Press Release
Raaw Bikes Now Available in Canada & USA
Raaw Bikes is just three years old but their first and currently only model, the Madonna, tickles the taste buds. But rather than the often more tantalizing carbon frame material riders seem drawn to, Raaw do it with alloy. The Madonna features a nice stash zone in the top and down tube, a large 52mm bearing at the main pivot, a rear center length that changes with each frame size and geometry that fits comfortably among the progressive bikes available today.
I've been in contact with owner, Ruben for well over a year but issues with red tape made it next to impossible to get ahold of a Madonna to test. That's about to change for us and riders interested in the bike. Raaw Bikes are now available in North America. Below is a press release from Ruben, shedding more light on the brand and the new expansion. – AJ
Even a raw alloy Raaw needs a clean after a day in Whistler…
Raaw Mountain Bikes – Now Available Worldwide
It’s been only three years since the start of Raaw and the process of building a small brand has been a hugely humbling experience so far. I’m very lucky to have a group of friends contributing to Raaw and to also have a quality and dependable production partner in Taiwan. But, the daily business is run just by me. That’s something I never really wanted to emphasize as the product should do the talking. No matter if it’s from a small company or a large corporation. But I’ve learnt that it’s good to give some insights and show what Raaw is about.
The Raaw Madonna has been seeing some action in the Whistler Bike Park very recently.
I’m a firm believer of sustainable growth, taking one step after the other and not rushing anything. It makes the process of building a company much more manageable with a smaller chance of catastrophic failure. Being patient can be tough, however. Every chapter in the book of Raaw should feel complete and well thought out. One of the most challenging chapters has been the distribution.
Ready for North America.
I’ve learned to appreciate the contact with customers directly. The numbers Raaw sells makes this manageable and that direct contact with the owners is something I greatly appreciate. Stoke can be shared, small issues can be solved quickly and the direct communication gives me a very good measure of what people like, what they ride and who they are.
Selling to the US and Canada wasn’t an option until now. The reason for this has been mainly the more complex and expensive insurance covering product liability.
But, we’re all set and ready to go now!
If you have any questions about the Madonna, simply send me a message and I’ll be very happy to help.
Cheers,
Ruben
More about the brand and the Raaw Madonna
Comments
Znarf
5 years, 6 months ago
I’ve been riding a Raaw Madonna since March this year. I bought it as a backup for my carbon Orbea Rallon 29 and intended to primarily ride the Orbea and the Raaw for winter rides or when something on the Rallon is broken only.
Since I took delivery of the Madonna I didn’t touch the Orbea once. Even though the Rallon is a great bike, too.
The Madonna felt absolutely spot on for me from the first minute. I have had a lot of nice bikes (instead of owning decent cars) over the years, but very few felt as great from the get go to me.
If you ride a lot, the Madonna is a fantastic bike. It’s incredibly solid, the performance of the rear suspension is absolutely superb! I love the geometry and especially the longer chainstays and absolutely find it strikes a great balance of confidence and flickability. It climbs great, the seat angle is perfect for long legs, even better than the Rallon‘s.
I believe that the bearings and frame parts will last for a couple of seasons, for real! Most bikes I get around a full season max before the bearings are not rough, but stuck! Also, another unexpected side effect of the alloy frame: it stopped my whimsy fussing about getting the frame dinged/scratched/clamped/crushed in transport (train, ferry, roof rack, shuttling, lift) etc. Carbon frames are strong while riding, but I worried (and actually destroyed one) about them all the time...
And yes, it is not cheap, but when handling the frame in person, it’s incredibly well built and in my opinion worth the price.
If there is a chance for a test ride, do it!
I am not sponsored or affiliated with RAAW in any way. I just own one and paid full retail for it.
Reply
Cr4w
5 years, 6 months ago
These bikes look great. Glad they're finally available here.
Reply
MTBrent
5 years, 6 months ago
It's a small detail, but I appreciate that a drawing of what each frame size looks like is shown on the website (Tech page).
Performance definitely tops the "what matters" list, but whether we like to admit it or not, aesthetics play a big role, too. Knowing what the frame size you'd be riding looks like compared to what gets reviewed/introduced/shown in pictures is nice.
Reply
AJ Barlas
5 years, 6 months ago
Totally agree. In the past larger frame sizes have looked forgotten about, often looking awkward compared to their smaller siblings. Getting to see how the lines work across sizes is great.
It also helps that the frames are proportional front to rear, in the case of the Raaw Madonna.
Reply
Brian Moreaux
5 years, 6 months ago
I really like the aesthetics of the frame and geometry. From my totally ignorant perspective the un-gusseted weld at the bend of the top tube looks like a weak point. I don't think I've seen another frame with that characteristic before...
Reply
Albert Steward
5 years, 6 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Albert Steward
5 years, 6 months ago
I think it primarily that way to allow for the built-in storage...
https://www.pinkbike.com/photo/16857620/
Reply
ryando
5 years, 6 months ago
I am not an engineer, but whenever I see photos of broken top tubes they are mostly broken at or near the head tube or a few inches away from the head tube. Maybe the forces on the top tube near that weld are reasonably low.
Reply
mike
5 years, 6 months ago
Been playing instagram tag with them for the last 2wks or so. This bike has been on my radar since it 1st dropped a couple yrs back.
Reply
Shoreboy
5 years, 6 months ago
Everyone is OK with the $4000CDN (pre-tax, duty, shipping) cost for a horst link Al frame (weighing in at 8.5ish lbs w/o shock)? They didnt give pricing in the article, so I assume it is whatever I find on their website?
Reply
mike
5 years, 6 months ago
Chatted with them today , frame start at 1757 euro
Reply
RNAYEL
5 years, 6 months ago
That's $2,583.42 CAD at this morning's FX according to Google, which puts it in line with the Knolly Fugitive LT assuming $400 in shipping/import/other costs, pre-tax.
Fugitive LT is $3,000 CAD IIRC.
Reply
Shoreboy
5 years, 6 months ago
They must be re-pricing things for that to be their North America pricing. Currently on their site normal MSRP (without shock) is 2290 Euro (they did have a 200 Euro sale until the 21st of July). With a DPX2, it jumps up to 2590 Euro. Thats $3808.15 CDN pre-tax or shipping or duty. Will be interesting to see if they drop their prices that much.
Reply
Niels van Kampenhout
5 years, 6 months ago
Don't forget EU pricing includes VAT which is 19% in Germany. They list discounted prices incl. and excl. VAT on https://www.raawmtb.com/madonnabike. However, their online shop doesn't seem to have been updated yet for ordering outside EU. Probably best to contact Raaw before ordering.
Reply
Shoreboy
5 years, 6 months ago
Looks like they just updated to reflect what you indicated. 2090EU for Europe, 1757EU for North America. If I put a bike in my cart, and address it to Canada, it still gives me the EU pricing. Im sure they will fix it soon.
mike
5 years, 6 months ago
I put one in a cart and to BC it was 52 euro. Whats a Santa Cruz or Norco frame sell for . The price is fair IMO.
Reply
Znarf
5 years, 6 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Please log in to leave a comment.