Forbidden Reya first look
Forbidden Bike Co drops the high pivot but keeps the proportional geometry
Meet Reya. A short travel trail bike done the Forbidden way. Proportional geo, predictable handling, and a penchant for serving a disproportionate dose of confidence. Up, down, cross country, or back country, this punchy little bike covers ground efficiently while retaining its ability to get rowdy and hang tough when the trail gets rough.
This is not an XCO bike with pumped-up travel. It is a bike built from the ground up to maximise fun and speed, especially on trails that don’t require the axle path of Druid.
There’s no high-pivot, no idler, and no flex stays. Instead the Reya has Forbidden’s proportional geometry, a re-imagined Trifecta kinematic, and a full complement of bearings.
Geometry
Like all of Forbidden’s bikes, the Reya uses the OneRide geometry philosophy with genuinely-proportional rear centres across the size range. That’s something you won’t find on any other short travel bike.
The benefits are the same as on all Forbidden’s bikes: better weight distribution, balanced suspension feel, and consistent front-to-rear tire grip. Plus, you get the same trail characteristic across all sizes, regardless of rider stature or size.
Forbidden has paired that with steeper seat tube angles on the larger sizes, keeping rider position centred and efficient when the trail points uphill.
Reimagined Trifecta Kinematic
At the heart of the bike is a reimagined TRIFECTA kinematic. Forbidden put less priority on the axle path and more on getting the right suspension characteristic for the intended trail and use case for this category.
The goal was simple: squeeze every ounce of performance out of 120mm of rear wheel travel, whether you’re climbing, sprinting, or pointing it downhill.
No flex stays here. No compromised suspension characteristics. No loss of sensitivity. This is a proper linkage-driven bike.
Leverage curve
The leverage curve is progressive, and that’s for good reason. It gives consistent support through the travel, maximising how efficiently energy transfers from you through the bike and into the ground. That applies whether you’re pedalling or pumping into terrain.
The advent of larger-volume air cans on shocks has enabled Forbidden to complement the progressivity of the linkage to deliver sensitivity and traction where it matters, without sacrificing bottom-out resistance.
Pedal Kickback
No idler. No problem. Forbidden fine-tuned chain feedback to give complementary behaviour across the gear range. A little more tension in the easier gears, less in the harder gears.
The result is a bike that feels calm when you’re climbing and effortless on the way down. Pair that with a consistent 80 per cent anti-rise, and you have a predictable, surefooted platform with no surprises when things get steep or rough.
Anti-squat
Anti-squat sits around 110 per cent at sag in the climbing gears, which hits our desired sweet spot. It’s stable under power, but still active enough to track the ground on the techy stuff.
As you move into harder gears, anti-squat increases, so when it’s time to stamp on the pedals, the bike resists diving into its travel, meaning more of your effort turns into forward motion.
Finer Details
Accessory mounts
Accessory mounts and room for a full-size bottle on all sizes. Just the one bottle, actually, and that’s intentional. We prioritised shock mount locations over two bottle cages. The shock is mounted off the
bottom bracket area, which gives us a stiffer base and reduces torsional loads compared to top-tube mounted shocks. It also keeps the shock mass lower in the frame.
No internal frame storage
That’s also intentional. It adds weight you can’t remove, unlike a strapped-on tube and tool or a pump on accessory mounts. And let’s be real, massive downtubes aren’t exactly doing anyone any favours aesthetically. Honestly, modern hydration packs are pretty good.
Full complement of bearings
Despite being light and lively, this thing is built to last. We’ve used a full complement of properly sized bearings. No undergunned hardware, no corners cut. It’s a durable package without the penalty you usually pay for durability.
No headset cable routing
No headset routing. Instead, we use our versatile cable management system so you can run your brakes whichever way you want and even have a cable-actuated shock lockout if you wish. We’ve also included ISCG mounts for those nifty little chain guides.
Build tiers and spec highlights
Tier 1
Fork: Fox Factory 34SL
Shock: Fox Factory Float
Drivetrain: SRAM XXSL T-Type
Brkes: SRAM Motive Ultimate
Wheels: DT 1500 Carbon w 240 Hubs
Cockpit: OneUp/BikeYoke/fizik
Tier 2
Fork: RockShox Pike Ultimate
Shock: RockShox Deluxe Ultimate
Drivetrain: SRAM GX T-type
Brkes: SRAM Motive Silver
Wheels: DT 1700 w 350 Hubs
Cockpit: OneUp/BikeYoke/fizik
Tier 3
Fork: RockShox Pike Select+
Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select+
Drivetrain: SRAM Eagle 90 T-type
Brkes: SRAM Motive Bronze
Wheels: DT 1900 w 370 Hubs
Cockpit: Forbidden
