Snowboards are a bit like pants, if they don’t fit...well, then they don’t work very well - so I’ll give a bit of a description for why this snowboard didn’t fit my needs, and maybe it can help potential buyers know if this fits what you need. I'm 43 yo, 5'9”, 160 lbs with US Size 10 boots (mondo 28.2cm), advanced-level rider. When I purchased this board prior to the 21/22 season, I had been riding the Yes Hybrid 157 (which I love), and I was looking for a quicker turning groomer day board to add to the quiver. I went for the Algorhythm because it (allegedly) had the Nidecker/Jones/Yes style hybrid camber that I love (or at least on paper it did). It was also well reviewed for carving, listed as medium flex, and had quick turn initiation.

SIZING – At the time I purchased the Ride Algorhythm, I weighed around 180 lbs, and had weighed 195 lbs just a few months prior, so I purchased the 157 based on the size chart for the Algorhythm listed on Ride’s website. This was a mistake. Ride’s website has a totally different sizing spec sheet than the specs that came on the sticker with the board. The website version had much lower max weights listed, which I think had to be a typo based on my experience with this board. Based on the spec sheet that came with the board, I should have definitely purchased the 154 instead of the 157 (but based on the website I was over the weight range for the 154). I have since lost another 20 lbs, which has exacerbated the fact that the 157 just doesn’t fit me (even with my mid-widish boot size).

FLEX – As I mentioned, I was looking for a groomer board to play around on, so I was looking for a medium flex board. I may have gotten an anomaly, but my board is fairly stiff. It’s not Hovercraft stiff, but it is MUCH stiffer flexing throughout the board than my Yes Hybrid. Oddly enough, even though the Ride board is stiffer, I feel like my Yes Hybrid has much better pop than this board (probably for the reason discussed in the next paragraph).

CAMBER – I mentioned above, one of my main reasons for wanting this board was that is listed as having similar hybrid camber to the Yes boards. Unfortunately, it does not ride this way. When placed next to my Yes boards, the Yes boards have significantly more camber between the feet, but they also have a tinge of rocker that starts further behind the contact points on the nose. The Ride board has significantly less camber, but the tiny amount of early rise rocker starts almost at the contact point, so it doesn’t really ride like hybrid camber. To me, this board rides much more similar to flat camber than it does hybrid camber. It lacks the pop of camber between the feet, and it doesn’t really spring out of turns (it does somewhat, but nothing like my Yes boards). Comparing the float to the Hybrid is obviously not fair, and not what I bought the board for anyway, but it is worth mentioning that the lack of rocker in the nose/tail does greatly diminish how I thought this board would perform in deeper snow. My main complaint is that the combination of stiffness and flatness (of camber) takes all the playfulness away from this board. I’ll be the first to admit that freestyle is the weakest part of my riding, but this board is just not fun for me when trying to butter, ollie, and play around. The flatness gives it an almost catchy feel, and unlike typical hybrid camber boards, this thing hates being on a flat base.

SUMMARY – Maybe if I had the appropriate size, I might have liked this board a little better. It has some really fantastic reviews, and came highly recommended from Mr. Biesty, which makes me think it comes down to this board really not matching my style well. I’m just not sure what niche this board fits. It’s a little too stiff for playfulness, but the stiffness doesn’t really shine in the jump line. I ended up trading for a Yes Hybrid 153 (best board I’ve ever ridden btw) after losing so much weight, and the Hybrid 153 rides WAY better in the park for me than the Algorhythm does (and better on the groomers, and better in the trees, and better on the steeps, and better...well you get it). By the same token, it does not have great float, even by all-mountain standards. (A Jones Mountain Twin or Yes Standard would smoke this thing in the powder). One would think with the stiff side of medium-stiff flex, that it would be a hammer for carving, but it’s just okay – it just doesn’t have enough camber between the feet to give that rebound out of the turns. A different style rider may unlock the secrets of this board in ways that I just have not, but as for my own verdict, this was too much of the stereotype of “all-mountain” – it just doesn’t do any one thing well. One other item to mention as a side note, is that the 21/22’ version of this board has a top sheet which chips something awful – I mean it pulls away from the edges without even being dinged, which is disappointing for a board at this price point. I’ll be heading back to a Yes when I replace this one next season.

Firstly, the board has an impressive appearance; a flat black top sheet that appears to be abrasion resistant and minimalist art work for the style. The sidewalls are typical Ride quality and it rides damp due to the sidewalls + pre-cured top-sheet. Plenty of energy for high speed carving while having perfect compliment of tip/tail compliance for nimbleness even at low speed. I had a NS Proto 2 164W and really felt my 210 lbs could overpower it but loved the the ride characteristics . The Algorythm brought the stability I wanted for a true all-mountain experience with great maneuverability in the trees while giving up little riding switch. Very happy for the changes especially considering it rides better set back for powder or riding surfy.
I have the board paired with Salomon Highlanders set on the reference holes with Ride Lasso boots. My thirteens do not have much over-hang and I do not feel toe drag.