The Forestal Siryon Diode – In our “Best Light-eMTB of 2023” group test

A Light-eMTB with touchscreen? That’s exactly what you get with the Forestal Siryon Diode! After a long wait, the Andorran manufacturer has finally released their light, electric enduro steed. It impresses with futuristic styling, but do the looks match the performance??

Right away, the Forestal Siryon Diode stands out from the crowd with its massive single pivot swingarm. The Andorran e-bruiser generates a whopping 170 mm travel front and rear, and gets you drooling with its harmonious frame silhouette, elegant paintwork and big touchscreen display, which is neatly integrated into the top tube. With all the bells and whistles, the Forestal tips the scales at 19.2 kg, making it the second heaviest bike in this test after Simpson’s rowdy trail banger. However, riding the future comes at a price – an eye watering € 14,899 to be exact. If you still have some change left, you could add custom paint for an additional € 1,200.

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best Light-E-MTB 2023 – 8 bikes in review

The Light-eMTB Forestal Siryon Diode 2022 in detail

The Bafang EonDrive motor, exclusive to Forestal bikes, delivers 60 Nm of torque and draws its power from a permanently integrated 360 Wh battery. While the remote on the left side of the handlebars is simple and intuitive to use, it looks bulky and provides about as much haptic feedback as a slice of Emmental. Moreover, the data cable that runs along the bottom of the handlebars is quite chunky, spoiling the otherwise elegant look. The charging port is integrated into the frame at the intersection between the down tube and seat tube, which might help maintain the elegant look, but is a little finicky to open – and with some bottle cages, you can’t access the charging port at all. The 3.2″ touch display on the top tube runs on software developed in-house by Forestal and includes navigation, a G-force meter and even theft protection.

The spec of the Light-eMTB Forestal Siryon Diode 2022

The Forestal Siryon Diode comes equipped with an Öhlins RXF36 M.2 fork, which allows you to fine-tune the final progression and, overall, the fork delivers an excellent performance on the trail. The single-pivot rear suspension is controlled by a matching Öhlins TTX Air shock, which is clearly visible from atop through the big gap in the top tube. The wireless, 150 mm RockShox Reverb AXS dropper ensures smooth and fast operation but has the shortest travel in the entire test field, restricting freedom of movement on the bike. Italian component manufacturer Braking supplies the, errr… brakes. Despite being the only two-piston brakes in this test, they deliver decent braking power and a well defined bite point. However, adjusting the lever reach is a little fiddly and requires tools. The brakes are paired with a 200 mm rotor at the front and 180 mm disc at the rear. That being said, a bigger 200 mm rotor at the rear would provide extra power and improve modulation. Shifting is taken care of by a wireless SRAM X01 Eagle AXS drivetrain. For the wheels, Forestal rely on a Crankbrother Synthesis carbon wheelset and MAXXIS tires, combining a Minion DHF at the front and a HighRoller II at the rear, both in the hard MaxxTerra rubber compound and puncture-prone EXO casing. For a bike in this league, we would prefer a more robust tire with a tougher casing, like MAXXIS’ DoubleDown, which protects the carbon rims from nasty impacts and allows you to run lower air pressures for more traction. While we’re at it, we would upgrade the front tire to the softer MaxxGrip rubber compound for better traction.

Tuning tips: More robust tires, with tougher DoubleDown casing front and rear paired with softer MaxxGrip compound upfront | Bigger 200 mm rear disc rotor

The geometry of the Light-eMTB Forestal Siryon Diode 2022

The Forestal Siryon Diode combines 488 mm reach and a 465 mm seat tube, which is the longest in the entire test field right after the Scott Lumen, thus restricting freedom of movement on the bike. Unfortunately, the 150 mm travel dropper post only makes things worse. While the Siryon doesn’t feature any flip chips or similar geometry-altering wizardry, the chainstays grow with the frame size, measuring 436 mm in size S and M and 446 mm in in L and XL, respectively

Size	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	420 mm	430 mm	465 mm	500 mm
Top tube	579 mm	609 mm	648 mm	673 mm
Head tube	95 mm	95 mm	110 mm	125 mm
Head angle	64°	64°	64°	64°
Seat angle	77°	77°	77°	77°
Chainstay	436 mm	436 mm	446 mm	446 mm
BB Drop	25 mm	25 mm	25 mm	25 mm
Wheelbase	1.208 mm	1.238 mm	1.284 mm	1.311 mm
Reach	428 mm	458 mm	488 mm	508 mm
Stack	612 mm	612 mm	625 mm	639 mm

The Light-eMTB Forestal Siryon Diode 2022 on the trail

As soon as you swing your leg over the saddle and start pedalling, the Forestal’s motor packs a punch, pushing you uphill with great eagerness. The pedalling position is pleasantly relaxed, while the rear suspension is firm yet comfortable. The Bafang motor emits a high-pitched humming noise, making the Forestal the loudest bike of the test field. Even when pedalling at low cadences, it ensures a decent amount of artificial tailwind, providing support consistently over a wide cadence range. Although the motor reaches its maximum power dynamically, it ramps up to full power quite eagerly, leaving nothing extra left in reserve for sudden, unexpected steep sections where you might want a little extra boost of assistance. That said, the Forestal proved the strongest climber in the entire test field together with the Orbea Rise, although the powerful character of the motor results in a shorter range, causing the Forestal to run out of juice sooner than its competitors.

On the trail, the Forestal delivers in all situations. Whether you’re cruising on flat, flowing trails or shredding on rough, steep terrain, the Siryon Diode is tons of fun.

Downhill, the Siryon integrates you nicely between its big 29” wheels, inspiring huge amounts of confidence from the get-go. The front end is rather high, requiring you to actively weight the front wheel to keep it tracking in open corners. That being said, a front tire with a softer rubber compound, like MAXXIS’ MaxxGrip, would already make a big difference. Apart from that, there isn’t much the Forestal can’t do. You can clearly tell that you’re sitting on a long-travel bike and, although the Forestal can’t quite keep up with the most agile competitors in this test, like the Scott and Pivot, it’s still one of the nimblest contestants – which is remarkable given the amount of travel you’re schlepping around. That’s mainly due to the excellent suspension tune, which ensures good support, allowing you to generate speed by pumping through rollers and berms despite the generous 170 mm of travel at the rear. At the same time, the suspension provides excellent braking traction and sufficient reserves for unexpected huck-to-flats. However, the Siryon shows its real strengths on rough trails, where it always maintains stoic composure, inviting you to plough through nasty rock gardens with extreme nonchalance – only the Simplon fares better in this regard.

The Siryon Diode looks more like a spaceship than a mountain bike – onboard computer included.

Conclusion

The Forestal Siryon combines an exciting high-tech concept with an unusual design. The lightweight Bafang motor quickly delivers tons of power, making the Siryon the best climber in the entire test field. When riding uphill, the motor’s loud humming noise is the Forestal’s biggest issue. Downhill, the potent suspension ensures a well-defined, controlled ride feeling, delivering a fun ride in all situations. In a few words, the Syrion is an exotic, rowdy e-bruiser with a huge eye candy factor.

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You can find out more about at forestal.com

The test field

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best Light-E-MTB 2023 – 8 models in review

All bikes in test: Focus Jam² SL 9.9 2023 (Click for review) | Forestal Siryon Diode | Haibike LYKE CF SE (Click for review) | Orbea Rise M-LTD (Click for review) | Pivot Shuttle SL Pro X01(Click for review) | SCOTT Lumen eRIDE 900 SL (Click for review) | SIMPLON Rapcon Pmax TQ (Click for review) | Trek Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS (Click for review)

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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Peter Walker, Mike Hunger