Review Forbidden Dreadnought

Forbidden have two models, the Druid, a small trail-oriented enduro, and the Dreadnought, a big enduro. It's the latter that I'm going to talk about, this big enduro that competes in the World Cup. It's an enduro frame with a dual crown fork and a 7-speed transmission.

It's the uniqueness that made me purchase this frame. Mounting an enduro frame for DH riding comes with some technical constraints, such as front and rear travel. At the front, there's a measurement to adhere to between the head tube and the fork axle, which results in approximately 180mm of travel. At the rear, there's a bit of limitation with 154mm of travel. So, it's essentially an enduro frame.

Upon unpacking, it's a very beautiful frame, very sleek and lightweight! The matte finish is somewhat special, with a slightly textured feel, and you can tell that there isn't much paint on it. So, I immediately added a frame protection kit, which gave me some peace of mind.

Regarding assembly, the cable routing is well done, and it's not difficult to do on your own. The issue I encountered was with the bottom bracket. To fit a DH crankset and maintain the chainline, I had to use spacers, which isn't very aesthetically pleasing but functional. The bike is equipped with an RS Boxxer Ultimate fork, an RS Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock, Hayes Dominion 4 brakes, DT Swiss EX471 front and EX511 rear wheels on DT Swiss 350 hubs, a 7-speed X01 DH drivetrain (the derailleur is robust), and a 31.8mm Renthal cockpit. The bike weighs 16.1kg with pedals.

Once the bike was assembled, it’s gave the impression of being very front-heavy due to the geometry around the fork. Of course, the frame is designed for full 29-inch wheels, and I didn't purchase the Ziggy Link to convert it to mullet. That's something worth trying, considering that some pros ride with that setup.

My first rides were at a French Cup event in La Grand Combe. Needless to say, it wasn't the best condition for getting used to the bike. However, it turned out to be quite easy to handle. You do need to get used to the fact that the rear suspension softens the bike a bit. La Grand Combe is a relatively flat track with jumps where you need a dynamic bike. My settings weren't ideal at that moment. Once I found the right setup, I had a bike that wasn't as responsive as some others but smoothed out the terrain.

It's quick and comfortable in jumps, maintains its posture in the air, and provides a comfortable landing. I'm not the best at whips, but the bike is more than capable, and it's not the limiting factor. However, I noticed that I needed to approach jumps with a bit more speed because the race settings soften the rear, resulting in some loss of speed on takeoffs.

Taking corners is very easy; the bike leans comfortably and inspires confidence to enter them quickly. However, it's a matter of tuning to exit them fast. On flat turns, it tracks perfectly, stays glued to the ground, and maintains the line effortlessly. I regained my love for flat turns thanks to this bike! As it's originally an enduro bike, tight turns aren't a hassle; it's lightweight, and despite the dual crown fork, it handles well and can make sharp turns. Where I found it excelling was in corners with roots and rocks; the suspension design keeps the bike planted, so you don't feel like the bike is wandering, allowing precise cornering.

On steep sections, there are no issues; the bike's geometry instills confidence, and you don't feel overwhelmed. Pedaling is efficient, as expected for an enduro bike. Surprisingly, despite its design, it doesn't bob excessively. I've had to pedal a bit for transitions, and the bike isn't difficult to maneuver; its weight likely plays a role. In races, sprints performed just as well as with my previous bikes, so it's impressive in that regard too.

In terms of braking, it performs well; the bike stays planted and doesn't bounce around. For those wondering if Hayes brakes work well, I'd say yes. They might not have the strongest bite on the market, but the modulation remains consistent from top to bottom, and reliability is excellent.

One thing that surprised me about this bike is the rear suspension's performance. I expected to bottom out the rear frequently, but it's actually more likely to happen at the front. With three tokens and between 135-145 PSI depending on the track, I bottomed out several times on big impacts. However, at the rear, even though I did experience bottom-outs, it wasn't as noticeable. I rode half the season with one token and 145 PSI, and at the end of the year, I added two tokens and kept the same PSI. The feel is genuinely comfortable; I never know when I'm at the end of the travel, and the bike smooths out terrain very well. Maybe for DH, it lacks a bit of travel, that's true, but honestly, it does the job well and doesn't hold you back from hitting doubles in French Cups; the bike won't let the rider down in that aspect.

The front end can be a limitation, though. I broke a headset when landing short on a jump, which emphasizes the need for precision and coming in faster, as I mentioned earlier.

I've ridden in various conditions, dry, very dry, and rainy. The bike's behavior remains consistent in all conditions and performs well even in the rain, staying on course without issues, which inspires confidence.

As for maintenance, the frame is relatively easy to disassemble, and the axles are reliable and easy to clean. The cable routing is straightforward. The weak point is the rear chainstay protection; it came off after two weekends. It's a good one, but the glue doesn't hold. The bearings haven't seen a lot of use (about twenty outings in the season), and despite regular cleaning, I'll need to replace them.

The chain guide pulley makes a bit of noise while pedaling, nothing too bothersome; it's functional, haha.

I encountered an issue when sprinting downhill and shifting to the lowest gears; the chain would get stuck between the cassette and the frame and twist on itself. I had to shift back one or two gears to get the chain back onto the cassette. Despite adjusting the limit screws, I haven't resolved this issue yet.

In conclusion, I'm really pleased with this bike; it's very versatile and notably different from what we're used to. It requires taking the time to set it up correctly; otherwise, it's not very responsive, but once dialed in, it performs admirably. From my perspective, it appeals to passionate riders who appreciate unique bikes; it's not too difficult to ride and allows you to have two bikes in one. I can't wait to see what Forbidden comes up with in terms of future bikes!