![]() That long-and-lengthening rear center, as I partly expected, was keeping my steering calm and stable. There was something more going on here than just good suspension. I started braking later, or sometimes not at all. I started going into sections a little faster. But then something really interesting happened. I found myself floating through fields of half-buried rocks that are the best test of suspension performance this side of a dynamometer. It makes it not just smoother, but quieter. The very initial impact is deadened significantly more effectively than on a traditional bike. And not just in overall per-impact bump absorption. ![]() The Forbidden Dreadnought, at 154mm of rear travel, is significantly more supple than my personal bike’s 165mm. I worried the Dreadnought was gonna be a big long stick in the mud. On an Evil, that supportive mid-stroke pairs with a short (and shortening) rear center that invites manuals, bunny hops, and whatever else the kids are doing these days. The harder I pulled, the harder an unseen hand held the front wheel to the ground. I noticed this within my first 50 feet on the bike when, as I do in my first 50 feet on every bike I ride, I tried to pull a manual. And like I said, it gets even longer as the shock compresses. The XL I tested stretched 464mm from hub to bottom bracket. But follow that through the range, by the time you’re at a large, the rear center is 450mm. And they start short, just 422 millimeters on the size small, a feat made possible by the rearward axle path that isn’t jamming the tire into the seat tube as the shock compresses. Forbidden rear centers increase by 14 millimeters between each size. Norco, Devinci and now Santa Cruz do it on some models. The rear-center measurement on Forbidden frames increases throughout the sizes, though nothing’s unexpected there either. The more interesting story is in the chainstays. 63.5-degree head angle and 484-millimeter reach on a size large. The geometry numbers on this bike are comfortably modern. link, but I found it yields very different results on the Forbidden Dreadnought. It’s similar to what Evil does with their D.E.L.T.A. Finally, it ramps up again to resist bottom-out near the end-stroke. Then, the rate of progression slows down and the curve straightens, offering a consistent platform of support well into the mid-stroke. As it approaches its sag point, it ramps up quickly, leaving the first bit of travel sensitive to small bumps, especially on steep descents when the rear end is unweighted. Actuating the shock is a linkage structure that produces a fancy, dynamic leverage curve. There’s also Forbidden’s Rate Control Linkage. Thus concludes our exhaustive course on high-pivot fundamentals which, again, are only part of the story. But to prevent the drivetrain from fighting that rearward motion, high-pivot bikes need an idler pulley to redirect the load-bearing part of the chain to be in line with the pivot. It moves in the natural direction of an impact, and also lengthens the wheelbase as you approach bottom-out instead of shortening it, making for more stability when you need it most. But on a high-pivot platform, the rules we expect those numbers to follow, just might not apply.īriefly, high-pivot designs raise the main pivot of the rear swingarm, putting the wheel on a more rearward path as the shock compresses. On paper, the Druid is more tame than the Dreadnought, with “only” 130 millimeters of rear travel and 150 up front. That may be because I’ve never ridden Forbidden’s debut model, the Druid. It’s just part of why this bike rides like nothing I’ve ever ridden. But after the short time I’ve spent on the Forbidden Dreadnought, it’s clear that “high pivot” is not just a buzzword to Forbidden. All it takes is a little leap of faith, and your prototype comes out of the mold with a trending hashtag built-in. That may be what makes this whole high-pivot suspension craze so appealing. The new kid really needs something outstanding if they want to … stand out. I mean right now, when the brands that are already out there do some pretty damn spectacular stuff. And I don’t just mean right-now right-now, when trying to buy an SLX derailleur is like waiting in line for a loaf of bread in Leningrad. Small, up-and-coming bike brands have it tough right now. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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