Funny… that’s the same deck I have (as shown in my picture above).
This post could be a bit misleading. The matrix 2 & 3 have the same exact pivoting mechanism. The only difference would be the bushings and the bushing position adjustability.
I think the same results could be achieved with the matrix 2 trucks with some RT bushings and the Radium bushing adapter.
Put a good few hundred miles on one, and a metroboard x has been my daily beater for the past few months (same truck geometry)
I run really soft bushings for my weight, no stability issues. The board turns and carves HARD, but it also has no trouble just going in a straight line. The trucks return to center well, and don’t want to wobble. Trying to induce speed wobble in the high 20s with my bushing setup yields nothing.
Not really. The matrix iii have inner and outer bushing positions, neither of which are equal to the spacing of the matrix ii bushings.
On the inner position and soft bushings, you’re gonna get far better turning ability than just running soft bushings on matrix ii, as well as a lot more tuneability across the board.
To say that the same results are achieveable for matrix ii isn’t really real.
I was merely responding to someone saying that the difference in carve between the M2 and M3 is night and day.
If the OP is looking for more carve out of the Bro deck, the M3 trucks are going to provide a similar experience to the M2 truck w/ Riptide bushings.
I’ve got both M2 with Radium adapters and Stock M3s and It really is night and day between the two.
I’m the guy you rode with that has the tabor. You are welcome to ride it any time you’d like. There are some cons to I’ve noticed with the tabor but the pros far outweigh the cons. It sits a tad low for group riding Tampa and I feel this board really comes alive when you push it. That maybe because of the trucks or the whole setup. I haven’t figured that out yet. All I can say is that it performs better when I’m pushing the limits (fast through corners). My last board (Zeus pro) was just ok at most types of riding. The tabor really wakes up when pushed as opposed to casual riding.
This. I was having trouble adapting first ride and then it all just clicked. I thought the tabor was too short but I got used to it very quickly. Once your feet are locked in there really isn’t a need to move them. Sometimes I do when hammering down but that’s it. I’m still pretty new to esk8 and have only ridden about 5 boards and this board is nothing like the others (that I have ridden).
For an esk8 it’s small but for an acoustic skateboard it falls surely in the longboard category of length. I like to call the Tabor a skateboard sized esk8.
Well dang, that’s surprising. I wouldn’t have guessed that moving the bushing position laterally along the hanger would change the riding experience that dramatically.
Thanks for the input. I’m happy to be wrong about this.
What size belts? How did it feel compared to the 5”?
On a 60T wheel pulley you’ll need 410mm belts.
I guess the question I should be asking is what size pulley for the metro board 6” on a tabor and what size belt. I’m very hesitant to switch because the Hoyt 5” are so good but an extra inch of clearance for a fast paced group ride on shitty roads would be nice.
My answer is what I recommend for a 6in Pnuematic like the metroboard 153
I would advise on using 60T pulleys w 410mm belts for 6in tires on the Tabor. I’m using 58T w 410mm because that’s what I had laying around, but I’m swapping to 60T. 410mm on 58T just barely fits, but it’s much better on 405mm, which I’ve tested as well
Yeah I can totally see how in theory it shouldn’t make much of a difference especially with similar hanger width but the ride experience is surprisingly so much better.
The M3s also sit much lower to the ground - not sure if that impacts on it too.
I don’t have much time on the Pathfinder itself, so my input is kind of incomplete, but I will say I put 2 or 3000 miles on the original Metroboard trucks and absolutely loved them, and on top of that the hour or so I have riding the Metroboard I really enjoyed the deck shape. As someone who has a much wider stance, it felt a lot more natural for me than the Tabor, and I really enjoyed my time with it.
@jack.luis is absolutely right about the trucks being insanely stable, by the way! I topped my DIY out at 41mph in a drag race back in the day, and one of our racers at ARD actually raced Apple Valley Speedway on his Pathfinder and got to the podium! We clocked him at 37mph in the main straight.
If you like DKP trucks, these are IMO the best version of that experience.
But… its the same press? 
The shoulders are cut differently which gives the MB a bit more foot space since dkp allowed for less cutoff.
Kinda genius to get two pretty different looking boards out the same mold. Even more if its the same enclosure.
Ahhhh i see. That def makes sense now.
