Forbidden Dreadnought DH Custom Build

Downhill Ready Race Machine

"Can you turn this Forbidden Dreadnought frame into a downhill brawler?"

How could I say no to such a question? We were pretty much given all creative license on components and design, so we ran with it.

We just needed to make the dream happen.

As most of you will know, the Dreadnought isn't a DH specific bike. But it has the capability to hold its own in a crowd of Santa Cruz V10's, proven by the likes of Connor Fearon.

Anyway, let me show you exactly what we came up with and why.

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First things first.... Colour.

At first we were thinking red Rockshox Boxxer forks, with red accent components strewn accross the bike.

We passed ideas back and forth with our customer and decided to go for swedish gold from ohlins. With gold components from Burgtec and Peaty's.

Peaty's new Monarch grips were a must and have gone down a storm. We went for the slim knurled grip with a gold clamp. Tapered - Wider on the outside for a more comfortable hand position. Our customer is really happy with the feel.

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When it came to pedals our customer knows what he likes. It had to be Crankbrothers Mallet DH. So thats what he got. To be honest we know a few few riders that swear by these pedals so we dont blame him.

We added an MRP mini chainguide to keep that chain inline and tensioned.

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Ohlins For The Win

As I said above we decided to go for Ohlins suspension, with this being a full on downhill race machine.

Our customer is familiar with Ohlins and is definitely and advocate for its quality and performance. He already knows what settings he runs so no baselining needed. We have a great guide on setting suspension should you need help with your own baselining.

So we went for the DH38 fork and paired it with a TTX22 Air shock. More for on the fly adjustability than anything else.

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For the drivetrain we decided to go with GXDH cassette and derailleur. The GX cassette is less than a quarter of the price of an X01DH cassette. So we went for the workhorse.

Sram GX cranks and bottom bracket to keep those legs spinning smooth. We didnt bother with carbon, our customer wanted durability over weight.

A single GX chain was enough for this Forbidden, usually you would need to join two together, but as we are running a 7 speed cassette this wasn't necessary.

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Hope Pro5 wheels in the ever fashionable mullet set up. The new pro5 has a solid amount of engagement and the new labrynth seal creates an almost completely drag free spin. A great product from the Hope factory.

Wrapped those wheels in Schwalbe Tacky Chan rubber to keep him glued to the ground and finished them off with some gold Peaty's tubeless valves.

We also attached a set of Hope Tech 4 E4 brakes to slow him down on the steeps, grabbing a load of SRAM HS2 rotor.

Burgtec Components EVERYWHERE.

31.8mm Bars, Direct Mount Stem, Stem Spacers, Top Cap And Bolt, The Cloud Saddle and Seatpost.

We have a lot of faith in the quality of Burgtec parts and have since day one. So we are happy to add them to any custom build.

Designed to withstand the rigours of DH riding and ridden by elite riders around the world.

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Whats the spec?

Frame - Forbidden Dreadnought
Drivetrain - SRAM GX Cranks, Chain, Chainring and Botttom Bracket. GXDH derailleur
Forks - Ohlins DH38 Triple Crown
Shock - Ohlins TTX2
Brakes - Hope Tech 4 E4, SRAM HS2 rotors
Wheels - Hope Fortus wheelset with pro 5 hubs Mullet. Gold Peatys Valves
Tyres - Schwalbe Tacky Chan
Pedals - Crankbrothers Mallet DH
Handlebars - Burgtec 31.8mm 30mm rise cut to 780mm wide.
Stem - Burgtec direct mount 45mm
Stem Spacers - Burgtec top cap, bolt and stem spacers
Grips - Peatys monarch grips, thin knurled with gold clamp
Saddle - Burgtec Cloud saddle
Seatpost - Burgtec post
Mudguard - Mudhugger direct mount

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Final Word

This bike has had so many comments while it's been in the shop. It's a beautiful machine. So much so, it was nominated for Ohlins bike of the week, over on their social media (Along with another bike we did)

Our customer races a crestline ebike usually, but he decided to dip his toe into the downhill world.

We will be following his journey close and wishing him success.

Don't forget we can build your dream bike too! We ship anywhere in the country so don't let that put you off. We can source pretty much any component and are more than happy to help or advise you in any way.

Contact us on 01977 520852 to discuss your next dream build.

MEET THE AUTHOR

GAVIN RICHARDSON

Some say Gavin invented the wheel. They are lying of course, but he does build a mean set.
Chief of Cykel House, aging rider and father of 3. Gavin has been riding the majority of his life in multiple different forms. He created Cykel House out of passion and enthusiasm for the sport which cannot be matched.
Always on the hunt for the best products and latest trends his finger is right on the pulse.

Interesting fact - Gavin won a handwriting competition at age 7. What a legend.
Likes - A well built berm, beer and raw sprouts
Dislikes - Stainburn woods, headset cable routing and lycra