Forbidden Bikes, the brand known for its obsession with high pivots and rearward axle paths, has finally plugged in the Dreadnaught and made it quite naughty. Get it? DreadNOUGHT E? Low hanging fruit, but hey, it works, and what Forbidden has done with the motorized Dreadnought is pretty damn sweet.
Forbidden waited for the right time to drop its line of Druid eMTBs, and with the Dreadnaught E, they waited even longer. They waited for a motor that matched the energy of the Dreadnought. Enter the Forbidden Dreadnought E, featuring the disruptive Avinox M2 and M2S drive system.
The Quick Hits
Forbidden Bikes
- Platform: High-pivot “Trifecta” suspension.
- Travel: 180mm front / 170mm rear.
- Motor / Battery: Avinox M2S or Avinox M2 | 600Wh or 800Wh
- Wheels: Mullet (29” F / 27.5” R)
- Rearcenter: 434mm – 478mm
- Reach: 425mm-481mm
- MSRP: Starting at $7,699 USD
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High-Pivot Heritage, Made Better
If you know Forbidden, you know the deal. It’s a bike that wants to erase square-edged hits from existence. By using their “Trifecta” high-pivot suspension layout, Forbidden gives the Dreadnought E a rearward axle path that lets the bike move with the impact rather than hang up on it.
On an e-bike, where the extra weight of the motor and battery usually helps with Newton’s Second Law of Motion, adding a high pivot is like putting a cheat code on top of basic physics. With 170mm of rear wheel travel and a 180mm fork, an MX wheel setup, and actually proportional geometry throughout the sizes.
Forbidden Bikes
Geometry
Forbidden hasn’t strayed far from the geometry that made the analog Dreadnought a cult favorite. The head angle is set to a relaxed 63 degrees. But the standout feature is their “One Ride” geometry: the chainstays grow proportionally longer as the reach and stack increase. This ensures that whether you’re 5’5” or 6’4”, the weight distribution remains balanced. On an e-bike, where the center of gravity is everything, this is a massive win for ride quality and balance.
Forbidden Bikes
An eMTB with Directive
Forbidden has always been a “gravity-first” brand. There was a legitimate fear that an e-bike might dilute their identity. But by pairing the most aggressive suspension layout on the market with arguably the most powerful motor system currently available, they haven’t made a “compromise” bike. They’ve made a real gem.
Forbidden Bikes
The Dreadnought E looks like it’s designed to do one thing: get you to the top of the gnarliest descent as fast as humanly possible, and then let you descend without hesitation. It’s a formula that makes sense.
A full-power eMTB should be designed to go down the hill without compromise, because the motor is going to get you back up the hill, and when there’s as much as 1,500 watts of artificial influence at your disposal, the geometry doesn’t need to be as tailored for climbing.