Bike Check: Comparing Connor Fearon & Magnus Manson's Dual Crown Forbidden Dreadnoughts

Mar 28, 2022
by Ed Spratt  
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With the World Cup kicking off at Lourdes last weekend we finally got to see plenty of fresh tech and race bikes including the dual crown Dreadnoughts being ridden by the Forbidden team. We went to the pits to check out what setup Connor Fearon and Magnus Manson were running on their hybrid enduro bikes. Check out the details of their race builds and some of the differences in setup below.

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Connor Fearon
Instagram @connorahoyhoy

Bike Details
Frame: Forbidden Dreadnought, size medium
Fork RockShox Boxxer Ultimate // 190mm travel, 3 tokens and 151 psi
Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe // 375lb spring // 154mm of travel
Drivetrain: SRAM 7spd
Brakes: SRAM Code RSC // 220mm rotor front and 200mm rear
Wheels: Crankbrothers Synthesis Carbon DH
Tires: Maxxis Assegai and DHRII with rear Cushcore XC Insert

photo
Magnus Manson
Instagram: @magnusmanson

Bike Details
Frame: Forbidden Dreadnought, size large
Fork RockShox Boxxer Ultimate // 190mm travel, 175 psi
Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe // 180mm of travel
Drivetrain: SRAM 7spd
Brakes: SRAM Code RSC // 200mm rotor front and 220mm rear
Wheels: Crankbrothers Synthesis Carbon DH
Tires: Maxxis DHRII with rear Cushcore XC Insert

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While both Connor and Magnus are running the same Crankbrothers Carbon Synthesis DH rims, Magnus is using a Chris King rear hub.

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For Magnus' race bike the rear travel has been increased to 180mm instead of the stock 154mm.

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Both riders have chosen an alloy bar due to personal preferences, but Connors opts for his cut down to 760mm whereas Magnus prefers something wider at 785mm.

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Another change in preference between bikes is brake rotors. Connor is running 220mm upfront and 200mm at the rear, but Magnus swaps this around with a 220mm rotor at the rear. We were told this is to change up the bite factor for a different feeling in the hands.

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Each bike was running 165mm cranks with Crankbrothers pedals, but Connor stuck with the Stamp flats, while Magnus clipped into the Mallet DH pedals.

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Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks DH Bikes Forbidden Forbidden Dreadnought Connor Fearon Magnus Manson Lourdes Dh World Cup 2022


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119 Comments
  • 76 0
 Do these guys change their real names for pro racing or they just have dope names
  • 41 1
 Dick Pound
  • 52 0
 Is the long travel on Magnus bike from a shock stroke change or linkage change?
  • 5 4
 Dreadnought runs a 65mm stroke trunnion which is the highest stroke available
  • 12 1
 I've read that the cascade druid link "unofficially" fits on the dreadnought and gives it more travel. The Forbidden team must have come up with something similar
  • 5 0
 possibly a cascade link or something alike
  • 7 0
 @spendtimebehindbars: unless they made a linkage to run a 225 eye to eye trunnion instead. In which case they could run a stroke of 67.5- 75 mm.
  • 28 1
 Clearly this race was rigged, their idlers are WAAY higher than everyone else’s . They won, everyone knows it. I demand a rerun!
  • 2 0
 @notsosikmik: if you just bump the leverage ratio with a different link, you can get more travel with the same size shock (and up the spring rate)
  • 26 0
 @scary1: how did the Demos even get down the hill without an idler?
  • 6 0
 The coil on there is for a max of 65mm stroke shock, which is what's stock on the dreadnaught. Must be a link.
  • 2 2
 @scary1: I don't think that the height of the idler affects the overall performance and speed of the bike.
If you were joking. LOL
  • 3 0
 You should wait for a bike check for that. Ah, was that?
  • 1 0
 @hamncheez: Oh for sure, I am definitely aware of that. I would also say the higher leverage ratio should be actually be able to work really well for someone Magnus size. Maybe I just misread "spendtimebehindbars" comment but I just wanted to point out that there is a longer stroke trunnion shock on the market than the 205 chassis. Also It is not that crazy to think they couldn't go to a longer shock if they wanted. Cascade is currently offering a linkage for the turbo levo that runs a 230 length shock instead of the 210 in order to get a more favorable leverage ratio for heavier riders.

cascadecomponents.bike/collections/specialized-linkages/products/turbo-levo-long-shock-kit-2022-current
  • 3 0
 @notsosikmik: If my math is right, the stock Dreadnaught has a pretty low leverage ratio of 2.4, so there's plenty of room to bump it up. I don't think its necessary to go longer stroke, plus there isn't much room down there compared to the Specialized design
  • 3 0
 @luked5: I have the Dread with the "Duid Cascasde Link". Estimated 165-167mm in the rear. But still could use when riding DH tracks. My bike is paired with 185 MRP Barrlett. Very inspired by Conner and Magnus! Either way, stoked they are cooking something up at Forbidden!
  • 3 0
 Definitely a custom link; the leverage rate at the end of the stock Dreadnought's travel is below 2.0 and falling quickly, so there's no way they could get an extra 25mm of travel just by using a longer stroke shock
  • 1 0
 @carlinojoe317: Do you like the Bartlett? I can't get people to give me an honest review of it
  • 3 0
 @hamncheez: The Barlett surprisingly good on a Down/duro bike. Like I have 185F/165R. I have a Fox40 and Fox 38 on my other bikes. Have tried Vorsprung coil kit and Secus. So I'm pretty in tune with suspension character.
I need more time on it to give a solid review, but with the travel adjustability, the + and - air pressure. It's pretty well rounded. I got it used for $750, so you can beat the price.
  • 2 0
 @scary1: clearly the Russians hacked the race.
  • 1 0
 @carlinojoe317: How do you like the Bartlett?
  • 1 0
 @scary1: stop the race!
  • 1 0
 @aireeek: The Barlett surprisingly good on a Down/duro bike. Like I have 185F/165R. I have a Fox40 and Fox 38 on my other bikes. Have tried Vorsprung coil kit and Secus. So I'm pretty in tune with suspension character.
I need more time on it to give a solid review, but with the travel adjustability, the + and - air pressure. It's pretty well rounded. I got it used for $750, so you can beat the price.
  • 1 0
 @carlinojoe317: I’m interested in doing this! Any drawbacks you’ve noticed so far? Clearance issues?
  • 1 0
 @notsosikmik: Cascade uses a longer stroke shock get a lower leverage ratio to work with bigger riders.
  • 1 0
 @Joecx: Isn't that exactly what I said?
  • 1 19
flag mollow (Mar 28, 2022 at 23:56) (Below Threshold)
 @joewlo: what the actual f*ck are you on about? Clearance issues with a fork? Stfu and smarten the f*ck up
  • 3 0
 @mollow: I was asking @carlinojoe317 about his cascade link. but ok
  • 1 0
 @DylanH93: everybody knows!
  • 2 0
 @ryd-or-die: recount the seconds!
  • 1 0
 @joewlo: clearances on the fork? No fits fine.
  • 1 0
 @joewlo: hahaha sorry, I see the replies below. Cascade link has no clearance issues using the Fox air shock. I have the same shock 205 x 65mm. It does ramp up really hard at the end of the stroke, not sure if this is the bikes character or the cascade link. I have no volume spacers in the shock either. Might be great with a coil.
  • 21 0
 Didn't Forbidden say they were going to be bringing a full on DH bike to the WC this year? As much as I am impressed with how well they are riding these bikes just seems like they'd be flying if they had a proper 200/200 bike. I own a dreadnought and I am always impressed with how above its weight it punches.
  • 3 0
 I have a Druid with Cascade link and it feels plenty for all the enduro tracks I ride. Looking forward to trying it out in a bike park. These bikes punch weigh above their travel #s.
  • 14 0
 They said that a Dh bike is in the works but they will start the season on dreadnoughts
  • 13 0
 In one of the Cathro videos he mentioned they should be on the DH bike by mid-season.
  • 3 0
 Fort William will be the debut of the new bike
  • 14 0
 Nice bikes but Connor needs a proper dh bike. Amazing he finished top 30 with only 154 rear travel. Could see him in the top ten with a proper bike
  • 7 20
flag mollow (Mar 28, 2022 at 23:59) (Below Threshold)
 Yeah poor guy's been stuck on a fucking Kona for so many years and now he has to ride a 154mm travel piece of shit down that gnarly track... Gotta feel for the man.
  • 14 1
 Crazy to see Connors pedals, How many world cup riders still use flats? Surely almost nobody?
  • 9 0
 Brendan F did during this race.
  • 7 0
 Connor and I think Brendan?
  • 10 0
 just brendawg and fearon
  • 10 9
 Watch the slow mo from vital, IMO it shows how disadvantaged they are. Flats are fun but clips offer way more control.
  • 10 2
 @HeatedRotor: at this level it isn't control, it's literally hanging on for dear life. Most top gravity racers are clipped in on race day just to stay on the bike at mach schnell.
  • 2 5
 @wyorider: The "staying on the pedals" is an extra for clips, Look at how much further forward they are on the bike compared to BF, they can stand straight up on clips moving weight around better something you are highly restricted on when on flats because the more horizontal a flat pedal the less grip you generate on the pedal and if you suddenly take a hard hit it will bounce your foot.

Thankfully i can ride both in any situation but i for sure notice the difference in control, I do agree learning to ride in flats is much better and i do ride flats far more than clips.
  • 1 0
 I use my flats in two situations 1. the first few rides on a new bike (including XC), 2. wet conditions (like Gee in Cairns).
  • 1 0
 @iamamodel: super wet or super cold (below freezing) for me
  • 7 0
 Coils are back in a big way!
  • 4 0
 geometry of the rear triangles in the manson looks like a giant came and smooshed it down on the back end
  • 3 0
 is it just me or does conors bike look slacker? maybe just a frame size or color thing....
  • 10 1
 Probably due to the smaller travel shock
  • 1 0
 @endurogan: Knew I was missing something, thanks!
  • 1 1
 Is he runing it mullet with a Ziggy link? that would slacken the bike
  • 2 0
 I just saw it on one picture, Connor running the ziggy link mullet setup witch slackens the bike by 0,4°
  • 3 0
 Interesting that they aren't using the new thicker Sram rotors.
  • 3 1
 Its just a feel thing, this track isnt Heavy on brakes either.
  • 6 0
 Never thought I’d say this

Name checks out @HeatedRotor:
  • 3 1
 @CambridgeO: haha, yep - had a feeling i might get this comment. I used this name as id just had issues with shimano brakes getting hot all the time. my fault for using them instead of my normal TRP
  • 2 0
 the Dreadnought has gotta be one of the dopest bike names ever in my opinion.
  • 3 1
 220mm rotor on the rear and 200 front? why?
  • 5 0
 Back gets hotter maybe? Its a euro thing that I have seen in the alps.
  • 3 0
 The rotor mismatch is really interesting. There was a great interview with the guy from Galfer on the Blister Bikes and Big Ideas podcast (am I allowed to say that on here?) about pro braking preferences.

Apparently some pros actually use a lot of rear brake when racing and emphasize the front brake a bit less. They've been using braking telemetry to hit the right rotor size for the individual racers braking style.
  • 14 1
 Makes the bite feel similar front to rear. The longer hose to the rear tends to soften the feel. Sometimes people get distracted by the lack of rear power and stay on the brakes for too long.
  • 6 0
 This is really interesting and something I have been meaning to try.

I've seen some YouTube videos from a guy who made this thing called the "brake ace" that measures brake temp and other factors. He talked about how the rear brake overheats much more and riders tend to use it more than the front by a significant margin (35/65 bias I think). Personally, I know I always find my rear brake overheats more than the front and I often drag the rear brake in sections to control speed while letting off the front to allow the front wheel to grip better, so I can totally see the advantage.
  • 2 0
 @eblackwell: I could knock up a brake DAQ box in about five minutes but I don’t need to. I realised after some coaching that I was leaning on the rear more than I had assumed. I’m a heavy guy so my brakes need to dissipate a lot of energy. I tried 220 on the rear after having run it on the front for a couple of years. It’s staying on there now for both my trail and downduro. I was concerned I would lose modulation but I find it to be more consistent over longer rides.
  • 2 2
 Because people use the rear more than the front, so you don't need a massive rotor on the front. However, I just run both sizes the same in case I jack one up. Mismatched rotors is a terrible idea for a regular rider, IMO.
  • 2 0
 Marshy didn't quite say go to 220 rear, but did suggest having a smaller rear rotor seemed off to him in a bike setup vid.
  • 2 0
 Heat management, probably.
  • 1 0
 I think Troy brosnan had a similar thing going last year, it was to do with thickness and getting the reach and contact point dialed
  • 2 0
 enduro-mtb.com/en/rotor-size-myth
  • 4 2
 @bash80: article is spot on. I think bigger rotor in front comes from the days of tiny rotors and crap brakes, where having a big one in the front was a necessity for the bike to not be a total death trap. Now that brakes are amazing, we can focus on refining the feel. Bigger in back just makes so much sense, since those get way more use.
  • 2 0
 @bash80: People need to read that, Alot of riders ride off the back so alot of weight is on the rear of the bike.
Most riders will use more rear than front and on a MTB it makes sense as you control your speed with the rear while allowing the front to track and steer better.
  • 5 0
 Heat. The front does hard braking but then it's off again, so it can cool down, where the back is more often dragged (or fully released less) so it doesn't get the chance to cool down.

Moto use a smaller brake on the rear because instead of dragging he rear you can use the engine to brake. MTB is stuck with dragging the brake.
  • 2 0
 @Mike-Jay: Nice. Also I don't feel so bad going through rear pads 2:1
  • 2 0
 @bash80: I read that article and it convinced me to go 220mm R, 200mm F on my code RSC's. That setup works so well! The improved power and heat dissipation on the rear end makes it easier to control speed by relying on the rear brake. Personally, I've gotten faster and better at clearing technical sections with this configuration.
  • 2 0
 Reverse Mullet Rotor setup
  • 2 0
 @mi-bike: makes sense, ive never understood why we run such a small rotor on the rear
  • 3 1
 bigger rear rotor is the way of the road.
  • 1 0
 . .
  • 1 0
 I wonder why both of them weren't on the longer travel rear end? Lourdes wasn't exactly the smoothest DH track...
  • 2 0
 154mm ? Why not a hardtail ? Wink
  • 3 3
 Sick bike. Not convinced by the travel mismatch but it's a known fast platform.
  • 1 11
flag frigofff (Mar 28, 2022 at 10:12) (Below Threshold)
 the rear is only 10mm less than the fork
  • 48 3
 Ya, he beat Gwin on an enduro bike with flat pedals. Maybe not the best place for this subject, and I'll be downvoted, but every spring we hear "Gwin has changed up his training, hes so fast again, hes back" and "six peat baby" its like when your ex texts you about a random thing and gets your hopes up again. Or when you hear they are rebooting your favorite show/movie from the 90s.
  • 3 2
 @hamncheez: i was just saying the travel isn’t that mismatched. but maybe i misinterpreted what @jaame meant.
  • 23 5
 @hamncheez: I think Gwin has 1 more magic weekend like Greg's WC last year. I think Greg still has 3-4 WC wins before he retires. I base all this on their personalities. Gwin just doesn't have the personality to relax enough to reach his potential anymore. He was driven by that grrrr and grrrr doesn't age well. Greg on the other hand constantly seems high as Snoop and that is a good way to stay fast longer.

Gwin's personality also drives his fans to have this constant dream that he just needs the right bike or coach to become dominant again. I can't stand him because he never appears to be happy. If you don't enjoy riding then stop you got plenty of $$$.

I root for Greg and Amorie because they both seem to really enjoy riding bikes really fast.
  • 7 0
 @Rigidjunkie: introversion /extroversion . It’s a thing
  • 13 2
 @Rigidjunkie: I disagree, Gwin always seems happy. He got heat a few years ago when he said he didn't "love" mountain biking in the same way he "loves" ice cream and playing the guitar. Gwin was trying to say hes structured his life such that if/when he retires, he has other things in life that bring him fulfilment and meaning. Many pro athletes when they retire (esp. if they retire early from injury) get major depression and have huge therapy bills.
  • 6 6
 @Rigidjunkie: Why do you think gwin isn't happy? He's married and lives in SO cal like a moto bro that he's always been.

He's good at dry dusty tracks.
  • 10 0
 @hamncheez: Yeah, I watched some of those Gwin videos about training and skill development and he seems like a pretty chill, self-aware dude.
  • 6 0
 @pistol2ne: I don't think he lives in SoCal anymore - he's alluded to the political climate being not to his linking but among other things, the DH scene in TN seems pretty vibrant and he also owns a place in Montana.
  • 5 0
 @hamncheez: or like when Gwin beat conner without a chain.
  • 7 1
 @watchtower: That was almost 7 years ago....
  • 8 9
 @shredddr: Yeah, he's not a bleeding heart leftist like everyone else in the comment section so clearly everyone should hate his guts.
  • 6 0
 @pistol2ne: I didnt say that nor do I think it but if that’s what you take from it… ok?
  • 2 0
 @shredddr: Bible belt Big Grin
  • 2 0
 @shredddr: I think gwin gets hate for believing in god and attributing his success to a higher power.
  • 1 0
 @pistol2ne: Nobody cares dude, this is the first time I've ever seen it even mentioned.
  • 1 0
 @pistol2ne: I think it's partly that, partly because he just comes across as straight laced and boring (he hasn't got any banter at all but hey, he's not an actor or a comedian). The reason I used to dislike him is that he won too much. It's boring if the same person wins almost every race. It took a lot of the excitement out of the races for 3-4 years when he was dominant. One could marvel at the speed, but the results just irritated me. I'd rather the overall was won at the last race at least and of there are multiple people in with a shout come race day, so much the better. Gwin was a victim of his own success.
  • 1 0
 Why is seat tube weird? Genuine question lol
  • 1 0
 Something in the first photo looks grate.
  • 1 0
 The 180mm bike looks mullet setup too?
  • 5 7
 Personal preference, but that blue looks terrible with the red fork.
  • 2 5
 Would love to see one of them throw a 190mm ZEB on and send it!
  • 3 1
 they probably took the downhill fork because of lower height. 190mm zeb equals 200mm boxxers.
  • 3 1
 Won Rampage
  • 1 0
 @mknott9: with a rider that's smooth enough to win on just about anything
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