Rider

Name: Rich Frogh
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 150lbs

Since his first demo ride on a Druid, our marketing manager Rich Frogh was hooked by Forbidden’s high pivot witchcraft. When he heard whispers of the Dreadnoughts release, Rich was one of the first in line, eager to try the long travel variation. Building up his Dreadnought, he opted for components from Push Industries, TRP, Tenet, We Are One, Industry Nine, and RockShox. With a drivetrain consisting of a mix of Sram AXS and Shimano XT, he has created one of the more unique builds in the shop.

Rich and his Dreadnought and his fresh Vans.

Bike Details

Frame: Forbidden Dreadnought
Size: Large
Shock: Push ElevenSix, (350lb spring)
Fork:RockShox Zeb, 180mm 
Wheels: We Are One Union Rim, Industry Nine Hydra Classic Hub
Tires: 2.5” Maxxis Assegai, MaxxGrip DoubleDown, front / 2.4” Maxxis DHR II, MaxxGrip  Double Down, rear
Drivetrain: Shimano Deore 170 Crank, 34T XT Chainring, Sram GX AXS Shifter, Sram GX AXS Derailleur, Shimano XT Chain, and Shimano XT Cassette
Pedals: Tenet Occult
Brakes: TRP DH-R Evo, 220mm front, 203mm rear
Cockpit:  Tenet Bodem Carbon Bar 770mm,  Tenet Nora 2.0 32mm, Death Grip DMR Lock-On Flange
Dropper: OneUp 210mm
Saddle: Chromag Trailmaster LTD

The Dreadnought expands upon the Druid's well-received high-pivot design, offering 154mm of rear travel.

When did your passion for mountain biking begin? 

In college, I had a buddy who was managing a bike shop in Utah and needed help. I went into the shop basically just building boxed bikes. At the time, I had my dad's old hardtail which was a Schwinn Moab. I started riding with those guys in the shop and was super afraid at first, thinking “oh man these guys are going to smoke me.” Then I kinda kicked everybody’s ass up the hill and was like “alright this mountain biking thing is pretty fun.” It just kinda took off from there. 

AXS, Tenet Bodem Bars, and a Tenet Nora stem make for a clean cockpit.

What made you choose the Dreadnought?

I had a Specialized Enduro and really liked that bike. Then I demoed our Forbidden Druid and I enjoyed it; super fun and playful. That was a 130mm bike but felt like way more travel; I just loved that high-pivot. As soon as they told us there was a bigger one coming out I was like, “Cool, put me on the list. I want one of the first ones.” Before I’d even seen it, I just knew that I wanted a Dreadnought.

Rich has opted for a Slab Grey 180mm RockShox Zeb.

How does the Dreadnaught compare to the Druid? 

So the Druid is definitely a bit more lively because it's a shorter travel bike. It is 130mm in the rear but as I mentioned, that high-pivot makes it feel more like a 150mm trail bike. Whereas the Dreadnought is 154mm travel but it feels like a big-bruiser, similar to an Enduro. 

Some slightly muddy high-pivot witchcraft.

How would you describe the ride quality of a high-pivot bike? 

The high-pivot is a hot topic in the industry. Forbidden were the first guys to bring it to a trail bike and now a lot of other people are doing it. The high-pivot has that rearward axle path, so when you are accelerating on say, an enduro racecourse, or something chunky, the rear wheel doesn’t get hung up on anything. It moves back and then up and over an object, so it just feels like “free” speed. 

No detail is overlooked on this build; 3D-printed mudguards protect the pistons and pads.

How are you liking the TRP DH-R Evo brakes? 

I love those things. Actually, the friend who had hired me at the bike shop back in the day now works at TRP. He had kinda been bugging me to try them. I picked up a set when building up the Dreadnought and I’ve been really stoked on them. They’ve got a really distinct bite-point and good modulation. Sometimes SRAM brakes can feel a bit “gummy” and Shimanos have a really distinct bite. These are honestly the best of both worlds. 

Featuring two independently tunable compression circuits, the Push ElevenSix allows for high and low-speed adjustments across two modes. Whether these modes are an “open” and “climb, “soft” and “firm”, or “tech” and “flow” settings are dependent on the rider and how they chose to tune them.

How does the Push Industries shock perform on the Dreadnought frame? 

They tune those shocks specifically for each bike, so I don’t even have to think about it. It does have a lot of adjustment. It has two damper circuits, but I honestly just keep it in the “open” mode. I haven’t had to touch the compression and have only sped the rebound up a couple of clicks. That thing comes perfectly tuned for that bike and an individual rider’s weight. 

I have also run the Fox Float X2 on there though. I swap between the air and the coil. I basically, put the X2 on when I want a bit more of a “poppy” feel, a little bit more fun on the bike. Whereas the Push just soaks up everything and makes it feel like a giant bouncy castle. 

Custom is our specialty.

What is one aspect of your bike that is unique to you?

I would probably say my fender. I got just a standard plastic fender and put some decals on there I made that say, “Black Sabbath made me do it”. I’m a big black Sabbath guy so that’s definitely the most unique feature on there. 

It’s hard to deny the minimalistic beauty of Sram AXS.

Rich believes batteries are here to stay and says his experimental Shimano/Sram AXS system has been performing well.

How has the combination of Sram GX AXS and a Shimano XT been working? 

It works great. The Shimano hyper glide cassette works well with Sram AXS. It took one or two rides to get the B limit set but besides that AXS is sweet. It really cleans up the setup. I just wish they made a 210mm AXS Reverb to eliminate one more cable. Whether people like it or not, I think it's the future. 

OneUp’s EDC tool has become a common component choice around the shop.

Wolf Tooth Pack Pliers and a DynaPlug Racer are stored alongside a spare tube.

What was the most memorable ride you’ve taken your Dreadnaught on?

Nothing super crazy memorable, but I definitely had some big days on it. Despite it being a big bike, I had no problem going out and climbing 6,000ft and riding 20-30 miles. This last year I kept a lot of my riding local and didn't go anywhere crazy. So no memorable rides but lots of “memorable” rides. 

This beautiful build has yet to touch Canadian soil, Rich hopes to change that soon.

If you could ride your Dreadnought on any trail in the world right now, which trail would it be and why?

I would go up to Whistler and ride Dirt Merchant. I had built up my Enduro a couple of years ago with the intention of going to Whistler a bunch. Then the pandemic hit and I never got up there before I sold that bike. Then of course I built this one up and it’s been tough to get up to Canada since. I really want to get it up there and ride Dirt Merchant.