2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker

Related:
3/10/2026 5:13pm

I found the switch to VPP a bit strange for Rocky. No VPP legacy, hard to do VPP ebikes, no other bikes in the catalog with it. 

Race bikes are typically meant to showcase the viability of a given technology, and then sell that technology via more practical models like trail bikes (ebikes i guess now) that use it. 

3
1
Outlawed
Posts
55
Joined
3/29/2023
Location
Vancouver Island, BC CA
3/10/2026 6:59pm
saskskier wrote:
Rocky Mountain just posted "Big news dropping soon" with background pic of someone pulling a big one footed table in the desert. I'm not sure what it...

Rocky Mountain just posted "Big news dropping soon" with background pic of someone pulling a big one footed table in the desert. 

I'm not sure what it is (Slayer is overdue for an overhaul. Maybe an actual dh bike again?), but I'm always stoked for news coming from Rocky. 

From what I have heard, Slayer is turning into an 200mm park bike with a silhouette like the current altitude. Wish they would have revived the Flatline namesake for it.

9
Evil96
Posts
802
Joined
8/21/2014
Location
Portogruaro, VE IT
3/11/2026 2:47am
IMG 9025IMG 9022IMG 9024
52
Brian_Peterson
Posts
1132
Joined
4/26/2011
Location
Canyon Country, CA US
3/11/2026 3:46am

Looks nice... I like the numbers..

8
amaranth
Posts
175
Joined
10/19/2023
Location
Nutley, NJ US
3/11/2026 5:09am

My 2020 Norco Optic looking great still with all these new short travel bikes...

23
1
sprungmass
Posts
236
Joined
3/1/2023
Location
Calgary, AB CA
3/11/2026 5:50am
Evil96 wrote:
IMG 9025IMG 9022IMG 9024

It is refreshing to see a short travel bike without flex stays. This would be top of my list of I was looking for a full suspension down country bike. 

18
bigbrett
Posts
53
Joined
9/5/2017
Location
Salt Lake City, UT US
3/11/2026 7:08am

Oh man oh man I want to see the weight on that reya. 450mm CS on a truly light bike would be insanely advantageous for tech climbing and huge backcountry missions.

That said, quite bummed they chose to make the BB so low. Really should not be a thing on a bike in this class meant to shine on climbs. Gonna be offsetting some of the benefit of the long chain stays on tech climbs. Sad. 

12
B Rabbit
Posts
50
Joined
1/13/2024
Location
Sydney, NSW AU
3/11/2026 7:10am

Wonder why Forbidden has done away with the adjustable stays? The ebike and now this haven’t bothered with them. 
Shame, I thought it was a solid idea. 

3
3/11/2026 7:38am
bigbrett wrote:
Oh man oh man I want to see the weight on that reya. 450mm CS on a truly light bike would be insanely advantageous for tech...

Oh man oh man I want to see the weight on that reya. 450mm CS on a truly light bike would be insanely advantageous for tech climbing and huge backcountry missions.

That said, quite bummed they chose to make the BB so low. Really should not be a thing on a bike in this class meant to shine on climbs. Gonna be offsetting some of the benefit of the long chain stays on tech climbs. Sad. 

Loving the long stays, but ….

Waiting on that XL reach number….. 

7
3/11/2026 7:38am
bigbrett wrote:
Oh man oh man I want to see the weight on that reya. 450mm CS on a truly light bike would be insanely advantageous for tech...

Oh man oh man I want to see the weight on that reya. 450mm CS on a truly light bike would be insanely advantageous for tech climbing and huge backcountry missions.

That said, quite bummed they chose to make the BB so low. Really should not be a thing on a bike in this class meant to shine on climbs. Gonna be offsetting some of the benefit of the long chain stays on tech climbs. Sad. 

It doesn't seem that low. New Spur has 39mm drop in high and 47 in low. Epic 8 evo also has it around 40 in low. Maybe they also spec 165mm cranks because they are focused on the downhill vs just being a quick climbing xc bike. 

At least for this bike, probably want to keep the bike light, so no adjustable chainstay. 

9
Poleczechy
Posts
243
Joined
4/20/2018
Location
Hartsel, CO US
3/11/2026 7:55am
B Rabbit wrote:

Wonder why Forbidden has done away with the adjustable stays? The ebike and now this haven’t bothered with them. 
Shame, I thought it was a solid idea. 

My guess would be that UDH hanger doesn't allow for adjustability unless you do what RAWW does and have the entirely different rear dropout. Plus they were one of the first brands to really commit to size specific chainstays, so they probably decided there wasn't enough people who would buy and swap dropouts, to warrant the investment in developing, producing and stocking those parts. 

2
DServy
Posts
233
Joined
5/28/2015
Location
Jackson, WY US
3/11/2026 8:14am
B Rabbit wrote:

Wonder why Forbidden has done away with the adjustable stays? The ebike and now this haven’t bothered with them. 
Shame, I thought it was a solid idea. 

Poleczechy wrote:
My guess would be that UDH hanger doesn't allow for adjustability unless you do what RAWW does and have the entirely different rear dropout. Plus they...

My guess would be that UDH hanger doesn't allow for adjustability unless you do what RAWW does and have the entirely different rear dropout. Plus they were one of the first brands to really commit to size specific chainstays, so they probably decided there wasn't enough people who would buy and swap dropouts, to warrant the investment in developing, producing and stocking those parts. 

That's what they have on the Dreanought and the Supernought. 

6
3/11/2026 8:32am

Love the numbers on the Reya.  Going to have to put my Epic 8 Evo up for sale I think!

6
1
3/11/2026 8:48am Edited Date/Time 3/11/2026 8:49am
B Rabbit wrote:

Wonder why Forbidden has done away with the adjustable stays? The ebike and now this haven’t bothered with them. 
Shame, I thought it was a solid idea. 

This and a head tube that will take reach adjust cups for tapered forks are high up on my top wants for any frame.  The ability to swap between MX and 29 can also give some of the effect of adjustable chainstays. 

1
matmattmatthew
Posts
357
Joined
6/14/2014
Location
Fresh Prince of Bel Air, MD US
3/11/2026 9:13am

Looks Solid.  Having ridden the V1 Spur for the last few years, I'm not crazy about flex stays.  Since Evil isn't releasing a short travel bike this year, the Reya just moved to the top of my list for a new frame. 

10
alannz
Posts
48
Joined
1/26/2025
Location
California, CA US
3/11/2026 9:24am
Evil96 wrote:
IMG 9025IMG 9022IMG 9024

Damn, that looks sharp!

2
JCordell
Posts
11
Joined
4/10/2020
Location
Denver, CO US
3/11/2026 9:27am

Curious on what pricing will be. Build prices are getting out of hand from other brands but I'm hoping Forbidden will be reasonable

3
frig_off
Posts
3
Joined
7/29/2025
Location
mission viejo, CA US
3/11/2026 9:41am

I can’t help but wonder about that seat tube angle. Looking at the frame silhouette I can’t imagine that it’s the effective STA. At a 475 reach that would leave a super long effective top tube

1
JCL
Posts
65
Joined
9/14/2010
Location
CA
3/11/2026 9:50am
frig_off wrote:
I can’t help but wonder about that seat tube angle. Looking at the frame silhouette I can’t imagine that it’s the effective STA. At a 475...

I can’t help but wonder about that seat tube angle. Looking at the frame silhouette I can’t imagine that it’s the effective STA. At a 475 reach that would leave a super long effective top tube

Apparently the effective is 77 degrees.

7
drakefan705
Posts
75
Joined
12/22/2022
Location
North Vancouver, BC CA
3/11/2026 9:59am
I found the switch to VPP a bit strange for Rocky. No VPP legacy, hard to do VPP ebikes, no other bikes in the catalog with...

I found the switch to VPP a bit strange for Rocky. No VPP legacy, hard to do VPP ebikes, no other bikes in the catalog with it. 

Race bikes are typically meant to showcase the viability of a given technology, and then sell that technology via more practical models like trail bikes (ebikes i guess now) that use it. 

It’s not vpp and they used that dual link layout a decade ago. 

1
TwinTurbo
Posts
19
Joined
1/1/2023
Location
Munich DE
3/11/2026 10:22am

It‘s just one mm off but shouldn‘t front center plus rear center equal the wheelbase?

2
overbiked
Posts
49
Joined
10/23/2024
Location
Park City, UT US
3/11/2026 10:29am

Has anybody heard anything about a new mezzer and/or that new dorado prototype that was spotted last year? I remember hearing manitou's fork dynos were very busy a while back when they started liquidating their current mezzers for so cheap. The talk about a coil prototype makes me curious what they're up to.

4
Ervin321
Posts
9
Joined
7/3/2025
Location
San Francisco , CA US
3/11/2026 10:54am
B Rabbit wrote:

Wonder why Forbidden has done away with the adjustable stays? The ebike and now this haven’t bothered with them. 
Shame, I thought it was a solid idea. 

Weight is probably the main reason on this bike. And personally I think it makes sense, a lot of short travel bike coming out now with frames weighing as much or more than 150mm bikes like Stumpjumper 

2
TEAMROBOT
Posts
1348
Joined
9/2/2009
Location
Los Angeles, CA US
3/11/2026 11:13am Edited Date/Time 3/11/2026 2:19pm
TwinTurbo wrote:

It‘s just one mm off but shouldn‘t front center plus rear center equal the wheelbase?

Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the hub axle to the center of the BB, the FC and RC don't form a straight line. They form a slight "V" as they both dip down to the BB. Then you consult Pythagorus to get the exact difference in length.

[Editor's note: This is wrong. See @kperras post below for full and correct explanation]

Specializes epic hardtail 1-2048x1365-987523718
19
2
sprungmass
Posts
236
Joined
3/1/2023
Location
Calgary, AB CA
3/11/2026 11:19am Edited Date/Time 3/11/2026 11:24am
TwinTurbo wrote:

It‘s just one mm off but shouldn‘t front center plus rear center equal the wheelbase?

TEAMROBOT wrote:
Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the...

Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the hub axle to the center of the BB, the FC and RC don't form a straight line. They form a slight "V" as they both dip down to the BB. Then you consult Pythagorus to get the exact difference in length.

[Editor's note: This is wrong. See @kperras post below for full and correct explanation]

Specializes epic hardtail 1-2048x1365-987523718

Exactly. Also throwing these numbers in https://madscientistmtb.com/bike-geometry-compare/ you can figure out the rest and check the math.

Chainstay length is 450.96 for that BB drop and RC length. Effective TT: 619.29, BB height 328

Fun fact: I bought their Heathen and had to use the same calculator to figure out chainstay length so I can cut the t-type chain properly. Confirmed with a tape measure of course. Even their support couldn't get me the right number (which took so long to get back to my initial questions that I bought and built the bike) I digress.

2
segamethod
Posts
70
Joined
4/26/2024
Location
Anaheim, CA US
3/11/2026 11:26am
TEAMROBOT wrote:
Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the...

Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the hub axle to the center of the BB, the FC and RC don't form a straight line. They form a slight "V" as they both dip down to the BB. Then you consult Pythagorus to get the exact difference in length.

[Editor's note: This is wrong. See @kperras post below for full and correct explanation]

Specializes epic hardtail 1-2048x1365-987523718

It's actually dumber than that. To make the numbers work: "Front center" is measured from BB to front axle as you've depicted, but "rear center" is just used interchangeably with "chainstay length" and is the horizontal measurement from BB to rear axle.

image 617

 

9
Ervin321
Posts
9
Joined
7/3/2025
Location
San Francisco , CA US
3/11/2026 11:27am Edited Date/Time 3/11/2026 11:28am
TwinTurbo wrote:

It‘s just one mm off but shouldn‘t front center plus rear center equal the wheelbase?

TEAMROBOT wrote:
Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the...

Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the hub axle to the center of the BB, the FC and RC don't form a straight line. They form a slight "V" as they both dip down to the BB. Then you consult Pythagorus to get the exact difference in length.

[Editor's note: This is wrong. See @kperras post below for full and correct explanation]

Specializes epic hardtail 1-2048x1365-987523718

Front and rear center are horizontal measurements. Doing the math it’s a 2-3mm difference if they were measured the way you suggest

2
alannz
Posts
48
Joined
1/26/2025
Location
California, CA US
3/11/2026 11:42am
TEAMROBOT wrote:
Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the...

Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the hub axle to the center of the BB, the FC and RC don't form a straight line. They form a slight "V" as they both dip down to the BB. Then you consult Pythagorus to get the exact difference in length.

[Editor's note: This is wrong. See @kperras post below for full and correct explanation]

Specializes epic hardtail 1-2048x1365-987523718
segamethod wrote:
It's actually dumber than that. To make the numbers work: "Front center" is measured from BB to front axle as you've depicted, but "rear center" is...

It's actually dumber than that. To make the numbers work: "Front center" is measured from BB to front axle as you've depicted, but "rear center" is just used interchangeably with "chainstay length" and is the horizontal measurement from BB to rear axle.

image 617

 

Based on your helpful diagram it looks like Forbidden just uses the horizontal measurements (449+796.9 = 1245.9 or rounded up to 1246) to determine wheelbase, even though they don't use the horizontal measurement for front center. 

2
1
kperras
Posts
154
Joined
12/19/2012
Location
CA
3/11/2026 1:03pm
TwinTurbo wrote:

It‘s just one mm off but shouldn‘t front center plus rear center equal the wheelbase?

TEAMROBOT wrote:
Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the...

Great question. You'd think so, but no. Because the BB sits below the axles, and because FC and RC are measured from the center of the hub axle to the center of the BB, the FC and RC don't form a straight line. They form a slight "V" as they both dip down to the BB. Then you consult Pythagorus to get the exact difference in length.

[Editor's note: This is wrong. See @kperras post below for full and correct explanation]

Specializes epic hardtail 1-2048x1365-987523718

Unfortunately that is not correct. RC, FC, and WB are all horizontal measurements. CSL is the point to point measurement from center of BB to rear axle, and there's no name (or need) for the equivalent version at the front.

14
TEAMROBOT
Posts
1348
Joined
9/2/2009
Location
Los Angeles, CA US
3/11/2026 2:18pm
kperras wrote:
Unfortunately that is not correct. RC, FC, and WB are all horizontal measurements. CSL is the point to point measurement from center of BB to rear...

Unfortunately that is not correct. RC, FC, and WB are all horizontal measurements. CSL is the point to point measurement from center of BB to rear axle, and there's no name (or need) for the equivalent version at the front.

Thanks @kperras, I learned several somethings today!

3

Post a reply to: 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker

The Latest