Bike Review: Forbidden Dreadnought V2
The Dreadnought V2, with its 160mm of rear wheel travel, progressive geometry figures and inverted four-bar high pivot suspension is Foribidden’s answer to what a super capable modern enduro bike should look like. Long, low and aggressive it certainly looks the part, and with their new V2 suspension layout, Forbidden’s engineers now have even more control over how that infamous suspension uses its travel, but how does it stack up on trail? We handed one over to Tom to find out.
What is a High Pivot suspension layout?
Forbidden is a brand that has carved its niche around high pivot suspension platforms and the “magic carpet” ride feel that accompanies them. Created by a rearward axle path, a high pivot bike’s rear centre grows in length as the suspension is compressed. By comparison a more traditional frame layout, with a low main pivot, has a rear centre that stays more or less the same, or even shortens, through the travel.
This growth in rear centre length provided by the high main pivot has two benefits; firstly it gives the rear wheel the ability to get up and out of the way of incoming impacts, which is what gives us that feeling of floating across the trail. Perhaps less obvious is the inherent stability gain from a high pivot bike. We all know that as wheelbases grow it has the effect of creating a bike that is more balanced and stable across rough ground. With a high pivot and the accompanying rearward axle path, we get a bike that becomes longer and therefore more and more stable the deeper in the travel it goes. The Dreadnought then should be a bike that rewards you for bad behaviour.
Our test bike came in size S3 with 29” wheels, giving a reach figure of 475mm, head angle of 63.5° and rear centre length of 460mm. Forbidden use size specific geometry with large and meaningful changes to geometry seen across all four sizes. Unlike most brands, as their frame sizes increase the ratio between front and rear centre lengths remains very similar to give a centred weight distribution across all sizes. Also notable is the steepening seat tube angle on larger sizes to give a comfortable pedalling position for a wide range of riders.
Unlike the first generation bikes, which were based round a linkage driven single pivot design, Forbidden’s V2 bikes all use an inverted four-bar suspension layout, giving the engineers the freedom to tune the leverage curves on the V2 bikes more finely. All the bolts are easily accessible and the stout looking linkage can be removed to replace the large frame bearings. Locking collet bolts have been used to keep everything snug and having bearings housed in the linkage, rather than the frame itself, means replacement should be straightforward.
Replaceable dropouts allow riders to change between a full 29” or MX setup, and also the rider to further customise weight distribution front to back with +/-10mm of rear centre adjustment. Cable routing is internal but not sleeved, instead allowing for neat and tidy hose routing whichever side of the bar you run your rear brake, with cable clamps at the exit ports to keep everything secure and help prevent any rattles.
In frame storage is handled by a small cavity accessed down near the bottom bracket. Unscrew a dial on the cover to gain easy access to enough space to carry the essentials for an on trail repair.
Riding the Dreadnought V2
Setting up the Dreadnought before the first ride, the Rockshox Vivid Ultimate rear shock was set up with 30% seated sag when kitted up. This gave a spring pressure of around 210psi which aligned nicely with Forbidden’s setup guide, although damping settings were not mapped over instead opting for less compression and a faster rebound speed to better suit the high frequency impacts of the Tweed Valley trails. Up front, the Rockshox Zeb Ultimate was set to around 17% sag when stood in riding position and was damped similarly to the rear shock with minimal compression and rebound damping.
Heading up the first climb the steep seat tube angle made for a comfortable seated pedalling position and while the Dreadnought might not be about to set any records for uphill efficiency, it is at least a nice enough place to sit and spin your way back up to the top of the trails. Long chainstays are most often discussed with regard to downhill performance but they can also give extra traction and balance on the climbs. Up and over rooty sections the Dreadnought always found traction to keep propelling me forward and when things got steeper I could stay in a much more neutral position than when climbing bikes with shorter rear ends.
Idler noise was present but never overbearing and while any drivetrain noise is an indicator of a loss in overall system efficiency, there was never any perception that the Dreadnought was any better or worse to pedal than any other long travel enduro bike. A well lubed chain, properly adjusted gears and comfortable saddle angle all make a bigger difference to how a bike pedals up a hill.
Descending
The Forbidden is a bike that is never going to get you any KOMs on the climbs, but it just might on the descents. Drop in to some fast, steep and rough trails and the Dreadnought immediately urges you to ride with more confidence than ever thanks to a very balanced ride that’s extremely intuitive. The long on paper 460mm rear centre, in size S3, puts you right between the wheels meaning both wheels are evenly weighted and provides incredible levels of traction all the time. Add to this the lengthening of the bike as it goes deeper into the travel and you get a bike that feels increasingly stable the harder you push it.
Off the brakes with the suspension moving freely, the inverted four-bar layout seemingly removes braking bumps from the trail entirely; it’s far and away the smoothest bike I’ve ever ridden across rough ground and that suppleness is largely retained when on the brakes. With the inherent stability provided by the long rear end, and the bump eating performance of the rear suspension, the Dreadnought is a bike that recalibrates your idea of available traction and really breeds a confident riding position.
On flow trails the Dreadnought retains that confidence at speed and jumps well with the same balance that you find when tackling technical trails, however when pumping through turns or rollers the rearward axle path and long rear centre means you lose some of that snap that other bikes benefit from. As with everything, suspension and frame design are about compromise and in order to create a bike that demolishes enduro and downhill trails in the way the Dreadnought does, Forbidden have had to forgo a degree of pumping efficiency.
Comparisons
Interestingly, the geometry between the Dreadnought and most of the more conventional enduro bikes we stock in TVB is fairly similar, save for the Dreadnoughts 20mm longer rear centre, but for all it might look similar on a chart, the Dreadnought rides incredibly differently. Thanks to the longer rear end and high pivot, the Forbidden is far more stable at speed and much more balanced than pretty much anything else out there. Where a normal 160mm bike can start to feel overwhelmed when the trails get really rough and fast, the Dreadnought just keeps on going and is definitely easier to push hard on. It’s as close to a full DH bike as anything I’ve ever ridden that can still be comfortably pedalled up the hill.
Overall, the Dreadnought puts all of the modern geometry and suspension concepts together in a very well executed package. It’s a bike that will have you riding rough technical trails with more confidence than ever but isn’t one that’s hard to learn or requires you to ride in a certain way. If you’re looking for one bike that can take on everything from bike parks, to downhill races but still pedal you to your favourite hand cut enduro trails then you might have just found it here.
Keen to demo a Dreadnought and see what it can do? Get in touch and we'll see if we can get you on one.
☎️ 01896 831429
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