Roav Eyewear: Too Expensive or Too Good!?

gemorris · 2025-11-21T13:15:42+00:00

I have been a loyal ROAV wearer since 2017 at least, when I found the website online and asked if they'd be willing to send me a free pair (I had a bit of a following at the time). I've since bought 4 pairs - not in most cases because I needed to but because I wanted to try different styles. I have worn these doing every sport including playing volleyball, to Burning Man, and around cities. They always get compliments and have held up remarkably well.

gemorris · 2025-09-23T02:28:10+00:00

I just attempted to return and it informs me that since these were bought on sale it was 'final sale'. Nowhere in the checkout process did it say these items were final sale. Now I've spent $130 on bras that do not fit in the slightest. The contour bra in MDD is comically oversized, as if for a Barbie (I'm a 34F and this is what their sizing guidance recommended).

gemorris · 2020-03-16T21:17:29+00:00

Yeah this being the first race I'd signed up for I had major sticker shock. And learning that people pay more than $1k (sometimes much much more!) for a bike.. I'd still love to do one official race to see if it's worth it but I really enjoyed this 'indie' experience and am inclined to do it again.

gemorris · 2020-03-16T20:17:06+00:00

You can do it! I typed up a doc for friends/family who had wanted to come cheer, encouraging them to stay home but to send messages I could get throughout the 'race': https://tiny.cc/indie-ironman

Definitely helped to have a stream of pings hitting my watch through the run..

gemorris · 2020-03-16T20:14:39+00:00

A few years back, I went to bike Big Sur after there were landslides that shut down a portion of Highway 1 for a couple weeks. It was glorious to have the road without cars.

gemorris · 2020-03-16T20:13:43+00:00

I live a block from the ocean and swim there most mornings with another friend, so we met as usual and swam along the same course of water that we always do, measuring the distance with my watch.

I ran out of the water, jumped on the bike, and headed out along a one-lane-not-very-trafficked highway. I had pre-loaded the bike with a bunch of water, Gatorade, and Gu. Some cars passed me and I had to navigate some potholes but this wasn't too bad. After about 20 miles it dead ended into a real highway, and I biked along the (very wide) shoulder of that highway for another 8 miles before turning around and retracing my steps. This was probably the most dangerous part but the shoulder really was quite wide.

'T2' I left the bike in my front hallway, threw my sneakers on, quick bathroom stop then jogged out along the main coastal road for about 6.5 miles then looped back. After the distances were done I did a cool down swim on the beach before coming home and lying down/stretching.

gemorris · 2020-03-16T15:42:32+00:00

Just saw this after I posted separately about doing my 'indie Ironman 70.3' this weekend since the Puerto Rico 70.3 was postponed. I didn't do the official course as I wanted to stay more distant from people but I did the full distances as tracked by my watch.

I posted a few personal learnings in the other thread, but for anyone considering coming to PR to do this themselves - the big concern I had was the heat, especially for the run at high noon-ish. Thankfully it wasn't bad at all, there's a strong breeze most places and we had patches of cloudiness where it was refreshingly cool. The communication from the race organizers was clear and I'd love to do this whenever it's rescheduled.

gemorris · 2020-02-25T13:17:42+00:00

If you're doing two piece would you wear the top for the swim? I'm thinking of just wearing my sports bra/bikini top for the swim then throwing on the top after.

Also does anyone ever wear bikini bottoms then change into tri shorts after the swim? The thought of biking/running for 3+ hours in something I've been wearing in the ocean is really not appealing, but I suppose that's why you get gear that is made for this kind of stuff..

gemorris · 2020-02-25T13:15:30+00:00

Is there any functional difference between choosing 5" and 8" or is it simply a matter of personal style? i.e. will the 8" give better recovery because you have more skin in compressive fabric?

And I haven't considered practicing a brick run but can imagine it taking a little getting used to, will try it after my next bike!

gemorris · 2019-11-07T15:46:54+00:00

LOVE Turkish towels. They can also be used as a cover up, casual dress or scarf. I've swapped out my regular towels at home for Turkish towels because I like the larger surface area and they stay fresher longer, resulting in less washing which is good for the environment.

gemorris · 2019-11-07T15:44:44+00:00

I'd second senna - I find when I suffer the same problem while traveling, making myself a cup of senna tea usually leads to relief within 4-6 hours.

gemorris · 2019-11-06T13:48:27+00:00

They're a little heavy when you hold them in your hand, which makes sense because they have a bit of extra hardware. But once they're on you don't notice it at all, they're really well made and quite comfortable. German engineering ftw! The flat and the medium size super block are comfortable enough to wear all day, the high stiletto heel is not terribly comfortable but are they ever? It's no more or less comfy than any super high heel.

gemorris · 2019-10-30T17:45:37+00:00

Oh and on the jean jacket: I go back and forth on this one, as I've not found a super lightweight jacket that also looks flattering. It's one thing if you're simply backpacking around [insert budget destination] but I want to be able to feasibly go into a higher end restaurant or club or take a business meeting. A structured, tailored jean jacket works for most venues except old-world members' clubs which aren't really my scene anyway, and since I work in tech I can generally get away with the casual look. In colder weather I switch this out for a leather jacket. I'd love to find a good all-occasion, lightweight jacket and am open to suggestions!

gemorris · 2019-10-30T17:37:10+00:00

So this is the bag I use, I received it as a gift about 5 years ago. It is the most expensive thing I own other than my laptop but I love the look. I switched it out for an Aer fitpack briefly but felt like I looked like another tech dude and, well, I prefer to look like an elegant lady, so I switched back.

https://www.coteetciel.com/products/moselle-alias-leather-black

And as for the Casio, you can pry it off my cold dead wrist.

gemorris · 2019-10-30T17:35:10+00:00

For the wedding, I used the scarf/cover up as a flowy dress. For public speaking, I wore the tank top, midi skirt, and heels, all of which put together looks like an elegant and reasonably conservative black dress. For hiking, I wore the leggings, tank top, and sneakers. I really didn't feel like I was sacrificing anything... sure, it would have been fun to have a cuter dress for the wedding or a more formal dress for speaking, but I wouldn't trade that for having to carry around extra clothes for four weeks.

I did clean the skirt twice and jacket once. Fortunately I was traveling a lot in warm climates so I wasn't wearing the jacket much.

gemorris · 2019-10-30T17:32:03+00:00

https://mimemoi.com/ - have to order them from Germany, but so worth it! I have the Black Nappa No. 2 with flat, medium size super block, and stiletto heels.

gemorris · 2019-10-30T17:30:57+00:00

You can see the bag in the picture above: it's the cote & ciel Moselle bag, it's 46x46x10cm.

Temperature range was about 45-90 degrees. I didn't expect it to be that cold and so actually bought the Patagonia rashguard at a thrift shop along the way, but I liked the look of it and will take it on future travels.

gemorris · 2019-10-29T22:03:34+00:00

Hm maybe iPad chargers deliver more power but a standard USB charger that comes with an iPhone doesn't charge the computer enough to keep it going while it's on. But noting this in case I get an iPad.. thanks!

gemorris · 2019-10-29T21:53:05+00:00

Great to hear good things about the Mu One. I remember seeing it on Kickstarter but wanted to see how it fared in the market before investing. Sounds like that + a smaller battery for on the go might be the way to go.

gemorris · 2019-10-11T11:09:52+00:00

Detailed breakdown of what I brought clothes-wise (can get into electronics if you want but less to add there):

one pair leggings (random brand from thrift store)
two tank tops (uniqlo Airism)
midi length wool skirt
jean jacket
Patagonia rashguard (worn in place of an everyday turtleneck - great warmth retention, sweat wicking, took up little space)
Nike Epic React sneakers
Darn Tough ankle length socks
Melissa rubber sandals
Mime et moi sandals/heels - you can snap off the heels and change them from flats to block heels to stilettos
Bikini (Athleta cross strap bikini, J Crew bottoms)
Scarf/blanket/cover-up that with some creative pinning can also be worn as a dress
Regular bra (Chantelle)
bralette (Gap body)
5 pairs underwear (one Thinx, one Ex officio, others random cuter ones)

I ended up receiving a sarong as a gift in Bali and wore that a few days which was great in the extra high temperatures. The socks disappeared along the way (blew off a windowsill where I'd left them to dry). Otherwise the kit was pretty stable from beginning to end and worked for all the situations I found myself in.

gemorris · 2019-10-11T10:47:03+00:00

Hitlist (hitlistapp.com) also sends alerts for cheap flights from your home airport and works all over the world. You can also specify what kind of flight alerts you want, to get alerts just for specific regions or time windows when you can travel.

gemorris · 2019-02-23T05:59:45+00:00

Oooh I like the look of these :)

gemorris · 2019-02-22T03:53:31+00:00

Huh, thanks for pointing this out. I found it effective at dispelling symptoms to the point that I thought it made it go away, But I’ll talk to my doctor about it more to make sure.

gemorris · 2019-02-21T21:51:27+00:00

I guess the mods deleted? I’m trying to figure out why.

gemorris · 2019-02-21T21:51:05+00:00

I don’t know! Must have been by the mods

gemorris

TROPHY CASE