I owned an older Genius (as well as an even older Ransom LTD), and currently own a Druid. The Druid is crazy good in rocky, rooty tech, both up and down. What never ceases to amaze me is how good it is on the ups.

I don't find the Druid draggy at all. I believe the studies have suggested that it zaps you of 2 watts of power on the climbs. Whatever it is, it is unnoticeable to me. The advantages of the rearward travel to float you over ledges, rocks and roots going up (and down) saves me multiples of that, in terms of effort. Probably the best climbing bike I have ever owned, at least in the techy stuff. I steer clear of fire roads.

On the negative side, best to have a second bike around, just in case. Owning the Druid is kinda like owning a semi-exotic sports car. Lots of fun, but not totally trouble-free for some folks.

 

I love my Druid. I hate the extra maintenance it seems to always require. I haven't ridden a Scott, so I cannot comment on its abilities, but I will say that my druid climbs incredibly well. I've cleaned climbs I've always struggled with on other bikes.

 

Thanks that's exactly the type of rooty terrain I ride. You don't miss the twinloc feature on the Scott? I'm wondering if I'd use it much or not, but then climbing with it locked out seems counteract the benefit of rear suspension in the first place.

 

I never used it much, if at all, on either bike. I like an active suspension when climbing in the tech. All it did was make for a crazy busy cockpit.

My Scotts were older. Not fair to compare them to the latest breed.

I suspect you would love either bike. Like I said though, the Druid can be finicky in certain respects.

Keep us posted on your thought process.

PS - AXS is killer. I put it on the Druid this year. Love it. The Druid, with its rearward travel and kinda awkward cable port on the chain stay for the rear d, makes it a perfect candidate for cable-free AXS. I appreciate the AXS is on the Scott. Just throwing this into the mix for you.

PPS - do you have a Forbidden dealer in your area? Is the seller local? Ideally, I would get someone to check that Druid over if you can, before throwing down on it. I would be less concerned about the Scott in this regard.

You could conclude from my comments that I am not a fan of the Druid. Not so. It’s my favourite bike I have ever owned. I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon, and this is the third full season on it. I’m just trying to be as objective as I can for you.

 

I wonder why those guys are dumping two nice bikes in the midst of a supply shortage…

Any idea?

Like I said, all things equal, I would be more concerned about something being janky with the Druid than the Genius.

 

Riding season is just about done here, and they seem to be busy guys have cash and who built up expensive bikes and didn't ride them. They both look new. How can I tell if the Druid has issues? It was built by a known shop here with all receipts at hand.

 

Do you think the titanium pivot shafts and stainless screws and forged linkages are big deals? I don't believe the top line Genius has those things. Again, only ever rode hardtail for 25 years so have no idea how these things wear.

 

Forbidden Bikes established 2019
Scott Sports established 1958

Since you are Canadian finding a Forbidden Dealer wouldn't be that hard. But I'm pretty sure you'll find more Scott dealers world wide. Scott is Swiss, but owned by a So. Korean sportswear company.

I live in NorCal, I've never seen a Forbidden bike at a LBS, on the trail though twice. I've ridden one Scott bike.

Based purely on this, I'd go Scott. Forbidden is still in the boutique category as far as I'm concerned. That doesn't mean its not good.