Looks like a RAAW. The bikes of the German manufacturer have a very high recognition value, and are developed with a strong focus on durability and ease of serviceability. Despite being a small boutique brand, RAAW have already made a name for themselves in the scene. What has changed on the new Madonna, and can bare aluminium keep up with high-end carbon bikes?
16.7 kg in size L | € 6,500 | Manufacturer’s website
The RAAW Madonna V3 stands out! And not only in this test field, but also from the current crop of enduro bikes. As the only bike in this test field to rely on an alloy frame, it doesn’t try to impress the competition in terms of weight, although at 16.7 kg, it’s still pretty reasonable, coming in 2nd heaviest of the analogue bikes, ahead of the YT CAPRA. Instead, with the latest iteration of their enduro bruiser, RAAW focus on durability, serviceability and, above all, customizability. The RAAW Madonna offers countless adjustment options, allowing you to optimise the bike’s geometry to suit your needs and preferences. Like its predecessor, the Madonna V3 generates 170/160 mm of travel, and is only available as a frame kit or a rolling chassis – basically a complete bike without a drivetrain or brakes, retailing at € 5,795. For a complete bike, you’ll have to factor in around € 6,500.
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best enduro bike 2024 – 14 of the most exciting enduro bikes in our 2024 comparison test
The 2024 RAAW Madonna V3 2024 in detail
In typical RAAW fashion, the Madonna V3 relies on a sleek design language and rectilinear frame silhouette, all topped off with the manufacturer’s characteristic raw alloy finish. However, the engraved logo in the headset adds a touch of sophistication and emphasises its unique look. All cables are routed externally, making the Madonna a real dream for home mechanics. That said, the cable routing is extremely tidy, with clamps at the top of the down tube ensuring a clean look and a quiet ride. The chainstay protector is secured to the frame with simple zip ties, and while this might not be the most elegant solution, it stretches far over the front section of the chainstay, effectively preventing chain slap. A generously sized rubber plate shields the lower section of the down tube and the bottom bracket area against nasty impacts. The Madonna V3 forgoes a storage compartment in the down tube, but features a tool mount on the top tube, allowing you to secure all your trail essentials directly to the frame. Of course, there’s also a mounting point for a bottle cage on the down tube.
The cables are routed externally and neatly clamped onto the down tube, crossing over just below the bottle cage.
The machined RAAW logo on the head tube looks sweet!
The chainstay protector is secured to the frame with zip ties. While this might not be the most elegant solution, it effectively prevents chain slap.
The spec of the 2024 RAAW Madonna V3
Since the Madonna isn’t available as a complete bike, we built ourselves a bike with a Shimano XT drivetrain and matching brakes. The brakes are paired with 200 mm rotors front and rear and deliver top performance on the trail. The suspension consists of a FOX 38 Factory fork with GRIP2 damper and matching X2 air shock, which both offer countless adjustment options and deliver a tremendous performance on the trail. For an additional € 100, you can upgrade to a DHX2 coil shock.
The interchangeable shock mounts are just one of the many adjustment options of the Madonna V3.
The spec of the RAAW Madonna, including the tires, leaves nothing to be desired.
The OneUp V2 dropper post offers a whopping 210 mm of travel, and can be completely inserted into the frame, ensuring plenty of freedom of movement together with the short seat tube. For the wheels, RAAW rely on a NEWMEN EVOLUTION SL E.G.30 alloy wheelset and MAXXIS tires, with an ASSEGAI in the soft MaxxGrip rubber compound at the front and Minion DHR II in the harder MaxxTerra compound at the rear. Both tires rely on the robust Doubledown casing, which ensures excellent puncture protection and protects the rims against nasty impacts, allowing you to run lower air pressure for more traction. In our opinion, the spec of the Madonna is perfectly suited to the bike’s intended use.
RAAW Madonna V3
€ 6,500
Specifications
Fork FOX 38 Factory GRIP2 170 mm
Rear Shock FOX FLOAT X2 Factory 160 mm
Seatpost OneUp Dropper Post V2 210 mm
Brakes Shimano XT 200/200 mm
Drivetrain Shimano XT 1x12
Stem OneUp 50 mm
Handlebar OneUp Carbon 800 mm
Wheelset NEWMEN Evolution SL E.G.30 Alu 29"
Tires MAXXIS ASSEGAI, Doubledown, MaxxGrip/Minion DHRll, Doubledown, MaxxTerra 2.5/2.4
Technical Data
Size S M L XL XXL
Weight 16.7 kg
Specific Features
Toolmount
Flip-Chip
Progression Chip
Tuning tips: none.
The geometry of the 2024 RAAW Madonna V3
The new RAAW Madonna V3 is available in five sizes, S to XXL, offering a suitable option for riders between 158 and 208 cm tall. As with the previous model, there are two different rocker arms for riders over and under 90 kg – you can select the right one when placing your order. RAAW offer countless adjustability options – the chainstay length, bottom bracket drop, suspension progression and head angle are all adjustable between three positions with the help of the RAAW Toolbox kit (purchased separately). By default, the bike is delivered in the middle setting, which should provide the most balanced riding behaviour, with the option to tune each characteristic in either direction to suit your riding style, using the parts provided in the toolbox.
The Madonna offers countless adjustment options, allowing you to customise the geometry and kinematics of the bike to suit your preferences and riding style – awesome!
The Toolbox kit allows for the following geometry tweaks: the standard 64° head angle can be adjusted by +/- 1° using Works Components’ bearing shells. The chainstay length can be adjusted by +/- 5 mm using different rear axle kits. RAAW also offer two types of chainstays, a normal one for conventional mech hangers, and one that’s compatible with SRAM’s UDH mech hanger – though the latter doesn’t allow for length adjustments. In addition, the chainstay length grows with the frame size in both versions, with the standard medium setting measuring 445 mm in the smallest frame sizes S and M, 450 mm in L and 455 mm in XL and XXL. The bottom bracket drop and suspension progression can be adjusted independently by changing the lower shock mounts. The standard settings are 35 mm and 26 %, and these can be adjusted by +/- 3 mm and +/- 3 %, respectively. There is also a shock mount that allows you to swap to a smaller 27.5″ rear wheel without altering the geometry or kinematics. If you decide to do so, you won’t be able to change the bottom bracket drop or final progression.
| Size | S | M | L | XL | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | 430 mm | 455 mm | 480 mm | 505 mm | 530 mm |
| Stack | 637 mm | 650 mm | 664 mm | 677 mm | 677 mm |
| Chainstay Length | 445 mm | 445 mm | 450 mm | 455 mm | 455 mm |
| BB Drop | 35 mm | 35 mm | 35 mm | 35 mm | 35 mm |
| Seat Tube | 395 mm | 420 mm | 445 mm | 470 mm | 470 mm |
| Head Angle | 64° | 64° | 64° | 64° | 64° |
| Seat Angle | 77° | 77° | 77° | 77° | 77° |
| Horizontal Top Tube | 576 mm | 605 mm | 618 mm | 647 mm | 672 mm |
| Head Tube | 100 mm | 115 mm | 130 mm | 145 mm | 145 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1216 mm | 1248 mm | 1284 mm | 1320 mm | 1346 mm |
The 2024 RAAW Madonna V3 on the Trail
Going uphill, the RAAW Madonna places you in a central, compact pedalling position, delivering a solid climbing performance. While it’s not necessarily a lively climber, it’s extremely comfortable, proving a great companion for long days in the saddle.
When gravity takes over, the riding position is relatively tall, yet nicely integrated, with the weight evenly distributed between the front and rear. The Madonna is easy and intuitive to ride, making you feel at ease from the get-go. Handling is predictable yet precise, without ever feeling abrupt. This makes it easy to spontaneously change your line and to flick the bike from one corner into the next, without having to work too hard. On fast, rough trails, the RAAW Madonna feels extremely composed, inspiring huge amounts of confidence in all situations and forgiving the odd riding mistake without bucking you off the saddle. However, in terms of composure, the super-smooth Ibis HD6 and Rocky Mountain Altitude are still slightly ahead. On tight trails with fast consecutive corners, the Madonna is nimble and comfortable, encouraging you to throw the bike from one side of the trail to the other. Only a handful of bikes in this group test strike such a good balance between composure and agility. This is partly due to the excellent suspension, which works just as smoothly as the YT CAPRA and GIANT Reign, offering plenty of reserves to absorb hard impacts. At the same time, it responds sensitively to smaller bumps and offers enough support, providing plenty of feedback from the ground and allowing you to generate speed by pumping through rollers and berms. All of this makes the RAAW Madonna an outstanding all-rounder that’s fun on a huge variety of trails. Despite lacking a smidge of liveliness compared to the Yeti SB160 and Ibis HD6, it takes on anything you can throw at it.
The RAAW Madonna V3 impresses with balanced handling, delivering tons of fun in all situations.
Who should take a closer look at the 2024 RAAW Madonna V3?
The RAAW Madonna V3 is a great option if you ride lots and want a bike that’s easy to service without having to take it to a workshop. If you like playing around with different geometry and kinematics settings, the Madonna’s an excellent choice. The RAAW is also a reliable companion if you’re looking for a potent alloy bruiser that gets you to the trailhead in relaxed fashion, then rips like a bat out of hell while treating you with respect in the process.
Our conclusions about the RAAW Madonna V3
The RAAW Madonna V3 comes with a timeless, elegant look and offers a crazy level of adjustability, allowing you to customise both the geometry and suspension kinematics. Despite being one of the most affordable bikes in this test, and focusing above all on durability and ease of maintenance, it’s still one of the best all-rounders, impressing above all with its strong suspension and harmonious blend of composure and agility. Throw the extremely fair price into the mix, and the RAAW Madonna V3 deserves to roll home with our Best Buy Tip in the bag!
Tops
- Very good all-rounder
- Awesome trail performance
- Countless adjustment options
- Easy to service
- Extremely fair price for a great bike with a top spec
Flops
- Slightly cumbersome uphill
- No complete builds available
For more info, visit RAAW’s website.
The test field
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best enduro bike 2024 – 14 of the most exciting enduro bikes in our 2024 comparison test
All bikes in test: Bold Unplugged Ultimate (Click for review) | Canyon Strive CFR LTD (Click for review) | GIANT Reign Advanced 1 V2 (Click for review) | Ibis HD6 GX AXS (Click for review) | Norco Sight C1 (Click for review) | Orbea WILD M-LTD (Click for review) | Propain Tyee 6 CF MIX (Click for review) | RAAW Madonna V3 (Click for review) | Rocky Mountain Altitude C70 (Click for review) | Santa Cruz Megatower GX AXS RSV (Click for review) | SCOTT Ransom 900 RC (Click for review) | Trek Slash 9.8 XT (Click for review) | Yeti SB160 T3 (Click for review) | YT CAPRA CORE 4 (Click for review)
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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Peter Walker
