly even then depending on your bone structure.

Back to my thoughts that since the bane of skiing is liner shift, why tf hasn’t somebody come up with a simple solution to lock the tongue to the upper cuff of the boot? Laces are fine, but they don’t stop tongue shift fully and they make it impossible to get into the boot.

Keeping the tongue in place is a revolution - preventing that run to run tongue shift and constant buckle adjustment is unreal. I had no pressure on the powerstrap/buckle on Monday and didn’t bother to fit it because I was liking the softer flex in the conditions of the day. Simply unheard of, but thats why I stayed in the QST Pro Endofit tongue for so long. That boot had so much promise with a fixed boot tongue and liner tongue that attached to the fixed tongue in a hybrid 3-piece/overlap design.

And then Salomon ditched it so that you can go see a bootfitter for sh*t they can’t fix. But hey, at least we have BOA now, because liner to shell function is best addressed in the clog.

That boot had so much promise but IMO was poorly executed.
If you read the History of the Three Piece boot, Sven Coomer’s original vision was for a boot like the qst.