TESTED: RAAW Madonna V2.2 Custom Build

Photographer: Tim Bardsley-Smith

Words: Will Shaw

RAAW Mountain Bikes was founded by Ruben Torenbeek in 2017. Ruben saw a gap in the market for durable bikes that are great to ride, hard wearing, and easy to work on. The brand began with a single model on offer (the Madonna V1), but they now offer two bikes, the 160mm Madonna V2.2 I’ve been riding, and the 135mm Jibb. They’re also close to releasing their first downhill bike, which is yet to be named. 

According to RAAW, the Madonna V2.2 is ‘made for the fastest and roughest tracks, while also being a great climber.’ In a travel category that includes bikes such as the Trek Slash and Canyon Strive, and also competing with Enduro bikes with more travel such as the Specialized Enduro and Santa Cruz Megatower, the Madonna V2.2 has plenty of competition. 

Tester: Will Shaw 

Riding Experience: More than my looks would suggest 

Generally Rides: Moustache Game 6, Nukeproof Scout 290, Norco One25, Norco Section A1

Height: 186cm

Weight: 84kg 

Bike Test Track: Newcastle and surrounds

RAAW’s bikes are only available as frame only purchases direct to consumer from the RAAW website. Depending on the AUD to Euro exchange rate the price of a frame fluctuates, but at the time of writing the V2.2 frame I tested with a Float X2 shock, Acros headset, and freight would set you back 2669.20 Euros or $4123 AUD.  

It’s also worth bearing in mind that you’ll need to gain customs clearance for the frame and pay customs fees upon arrival in Australia, however this is something the team at RAAW can guide you through alongside Australian Customs. I received an email from customs saying my bike was being held about a week after I could see the bike had arrived in Australia via tracking. A couple of emails and a phone call later and the frame was on the way to me. 

Initial Impressions

Upon receiving my Madonna V2.2 the first thing that struck me was how chunky it was for an aluminium frame. The construction looks premium with clean welds, and RAAW proudly advertise that their frames are made by Genio Bikes in Taiwan. The frame comes nicely packaged with the Acros headset pressed in (although you can purchase a frame without a headset if you like), some instructions on building the bike up, and any spares you’ve ordered with the bike, for example a spare hanger. 

RAAW offer the Madonna V2.2 with four shock options as well as sans shock, although it’s worth checking the frame clearance with RAAW if you’ve already got a 205 x 65 Trunnion Mount shock outside of the options offered by RAAW. The shocks on offer are both an air and coil option from Fox and Öhlins. On RAAW’s website they give a brief synopsis about what each shock provides in terms of ride feel, and if you wanted a deeper analysis for your specific situation, you could contact RAAW via email with any questions. I opted for a Fox Float X2 for its ease of setup and adjustability.

Another nice touch from RAAW is that every frame comes with frame protection. The coverage isn’t as thorough as what you’d get from a Frameskin kit, but the essentials (downtube, top tube, and stays) are covered and the material doesn’t taint the look of the raw frame, which is an absolute stunner. 

Building the bike up is a simple affair, even if you’re a hack of a mechanic like me. The frame comes with the headset pressed in and the bottom bracket is threaded, so no tools are required to press bearings. All the cable routing is external except for the dropper cable, which only enters the frame from the seattube, and the routing is executed cleanly along the length of the downtube, RAAW provide cable guides that allow you to run a bottle cage on the downtube on top of the cables, and there’s also mounts for a tool on the underside of the top tube.

The focus of this review is on the Madonna V2.2 frame and how it’s stacked up after around 50 hours of riding, but the parts I built it up with are worth a mention for context. Up front I opted for a 170mm Fox 38 Factory (the Madonna is optimised for a 170mm-180mm fork), which I reviewed in issue #200 and is the best single crown fork for gravity use I’ve ridden. 

Brakes and drivetrain are handled by Shimano, with a mix of their Deore and XT componentry. The Deore BR-M6120 4 pot brakes are a real highlight, offering all the performance of their more expensive siblings at a great price. 

The wheel set I ran on the Madonna V2.2 was a custom DT Swiss wheelset from Raild Wheels in Sydney, which I also reviewed in issue #200. The overall weight of the bike including XTR trail pedals, and a Lezyne Flow Bottle Cage was a hefty 17.52kg. My size large frame weighed in at 4.2kg sans shock.

On The Trail

The Madonna V2.2 isn’t the longest, lowest, or slackest enduro bike out there. The size large frame I received paired with a 170mm fork features a 480mm reach, 445mm chainstays, and a 64.5-degree head angle. The wheelbase is 1269mm. Hopping on the bike I immediately felt comfortable, as I’ve ridden many bikes with similar numbers over the last few years. 

As RAAW themselves say, the Madonna V2.2 is designed for the roughest tracks. While the riding close to me isn’t ultra-technical gravity riding, there are some short downhill trails that allow me to pedal gravity laps, and this is where the Madonna V2.2 is most at home. 

The handling of the Madonna V2.2 on the descents is balanced and manageable across a range of terrain. Whilst the ultra-long reach bikes excel in a straight line, I found the Madonna’s geometry a good mix of high-speed stability and manoeuvrability in tighter sections.

The Madonna’s suspension is fantastic. The bike uses a four-bar linkage with two rocker options depending on rider weight, the Rocker 60 and Rocker 65. The Rocker 60 uses 60mm of stroke on the shock and is best suited to riders under 90kg. The 65 uses 65mm of stroke and is best suited to riders over 90kg. 

Weighing around 85kg I opted for the Rocker 60, and the benefit is that the Rocker 60 has more mechanical leverage that adds small bump sensitivity. For heavier riders, the Rocker 65 allows for lower air pressure or a lighter spring to be used with the rear shock, which makes the shock’s damping more effective. It’s cool stuff, and these are the kind of small details a boutique brand like RAAW can offer. 

The Fox Float X2 shock is a great match for the Madonna V2.2 for both gravity applications and less demanding trails. There’s enough progression in the frame design that I never felt the bike bottom out with the base number of volume spacers in the shock. The shock comes with one spacer installed as standard and there’s a maximum of 3 for the 205 x 65 shock. I ran the bike with zero, one, and two spacers throughout testing, but settled on one as my preferred option. I ran between 25-30 percent sag throughout testing and with around 28 percent sag and one spacer was only bottoming out on the biggest hits.  

Another neat design feature on the Madonna V2.2 is that there’s space for rear wheel flex at the chainstays, so tyres won’t rub the frame, as well as clearance for ankles while pedalling. This is something that’s visibly noticeable looking down at a 2.4” Minion DHR II, and at this stage there’s no visible rub on the stays. 

Climbing on the Madonna V2.2 was surprisingly nice despite the bike’s hefty weight. Whilst you could trim some weight from the burly build I’ve gone with, no matter which way you slice it the Madonna V2.2 is a heavy frame. The virtual seat tube angle on a size large of 78.3 degrees puts you in a comfortable upright position for seated climbing, and the active suspension springs forward nicely during out of the saddle efforts, and when the rear wheel catches a square edge on a technical climb. 

In terms of long-term durability, the frame uses two bearing sizes (10 x 28mm bearings and 2 x 52mm bearings in the main pivot), and all 12 bearings are fully sealed to increase longevity. Working on the frame hardware is also simple, as it only requires a 5mm and 6mm allen key. When it’s time to change bearings, if you don’t own a bearing press RAAW offer a custom tool that presses the two sizes for approximately $70 AUD. 

After around 50 hours of riding the frame bearings looked brand new when I took the caps off, with the grease inside still clean. This small touch is something I wish more brands would implement as premature bearing wear is something that’s easily rectified with a solution like this. 

Our Take:

The RAAW Madonna V2.2 does exactly what RAAW claims it does, which is offer high quality gravity performance, durable design, and an easy bike to live with. The bike is also a nice climber, although with its weight it’s more suited to sit and spin style climbing. The rear suspension does give back plenty of energy on technical climbs, but I’d be looking at RAAW’s Jibb if sustained technical climbs are your focus. 

In terms of value for money, the asking price for the Madonna V2.2 with a top-of-the-line shock and frame protection isn’t outrageous in my opinion. There’ll be plenty of people who want a carbon frameset at the Madonna V2.2’s asking price, but those people probably aren’t RAAW customers anyway. When you consider a Specialized S-Works Enduro frameset with the same shock retails for $5800 and Santa Cruz framesets are now well over the $6000 mark, I think for the rider who wants to do a custom build for gravity riding the Madonna V2.2 offers great value for money.   

Brand: RAAW

Model: Madonna V2.2 

RRP: Approximately $4125 + customs charges (frame + shock + headset + seat clamp) 

Weight 17.07kg 

From: raawmtb.com

SPECIFICATIONS

Available Sizes:  S, M, L (tested), XL 

Frame Material: Aluminium 

Fork: Fox Factory 38, 170mm, 44mm offset

Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory, 160mm

Shifters: Shimano Deore, 12sp 

Derailleur: Shimano XT, 12sp 

Crank: Shimano XT, 165mm

Bottom bracket:  Shimano XT, threaded 

Chain: Shimano Deore, 12sp 

Cassette: Shimano Deore, 10-51t, 12sp

Hubs: Erase MTB Centerlock 

Spokes: DT Competition 

Rims: DT Swiss FR560

Tyres: Maxxis Assegai 2.5” (F), DHR III 2.4” (R) 

Brakes: Shimano Deore, 4 Pot, 203/203mm 

Stem: RaceFace Aeffect, 50mm

Handlebars: Syncros DH, 760mm

Seatpost: One Up, 210mm

Saddle: Fizik Aidon