Great video guys! Those trails looked gnarly and you just cruised through them! I'm sad I didn't get back to Cumberland this year! Also. I want this bike.
Hey there, I really enjoyed your review of this bike. I have the V1 for a season when it first came out and I really enjoyed it, now I'm considering a V2. Can you comment on what your thoughts are on sizing? I'm often between a M and L and with this bike I'm not sure which way to go.
For reference im not riding anything gnarly on the daily basis so more smooth, also some thight corners and a few small jumps, and if steep 'almost' no roots or rocks
Unfortunately neither of us have ridden the 5010. Emily did ride and review the 2024 Bronson recently and did say there were some similarities. I also rode the Stumpjumper 15, and that was VERY poppy, and more of a trail bike than the Druid, which I think slides more toward trail/enduro.
Hey there, great review! For Emily specifically - I too ride an Evil Wreckoning LS which is my only (non-e) bike right now. I realize the Druid V2 wasn't dialed how you want it - but I'm looking to build up a Druid V2 for myself as well. I'm curious if you think with a 160 (Zeb/38) fork & mullet and a little beefier tires - do you think it would rival the Wrecker as a one bike quiver killer for aggressive trail riding and occasional park days? (3-4 times a year). Or would it be suited best with 150 on a 36/lyrik as a compliment to the Wrecker in the stable?
Yes! That is in fact exactly how I would choose to build up one if I get one. I think from my ride it would be a great all around bike and we have talked to several Druid owners who say it handles fine on the occasional park day as is. I bet with that 160 it would be plenty! Let us know if you build one up!
@@TheVantasticLife Thanks so much! My frameset arrives tomorrow and I'll be building it up over the next couple months. For now I plan to keep it on 130/150 as intended to give some variance between that and my Wrecker.
I have a druid V2 that I've built up to be a quiver killer. I've got a 160 Zeb on there, and swapped in a DHX2. I've kept it 29" front and rear. Running a kryptotal up front and zynotal in the rear. I absolutely cannot say enough good things about it. I came from a Trek Slash and was worried about the shorter travel but the bike just eats anything I throw at it. Nice to have something a little more nimble that can still handle the chunk.
Oh man! We haven't. But the new Stumpjumper is HIGH on our list, and we've been looking for a place to demo it. If we can get our hands on one I'll get the review up quickly! This guy did a pretty good comparison of the Druid v2 and new Stumpjumper th-cam.com/video/kHYOgLKTHAo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=NSjM51LmBUrqCxyQ
@@TheVantasticLife I have a 2023-2024 Evo Mullet (w/ upgrades) and it's really good. The Druid was on my radar but I scored such a good deal on the Stumpy, couldn't pass it up.
@@TheVantasticLife Also, I recently installed a Vorsprung Smashpot coil in my Fox 36 and It's really good. You may want to try it or the Vorsprung Secus
Solid review. I too noticed more frequent pedal strikes on my V2. Took some adjusting but far less frequent now. Brakes are trash as was mentioned. I swapped brakes, shock, fork, and wheels pretty early on.
Thanks for the info! What shock, fork, and wheels did you go with, and what did you notice when you upgraded? I'm super curious about what this bike would feel like when upgraded like that!
@TheVantasticLife Hayes Dominion brakes, EXT Arma shock, Fox 38 fork, and SC reserve wheels. Hayes Dominions are some of the best brakes on the market right now - I have them on two other bikes and enjoy them as much as the Saints on my DH bike. Different feel obviously. EXT is definitely a luxury upgrade but I much prefer coil over air. I've spent a lot of time on a Fox coil (2 different bikes) before upgrading to EXT and personally find the performance improvements to be worth the $ but again, this is very much a luxury item. My desire to upgrade to a 38 was based entirely on wanting to build a short-travel race bike that I could beat the pants off-of. It's overkill in most applications but for park laps and racing I've found it to provide the extra support I'm looking for (I don't care about weight). A Zeb would likely be a good choice too but I have Fox on all of my bikes and am familiar with setting them up exactly how I prefer. As for wheels, I'm keen on carbon for how stiff they are. Not to mention how resilient they are compared to alloy wheels. They don't dent, get flat spots, and rarely come out of true. IMO Santa Cruz offers the best lifetime warranty on their Reserve wheels and to me that is a huge selling point. Over the last ~10 years of riding exclusively carbon wheels, I've cracked ONE. The crack occurred at a bike park on a Sunday. I submitted the warranty claim from the parking lot and had a brand new wheel in my driveway that Wednesday. The Druid certainly didn't require ANY of these upgrades - all personal preference. The only upgrade I would highly recommend is the brakes if you're someone who rides on the more aggressive side. Even upgrading from a 180mm front rotor to a 200mm+ rotor would make a huge difference at a fairly low cost. Your trails look amazing by the way! I'm over in NH and dream of coming out to WA to ride.
@@TheVantasticLife you got it! As for a bigger bike, I have a full DH rig and an enduro as well (Transition TR11 and a Patrol). That said, I’ve had plenty of park days on the Druid and it has been more than capable.
Great insight (I am looking buy the mullet version) Interesting to hear the fork, eg poss go 160mm I wonder if the longer fork would detract from tech climbing ability?
Hey Grant, thanks for the comment! I bet lengthening the fork would lessen the climbing position a bit. You could always get the air spring for 160mm, try it, and then go back to 150mm if you didn't like the climbing with the longer fork. You can also reach out to Forbidden to ask them what they've found. We talked to a few people in Cumberland that had the Druid v2 with a 160mm fork, but didn't think to ask them about the difference in climbing ability. Cheers!
@@TheVantasticLife Thank you for the reply.. In response, I’ve emailed Forbidden about the fork item. There seems to be quite a few people who use a 160 fork on the v2, so I am leaning towards that build
Love your review! My Druid has now "suffered" 3.000km of abuse and I also made a video on that in case someone interested in long term review 👉🏽 th-cam.com/video/13DF3G5HUQA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rECwqrkeUiXxcwUU
Great video guys! Those trails looked gnarly and you just cruised through them! I'm sad I didn't get back to Cumberland this year!
Also. I want this bike.
Thanks Dusty! We can't wait to get back to Cumberland next year! Meet ya there? :-) Also, it was hard to not buy this bike when it was just on sale 😳😳
Hey there, I really enjoyed your review of this bike. I have the V1 for a season when it first came out and I really enjoyed it, now I'm considering a V2. Can you comment on what your thoughts are on sizing? I'm often between a M and L and with this bike I'm not sure which way to go.
Hey Randy! Thanks for the comment! I'm 6'1" and really like the L or S3 in this bike. Hope this helps.
How does it compare to a 5010? Looking for a fun, light and poppy trailpark coming from a nomad 6 which is just too much bike
For reference im not riding anything gnarly on the daily basis so more smooth, also some thight corners and a few small jumps, and if steep 'almost' no roots or rocks
Unfortunately neither of us have ridden the 5010. Emily did ride and review the 2024 Bronson recently and did say there were some similarities. I also rode the Stumpjumper 15, and that was VERY poppy, and more of a trail bike than the Druid, which I think slides more toward trail/enduro.
What was the crank length?
I didn't mention it...but great video and evaluation of the bike.
Thanks! I appreciate it!
Hey there, great review! For Emily specifically - I too ride an Evil Wreckoning LS which is my only (non-e) bike right now. I realize the Druid V2 wasn't dialed how you want it - but I'm looking to build up a Druid V2 for myself as well. I'm curious if you think with a 160 (Zeb/38) fork & mullet and a little beefier tires - do you think it would rival the Wrecker as a one bike quiver killer for aggressive trail riding and occasional park days? (3-4 times a year). Or would it be suited best with 150 on a 36/lyrik as a compliment to the Wrecker in the stable?
Yes! That is in fact exactly how I would choose to build up one if I get one. I think from my ride it would be a great all around bike and we have talked to several Druid owners who say it handles fine on the occasional park day as is. I bet with that 160 it would be plenty! Let us know if you build one up!
@@TheVantasticLife Thanks so much! My frameset arrives tomorrow and I'll be building it up over the next couple months. For now I plan to keep it on 130/150 as intended to give some variance between that and my Wrecker.
I have a druid V2 that I've built up to be a quiver killer. I've got a 160 Zeb on there, and swapped in a DHX2. I've kept it 29" front and rear. Running a kryptotal up front and zynotal in the rear.
I absolutely cannot say enough good things about it. I came from a Trek Slash and was worried about the shorter travel but the bike just eats anything I throw at it. Nice to have something a little more nimble that can still handle the chunk.
@@isaactourand2562You’re making me want to buy one 😳
@@TheVantasticLife would you guys know how it compares to the Offering? Thanks
have you tried a Stumpy Evo by chance?
Oh man! We haven't. But the new Stumpjumper is HIGH on our list, and we've been looking for a place to demo it. If we can get our hands on one I'll get the review up quickly! This guy did a pretty good comparison of the Druid v2 and new Stumpjumper th-cam.com/video/kHYOgLKTHAo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=NSjM51LmBUrqCxyQ
@@TheVantasticLife I have a 2023-2024 Evo Mullet (w/ upgrades) and it's really good. The Druid was on my radar but I scored such a good deal on the Stumpy, couldn't pass it up.
@@tallpaull9367 Nice! I also bought a 2023 bike because the deals were too good to pass up (RM Altitude).
@@TheVantasticLife Also, I recently installed a Vorsprung Smashpot coil in my Fox 36 and It's really good. You may want to try it or the Vorsprung Secus
@@tallpaull9367 Thanks for the idea! I'd love to try that!
Solid review. I too noticed more frequent pedal strikes on my V2. Took some adjusting but far less frequent now. Brakes are trash as was mentioned. I swapped brakes, shock, fork, and wheels pretty early on.
Thanks for the info! What shock, fork, and wheels did you go with, and what did you notice when you upgraded? I'm super curious about what this bike would feel like when upgraded like that!
@TheVantasticLife Hayes Dominion brakes, EXT Arma shock, Fox 38 fork, and SC reserve wheels.
Hayes Dominions are some of the best brakes on the market right now - I have them on two other bikes and enjoy them as much as the Saints on my DH bike. Different feel obviously.
EXT is definitely a luxury upgrade but I much prefer coil over air. I've spent a lot of time on a Fox coil (2 different bikes) before upgrading to EXT and personally find the performance improvements to be worth the $ but again, this is very much a luxury item.
My desire to upgrade to a 38 was based entirely on wanting to build a short-travel race bike that I could beat the pants off-of. It's overkill in most applications but for park laps and racing I've found it to provide the extra support I'm looking for (I don't care about weight). A Zeb would likely be a good choice too but I have Fox on all of my bikes and am familiar with setting them up exactly how I prefer.
As for wheels, I'm keen on carbon for how stiff they are. Not to mention how resilient they are compared to alloy wheels. They don't dent, get flat spots, and rarely come out of true. IMO Santa Cruz offers the best lifetime warranty on their Reserve wheels and to me that is a huge selling point. Over the last ~10 years of riding exclusively carbon wheels, I've cracked ONE. The crack occurred at a bike park on a Sunday. I submitted the warranty claim from the parking lot and had a brand new wheel in my driveway that Wednesday.
The Druid certainly didn't require ANY of these upgrades - all personal preference. The only upgrade I would highly recommend is the brakes if you're someone who rides on the more aggressive side. Even upgrading from a 180mm front rotor to a 200mm+ rotor would make a huge difference at a fairly low cost.
Your trails look amazing by the way! I'm over in NH and dream of coming out to WA to ride.
@@roost603 INCREDIBLE reply!!! Thanks so much for all the detail!!! Do you ever wish you had a bigger bike (like the Dreadnaught) on park days?
@@TheVantasticLife you got it! As for a bigger bike, I have a full DH rig and an enduro as well (Transition TR11 and a Patrol). That said, I’ve had plenty of park days on the Druid and it has been more than capable.
@@roost603 Where do you ride in NH for non-bike park? I moved to Concord recently and have only ridden Bear Brook which is all quite tame.
Great insight (I am looking buy the mullet version)
Interesting to hear the fork, eg poss go 160mm
I wonder if the longer fork would detract from tech climbing ability?
Hey Grant, thanks for the comment! I bet lengthening the fork would lessen the climbing position a bit. You could always get the air spring for 160mm, try it, and then go back to 150mm if you didn't like the climbing with the longer fork. You can also reach out to Forbidden to ask them what they've found. We talked to a few people in Cumberland that had the Druid v2 with a 160mm fork, but didn't think to ask them about the difference in climbing ability. Cheers!
@@TheVantasticLife Thank you for the reply.. In response, I’ve emailed Forbidden about the fork item. There seems to be quite a few people who use a 160 fork on the v2, so I am leaning towards that build
Sweet! Let me know if you get it and what you think.
Love your review! My Druid has now "suffered" 3.000km of abuse and I also made a video on that in case someone interested in long term review 👉🏽 th-cam.com/video/13DF3G5HUQA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rECwqrkeUiXxcwUU