[onawave]

I've been looking for a long-travel 29er to add to my stable - ideally around150mm travel and reasonable weight. I have been leaning towards a Sentinel v2. But, the Dreadnought looks sweet. I still have an older Canfield Jedi DH bike, which I love. Looking at reviews however, it seems most of the test bikes aren't particularly light (33-34 lbs). Forbidden doesn't list frame weights for their bikes on their website.

hard to get a burly bike made for steeps without the weight I would say. i currently ride a yeti 150 - which is a pretty heavy bike. I'm just used to it.

 

[Suns_PSD]

Don't need or even have use for a Dreadnaught but want a Dreadnaught just cause it's sick.
Will enjoy watching what some of the guys do with this bike.

Sent from my KYOCERA-E6920 using Tapatalk

 

[powderturns]

Have an xl nerds push on pre-order. What do you guys think about running a 160 fork on it? Thinking it might be a better option for where I ride.

The Druid comes with a 160mm fork and is a very capable bike, punching above it's 130mm of rear travel... It might be better suited..?

 

[onawave]

The Druid comes with a 160mm fork and is a very capable bike, punching above it's 130mm of rear travel... It might be better suited..?

i thought it was 150 / 130?

 

[powderturns]

shoot - you're right - 150 spec but I've heard of guys running 160 forks and believe it's been tested to 160.

 

[onawave]

shoot - you're right - 150 spec but I've heard of guys running 160 forks and believe it's been tested to 160.

Pretty sure you will void warranty if you run it at 160

 

[QuickSilverZ]

Depends on the fork that you are looking to run. Forbidden says you can run a fork with a max axle to crown of 571mm. A fox 36 at 160mm falls right at 571mm and that is why you see quite a few people running those at 160mm travel. Most other forks on the market would be a little too long and void the warranty though.

 

[gubbinalia]

Does anyone know why Fanatik Bike (Forbidden's US importer) is offering the Float X2 shock and the Push 11/6 on Dreadnought frames, but not the EXT Storia? Is it related to production delays at EXT in Italy? I reached out to Fanatik and my contact said, in essence, "we don't know, ask Forbidden," and Forbidden hasn't gotten back to me. Thinking strongly about getting a frame on order but would much rather order the EXT if possible.

 

[onawave]

Does anyone know why Fanatik Bike (Forbidden's US importer) is offering the Float X2 shock and the Push 11/6 on Dreadnought frames, but not the EXT Storia? Is it related to production delays at EXT in Italy? I reached out to Fanatik and my contact said, in essence, "we don't know, ask Forbidden," and Forbidden hasn't gotten back to me. Thinking strongly about getting a frame on order but would much rather order the EXT if possible.

would be availability and support. the ext may be a better shock - but you also need to take into account the post sales / support process. esp during covid

 

[gubbinalia]

would be availability and support. the ext may be a better shock - but you also need to take into account the post sales / support process. esp during covid

The availability narrative makes a good deal of sense -- I've heard that EXT has several-month lead times for some of their products right now (but much shorter lead times for more common shock sizes, supposedly). The post-sales support for EXT now that they have an American office is supposed to be excellent -- at least on par with Push if not better. Then again, Fanatik has been selling Push for a while so that may be a pre-existing, strong vendor/manufacturer relationship.

I'm sure the Push product would be excellent, but there's definitely reason to believe that the EXT would be superior for someone looking for the ultra-low-hysteresis damper action (i.e., less aggressive rider on technical terrain without massive hits). My knowledge of coils is admittedly limited so feel free to tell me where/how I'm wrong!

 

[onawave]

The availability narrative makes a good deal of sense -- I've heard that EXT has several-month lead times for some of their products right now (but much shorter lead times for more common shock sizes, supposedly). The post-sales support for EXT now that they have an American office is supposed to be excellent -- at least on par with Push if not better. Then again, Fanatik has been selling Push for a while so that may be a pre-existing, strong vendor/manufacturer relationship.

I'm sure the Push product would be excellent, but there's definitely reason to believe that the EXT would be superior for someone looking for the ultra-low-hysteresis damper action (i.e., less aggressive rider on technical terrain without massive hits). My knowledge of coils is admittedly limited so feel free to tell me where/how I'm wrong!

i don't think really you can go wrong either way. if your just an avg rider like me (I max out at double blacks - but love steep stuff) either of those shocks will be such a huge upgrade.

if I have the extra budget - id actually go the ext fork. that seems to make a lot more sense. the only difference is really that it runs 36 stanchions vs the new fox 38.

 

[gubbinalia]

i don't think really you can go wrong either way. if your just an avg rider like me (I max out at double blacks - but love steep stuff) either of those shocks will be such a huge upgrade.

if I have the extra budget - id actually go the ext fork. that seems to make a lot more sense. the only difference is really that it runs 36 stanchions vs the new fox 38.

Very fair point. One of my coworkers has the Era on his fork and I must say, it really rocks the parking-lot test. How it would feel when you can't service it because you haven't successfully sourced the specialty oil, and can't find anyone within 1000 miles to do a damper rebuild... is a different question.

I would not bump up to a 38mm-stanchioned fork on the Dreadnought, even though Forbidden recommends it and it comes spec'ed on the bike. I understand the argument that a stiffer fork will be plusher because it avoids bushing bind more effectively, but plush telescoping travel is not the only way a fork absorbs bumps. I'm the odd person who prefers a more compliant front end that will absorb some of the hand-jarring forces that 8-12hr. days in the saddle can deal out. The Fox 36 is about as much forward/rearward stiffness as I can take in a fork without having major hand/arm/wrist/shoulder fatigue afterward. Charging through a rock garden at top speed with pinpoint front wheel accuracy is wonderful, but not conducive to long rides and happy wrists.

 

[onawave]

Very fair point. One of my coworkers has the Era on his fork and I must say, it really rocks the parking-lot test. How it would feel when you can't service it because you haven't successfully sourced the specialty oil, and can't find anyone within 1000 miles to do a damper rebuild... is a different question.

I would not bump up to a 38mm-stanchioned fork on the Dreadnought, even though Forbidden recommends it and it comes spec'ed on the bike. I understand the argument that a stiffer fork will be plusher because it avoids bushing bind more effectively, but plush telescoping travel is not the only way a fork absorbs bumps. I'm the odd person who prefers a more compliant front end that will absorb some of the hand-jarring forces that 8-12hr. days in the saddle can deal out. The Fox 36 is about as much forward/rearward stiffness as I can take in a fork without having major hand/arm/wrist/shoulder fatigue afterward. Charging through a rock garden at top speed with pinpoint front wheel accuracy is wonderful, but not conducive to long rides and happy wrists.

for my personally - id will end up going for the 38. the type of riding I do - it makes sense. and if I want more plushness in the future - ill add something from vorsprung or push when they release their upgrades for 38's.

just the way the bike is designed says to me i want to point it downhill and be fast. so the 38 makes a lot of sense.

 

[yangpei]

Only 170 mm option from Fox in 2021 is 38 Float. I’ve been looking for leftover 2020 Fox 36 Float 170’s as they’re significantly lighter than the 38 Float 170’s, but haven’t found any for sale.

 

[greyshrike]

Just received my medium stealth 11.6 frame today.

The finish on my frame has a couple of mm long scratches, micro dirt specks in the paint, and some rough carbon molding/paint in a couple of the cable openings. The frame is expensive, so I kind of regret looking so closely. It is just a bike though and these are just very minor blemishes.

The top tube has the model name and three lines in glossy dark green and grey. I like the look of this and think it's quite handsome, but I think there's a bit of an awkward contrast with the big white forbidden letters on the downtube and white headbadge.

The internal frame storage by the BB is pretty neat.
I can just barely fit a standard inner tube (folded more lengthwise) and the included spare derailleur hanger.

The rubber shuttle guard is included separately so you can place it wherever you want. The adhesive looks pretty thin, so I'm a bit skeptical on how well it'll hold on long term.

Just waiting on a few more parts to come in before I start building it up. But I pretty much just went full retard along with whatever was regurgitated the most on pinkbike's comment section.

I'm excited to get it built up and see how it rips.

 

[Rngspnr]

3M makes adhesive prep wipes. You can get them at a body shop supply store. Clean the frame where you want to place the guard, wipe the area with the prep wipe and install the guard. It won't come off.

 

[QuickSilverZ]

Considering that you won’t see any of those “flaws” once the bike is built up and has been ridden, I wouldn’t let it bother me. If you ride the bike like it is designed to be ridden, you will probably have it looking a lot worse than that in no time.

 

[pinkrobe]

Pretty sure you will void warranty if you run it at 160

Naw, Forbidden tested it with a 160 Fox 36 and it's G2G. They will have hopefully changed the warranty page on the website by now...

 

[yangpei]

After much deliberation, I decided to pre-order a Dreadnought. I found a lightly used 2020 Fox 36 Float 170mm fork. Gonna try to build it up on the lighter side - hopefully around 32 lbs.

 

[QuickSilverZ]

Good luck, that’s lighter than most people’s Druid builds