First Ride: Forbidden Dreadnought V2 - More Travel & Longer Chainstays

The Dreadnought V2 is only available in carbon (which isn't surprising, since Forbidden hasn't produced an aluminum bike yet). All three build kits use a SRAM/Rockshox throughout, beginning at $6,499 USD / $8,499 CAD, but a frame/shock/chain guide option is available for those wishing to custom build their own.


Frame Details

Following the lead of the Supernought DH frame, the Dreadnought features interchangeable dropouts. The Dreadnought frame kit and complete bikes are available in either 27.5" or 29", zero-offset dropouts. Aftermarket +/-10mm dropouts for the 27.5" wheel or +10mm sets for a 29" will be available shortly (pricing TBA). They with also serve as a direct mount for a 200mm brake rotor.

Besides the bolt-on dropouts, another identifier separating the looks of the second generation Dreadnought and the Druid is the custom MRP lower pulley. Forbidden called for this component due to the larger amount of chain growth brought on by the extra 30mm of travel. The fixed position eliminates user error or slippage, should it tag any protruding trail features.

Standard protocols for Forbidden, like water bottle and accessory mounts inside the front triangle, plenty of rubber frame protection, internal cable routing, and serious chain security are in place.

On the frame specifications, the seat tube measures 31.6mm, the BB is of the 73mm BSA type, and the rear wheel runs on a 12x148mm, like the Supernought.


Suspension Design

Replacing the single, high-pivot design of the 1st generation bikes, the Dreadnought V2 sees a floating chainstay member introduced. This allowed Forbidden to unlock a more independent series of kinematics.

The anti-squat is now raised to a high 137% (at 30% sag w/32-51 tooth gearing), more than most idler equipped-bikes. The leverage curve is now straightened while beginning and ending higher than before, which should make it easier for lighter riders to move to a light enough coil spring.



One caveat to this multi-link design is that the axle path is no-longer entirely rearward. At the 135mm mark, the rear axle begins to arc forwards, but we can attest that it doesn’t detract from the Dreadnought’s high-pivot bump-erasing qualities.

As mentioned, the rear wheel travel has been bumped up to an even 160mm from 154. That’s controlled by a 205x60mm stroke shock. In our case, the X0 Ultimate kit comes with the trunnion mounted Rockshox Vivid Air - a shock we’ve rated highly in the past.


Geometry

Forbidden has adopted one of those sizing charts, like Specialized, Trek, and many others, using a digit and letter to identify size. Four frame sizes exist for the Dreadnought V2; S1, S2, S3, S4, spanning reach numbers from 430 to 491, nearly all in 20mm increments. In my case, I chose the S3 frame (I’m 178cm/5’10” for reference) with a reach of 471mm.

The real numbers to talk about in detail here are how the front and rear center lengths are balanced. That makes up Forbidden’s “One Ride” concept of keeping the ratio between the front and rear center measurements the same, regardless of frame size. That theory was applied to the Dreadnought V1, however, it’s changed slightly on the V2 frame.


If you compare the Dreadnought V1 to the V2, the chainstay lengths have been stretched significantly, even in the new neutral setting. Those have extended from 446 to 460mm (V2, stock).

On the other hand, the reach has been reduced from 479 (V1, MX) to 471mm (V2, MX), while the stack increases from 634 to 645mm, leading to an overall shorter front center (V1 834mm, V2 829mm).

In terms of angles, the head tube angle remains a slack 63.1 degrees (63.5 for the 29er). Tightening up the theoretical top tube length, the seat tube angle gets a degree steeper at 77.1.

All of those reach, stack, and angles skew slightly when toggling between rear wheel sizes.


Models and Pricing

For a cool $9,299 USD / $11,999 CAD, the X0 RS U kit is a no expense-spared parts list consisting of Rockshox Zeb and Vivid Air Ultimate suspension, Sram X0 T-type drivetrain, OneUp V3 Dropper post and the powerful Maven Ultimate brakes. Crankbrother Synthesis 11 Carbon wheels, the usual Maxxis tires, Fizik Terra Alpaca X5 saddle, and a Burgtec carbon steering combo round out the package.

Sliding down a price bracket, the GX RS S+ comes in at $7,299 USD / $9,499 CAD and, as you might have guessed, includes the RockShox Zeb, Vivid Air, and Mavens in their Select+ and Silver trims. Likewise, the drivetrain is of the T-type, but the heavier GX model and the wheelset sees alloy rims laced up.

Next up is the GX RS S that takes a similar path, moving to the base model RockShox and SRAM components, reverting to the UDH mounted GX AXS drivetrain. For $6,499 USD / $8,499 CAD, it isn’t as attainable as other brand’s entry-level price points.

All builds and sizes use 165mm cranks, 200mm rotors front and rear, and come with either MX or 29er wheel choices.




Ride Impressions

This literally was a First Ride, as Forbidden’s engineer, Ollie Blight, made the hop over from the island that morning to deliver the bike and sample the ideal spring conditions with me. I tweaked the controls, set the rear sag to about 30% on the Vivid and left all of the adjusters in the neutral setting, excluding the hydraulic bottom out, which was open.

The Dreadnought V2 builds on what the 130mm-travel Druid V2 can do very well, track the ground extremely well. Tack on another 30mm of travel and stretched geometry means it’s not going to hang about. To put it simply, the first lap was a heater.

There are two turns at the bottom of a classic Squamish trail that are easy to enter too quickly, drag brake and sit upright in, balling it up properly. On the Dreadnought V2, everything changed. I was in the middle of the bike with total confidence to go faster. There’s a lot of wheelbase, but also tons of grip and stability to push the tires into.

We’ll need more time to lure the Dreadnought V2 into some jankier trails and pilot through larger jump sets, but even with flat pedals, it didn’t need much encouragement to change direction or pull over obstacles. Part of that could be the smaller, and therefore lighter, rear wheel which can change direction faster. That said, getting the Dreadnought into a proper manual takes a good yank on the bars.

Another bonus that can muddy a brilliant bike is noise; it’s dead quiet. I didn’t come to think of it immediately, but after reflecting on the ride, the Dreadnought V2 mutes trails. All that’s heard is the pitter patter of the tire treads and the buzz of the hub.

One small downside is the wee amount of drag from the extra pulley wheel, which the Druid V2 doesn’t require. During our long-term test with the Devinci Chainsaw, another high-pivot bike that tackles bumps well, I removed that chain tensioning arm in favor of less drivetrain friction. I’ll be experimenting with the lower pulley on and off, to see if that 1% makes any difference during the full review of the Dreadnought V2.

Editor’s note: Technically, it is forbidden to remove the lower pulley on the Dreadnought V2 in accordance to Sram’s Transmission guidelines and not something either company recommends.

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