FORBIDDEN DREADNOUGHT XT
Forbidden’s launched a new enduro machine; will the Dreadnought rule the trails?
£6,399 / 29in / forbiddenbike.com
Forbidden now has a big gun in its fleet. But who needs the Dreadnought when the Druid is already billed as being so capable? In short... everyone. Let me explain. In many ways Forbidden painted itself into a corner with the Druid, kinda like when your only tool is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. That’s not to imply that the 130mm-travel Druid is a blunt instrument, far from it. It’s just that the Dreadnought is more refined.
When Forbidden only had a onemodel range, the Druid had to cover everything from trail to downhill.
And even if you believe in high-pivot witchcraft, that’s clearly a stretch of the imagination by anyone’s standards.
In fact, Forbidden did a good job of convincing riders and journalists that the rearward axle path is so efficient at gobbling up the chunder, you really don’t need anything more than the Druid. The truth is, it doesn’t matter what path the rear axle follows, you only have the travel you’ve got. And given that Forbidden measures travel along the arc of the axle path, not vertically, you’ve actually got less than you think. Also, it’s telling that almost everyone that rides the Druid hard switches to a coil shock to make the suspension work better.
Then there’s the weight. The size large Dreadnought XT tips the scales at 15.68kg, which is ballpark for a big-hitting enduro bike at £6k. Yes, it’s 800g heavier than the Druid, but the Dreadnought frame is longer, the bike comes with heavier-casing Maxxis tyres, a beefier Fox 38 fork, more substantial Float X2 shock and bigger Shimano XT rotors for extra stopping power, so the Dreadnought is always going to weigh more than the Druid. The actual difference in frame weight? It’s only 260g. So in short, the Druid is portly for a trail bike, the Dreadnought competitive for an enduro race rig.
When I tested the Druid last month, the size large felt a little small and even though I’m only 5ft 11in tall I could have easily ridden the XL, which is the biggest size Forbidden offers. Sizefor-size the reach measurements on the Dreadnought are 20mm longer, so there’s no need to upsize. The rear centre measurements are still size specific and have also increased in length to help maintain the desired balance with associated increase in front ends.
And while both bikes share a similar silhouette, the suspension on the Dreadnought isn’t simply a longer-travel version of the Druid.
Yes, it still has a 100 per cent rearward axle path, but it also has less initial progression and more end-stroke progression. Anti-squat is similar to the Druid at sag but then it falls away more sharply deeper in the travel.