The Forbidden Bikes Druid is a full carbon, full suspension, high pivot first release that promises some serious abilities out on the trail.
130mm travel, 29″ wheels, high pivot and full carbon, the Forbidden Bikes Druid isn’t your run of the mill mountain bike.
The base of the Forbidden Bikes Druid is the Trifecta suspension system featuring a high pivot point and the resulting rearward axle path.
Unlike some other designs the Forbidden Bikes Druid’s main pivot means the axle path takes a completely rearward trajectory throughout its travel.
A full rearward axle path allows the rear wheel to move with any size of impact. This allows the bike to maintain its momentum through rough terrain.
The lengthening of the rear-center during compression stabilises the chassis during bigger impacts. Forbidden Bike’s have designed their suspension platform that aims to produce a weight bias that is playful when high in the travel but more composed when you need it the most.
Forbidden Bikes feel that anti-rise is a term often discussed and often misunderstood. The term used to describe the effect braking has on the suspension system. Significant anti-rise used to be seen as a negative trait.
However, as our understanding of chassis dynamics has improved, and more importantly as our riding styles have evolved, it is now seen as a useful aspect that can be used to further tune the ride handling of the bike.
The level of anti-rise in our system helps counteract the inevitable fork dive encountered with modern, aggressive trail riding. This is designed to further improve the feeling of a more consistent chassis stability under heavy braking situations.
At the centre of the Druid’s Trifecta suspension system is the Rate Control Linkage. is used to
manipulate the leverage rate as the suspension compresses.
With this linkage, Forbidden Bikes have independently tuned the various stages of the shock’s compression with the aim of creating a platform that is supple off the top, a mid stroke that provides adequate support when pushed on, yet remain open enough to absorb repetitive hits.
The end stroke has been designed with a further increase in the rate of change and is all about that bottom out resistance required. The design goal of all this is a bike that seems to generate grip and pop almost simultaneously while offering an unworldly ability to absorb the big hits.
The size and position of the Forbidden Bikes Druid idler pulley is critical in giving it its efficient pedaling ability.
With the positioning of the pulley, offset from the main pivot, Forbidden Bikes aimed to fine tune the Anti-Squat characteristics. The Druid exhibits what Forbidden Bikes have determined to be the ‘ideal’ amount of Anti-Squat at sag to deliver a very stable pedaling response.
The aim is to achieve these levels of Anti-Squat with virtually no pedal kick back. This means the suspension remains fully active during pedaling and in turn affords the Druid ‘perfect’ traction on technical climbs.
Geometry-wise the Forbidden Bikes Druid is certainly modern enough. With a 140mm fork the reach on the medium is a roomy 450mm with a 604mm horizontal top tube.
Head angle is a not-ludicrous 66 degrees, combined with a fairly steep 76 degree seat tube angle. Wheelbase is also not daft at 1183mm.
The Druid is available to order now in the UK. Druid frame kit pricing is £3,149, and comes with a custom tuned Fox DPX2 Performance Elite shock, custom e-thirteen chain guide system, and seat collar.
Matte Carbon and Gloss Moss colourways will be available in three sizes, small, medium, large.
