Ride vs M3

[Timeless]

So after my last post on the subject of my new board provoked some possibly unfounded criticism of M3, I thought I'd share some direct comparisons having spent a day comparing the two side by side:

 

The boards are a Ride Timeless 164 and an M3 Discord 158.5, the conditions were patchy (but quite typical for this area)

 

Surprisingly the Ride is lighter despite it's extra length, the bindings were different (Ride EX's against T9 Dominators on the old board), but very similar in weight so the difference is down to the board and you could really feel it.

 

The M3 was faster at the start of each run, this may be due to the Ride being new and the M3 being waxed more but the Ride coped just aswell with the flat sections and would seem to glide on the slightest of slopes so I would have to conclude that it was more to do with shape or contact area.

 

The Ride coped MUCH better with the fast icy sections (there were lots of these) and seemed to be able to edge much better, it was also much quieter while carving across the "hardpack".

 

Initiating a turn was much quicker on the M3 (deeper sidecut (, shorter edge?))

 

Despite feeling softer, the ride had more "spring", I think the more cool, younger community on here would call it "pop" and hence was much easier to get airborne.

 

Overall I would have to say that the Ride is better, but that for an improving intermediate like me, the difference was not as big as I expected given the "M3 is junk" type comments.

 

I won't be retiring the M3 just yet, don't judge them too quickly just because the (ex)owner of the company has a taste for oriental dressings.

[Stevo]

If you read the latest transworld ( or maybe it's a month old- i forget ), you would have read this one article in particular... M3 changed their name to M4.

[Timeless]

If you read the latest transworld ( or maybe it's a month old- i forget ), you would have read this one article in particular... M3 changed their name to M4.

 

Yeah I know, they've teamed up with Elan so presumably their boards will initially be re-badged elans (no bad thing from what I've heard about them).

 

Actually M3 might still exist, Blaise and the riders took themselves to Elan and hence the new name. But they never owned M3, they just had a distribution deal. So M3 can still continue to pump out the existing designs as long as they like.

[nick malozzi]

One of the reasons the ride may have faired better in the ice could have been because of the longer length. You have a larger effective edge on a longer board.

 

And in my experience the m3s were a little heavy, but i didn't mind that once i realized hom much more of a beating it took and kept going. the weight may be due to higher quality materials resulting in longer life.

 

im interested to see what m4 produces.