FIRST Rides MBUK

YOU CAN MANUAL, PUMP AND JUMP WITHOUT THE BIKE ABSORBING TOO MUCH OF YOUR ENERGY. THE EXTENDING REAR-CENTRE GIVES YOU A STABLE PLATFORM TO WORK FROM AND, COMBINED WITH THE GEOMETRY, MEANS IT NEVER SEEMS TO FLINCH

FORBIDDEN DREADNOUGHT XT

£5,599 Will the Dreadnought make you totally fearless?

Forbidden were one of the first to shake up the established order with the launch of a high-pivot trail bike – the 130mm-travel Druid, introduced in 2019. Two years later, and still not ready to settle for the status quo, the small Vancouver Island brand are doing the same to the enduro market with the 154mm Dreadnought.

The frame

High-pivot bikes aren’t uncommon these days, especially in downhill, but they’re still a minority in the enduro and trail markets. The main advantage of the design is its rearward axle path, which, in theory, means the rear suspension is better able to absorb impacts, because the bump force and axle path run more parallel to each other.

The carbon fibre Dreadnought has a fully rearward axle path, with the wheel able to move back and up, out of the way of bumps. But it hasn’t been designed to be a ‘plough’ bike. By offsetting the idler wheel (needed on a high-pivot bike to combat chain growth) from the pivot, Forbidden have been able to fine-tune the anti-squat to 115 per cent at sag, which should give the Dreadnought pretty decent pedalling characteristics. The shock is linkage-actuated, giving the brand control