1ST IMPRESSION
HOW IT RIDES
We began our morning at the finish line for the old World Cup DH track and climbed all the way up to the start of the new one, some 1,100m above, using a combination of road, fire road and singletrack. And right away it was obvious that the Forestal delivers a gutsy punch from its 60Nm motor. Eco mode was more than enough to spin up the first 800m or so of road, overtaking roadies along the way.
Forestal has tuned the settings to be Andorra-friendly, which means it’s not lacking in grunt, but could probably do with being dialled back in Eco mode to help increase the range.
The power increased noticeably as I switched into Sport and then Race mode for the steeper off-road parts, yet always felt like a match for the change in gradient. Even on technical sections, laced with root steps, the Cyon never flinched, despatching every tricky rise with impressive ease. Because the bike is so light, it’s also much easier to finesse up a series of crux moves using delicate body and pedal inputs than a full-fat e-bike, where brute force and ignorance tend to be the techniques of necessity.
With each step in power comes a faster response time from the motor.
The sportier the setting, the quicker the motor engages when you press on the pedals, and the longer it keeps spinning when you ease off the power to time a pedal stroke. Overall, Forestal has done a great job with the calibration – it’s strong, but it always feels natural.
Another standout trait is the brisk acceleration, and the ability to crank along easily above the 25kph limiter.
This makes it so much more fun to ride on fast, relatively flat singletrack than a full-fat e-bike, as there’s no invisible wall of resistance. And the extra friction is so minimal that it’s even possible to ride with the motor switched off if you really want to.
What about the noise? Well it’s most noticeable when accelerating, where there’s a whistle that sounds a bit like a kettle boiling on a stove. Louder than the Trek, but quieter than a Specialized SL.
With the climb out of the way, it was time to see how the Forestal coped with the berms and jumps of Vallnord Bike Park. Ideally I’d want a slacker bike for this sort of terrain, but the Cyon felt stable at speed thanks to good length in the front centre and decent reach. The low 17kg weight and poppy suspension meant it was really easy to throw around, making it a fun bike on smooth, playful bike park trails. There was sufficient support from the suspension to keep the geometry consistent when loaded up in the turns, and it had a breathtaking lust for speed. While some of this was down to the rapid Panaracer tyres, there’s no doubt that it’s an easy bike to go fast on.
As we descended further, the trails got rougher, and this is where the cheaper suspension components started to tell. The more basic damping in the Select-level fork and Select + shock just didn’t have the buttery response I’d hoped for, skipping across root webs and buzzing through braking bumps. Although, to be fair, this was a trail bike being used in enduro bike territory.
By the time we reached the valley floor I had 7% battery remaining. We’d chalked up 1,200m of climbing and covered 30km. Not bad for a couple of hours riding. Over lunch we put the bikes on charge and they were all at 100% by the time we’d finished – the beauty of having a small battery – then we went out and ticked off another 17km with 350m of climbing.
I’d been looking forward to riding the Forestal ever since I saw the first renderings a couple of years ago, and now that I’ve had the chance, I can say that it was totally worth the wait. The Cyon gives you the superhero powers of an e-bike without ruining the dynamic handling exhilaration of an analogue trail bike. The tech is perfectly integrated so as not to overwhelm the experience, and the bike itself is impressively engineered. I’m convinced it would be better with a flip-chip to offer a lower BB height, along with a shorter seat tube, and the suspension doesn’t quite match the premium expectations, but it’s still a blast to ride. I can’t wait to put it up against the Trek Fuel EXE, the Fazua-equipped Transition or Pivot and whatever else comes to market over the next few months to see how it stacks up.
HIGHS
Looks stunning. Addictive blend of assistance and agility. Powerful, low-drag motor. Superb integration and technology.
LOWS
Some glitches with the screen and the control unit. Tall BB. Suspension doesn’t have the best grip or comfort. Premium price.