Canadian suspension battleship now with Avinox M2S motor: Forbidden Dreadnought E

Product news: The wait is over: The Forbidden Dreadnought is getting its first electrified version, which also utilizes the brand-new DJI Avinox M2S motor to propel this enduro machine up the slopes. Built for the toughest trails, the all-new Forbidden Dreadnought E boasts 170 mm of rear travel and 180 mm up front. We've compiled all the information on the Canadian company's new bike.

The Forbidden Dreadnought E at a glance

With geometry similar to the Supernought, Forbidden's downhill bike, and 180/170 mm of travel, the new Dreadnought E is definitely aimed at those who live for steep, rocky descents and big-mountain lines. Thanks to the second-generation Avinox motor, a power lift is conveniently integrated. This lift remains active as long as the optional 600 or 800 Wh battery keeps the mullet tires spinning. The chain guide pulley, which threads the chain through the four-bar linkage rear suspension, also rotates. The high pivot point of the "Trifecta" suspension platform necessitates such an idler wheel due to the rearward-biased axle.

Incidentally, the rocker arm, like the frame, is made of carbon fiber, thus reducing unsprung mass. Also interesting is Forbidden's approach of maintaining the same ratio between the bottom bracket and the front and rear wheel hubs across all frame sizes – quite unique among e-bikes, but typical of the Canadian company's bikes. Prices for the Forbidden Dreadnought E start at €7.699 and go up to just under €12.000 (MSRP).

• Travel 180 / 170 mm (front / rear)
• Impeller size Mullet (29″ / 27,5″)
• frame material Carbon
• rear end Four-bar linkage with high pivot design
• Motor Avinox M2S / M2
• Battery 800Wh / 600Wh
• Weight (manufacturer information) 22,5 – 24.3 kg
• Tire clearance 27,5 × 2,6 ″
• forbiddenbike.com

Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T1 800 Wh (RRP): €11.999
Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T1 600 Wh (RRP): €11.699
Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T2 800 Wh (RRP): €10.699
Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T2 600 Wh (RRP): €10.399
Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T3 800 Wh (RRP): €9.199
Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T3 600 Wh (RRP): €8.899
Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T4 800 Wh (RRP): €7.999
Price Forbidden Dreadnought E T4 600 Wh (RRP): €7.699

The Forbidden Dreadnought E's propulsion system in detail

The two top-of-the-line Dreadnought E models are equipped with the brand-new Avinox M2S motor, whose performance figures of 1.300 W and 130 Nm are likely familiar to almost everyone by now. Meanwhile, the T3 and T4 models rely on the M2 motor. This provides the rider with 10 Nm less torque and a peak output of approximately 200 W less – but it is still an enormously powerful unit. With the four available configurations, riders can also choose between bikes with a 600 Wh or 800 Wh battery. The latter adds €300 to the price and approximately 870 g to the weight. Only the top-of-the-line T1 model gets the fast 508 W charger; the others have to make do with the 168 W charger. This takes just over three hours to charge from 0 to 75%.

High pivot for the win

Forbidden is perhaps the best-known representative of the high-pivot trend. Almost all of the Canadian brand's bikes utilize this rear suspension design with its raised pivot point – on the Dreadnought E, this causes the rear axle to move up to approximately 18 mm rearward. This allows the rear end to avoid obstacles in a more "natural" direction, reduces rear wheel sag, and lengthens the chainstays for even greater stability. The resulting chain lengthening would otherwise lead to significant pedal kickback, necessitating a chain guide. In terms of progression, the four-bar linkage rear suspension changes its leverage ratio from approximately 3,1:1 to slightly more than 2,2:1 towards the end of its travel. The spring curve indicates sensitive compression damping that provides increasingly more support deeper in the travel.

Proportional geometry approach

Forbidden describes the Dreadnought as the only proportionally designed e-bike in the world besides the Druid E, the little brother of the enduro machine with the martial name. "Proportional" here means that the ratio between the front center (the distance between the bottom bracket and the front wheel hub) and the rear center (roughly the chainstay length) remains constant. On the Dreadnought, this ratio is a consistent 1,8:1 across all four frame sizes! This ensures that riders of the smallest frame size are positioned identically between the wheels as taller riders. There are no compromises for smaller or taller riders. Speaking of frame sizes: they all feature very high stack values, allowing the rider to assume an upright and stable downhill position that promises excellent control. The head angle is a slack 63°. Thanks to the chainstays, which lengthen further in sag due to the high-pivot design, there should always be sufficient weight on the front wheel. Also commendable: Forbidden provides information on the maximum insertion depth of the seat tube.

The four equipment variants

That the Dreadnought E is built for downhill riding is evident from the component list. The grippy Maxxis combination of High Roller 3 and Minion DHR II tires with DH casing and MaxxGrip compound alone underscores this. Need further proof? Depending on the model, a RockShox Zeb or a Fox 38 with 180 mm of travel handles the front suspension; braking is typically provided by the powerful SRAM Maven. The handlebars are consistently high-rise, and robust aluminum wheels from Crankbrothers complete the package. Only the top-of-the-line model features carbon rims. Forbidden also equips the bikes with long dropper posts from OneUp and TranzX, offering 210 mm of travel in size L and an impressive 240 mm in size XL. Included extras are Stans tubeless sealant and RideWrap frame protection film.

Information and images: Forbidden Bikes press release