The RAAW Madonna V3

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The Madonna V3 is the most capable, adjustable, and durable bike RAAW has ever built. It’ll take on the roughest tracks, the longest rides, all the while never shying away from a climb.

While the brand hasn’t lost its focus on durability, adjustability was added to make it even more versatile. The fourth iteration of the Madonna will have your back, no matter what.

The Madonna V3 is hugely capable and finely balanced on everything from tight natural single trails to flat-out bike park tracks. It’s ready when you are and will never throw in the towel before you do. 160 mm of rear wheel travel is paired with a 170 mm fork and the 29” front wheel can be combined with either a 29” or 27.5” wheel in the back.

Fine-tuning and setting up your bike exactly how you want is now possible with the Madonna V3. The bike’s geometry can be modified through adjustable BB height, chainstay length and head angle options. The suspension also comes with progression adjustment options as well as two rider-weight-specific rocker links. But don’t worry, if tinkering isn’t your thing, all mid-settings out of the box are what’s recommended.

RAAW believes bikes should be ridden hard and put away dirty. The Madonna V3 comes with double sealed pivots, hardware that can take a beating, and external cable routing. But when the time comes, you won’t need two degrees and four pairs of hands to give your bike some love back.

Technical Specifications:

Travel: 160 mm rear / 170 mm front
Wheel size: 29” (740–755 mm) (27,5” rear option)
Max tyre width: 2.6” (66 mm)
Rear hub: 148*12
Shifting: One-by only, boost, 36t max (UDH / T-Type option)
BB: 73 mm BSA / ISCG05
Brake: 203 mm post mount
Seat tube diameter: 31.6 mm inside, 35 mm outside
Internal seatpost routing: Yes
Seatpost max insert: S 220 mm / M 245 mm / L 268 mm / XL & XXL 294 mm
Headset: 56 / 56 Zero stack
Cable routing: All external
Shock hardware: Ball bearings and hardware included
Bearings main pivot: 2 x 6906-2RS1 (47*30*9)
Bearings rocker pivot: 2 x 6002-2RS1 (32*15*9)
Bearings other pivots: 8 x 6902-2RS1 (28*15*7)
Recommended fork dimensions: ATC 587,7 mm – Offset 44 mm
Shock dimensions: 205*65 / 205*60 – Trunnion
Weight: 3.9 kg (incl. all hardware, w/o shock, size M)
Material: AL 6066 T6
Finish options: Matt Black and raw with matt clear coat

Geometry

The Madonna V3 is available in five sizes, from S to XXL, to accommodate riders from 158 cm to 208 cm. Reaches and chainstay lengths, as well as head and seat tubes, grow with the frame sizes to achieve a balanced and predictable ride no matter the frame size.

Suspension Design

While developing the suspension for the Madonna V3 consistent progression was a clear goal. The amount of force needed to compress the suspension increases smoothly over the entire travel, resulting in a very predictable rear end. Wherever you are in travel, the suspension will feel defined and it won’t go off doing its own thing and leave you second-guessing what it might do next.

For the Madonna V3, one major improvement is the ability to start compressing from zero travel. Every time you get light on your bike and the suspension has to start moving, it’s now buttery smooth, while still maintaining support and composure.

When you pedal the Madonna V3, seated or stood, the bike is efficient. That is thanks to the great level of chassis support maintained, keeping the bike predictable, and allowing you to winch up technical slippery climbs with ease. And when you yank on the brakes, the bike uses an increased level of chassis support while still balancing grip and feel of what’s going on at the rear wheel.

Rocker 60 & Rocker 65

The Madonna V3 uses a four-bar rocker link suspension layout with two different rocker links. The 160 mm of rear wheel travel comes from a 205 x 60 mm shock with the Rocker 60 or a 205 x 65 mm shock with the Rocker 65.

The higher leverage ratios of the suspension with the Rocker 60 are better suited for riders under 90 kg, with the lower leverage ratios that come with the Rocker 65 are best suited for riders over 90 kg.

Adjustability

Countless hours of riding and tinkering over the years have resulted in the geometry numbers and suspension design that RAAW offers with the Madonna V3. But the brand has also learned that terrain, conditions, and personal preference can require different setups. With two full Downhill World Cup seasons aboard the Yalla! under the belts, RAAW has proven its toolbox concept, which now finds its way onto the Madonna V3.

From the base, out-of-the-box, geometry, different lower shock mounts are offered, the same mounts as on the Yalla!, to adjust the BB height by 3 mm, up or down – Subtle changes that have a huge impact on the overall character of the bike.

The rear suspension progression can also be adjusted by the same modular lower shock mounts and offers 3% more or less progression from the 26% that comes as standard. It’s also possible to combine the BB and progression adjustments.

All frame sizes come with the rear wheel axle in the mid position. For S and M size frames that’s 445 mm, L is 450 mm, and XL and XXL frames are 455 mm. From there, the chainstay length can be adjusted to 5 mm shorter or longer with separate rear wheel axle kits.

The straight, 56 mm diameter head tube opens the door for easier head angle adjustments with headsets from the likes of Works Components, or any other brand offering 56 mm angle headsets. Accurate marks on the head tube make aligning the headset cups a piece of cake.

Hardware

The Madonna V3 features an entirely new, but very familiar, main and rocker pivot design. Both now feature wider and stronger bearings and axles that go straight through the inner races of the bearings, reducing complexity and the stack up of tolerances that can give the potential for creaky noises in these highly loaded areas.

The BB of the Madonna V3 now comes with a removable ISCG05 mount, leaving the option of a chain guide and bash guard up to the rider.

SRAM UDH & Transmission

The Madonna V3 comes delivered with RAAW’s axle system that locks the two seatstays into each other while also offering adjustable chainstay lengths. But now, the brand also offers Sram UDH and Transmission compatible seat stays that work with regular X12-axles. With the UDH seatstays, the chain stay length will always be in the mid position for that frame size.

Cable Routing

What seems to be such a simple thing tends to be overlooked – Cable routing. From the beginning of the development process, RAAW aimed for the smoothest and simplest external cable routing it could make. On the Madonna V3, it’s not only very easy to assemble, but
the lack of tight bends and kinks in the gear cable means that mechanical shifting is guaranteed to be a treat for your thumbs.

With the current trend of cables being routed through headsets, stems, and the frame, RAAW was very eager to show what a regular mechanical Sram GX or Shimano XT drivetrain can do in terms of shifting performance. But, bolt-on cable guides also allow for a very clean aesthetic in case you go for wireless shifting.

Tubing & Frame Protection

The new downtube is the backbone of the Madonna V3. Its straight lines and carefully designed intersections to the BB and headtube go together with improved clearance for all shocks in all frame adjustment settings.

The frame comes with a set of protective pieces made from a soft rubber compound. The downtube protector covers the full width of the downtube and offers 5 mm of cushioning buffer to absorb impacts before the frame needs to.

The chainstay protector now integrates the gear cable routing and also protects against heel rub on the frame. The frame protection is finished with coverage on the seat stay and chainstays as well as a set of pre-cut clear protective film to cover most of the exposed frame surfaces, keeping your Madonna V3 looking fresh for years to come.

Design

There isn’t much “design” forced on the Madonna V3. RAAW wants its bikes to look like it all just makes sense, like nothing is out of place and with everything just visually working together, all following a performance driven ideal.

The brand has given the Madonna V3 a more aggressive, low-slung look. And it’s no surprise that the Yalla! was the catalyst. But the lower top tube, smaller rocker link, and a more tucked-in down tube came from giving the rider more space around the frame to move and giving the bike more clearance when the ground comes at it. The team also worked to have this same clean and aggressive look on all sizes, from S, all the way up to XXL.

Dual Crown Fork Compatibility

Although a 170 mm single crown fork is the first choice for the Madonna, dual crown forks were now added into the equation. The Madonna V3 fits the fork bumpers from the Yalla! to absorb impacts from the fork stanchions on the frame. The maximum axle-to-crown measurement of 598 mm should not be exceeded, but this translates to a 180 mm travel fork and we believe this to be the best fit when it comes to DC forks and the Madonna V3.

Water Bottle & Storage

All frame sizes offer space for a bottle cage. Size S and M will take up to a 500 ml bottle and from size L on, you can easily fit a 750 ml bottle. The top tube also features mounting points for a gear strap, pump or any other accessories that use this mounting system.

Five Year Warranty

To reinforce what RAAW stands for, a five-year warranty is offered for the first and second owners and the five-year crash replacement program also continues for when things don’t go your way.