About the Build

The Forbidden Druid… it’s a real hovercraft of a bicycle if we’ve ever ridden one! This 130mm rear/ 150mm front travel carbon machine posses a level of traction, speed, and comfort that is borderline magical. Maybe that is why they call it “high pivot witchcraft.” Forbidden is a new brand for the shop and other than one, higher end/ bigger travel dreadnaught these are the first bikes we’ve sold. Good news is I feel more comfortable at speed on this bike than anything else in it’s class.

I’ll be honest I was nervous setting up two friends on one of these bikes as I had only ridden it once while in Canada. I was on tired legs and to be honest it wasn’t a mind blowing first ride as the handling wasn’t there so I couldn’t get a proper feel for it. The entire cockpit of the demo bike was off for my picky personal preferences… low stem, low bars, long stem, and 810mm wide just don’t mesh with my T-rex arms. Couple of rides this weekend with a proper setup and this bike far exceeded all expectations (more on that in the coming weeks).

This particular bike was built up for myself. With the Druid finding some surprising success going up against bigger travel contenders in the Enduro World Cup series, we knew this one could punch well above it’s weight class. I carried over a few parts from my last bike, but the fork, brakes, and transmission drivetrain were new additions. The bike went together exceptionally well, there’s a lot of thought that went into the design of this bike and it shows when you ride it.

Build Specs

  • Frame Forbidden Druid V.2
  • Fork Rockshox Lyrik charger 3
  • Headset Canecreek
  • Stem Deity
  • Handlebars Deity carbon Skywire
  • Handlebar Tape
  • Shifters
  • Brakes Hayes Dominion A4
  • Seatpost Bike Yoke Revive
  • Saddle Syncross
  • Front Derailleur
  • Rear Derailleur SRAM Transmission XX
  • Bottom Braket Chris King
  • Cranks SRAM Transmission XX
  • Pedals HT T2
  • Chain SRAM Transmission XX
  • Cassette SRAM Transmission XX
  • Wheels Berd Hawk 30 w/ Industry Nine hubs
  • Tires Maxxis Minion DHF maxx grip/ Maxxis Minion DHR EXO+
  • Extras