The Gist
The all new 2019 Roxa R3S 130 impressed testers with its rigidly solid fore-aft backbone in a lightweight, all-Grilamid four-buckle three-piece. This is a tall and upright bruiser that long-legged experts will appreciate for its serious push-back against a long lever arm. Our shorter testers had a hard time getting out over the front of this feather weight All-Mountain crusher and wished they had the R3S 110 to try.
The Fit
While the shell and cuff are from the same mold as used by the Element 120, the traditional tongue I.R. Freeride MS liner offers a little more room in the R3S, though testers say this 99 mm falls to the narrow side of the medium width group, as one would expect. Testers say the entry is a little dicey, as the lower shell is very stiff and the traditional tongue style liner doesn't always stay in place to pad the cabrio opening's edges, so taking a little extra time to sneak one's way in was wise, they said. Molding the full-thermo I.R. (Intuition-Roxa) liner is the key to easily evening-out the initially inconsistent fit, testers found.
Performance
Full Grilamid plastic is used in the R3S 130's shell, cuff and tongue, so its stiffness is not a surprise. The cuff is tall on the leg and upright in angle, and there's an extra buckle on the R3S, as opposed to the Element's three clasp affair—so this is a beast of a boot that needs a tall, strong skier to truly appreciate what is has to offer. Testers said huge (and mainly untapped, for them) power reserves are what the R3S has to offer in probably the most dramatic raw power-to-weight ratio of the test. This said, the angle and stiffness of the cuff made it tough for our team to take advantage of it, and a few of them surmised that the R3S 110, for $150 less, might be more their speed.
Cool Features
While there is a flex adjustment available, the R3S's D.R.I. Chassis Tuning insert limits the amount of change there, keeping this a stout flexer in both modes. Double liner pull loops and an adjustable rear spoiler offer some convenience and options to adjust for stance and calf fit. GripWalk soles are an option here as well.
Kudos
Caveats