The Gist
The all new 2018 Roxa R3 130 Ti I.R. takes the classic three-piece shell's flex feel to a new level. Roxa is calling this Next Generation Cabrio, and what testers said is ultra long-travel flex! The 99 mm BioFit last of the R3 design is a snug one, and the Grilamid construction of the lower shell and upper cuff adds up to a light feel on the foot.
The Fit
Painted-on close with a particularly snug fit over the instep and against the navicular bone—our lowest volume guys loved it but quite a few of the others were a bit tingly and looking for the heating stacks for a custom Intuition liner molding session. The ankles, heel and lower leg shaft were encased in a padded cast, they said. Testers mentioned that the tongue was a bit on the firm side against the shin, at boot top, but the long and soft forward flex of the shell moderated that bite during skiing.
Performance
The test team agreed that the boot's forte was in lateral moves where the rigid lower boot and tactile feel underfoot really shined for rolling edge to edge in smooth and tuned-in transitions. Testers said there was a nice fore-aft sweet spot to make these liquid lateral moves from. Unfortunately, testers also agreed that the fore-aft stance started from a too-upright position and offered so much forward travel (think 80-90 flex feel until it hits a stop well toward the tips of the skis) that it was difficult to remain in that edging sweet spot for long.
Cool Features
Testers liked the R3 130 Ti's uphill action—lightweight, easy to actuate mechanism, friction free travel in both directions (terrific rearward, adequate forward) and tech-compatible with GripWalk soles.
Kudos
Caveats