HIGH-PIVOT IDLER ENDURO BIKES RADICAL RIPPERS

DH racers have been getting busy on idler bikes for years but does the design translate to enduro? We test two machines from Forbidden and GT

- Alan Muldoon

In this, our second high-pivot idler bike test, we’ve upped the ante by increasing the travel. And by stepping into enduro territory – with the GT Force and Forbidden Dreadnought – we’re excited to see if idler designs make more sense in this arena. After all, enduro racing is much closer in nature to downhill than trail riding and idler bikes have definitely proved their worth on that stage.

And while high-pivot idler bikes seem to be the current trend in bike design, no one can accuse Forbidden or GT of jumping on the idler bandwagon. Owen Pemberton, the man behind Forbidden, is no stranger to idler bikes, because before going his own way to start Forbidden Bikes he designed and developed the high pivot idler bikes for Norco. It’s a similar story at GT, only in reverse. Luis Arraiz designed and manufactured a four-bar idler bike under his K9 Industries brand as early as 2010. He’s now the current head of suspension development at GT, so it’s no coincidence that GT’s current idler design shares some of the same traits. Old dogs with old tricks? Possibly. But it’s more likely that both engineers were ahead of the curve and the rest of the industry is slowly catching up.

That’s not to imply that the GT Force and Forbidden Dreadnought are alike, though. Yes, they both employ idlers to help decouple chain forces for the suspension, especially under braking, but the Forbidden is a high single-pivot design, while the GT is a mid-pivot four-bar. And while the last thing the bike industry needs is further fragmentation, it’s important to distinguish between both designs.