September 2025

A celebration of mountain bikes

RAAW was founded with a pragmatic mindset. We wanted to build bikes that we would ride ourselves, which would last and perform well both uphill and downhill, and which would feel like an extension of ourselves. We approach a bike as a tool rather than a shiny toy. This is not to say that a tool cannot look good; if you have followed our story over the years, you will probably recognise a pattern in our functional, no-nonsense approach.

Our no-nonsense philosophy also means that we choose parts for our bikes that simply work. XT brakes and drivetrains have been used on all our test bikes and many personal bikes for years. The same goes for wheels, bars, and the rest of the components. We prefer components that we are familiar with and can rely on. Sometimes this results in the desire to build a much more exotic bike, something special that can be ridden hard but also admired with a contented smile and a beer in hand.

The launch of the Fox Podium build and the new Shimano XTR groupset inspired us to create a small batch of Madonnas that aren't the most pragmatic build, but that simply make jaws drop. In a way, it's our celebration of bikes, of the Madonna, and of what we think is the ultimate Enduro bike build.

For the media production of the Podium Madonna build, we teamed up with David Steca , a filmmaker who usually captures all the details of old Porsche engines while rebuilding them. David had the perfect location in which to shoot the bike being assembled: an old factory with all the right vibes. Our in-house filmer, Jonas, is usually the man behind the lens, but seeing the bike through David's eyes has been a very refreshing experience. Every filmmaker has their own style, and the result is a perfect celebration of what we think mountain bikes can be. Jonas was part of the process and was able to give us a behind-the-scenes look at what has already become one of our favourite projects of 2025.