A Build Without Rules: Stevie Schneider’s Wild Madonna V3

What happens when you give someone like Stevie full creative freedom to build the bike of his dreams?
Spoiler: things get wild. In this blog post, Stevie takes you along as he transforms his Madonna V3 into a radical hybrid — somewhere between Big Air machine, backyard whip toy, and a whole lot of madness.

If you could build your dream bike—no rules, no limits—what would it look like?
When I asked myself that, a few wild bikes from the early 2010s came to mind. Sketchy, razor-sharp geometries that felt totally out of control—but damn, they were fun to ride.

At the same time, I wanted something that could really take a beating. A bike that would plow through rough stuff like a razor gliding over a hairy chest. And still be flippable, spinnable—whether on a small backyard ramp or the massive kickers of the Fest Series.

Sounds impossible? Pretty much. I had a vision in my head that no bike on the market could fulfill. Or could it?

With this slightly unhinged idea buzzing in my head, I hit up Ruben and asked if I could turn my Madonna V3 into the hybrid beast I had in mind.
If you know Ruben, you know he has strong opinions when it comes to bike geometry and build choices—which I totally get. His frames are works of art. And as one of the brand’s ambassadors, randomly hacking things together? That’s a sensitive topic.

To my surprise, he didn’t just give me the go-ahead—he actually encouraged me to go all in. Only one technical restriction: axle-to-crown couldn’t exceed 597.7 mm. Luckily, the V3 is built for dual crown forks anyway. Jackpot.

My Madonna was already running a mullet setup with the MX lower shock mount. I swapped in the shorter chainstay axle, added a—let’s be honest—pretty ugly reducer headset (sorry again, Ruben), and the foundation was set.

But if you want a bike that truly flies, there’s one thing you absolutely need: POPP.

That feeling when your bike loads up like a slingshot and launches you off the lip with power and control. If the setup sags or fades out, you’re just limping off the jump and flailing through the air.

From experience, I know: POPP comes down to two things—frame length and suspension setup. And you don’t want to mess around with that half-heartedly.

When it comes to suspension, there’s only one guy I trust completely: Walter from Styrian Flow.

He shortened my Öhlins DH fork from 200 mm to 180 mm, swapped in heavier oil with higher viscosity, and re-tuned the shim stack.
I’m now running 250 psi in the lower air chamber and 150 psi in the upper.
The Öhlins TTX shock? Tuned so hard, Walter gave me his official “you could jump off a rooftop now” seal of approval.
The spring? The stiffest one available for that stroke: 674 lbs.

And even with that setup, the bike is still versatile. Dial the shock down to level 1, ease up the air pressure a bit, and it’s perfect for bike park laps, jumplines, DH tracks—and ripping through corners like a lunatic.

At that point, I knew: this is the poppiest bike I’ve ever owned.

I took it for a spin on my backyard jump and at the local bike park. And it felt seriously good.
But to really know if this setup works, you need to go big. I’m talking 25 meters and up.

And soon, I got the perfect chance.

Flat Out Days in Slovenia. This was it.
I’ll admit—I was a little nervous.
My usual Big Air bike, the Yalla!, had always been my go-to for these events. And let’s be real—it has a few extra centimeters of travel that can help save you when things go sideways.

I started out easy, warming up on the “Hammer Line,” and right away I felt it: this setup is a blast. The Madonna V3 isn’t just fun to jump—it’s playful, tossable, and spins like a dream.

Still, there was one issue: the tubeless setup felt too soft. And I wanted more rotating mass for better stability in the air.
So I slapped the heaviest tubes I could find onto my E*thirteen carbon rims.
Normally, I’m not a huge fan of carbon, but these wheels can take the nastiest hits without even flinching.

By the end of the week, conditions were finally right to hit the full Fest Line.

You roll in over some mellow BMX-style rollers, triple through, hit a long-and-low into a shark fin—and then it’s full throttle into the first massive jump of the line.

Charging into a jump at 70 km/h? That’s not just a sport. That’s a near-spiritual experience.

And as I left the lip, I knew instantly: the Madonna V3 does exactly what it’s supposed to. It flies. Far, stable, and controlled.

Mission accomplished.

Thinking about building your own radical RAAW setup?
Or just curious what’s technically possible?

Shoot me a message on Instagram. I’ll do my best to help out with honest feedback, no fluff.

And who knows—maybe it’ll help you build the poppiest setup of your life.

Words: Stevie Schneider

Photos: Hannah Retz