The Details:
The Ride Machete is one of the brand’s best-loved all-rounders, so tampering with it too much for 2016/17 was unlikely to ever be on their agenda. They have given it a slightly less rounded nose and tail, but elsewhere it’s the same predominantly flat-based true twin that handles everything from powder to park laps.
Another new tweak is the addition of ‘Roll In Slimewalls’. Slimewalls, as you may know, is the name for the urethane sidewalls that Ride have used in their boards for the last decade or so, designed to act as shock absorbers to protect your edges. This new version incorporates a fibreglass structure right at the edge to further fortify the sidewall, and reduce weight at the same time.
There’s more urethane present in the centre of the carbon rods placed at each end of the board, adding a little extra pop. That’s just as well, as that’s a performance area in which flat boards tend to come up short. Rather than stiffen the whole board from nose to tail, Ride have increase the liveliness where you need it while still allowing for torsional flex through the waist.
If you’re after a one-board quiver, the Ride Machete has solid performance credentials in all departments.
