How does one begin to improve an already perfect product? We think that was the challenge presented to the Lange RS 130 LV designers, after years of essentially maintaining the status quo with this category-leading model. Over our years of testing this boot (and always putting it at or near the top of the Frontside heap of great boots) our testers have often commented: Thankfully Lange did not change this boot very much....
Well, now they have, and they've gone and changed the whole damn thing--virtually every part of it. So, yes, it's different. And our testers were just fine with that.
If the complaint of a boot being too comfortable is a thing (and it can be with our veteran testers who often lament the trend of narrow boots fitting like mediums) then that was one of the minor demerits levied against the previous RS boot--it was too damn comfy for how well it skied, testers had said. Well, things have changed somewhat. This one is tight, and testers say the fit tension is right where it should be for the fit and performance goals of this nearly-race category. Both the shell and the cuff were redesigned for fit and performance, but most of the fit changes occurred in the lower boot where the heel now sits a little deeper back into its pocket and reduced instep and midfoot height holds it there, planting the foot firmly against the floor where it feels bonded to the ski edges. Testers felt it fit more snugly everywhere in the lower boot, especially against the styloid process and navicular--with the exception of the toebox, where they said there was just enough relief for warmth and a little wiggle.
Testers with known, common bony spots said, ouch, for those particular trouble spots--which was good for them as it indicated that this narrow was truly narrow! When these testers don't say ouch in the narrow group, they shake their heads with disdain and downgrade the fit score. To put a finer point on how well (and snug) the new RS fits, here are its tightest to least-tight fit zone score averages (1 is world cup race tight, 5 is rental boot loose; note a 2 is the fit target for the typical narrow last): navicular 1.43, styloid area 1.57, heel 1.71, ankles 1.71, forefoot 1.71, instep 1.86, calf 1.86, toebox 2.00. Don't misunderstand--testers said this was a comfortably tight fit, largely due to the revised liner that features a new exterior material modeled after Lange's World Cup plug boots, a new asymmetric, neoprene toebox and changes to both the calf zone construction and milled ankle pocket padding. The few ouch spots testers cited would be typical bootfitter fixes via an easy grind or stretch, they said.
The performance-oriented modifications to the RS involved changes to the wall thickness of the shell and cuff in specific locations for the sake of power generation and stability at speed and a new cuff-to-lower connection point that utilizes a swappable plate (one's softer polyurethane, the other rigid carbon). The carbon-infused insert comes mounted on the boot and testers saw no reason to change it out. They loved the RS 130 LV's quick-twitch responsiveness and energetic rebound feel. They said that the torque and power they felt at high edge angles mirrored what they were used to from the previous RS boots but they said that the quickness and feel for snow was improved greatly in this new version.
Some testers noted that the new RS 130 LV had a slightly more forward-leaning feel than in the past, though there was no alteration made to the boot's stance angles, according to Lange. The deeper heel pocket and taller, firmer calf zone construction of the liner may have contributed to this feeling, but the upshot was that all testers preferred the fore-aft stance with the rear Velcro spoiler removed.
Savvy testers with bootfitting backgrounds appreciated the little changes made to the RS, like a double-screw mounted power strap, removable offset cuff adjustment disks and a fantastically thin 5mm grippy (like Vibram but called MaxGrip) lifter plate accessory option (yes, routing toe and heel lugs back to DIN spec required).
Our testers really wanted to love the new, improved aerodynamic shape and brushed surfaces of the RS 130 LV which were conceived through wind tunnel testing in partnership with Formula1 team Sauber in order to shave off the hundredths of a second that matter on the World Cup. But our mortal crew just couldn't generate the podium level speeds necessary to appreciate them beyond admiration for the cool new look. However, we will say that we were happy to be a an incidental part of this one bright spot for team Sauber, because their F1 season has really sucked.
Kudos
Caveats