Forbidden Druid - Avinox Powered

My Zeb Ultimate wasn't a factory fit as I got a Core 3 so had the base spec ones so not sure what's actually in it 😂 sped the rebound up a touch from the recommended setup and running around 87psi and seems to be pretty good. I will get them stripped at serviced with a WPS piston and 170mm air spring eventually though but they are definitely better than the 38 Factory on my other bike.

Same goes with the Vivid Air rear, it's on the suggested setup with a bit faster rebound, stock tokens and around 280psi, HBO set to the middle and feels good enough. Kinda tempted to try an EXT coil on it though as I love the one on my other bike, but I was hoping to loose some weight off the bike so maybe not
 
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Chairman said:
I see a lot of folk changing forks and shocks which is fine but at the same time I reckon the zeb and Vivid come with a really good albeit aggressive tune and once dialed to personal preference with pressure reducers and a wee bit of clicker fine tuning. It is this fine tuning I would be interested in hearing about from folks if possible. Don't get me wrong I do think all the upgrades being made are great but i am keen to max out the standard before I venture into potential upgrades
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I’m very happy with the vivid air - no changes. I’m running a 38 at 170mm because it was laying around and I really like the x2 damper.
 
Just tried out a 250mm axs reverb dropper.. I can almost slam it all the way into an S4 frame. At around 10-15mm til the collar of the dropper you reach one of the cables of the charging port, which is pretty thick. You can push it down though are try to find a different spot for the cable although it is pretty crowed below the dropper post. I glady do not need it slammed anyhow. Around 17mm left and dropper does not touch the cable.
 
sprousaTM said:
Just tried out a 250mm axs reverb dropper.. I can almost slam it all the way into an S4 frame. At around 10-15mm til the collar of the dropper you reach one of the cables of the charging port, which is pretty thick. You can push it down though are try to find a different spot for the cable although it is pretty crowed below the dropper post. I glady do not need it slammed anyhow. Around 17mm left and dropper does not touch the cable.
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If you want to eek out another 2mm or so you can unscrew the red cap at the bottom 😁 Prob shouldn’t. I did though.
 
Just lobbed into the Northern Hemisphere for winter, foregoing the stinking heat of Downunder. Apparently my bike arrived last week but had to be prepped...so didn't take possession. I'm away for 3 months so will see if it's still at the shop when I get back. I did mention this when I put the order in 🙄 however will see how they deal with it. I've only put a deposit down so technically not mine yet.
In the mean time I'm back on the Norco Bigfoot VLT phatty for the winter riding the local mtb trails instead.
Looking forward to hearing all the feedback from all of you on the interim!
 
Red Peekay said:
Just lobbed into the Northern Hemisphere for winter, foregoing the stinking heat of Downunder. Apparently my bike arrived last week but had to be prepped...so didn't take possession. I'm away for 3 months so will see if it's still at the shop when I get back. I did mention this when I put the order in 🙄 however will see how they deal with it. I've only put a deposit down so technically not mine yet.
In the mean time I'm back on the Norco Bigfoot VLT phatty for the winter riding the local mtb trails instead.
Looking forward to hearing all the feedback from all of you on the interim!
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Can confirm for me after 900 km and 30000 metres climbing over pretty much everything Rotorua has to offer the bike just keeps getting better. I have not hurried into making changes as we get to know each other but every small change I have made has been noticeable pretty much always in a good way
 
Highland Wheels said:
My Zeb Ultimate wasn't a factory fit as I got a Core 3 so had the base spec ones so not sure what's actually in it 😂 sped the rebound up a touch from the recommended setup and running around 87psi and seems to be pretty good. I will get them stripped at serviced with a WPS piston and 170mm air spring eventually though but they are definitely better than the 38 Factory on my other bike.

Same goes with the Vivid Air rear, it's on the suggested setup with a bit faster rebound, stock tokens and around 280psi, HBO set to the middle and feels good enough. Kinda tempted to try an EXT coil on it though as I love the one on my other bike, but I was hoping to loose some weight off the bike so maybe not
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Out of interest, what’s your riding weight?
I’m trying to find the right pressure for my Zeb and Vivid but not getting much riding in with this weather. I’m at 85 in the Zeb and 260 for the Vivid at 87kgs.
 
andyjayh said:
Out of interest, what’s your riding weight?
I’m trying to find the right pressure for my Zeb and Vivid but not getting much riding in with this weather. I’m at 85 in the Zeb and 260 for the Vivid at 87kgs.
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I'm around 99kgs

The RS trailhead app is pretty good for a baseline pressure then just adjust from there. I don't really measure sag when I setup, just add or remove air until it feels right but the app helps you get a decent start point. I run about 28% sag when using the app to get a guideline pressure then adjust to suit where I'm riding.
 
Highland Wheels said:
I'm around 99kgs

The RS trailhead app is pretty good for a baseline pressure then just adjust from there. I don't really measure sag when I setup, just add or remove air until it feels right but the app helps you get a decent start point. I run about 28% sag when using the app to get a guideline pressure then adjust to suit where I'm riding.
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Thanks. Used the Trailhead app today for some base setting and it worked well. Found that running LSC & HSC on the fork worked best. I normally run HSC open but I had a couple of clicks of LSC but when I opened that up it made a world of difference for me. Now very happy with the bike and it's pretty much where I hoped it would be, feeling very confident on it.
 
It's a good app to help get a fairly decent baseline out the box, I've still not really spent enough time bracketing but it feels decent as it is so will carry on just riding it


On the negative side. My mode selector remote has decided to stop working, or the lower button anyway. So currently can't cycle down assist modes with it. Hoping to get a replacement sorted before the Xmas shut down but doubtful.

May fit the other remote back on and configure that to change assist levels or I'm sure you can just use the power button on the screen to cycle through them
 
Highland Wheels said:
It's a good app to help get a fairly decent baseline out the box, I've still not really spent enough time bracketing but it feels decent as it is so will carry on just riding it


On the negative side. My mode selector remote has decided to stop working, or the lower button anyway. So currently can't cycle down assist modes with it. Hoping to get a replacement sorted before the Xmas shut down but doubtful.

May fit the other remote back on and configure that to change assist levels or I'm sure you can just use the power button on the screen to cycle through them
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My right h/s remote does this fairly often, lower button stops working. I’ve enabled the sounds on button press and it still makes a noise but stops changing the menu…. Last ride it was ok though so not sure what’s going on with it.
 
So my left hand remote has given up due to water ingress. There is a small white sticker inside under the battery that turns red when it gets water in.

Bit pissed to be honest. I know it's had a fair amount of wet riding but I done FAR more on my old Intense Shimano Ep8 thag never had any issues with water ingress into the controller.

60 quid for a new one, Gonna look at packing some dielectric grease into the new to to help. But pretty poor show on the waterproofing front.


Oh and also, I'd recommend people avoid the ridewrap kit for these and get the Invisiframe. My ridewrap kit is peeling on some corners and edges that arn't flat. Unfortunately they didn't have an S4 Invisiframe kit at the time so they had to use Ridewrap instead.
 
Highland Wheels said:
So my left hand remote has given up due to water ingress. There is a small white sticker inside under the battery that turns red when it gets water in.

Bit pissed to be honest. I know it's had a fair amount of wet riding but I done FAR more on my old Intense Shimano Ep8 thag never had any issues with water ingress into the controller.

60 quid for a new one, Gonna look at packing some dielectric grease into the new to to help. But pretty poor show on the waterproofing front.


Oh and also, I'd recommend people avoid the ridewrap kit for these and get the Invisiframe. My ridewrap kit is peeling on some corners and edges that arn't flat. Unfortunately they didn't have an S4 Invisiframe kit at the time so they had to use Ridewrap instead.
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Same thing happened to me. I just left the remote in dry room for a few days and it started working again when I inserted a new battery. I now have added small amount of grease (Slickoleum) around the rubber seal and it seems to be holding up.
 
Highland Wheels said:
So my left hand remote has given up due to water ingress. There is a small white sticker inside under the battery that turns red when it gets water in.

Bit pissed to be honest. I know it's had a fair amount of wet riding but I done FAR more on my old Intense Shimano Ep8 thag never had any issues with water ingress into the controller.

60 quid for a new one, Gonna look at packing some dielectric grease into the new to to help. But pretty poor show on the waterproofing front.


Oh and also, I'd recommend people avoid the ridewrap kit for these and get the Invisiframe. My ridewrap kit is peeling on some corners and edges that arn't flat. Unfortunately they didn't have an S4 Invisiframe kit at the time so they had to use Ridewrap instead.
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Ooops..😖 I've already ordered the ride wrap... that's assuming they hold the bike for me until march 😵‍💫
 
Highland Wheels said:
So my left hand remote has given up due to water ingress. There is a small white sticker inside under the battery that turns red when it gets water in.

Bit pissed to be honest. I know it's had a fair amount of wet riding but I done FAR more on my old Intense Shimano Ep8 thag never had any issues with water ingress into the controller.

60 quid for a new one, Gonna look at packing some dielectric grease into the new to to help. But pretty poor show on the waterproofing front.


Oh and also, I'd recommend people avoid the ridewrap kit for these and get the Invisiframe. My ridewrap kit is peeling on some corners and edges that arn't flat. Unfortunately they didn't have an S4 Invisiframe kit at the time so they had to use Ridewrap instead.
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I have read a few comments saying the remotes don’t hold up against water very well and some form of grease is recommended. Like you, I had many years on my Spesh Kenevo SL prior to this bike with no problems in that area. Can’t comment on my Whyte elyte as that’s only 8 months old and not gone through a winter. The design of the remote is similar though.

Hmm, I have a Ridewrap on mine and so far it’s ok. Had Ridewrap on my Whyte and Privateer and both of these are ok. Do you think it’s the kit or installation?
 
andyjayh said:
I have read a few comments saying the remotes don’t hold up against water very well and some form of grease is recommended. Like you, I had many years on my Spesh Kenevo SL prior to this bike with no problems in that area. Can’t comment on my Whyte elyte as that’s only 8 months old and not gone through a winter. The design of the remote is similar though.

Hmm, I have a Ridewrap on mine and so far it’s ok. Had Ridewrap on my Whyte and Privateer and both of these are ok. Do you think it’s the kit or installation?
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It's almost certainly the installation.
I've used many kits from both, the ridewrap is thicker, and more prone to pulling back on compound corners if there's adhesive contamination or excessive soap in the wetting agent.
 
Dunno, it's lifted on the chain stays as well as some corners. The shop prefers to use Invisiframe vs ride wrap and I noticed on collection the quality of the film didn't seem anywhere near as good as what the invisiframe does on my other bike. That's still in perfect condition

My mate does PPF so I'll probably just remove the Ride wrap bits that have failed and get him to cut me some better quality film to replace it.
 
Highland Wheels said:
Dunno, I'd say the kit as it's lifted on the chain stays as well as some corners. The shop prefers to use Invisiframe vs ride wrap and I noticed on collection the quality of the film didn't seem anywhere near as good as what the invisiframe does on my other bike. That's still in perfect condition

My mate does PPF so I'll probably just remove the Ride wrap bits that have failed and get him to cut me some better quality film to replace it.
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I've done dozens from each, and screwed some up from both as well !
The ridewrap is thicker and more durable when it comes to impact damage from small rocks and such.
The invisiframe is thinner and easier to apply, other than the lack of a numbering system on the kit.
Invisiframe is pretty tolerant on compound corners mainly due to it's thickness, it doesn't have as much elasticity working against the adhesive.
The times I've had trouble with either kit for lifting on edges has always been down to a heavy soap mix, or not using a setting compound (water mixed with isopropyl) on those edges that are under mechanical stress. And then riding it too soon and having the edges become contaminated.
 
Had a cracking ride out on the Druid yesterday in which it finally clicked with me. I’ve been gradually tweaking the sag on the shock and dailing in the compression on the fork. I had followed the suggested setting from Forbidden but I found these were to soft. The TrailHead app got me in a better place with the pressure and rebound. Then it was just tweaking the LSC, which I found worked best when fully open. After screwing up a couple of drops and gaps, I found the bike took these lack of skill moments in its stride and I was confident to keep going and pushing on. This was the feeling I was looking for, when my skills ran out, the bike was not fazed And it gave me the confidence to push on.

IMG_3071.jpeg
 
50mm PNW bars added and removed 5mm spacer to keep the reach kinda similar, normally ride a renthal bar but fancied trying something a bit more compliant this time round.
1000052070.jpg


Bar height isn't massively higher than my Claymore with a 50mm riser either maybe 15mm or so and I'd even say the deviate feels low anyway.

e944fe68-32b0-4192-b1e4-7855963f3e56-1_all_36904.jpg


Hard to capture a photo to compare the two, Claymore does also have a 180mm 38 on the front mind you.
 
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eDruid acquitting itself well in the PB field test. Tbh, they all seem like great bikes (as they should for what they cost).

I don't see the point of having an ebike in a region like that, I would go with a TQ if I really felt the need. But enjoyed the videos nonetheless.
 
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