The Most Unique Mountain Bike I've Ever Owned! | The Forbidden Druid XT 2021

[@daviswylie6943]

So glad your back. I hope to see you at oak Mt sick bike!!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Thanks! Im definitely glad to be back. Hope to see you out there soon!

[@CarlHerbst]

I built up a cosmic eggplant druid about 6 weeks ago and am in love up in here in Chattanooga. It really is fantastic.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Thats awesome! The cosmic eggplant paint job is beautiful. It really is a great bike and Chattanooga has some great trails for it!

[@CarlHerbst]

​@@thomasthetrailengine9474 One option on brakes is to try shigura: just get a MT-Thirty set which go for 90/side (including lever), but keep the XT lever. Been pretty pleased with that setup on mine.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Carl Herbst thanks for the heads up! Has that been a pretty good setup for you? I’ll definitely check it out!

[@CarlHerbst]

@@thomasthetrailengine9474 Yeah I think I even prefer this to the MT7s I had on last build, never quite gelled with that lever as much as the new XT lever I'm using, besides nice being able to use ispec. Another other thing I've heard people do is use Redline Likewater suspension fluid in place of shimano/magura mineral oil, as it has a much higher viscosity that supposedly helps the floating bite point. Saw a spreadsheet and thread about it somewhere, ridemonkey maybe.

[@jonathanperillo1795]

Push 11.6 or EXT Storia....the custom tune and hydraulic bottom out control have been game changers for me. My SB150 is a night and day difference with the 11.6 on it versus the X2 that was stock. It has truly proven to be worth the money for me.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

jonathan perillo awesome! Thanks for the info. I’m definitely pretty keen on the push!

[@Tom-fn8xc]

Great video, very helpful information! Update video any time soon? Are you still liking the bike?

[@hunterwright386]

forbidden 27.5 in enduro bike?

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Hunter Wright it’s 29” trail bike that leans more toward the aggressive/downhill side of things!

[@willeaton2592]

Try out the marzocchi coil. It’s basically a dhx2

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Will Eaton a friend of mine has the marzocchi on his mega tower! I’ll have to take a closer look at it

[@SsmAnyfeSt]

@@thomasthetrailengine9474 No climb switch but it seems like the Druid don't need one so it could be a good shock, yeah! With a tune for you, it would probably be one of the greatest shock you could have.

[@NathanBoyleDrums]

Is the clip at 6:31 at Oak Mountain? It's been about a year since I've made it down there to ride, and I was wondering if they'd been building more wood features.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Nathan Boyle it’s in Birmingham but not at oak mountain! It’s at some private trails that were built up. Oak mountain is still pretty void of wood features but I definitely hope that changes!

[@altank8]

I think you'll find most of that off the top suppleness or lack of, is the dpx2. I'm having the same issue on my druid after riding x2 for the last couple years. You can get a little more out of the dpx2 by removing the negative air chamber air token. But coil for the win!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

alan coster I’ve never ridden a dpx2 long term before this so I can definitely believe that! I’m thinking coil will be a big win on this bike! I do miss my X2 right now as well haha

[@trailladymtb7700]

Good video. I have been wanting to know more about this bike. BCPOV and his wife Yuka are on Druids for this year. Good video. 😎👍

[@canipeb]

I think you mean BCPOV

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Trail Lady MTB thanks! It’s been really fun getting to know it better. BCPOV and Yuka’s videos with it definitely helped me in making my decision! They’ve been fun to watch!

[@trailladymtb7700]

@@canipeb yeah.. You are right! 😅 Thanks... Changed it to BCPOV.

[@EnduroFuss]

Check out the MRP Hazard Coil Shock and Cane Creek's DB Kitsuma Coil.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Pierce Fussell I really like the look of the new kitsuma coil!

[@andrewmtb9]

Hell yeah dude. See you at the oak enduro?

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

andrewmtb9 you know it boss!

[@flotownstick2992]

Good looking bike and it's nice to see you riding again!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Flotown Stick thanks! I’m glad to be back at it!

[@leomolloy5067]

I’ve had mine for about a year. I was one first people to have the bike in Australia. I’ve been having the same issues with small bump compliance, I found the bike only felt good with like 37% sag and lots of compression. One thing you should do is use a really heavy duty lok-tight on the linkage bolts. They loosen quickly because the links rotate so much during compression. Also I found that using Lithium grease was a game changer normal bike grease isn’t designed to handle the high speeds that the pivots move and starts to melt away, causing fortnightly regresses. Anyway It’s really cool that someone else has the same small bump issues as me because I thought I was going crazy.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Leo Molloy awesome! Thanks for the tips. I’ve been running it around 35% sag and a good bit of compression. I really like how it feels overall but it definitely picks up some chatter. I’ll have to see how everything wears in with what you’re talking about!

[@jsw5387]

Forbidden recommends running the rebound as fast as you can before it's uncomfortable

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Jody Wiebe I’m running my rebound almost all the way open but could probably a to lol make some tweaks! All together the bike still feels great and we’ll see how a different shock plays with it!

[@jasononions189]

You guys might appreciate lewis buchanan's channel, he thought the samething during testing and swapped to a coil

[@rainerwahnsinn9672]

hmm weird. forbidden recommends very low or even no compression on the shock. i m running mine also completely open and it feels great. also most ppl i talked to tend to run very low or no compression on the shock. and yeah...on this bike i run the rebound faster than on any other bike i owned. only 3-4 clicks from open. somehow works great on the druid. only when doing a lot of lippy bike park jumps n stuff i think u need lil bit more rebound.

[@willshawyer7280]

YAY YOUR BACK! AND THAT BIKE LOOKS AMAZING

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

A for AWESOME Thanks so much! Glad to be back!!

[@calebteoh9359]

.

[@willshawyer7280]

..

[@willshawyer7280]

...

[@willshawyer7280]

....

[@gabrielececioni5359]

I vote dvo jade X and i thing you will get a better feeling on the small bumps

[@rsbii]

Glad you're back, one of my favorite southeast riders. If you make it back to Monte Sano anytime soon let me know! I bet that druid would kill on some of the technical trails up here.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Scotty Baker thanks a lot! I really appreciate that! I definitely will let you know. I hope to get out that way pretty soon. Love making a day trip out there! At the least I plan to be there for the enduro race in November.

[@rsbii]

@@thomasthetrailengine9474 awesome! I'm no racer, but maybe I'll come watch.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Scotty Baker it’s definitely a fun event to race or hang out and watch!

[@wheatthinbecker]

I’ve heard the DVO Jade X is really good, although I have the Topaz T3 Air

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Ethan Becker awesome! How do you like the topaz? I’ve heard great things but have never had the chance to get on it. I’ll definitely check out the Jade!

[@wheatthinbecker]

Thomas the Trail Engine yeah i like it a lot on my Ripmo AF! Its got an adjustable bladder pressure instead of an HSC and jt also has a 3 position climb switch witb rebound too. Took a while to dial it in but overall pretty happy.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Ethan Becker dope! I looked pretty hard at the ripmo af, seems like an awesome bike.

[@wheatthinbecker]

Thomas the Trail Engine the Ripmo is another bike you would not be disappointed with

[@frankapple4130]

I have the topaz on my Occam and love it. Going to Coldwater tomorrow

[@weekendmountainbiker9457]

BC POV has been running that bike for a while. It looks like a great bike. Looking forward to the 6mo. Also could you imagine that rear with a "Trust" front or even "Structure" linkage front. The bike would flatten out like a stretching cat on impact.✌️

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Thank you! That would definitely be an interesting combo on this bike!

[@WillHageman1]

How tall are you? I just ordered an XL Druid and I am 6'2". I plan on swapping the stem to a 35mm. It looks like you did the same thing with that Deity stem. Thanks for posting another review to tide me over until mine shows up next week. I will also be torturing myself with a frame wrap install lol

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Will Hageman I’m 6’2” as well! The fit has been perfect, and you’re correct the deity stem is 35mm long! Happy to help! I know you’re going to love the bike. The waiting game is definitely the hardest part haha. The frame wrap process also isn’t super fun but well worth it!

[@zachking1634]

Good stuff! Enjoy those Birmingham trails! Fun riding down there!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Zach King thanks! I’ve definitely enjoyed having them as my local trails!

[@brettsonkp]

Ya BOI is back on the tube!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Brett Paschal yeeeaaaaa buudddy!!

[@williamchristian8705]

Well done. I don’t even ride MTB. Just a Throne Goon and two beach cruisers. But this is very informative. The bike actually caught my eye. I love the design of it. I’m constantly thinking about getting a Mountain Bike. But I’m almost 65 and worry about crashing now.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

William Christian Awesome! Glad you were able to enjoy the video! That’s great, I love cycling of all sorts. I definitely understand the crashing part of MTB is tough. I think the nice thing is a lot of trail systems have a good variety of difficulty options so you can usually keep it within your comfort zone if you want to do so!

[@williamchristian8705]

Thomas the Trail Engine You’re right. I actually was around MTB early on. My parents lived in Oregon. I saw pretty much the start of it there. I live in Southern California and love biking from early on. You’re bike is of great design and you’re information on the technicals were great. Believe me Forbidden will get buyers from it. Stay safe and enjoy riding. I do 40-50 miles a week,swim and still play basketball.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

William Christian that’s really cool! I’m sure there was a lot going on in those early days of MTB. Thank you! I most definitely will. That’s awesome that you’re getting out that much and enjoying the outdoors!

[@largeballer]

I thought I recognized you at oak mountain, I didn't know you were riding a new bike

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Tommi does nothing yeah! I’ll be out there with it a good bit from now on!

[@ethanbenton6676]

See about the cane creek double barrel coil

[@onlinefuturity4381]

Where to purchase such kind of frame, looks interesting, just for curiosity.

[@bike_somm]

Awesome man Stoked for you on the new move both in bike & location 😎✌🏼🚲💨

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Bike Somm thank you! I’ve been stoked on both of those things too!

[@justinh1258]

Dude you’re back! Hope to see more content!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Justin H I’m definitely gonna be working on things! Hopefully can expect about 2 videos a month or so!

[@energ8t]

Coil def helps on the back.

[@MillerRL96]

Love that bike. It was between the 2020 Optic and this one. Optic ended up winning for me but every time I see a pic of vid on the Druid I want one soooo bad especially how good the XT builds are

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

I definitely love it too! Don’t feel like you can go wrong with the optic either though! The optic is a gorgeous looking bike and from what I’ve heard it rides great too!

[@MillerRL96]

Thomas the Trail Engine oh yeah it rides fantastic but the Druid just has the beauty factor to it with the high pivot and the design that I just love haha but I think the geo on either or travel you can’t go wrong in the southern states forsure.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Miller Reid most definitely! Great bikes for this part of the country!

[@thomasstepat2642]

Awesome review! As a current Hightower LT owner I’ve been looking at getting a new frame and the Druid is on the top of my list.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Thomas Stepat thank you! It’s definitely a good one to have up there. I’ve been really pleased with it so far. I loved a lot of things about the LT but the geo change has been really nice with the Druid! Particularly on the STA

[@levimtb140]

The king has returned!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

😂😂 happy to be back!

[@levimtb140]

@@thomasthetrailengine9474 i saw you at the Enduro, I raced the XC the day before.

[@TrailFReEK]

Welcome Back! I think i saw you at Bump n Grind! Awesome Bike!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Trail FReEK thanks! Yeah! I was out there hanging out for the BNG

[@joeblack4026]

nice review. Have you thought about puting an angle set on it to slacken it a bit more?

[@liam9564]

glad ur back man loved the vid was worth the year wait, lol

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Haha I really appreciate that! Glad to be back!

[@Streamlines]

My dude, not only making me buy the Druid, but also making me rewatch Porco Rosso. Cheers!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Love to hear it! Porco Rosso is always worth a good rewatch haha

[@k1ngofthosewhoknow]

3:52 holy stack height! Maybe get some higher rise bars and take a few out? 😋

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Alex King haha yeah yes that’s definitely plan eventually. I’ll grab some riser bars and take some of the top off the steerer tube, just got my eye on doing a few other things first 😬

[@celixds]

Great video, thanks for that! I really want to get myself the upcoming longer travel version. Can you give me your opinion on the surrounding sounds of the bike? Is the idler noticeably louder, when climbing? How about chain slap? I could hardly point out where I heard some of there was some at all, from the GoPro Audio...

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Geissepeter Glad you enjoyed it! Definitely interested to see the full spec sheet once they officially release the new one! I notice a small amount of noise in the easiest and hardest gears but really only if I’m listening for it. It’s not bad at all and definitely not something I notice any longer but it is there. As far as chain slap or any noise in that realm there hasn’t been any. Over all it’s a really quiet bike which has been another plus with it!

[@celixds]

Thomas the Trail Engine thanks a lot! Decision for Forbidden has been made. 😄

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Geissepeter Glad to hear it! They make a great bike!

[@davesharp5472]

Also, very curious how much you got for your Santa Cruz!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Dave Sharp I got what I listed it for on Pinkbike!

[@dc-17-uk]

Great review! I demo'd one today and the one thing that I didn't like was pedalling uphill on singletrack. It was pretty sluggish which surprised me.. Did you experience the same?

[@waynephilbert]

Great choice of bike, and for all the right reasons. I tried the SCHTLT and the rear was WAY too short for my tastes. The HPP seems to make perfect sense too. I'm a little concerned about the drag and wear on the idler / getting replacements. Good luck with it! Do you not miss the extra 20mm of travel?

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Wayne Philbert thanks! I definitely have loved the suspension design on the Druid. I understand your hesitation with the drivetrain and I definitely had the same concern and will watch how that wears in over time! Hopefully in the long term review I’ll have a better idea. I really don’t think I’ve missed it much at all! The way the back end of the Druid reacts feels much deeper than it is. I’ve struggled most getting the fork dialed in to match with/feel as good as the back of the bike. Once I get that set I think It’ll feel that much better!

[@waynephilbert]

@@thomasthetrailengine9474 thanks for the reply. Have you any instances of the chain rubbing against your leg / shorts? It's awfully high up so it must get close.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Wayne Philbert of course! I haven’t had any issues with the chain rubbing or heel rub on the rear triangle for that matter, everything with the suspension system/drivetrain is tucked in pretty good, so it’s stayed out of the way so far!

[@xotiic592]

So how does the bike feel does it feel like a trail bike or enduro and how slack is the bike I heard it's pretty good for enduro races

[@RyandeMilliano]

Great video, I had a chance to ride this and the Dreadnought. Phenomenal progressive bikes!

[@charliemtbaustralia5308]

That’s a sick bike

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

CharlieMTB australia thanks a lot! I think so too

[@allenkvextreme]

i love the shape of that bike

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Urban Dropper me too! I think it has a really clean look to it

[@steveaj1985]

Killer bike Im sure you know this but this is what brand Eric - bc pov is riding now

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Living The Dream 865 thanks! Yes! Around the time I was looking to order mine I saw he had one and I definitely watched a lot his videos with it. Great stuff!

[@danieldevlin391]

First off great looking bike im thinking of swapping my set up for this aswell. You should try out trust performance the message front suspension. Even though knkw you said your happy with the fox.

[@L4J20]

Can’t wait to see more videos 👍🤘

[@gurluphat4840]

Great video! Subbed.

[@Gachet180]

Lovely bike. Check out Lewis Buchanan’s channel, he’s a pro EWS rider ridding for forbidden and has extensively tested his Druid with a fox coil shock. You could re-lace those DT hubs to some DT EX511 30mm rims as they’re supposed to be bombproof.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Gachet180 thanks! I’ll look more at his videos on it. I had seen he was running a coil on it and that definitely got me interested in having one on mine as well! That’s a good idea for the wheels as well. I’ve already heard of good experiences with the DT rims!

[@shaunestes1216]

What happens in Fight club, stays in Fight club!

[@jsw5387]

Did you use the Forbidden size guide for sizing or did you size up?

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Jody Wiebe I’m 6’2” and the sizing guide had me at the top end of L and bottom end of XL. I ended up going with XL and it’s been perfect! I think the Large would’ve been smaller than what I want

[@jsw5387]

@@thomasthetrailengine9474 yeah I agree. I'm 5'9" and rode the medium which is suggested by Frobidden and it's really small on me. Maybe I have ape arms or something??!?! I guess I'll be sizing up to the large.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Jody Wiebe yeah I get that! I didn’t get to test ride a Large but having ridden the XL I know the large would’ve felt a good bit too small like you were saying with the medium for yourself

[@davesharp5472]

Glad to see a new video especially one with a weird bike. Very cool. You'll be easy to spot at Oak Mountain because I've never seen anything like that there.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Dave Sharp I appreciate it! Yeah it’s definitely one that sticks out!

[@marilakay4902]

Hi, Do you have any problems by pedalling chain rubbing your pants

[@andrewcox7416]

Contact Avalanche Downhill Racing for a rear shock, they have a great program using the Marzocchi Bomber CR coil shock. They have their own CNC IFP they use along with custom valving for your riding style, weight, and bikes leverage curve. I have one for my Bronson and I’ll never go back

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Andrew Cox thanks for the info! That sounds like a really awesome setup! I’ll definitely have to check them out

[@altank8]

Do you have to send the shock in or do they sell them direct?

[@andrewcox7416]

alan coster You have have to send them the shock, check them out on Instagram or give them call and they can get you all dialed in

[@danieltejeda5244]

Great 2 cu back

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

daniel tejeda thank you! Glad to be back!

[@shaquilleoatmeal2654]

those trails are a hardtail rider's nightmare lol

[@tallpaull9367]

you need Cushcore

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Tall Paull definitely right!

[@livefreeandshred9818]

Bleed the brakes again. And again. And again. Should fix the issue. I hang my bike and bleed about 3 times and it went away

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

LiveFreeandShred thanks! I’ll have to give that a go!

[@hunterwright386]

8:30 its not the bike. its the shock. get a different shock or a coil.

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Hunter Wright I didn’t go as into depth into it but I did mention I’m looking at swapping the shock out. I definitely think a coil would play nicer with it

[@doctajuice]

Yoooooooo!

[@themagicillusions]

Holy crap look at you! All married and grown up :) I hope you don’t mind me asking but how old are you? You seem super young to get married!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Phil Rossetti I’m only grown up on paper haha. I definitely don’t mind! I’d consider myself pretty young but maybe not as young as I look. I’m 24 and I’ll be 25 in a couple months!

[@tristannguyen1717]

Married? Dude, I thought you were like 16!

[@thomasthetrailengine9474]

Tristan Nguyen 😂😂 I don’t blame you. I’m 24!

[@kenny_kaos]

Holy shit was wondering what happened to you