Madonna V3.2 Fox Podium Build

Super Happy bin ich nach den ersten 2 Monaten mit dem Bike und freue mich aber jetzt schon riesig darauf, mit all den verschiedenen Einstellmöglichkeiten herumzuspielen.
Den "Koffer" würde ich im kommenden Frühjahr gerne nutzen 😉.
Bis dahin geht es einfach weiter auf Entdeckungstour

Ich bin ein großer Fan von Raaw und dem Madonna, ein Fahrrad für alles was kommt, egal obs uphill ist oder schnelle DH Tracks, klar ist es kein Downhiller aber es arbeitet unter einem so gut das man denkt da kann nichts schief gehen.
Lieb das Ding

Das Madonna V3.2 war mein erster Bike Build und hier hat echt alles zusammen gepasst.

Angefangen vom großartigem Kundensupport, der mich bei der Auswahl der Rahmengröße unterstützt hat. Geworden ist es dann der XL Rahmen mit dem 65er Rocker (198cm und ca. 100kg)

Bis hin zum Aufbau des gesamten Bikes. Hier war die Knowledge Base und die YT Videos echt mega hilfreich.
Mit all den zur Verfügung gestellten Daten war auch die Komponenten Auswahl äußerst einfach.

Optisch ist das Madonna V3.2 echt ein Wahnsinn. Ich mein, schaut es euch doch einfach an!!

Grundsätzlich muss ich auch sagen, dass ich auf der Suche nach genau einem solchen Konzept war. Long Travel Enduro mit Alu Rahmen, zuverlässig und leicht daran zu Schrauben. Und dazu dann noch diese Geo-Werte.

Erste Enduro Runde hat mich auch gleich begeistert.
Uphill war vollkommen ok, tut was es soll. Seitens Sattel- und Lenker Position heißt es für mich noch ein wenig nachschärfen.
Im Downhill hat das Bike dann völlig überzeugt. Mega Stabil und Laufruhig, bügelt über alles drüber und vermittelt extremes Selbstvertrauen.

Bin wirklich zufrieden.

I bought the frame set without the shock, in size L and with 60 rocker (I'm about 186 cm tall and weigh about 78 kg). I built the bike mostly with parts from my old enduro bike, which included an OEM Rockshox SDLX with unknown tune, but it worked just fine.

Bike is just amazing. Frame looks even nicer in person than on the pictures. Geometry felt a little bit strange when riding for the first time (especially since my old enduro bike had a little bit outdated geo) - long wheelbase, low BB, high stack, but it really started to make sense as soon as bike was pointed downward on a steep and fast section. In just a couple of rides I already smashed my PRs (on tracks I ride quite often).

Fully built bike is a little bit on the heavier side - about 17.5 kg, compared to 15.5 kg on my old carbon enduro bike. However, I don't think it makes any difference. I mostly felt the weight difference only on paved straights, but when climbing, it is pretty much the same. I never felt the climb would tire me any more than with the old bike. The main limiting factor on how long I would riding go was still the access to water, and not the actual elevation gain or distance.

In the world where bikes start to have headset routed cables, it is a real refreshment to see full external routing - I'm currently testing different options for brakes and it makes a life a lot easier.

I am very satisfied with the bike and look forward to ride it in many years to come.

Before talking about the bike itself, I think it's important to explain what I was looking for in a mountain bike, because that heavily influenced my decision. I'm 200 cm tall, so I need a quite long bike to feel centered and have enough room to move around. At around 95 kg in full riding gear, durability was also a major priority. Since my arms are a bit more on the short side for my height, I generally prefer a higher cockpit setup to stay comfortable and maintain a balanced riding position. I also do all the maintenance and repairs on my bikes myself. I enjoy working on them, and as a bit of a bike nerd, I love experimenting with different components and settings. That made ease of maintenance another important factor when choosing a frame. Finally, I only own one mountain bike, so it has to do everything. It needs to pedal efficiently on long climbs, be fun on my not-so-hard home trails, and still feel capable during the occasional bike park day.

After discovering RAAW online, I had the chance to test ride their Madonna V3 in XXL at the Bike Festival Freiburg 2026. I can highly recommend test riding any bike before buying it, since there are some things about a bike you cannot get from paper. The first thing Felix and I (who did a great job assisting my test ride) noticed was that the front could be even higher for me. Even though the cockpit and suspension weren't perfectly set up for me during the test ride, I immediately enjoyed how the bike handled. It also became clear that the XXL Jibb LT would still be a little too small for me, while the Madonna felt like the better platform. The test ride showed me that I wanted to keep the bike's balanced handling while raising the front end slightly. Because of that, I decided to order the long chainstay dropouts from the start. I contacted RAAW by email to ask whether they could offer the frame with the long dropouts already installed, saving me from buying two different sets. They were kind enough to accommodate my request. In the end, I ordered an XXL Madonna V3.2 frame with the long chainstay dropouts and the headset, without a shock. The ordering process was smooth, payment and shipping were straightforward, and the frame arrived timely, perfectly packaged, and in flawless condition.

For the build, I chose a Fox Float X2 Performance Elite air shock and paired it with a RockShox ZEB Select fork. I may upgrade the fork to a Charger 3 damper in the future, but for now it performs ok.

I installed a OneUp 240 mm dropper post and a 35 mm stem with a 50 mm rise handlebar and 20 mm of spacers underneath the stem. This gives me the higher front end I was aiming for and suits my body proportions very well. The rest of the build consists of a mix of parts from my previous bike and components I already had available, including the wheels, Shimano drivetrain, and brakes. Building the bike was refreshingly straightforward. Everything is intuitive, and whenever I had a question, the excellent handbook provided all the information I needed. It's clear that someone considered serviceability during the frame's design.

The end result is a bike that fits my rather unusual proportions exceptionally well. Despite weighing about 17.5 kg with pedals and bottle cage, it pedals surprisingly efficiently. The front-to-rear balance feels great for me, and although the wheelbase is very long, the bike still corners quite good. Most importantly, this is the most confidence-inspiring bike I've ridden so far. It encourages me to ride faster and tackle more difficult terrain while still feeling composed and predictable. Since I bought the bike in early summer, I haven't yet put it through a full winter of mud and bad weather. The real durability test is therefore still to come, but based on build quality and my experience so far, I'm optimistic that it will perform well in the long term.

Dass perfekte Bike! Mit Bedacht um den Rest der Komponenten am Madonna, baut man sich ein Bike für die Ewigkeit.

Laufruhig, schnell und wendig. Bin zufrieden mit dem Bike!

After recently owning three carbon bikes and having epoxy issues with my last two (got them warrantied, but it's a hassle to deal with), I have decided to try something different, going back to the roots of mountain bike history and aiming for durability.

Although weighing 18kg and probably being the heaviest bike I've owned in the last decade, it's so comfortable, quiet, and planted that I forgive it for that. I'm actually using the Madonna for everything, from list assist day long rides to pedal enduro laps and XC rides with my dog. Despite the long travel, this is a do-it-all bike!

Das Madonna war echt easy und cool aufzubauen. Einfach nur Mega .

Been riding Raaw Madonna’s for 5 and a half years, I didn’t consider any other frame when I upgraded to V3 2 months ago, best bikes ever!!

Das ist mein erstes RAAW. Easy build. Nach der ersten Probefahrt im Schnee ein super Bike.

182cm height on a size large, full 29, rocker 60, 42mm stem, 35mm rise bars, fox 38/float X2 ‘26. Fit is very comfortable both seated and standing. Coming from a 2022 firebird 29, which feels more lively and willing to get in the air than the V3, as well as feeling like a generally faster bike downhill. Cornering is where the two bikes feel quite different with the V3 calmly and safely able to break traction and drift both wheels with less sensitivity to body position, while the pivot requires a more specific rider position to prevent losing front end grip. Not surprisingly, the V3 also feels like the preferred bike in steeper and faster terrain. I am a high stack believer at this point. The rear center length has been a welcomed change too from the firebird and despite being 17mm longer, the instances of noticing it in a negative way have been virtually nonexistent. A 450 rear and long WB can still get through tight corners just fine with some mild body position changes. The V3 is dead quiet while descending and very muted feeling. The ‘26 X2 has way more mid stroke support and noticeable changes with each click than outgoing models. After burnishing the 38’s lower bushings I’ll also say the Grip X2 (vs Grip2) shares the same supportive characteristics as the new shock, which for me as a lighter rider than some isn’t always of benefit. With 165mm cranks and a 30T ring I spend most of my climbs in the largest cog. The bike is not sluggish at all, it just weighs more than what I’m used to at ~42lbs with pedals (not including tube, bottle, OneUp tool). I had some minor shipping issues after ordering and RAAW’s team was really great to work with. The bike seems very well thought out and durable so far.

So much confidence inspiring in the downhill. It also climb very well and got you covered for those longs climbing days !
It also looks very awesome

I am not a professional, just found passion of riding MTB in my late 30s. I own few bikes like Voodo, Mondraker ebike, Ghost riot, but I am lucky to find RAAW Madonna and add it to my collection. None of previous bikes gave me confidence or feeling that this is the right bike for me. But RAAW Madonna took me to some good places and improved my skills and confidence. I am from UK (unfortunate Brexit logistics country) but that did not stop me buying from RAAW. Customer support was amazing, service was amazing, shipping was amazing, UK customs was a little bit amazing as I needed to fait few extra days. But now, I al riding RAAW in UK, where not many people know this brand, only professionals or technicians! As they all complimenting my choice. I highly recommend buying, even if you will need to deal with UK customs. That was smooth process.

What a bike!

I've been riding the bike this season and it's been a blast. Riding bike parks, trail parks and local trails, all with ease. Both uphill and of course down hill. Coming from a full carbon enduro bike with great specs I was a bit sceptic about the weight but the pedal efficiency is really great, less fatigue with this one compared with my previous one.

I've also gained lots of confidence in the bike park again thanks to this bike, both in steeper and rougher sections but also in the jumps.

Maintenance vice, I've basically only cleaned it and lubed the chain, still as quiet as new.

Overall a great bike that really does what RAAW and every review says!