TVB Welcomes Forbidden Bikes to the Range

We’re delighted to announce we’ll now be partnering with Forbidden Bikes to expand our range here in Innerleithen, bringing their iconic and innovative high pivot bikes to the Tweed Valley. Bikes built to excel among demanding terrain for real mountain bike riders, they’re a perfect fit for our local terrain and we can’t wait to get going with them.

Still a relatively young company, Forbidden blasted onto the scene in 2019 with their first version of the Druid. Headed by Owen Pemberton, formerly a bike designer for Norco, and based in British Columbia they are a small brand looking to bring high quality and unique options to stand out in a busy market.

A truly different bike, the Druid added a high pivot swingarm and idler to a 130mm travel frameset to produce a bike that would punch way beyond its travel numbers, cause a lot of head scratching and kick start the whole high pivot resurgence that has since taken place. A suspension design previously only associated with downhill racing it took a small company to make the leap and show that the unique traits of a high pivot and idler equipped bike could also create something that would excel on the way UP, with pedal forces decoupled from the drivetrain and a bump eating ability out of proportion to the travel numbers. 

Since their initial launch, the Forbidden range has already expanded to include the longer travel Dreadnought enduro platform and new Supernought DH race bike, meaning they now have an option for every kind of gravity focused rider. With all the bikes featuring high pivot layouts, proportional sizing and their trifecta linkage, no matter the model, they are all distinctly Forbiddens.

Even more recently the Druid has had its first major revision with the new version launching and showcasing a fresh rear suspension layout, fully proportional chainstay sizing and refined idler system and chainline. Improving on every aspect of the design the new V2 has been getting incredible reviews and much like the original, is a bike that is hard to get a handle on by simply looking at the numbers. 

We’ve been out and about getting miles in on the new Druid the last couple of weeks and it’s living up to the hype. Like the original, it combines a 130mm travel rear end with a 150mm fork and blends the pop and responsiveness of a shorter travel bike with the kind of composure in the rough normally reserved for much bigger machines. It also climbs rough ground bizarrely well with the idler design letting the rider stay on the pedals no matter what's happening under the wheels. It’s a unique design and feel but the overall result is a very impressive all round trail bike that can do anything from pumping blue trails to charging a DH run. The fact that Rhys Verner raced it to an amazing 4th overall as his primary bike during last year's EDR World Cups just shows what this ‘little’ bike can take on.

We have bikes available to order immediately with our first stock due very soon so if you’re curious about the brand or keen to arrange a demo on one of their bikes, then get in touch and we’ll see if we get you out on one of these cutting edge machines.

☎️ 01896831429

📧 shop@tweedvalleybikes.co.uk