AM ROAR!!! RAAW Madonna V2.2

Very nice mate, excellent attention to detail and as others have said perfect cable routing.
And there I was thinking if I'd left the dropper cable outer sleeve roughly three millimetres longer it would've lined up with the rear brake hose more accurately in the vertical plane. :p

@Tubbsy: Since you asked my trick for these lining up neatly is to run the brake line first, then mount the dropper lever in position on the bars. Feed the dropper outer cable into the port and up out of the seat tube. Slip the outer cable (and end cap) into the bottom of the dropper post, and slide them all down into the seat tube simultaneously and dummy fit the dropper in place (helps if you know your preferred saddle height obviously). Use a few small cable ties (only lightly done up, cable outer still needs to be able to slip through at this point) to align the dropper cable to the brake hose, draw it over to the dropper lever/barrel adjuster by hand and cut to length. Then feed the outer cable (this is why it's still got to be able to slide), end cap and dropper back out of the seat tube, install the inner cable into the dropper and through the outer cable, then drag it all back into its final position. Secure everything in place (dropper in seat tube, cable outer and inner into dropper lever), trim and cap the inner cable, and fully tighten and trim the cable ties. Sounds like a lot of fucking around, but it only takes a couple of minutes more than a guesstimate install.
 
WHERE WAS THIS ADVICE TWO WEEKS AGO!

But seriously, I do feel like I broadly follow this strategy, it’s just that my builds are often spread over a few random days and hours and I’m just not focused enough… somehow it always ends up looking a little untidy. Not helped by northern-hemi routing on the latest project.
 
Not helped by northern-hemi routing on the latest project.
Ahem, that style of routing can be handled.

Check out those opening pics. ;)
 
That’s a really nice looking bike. Cable routing pedantrics aside, how does it ride?
Also interested on the shock tune you’re running on the SDU?
 
I've had a Revive 185mm for years that's been trouble-free and still feels better than most droppers on the market, so I'm hoping the 213mm lives up to its precedence.
I got a great deal on a Revive last yr ;)

Great post!
 
Weird thread to direct me to.. although I am part way there minus the low cable tie… hmm.
I'm hoping you've got a frame with similar ports down the downtube a bit. The Ripmo was a pain as the ports were nearly up on the headtube so I had to run a very stubby LH brake line with a tight bend.
 
I got a great deal on a Revive last yr ;)

Great post!
Fkn lol. So that's why the dropper on my Highball feels so fresh! (and is only 160mm*)

Apparently I bought and sold Revives at some point. o_O

*CotFW - They even have different laser etching on the collar, lol. Yes, I just had to go and check. :oops:
 
That’s a really nice looking bike. Cable routing pedantrics aside, how does it ride?
Also interested on the shock tune you’re running on the SDU?
Ta. Without going in-depth as it's not fully fettled yet and I need some more rides on it - It rides well. Very muted frame feel and the handling and suspension is best described as well balanced and without weird quirks. Echoing @Jpez's sentiments that it's something you can get setup in about 2 minutes and just get on and ride. Given I normally come away with something to nit-pick about after a first ride, the absence of "problems" is a ringing endorsement. :p
 
@yuley95 I have a 185 and a 213 and the longer one feels every bit as robust.
I’ve got the 185mm Devine which is great but I hear the Revive is even better. There are a lot of great dropper out there these days but I feel like BikeYoke are a cut above many of them.
 
Very aesthetically pleasing!
Well done @beeb, as always the attention to detail is something else.

The non garish WTB hot patches should be adopted by all tyre makers
 
Ta. Without going in-depth as it's not fully fettled yet and I need some more rides on it - It rides well. Very muted frame feel and the handling and suspension is best described as well balanced and without weird quirks. Echoing @Jpez's sentiments that it's something you can get setup in about 2 minutes and just get on and ride. Given I normally come away with something to nit-pick about after a first ride, the absence of "problems" is a ringing endorsement. :p

Sounds like a winner. Shock tune?
 
Sounds like a winner. Shock tune?
Just the generic tune on that comes on the aftermarket shocks. It could use a bit less mid-stroke/HSC probably - but that's not the frame's fault (I also like rear shocks/suspension to feel really open and predominantly just supported by the spring). The adjustment range is reasonably broad with not a lot of decent 'clicks' on these, but I suspect the frame would generally pair well with most shocks.
 
Last edited:
no swarf (almost, just 1 tiny flake)
1699578479977.png
 
Looks like your new bike is obsolete @beeb

Time to upgrade:
First Ride: Raaw Madonna V3 - Better Than Ever - Pinkbike
I'd like the luxury of a mullet option, but not enough to pay for a new frame. I also can't see a leverage chart/progression number for the MX shock mount either but suspect it'd have more than I wanted (as it typically increases progression when the shock mount is moved to drop the rear axle relative to the BB).

Everything else is close enough it doesn't bother me or some things I actually prefer the V2.2 (I don't have the need for a ZS56/ZS56 headtube for example). I don't think I'll ever ride this one hard enough to get a warranty replacement upgrade, so the V2.2 will be fine for me. ;)
 
Well, this bike's life didn't get off to the best start with me. Took it for one ride round the local trails, it was okay - but a bit like bringing hand grenades to a knife fight thanks to the size and geo (despite not feeling particularly supple*). For my second ride, I booked a couple of days of shuttles up at Falls Creek - then promptly came down with COVID the day after the booking. :rolleyes: So after a little over a week, there I was coughing and spluttering up at a cool and misty Falls Creek (yep, that's mid-November in the high-country for you...). Started off with the obligatory Flowtown run (cruisy blue descent) to warm up, and all as was going okay. Bike wasn't feeling particularly stellar, but I thought maybe it was a bit oversprung as I hadn't really had any time to tune anything, or I was just still physically struggling from the spicy cough (definitely also some of that). But I was battling away, and up we went up to the top of the hill. Probably a minute or two down the trail, the rear brake hose popped off from the rear caliper hose connection, instant loss of brake but luckily I managed to slow up with the front brake a bit, get a foot down and bail out into some grass on the side of the trail. Given we'd just started one of the new trails (that I'd never ridden before), I decided there was no way in hell I was riding down the trail blind with no rear brake - and being much nearer the top than the bottom I hike-a-biked it back up and out and shuttled back to the car. Can confirm shuttles are a lot less fun going that way. While I probably could've got the brake line reinstalled while I was back at the carpark (though bleeding it would've been another story...), I was too knackered to care and called it for the weekend.

In the time since I have been fighting the lingering effects of COVID in the form of hectic amounts of fatigue, which has meant I've slept through most of the weekends since in the two months since. So with finally starting to feel better last week and with the benefit of hindsight (and a helpful suggestion from @Mattyp that I naturally dismissed wholeheartedly at the time, lol whoops) - I thought I'd better repair this thing and check the brake hose length while I was at it. Well, no prizes if you can guess who should be visiting the CotFW thread. As it turns out this thing needs about 15mm of slack in the final span of the hose to allow full travel and avoid yanking the hose (hurr hurr) taut. Fortunately though, the hose length was fairly easy to check as I was also swapping the shock to a (new-old-stock) RockShox SuperDeluxe shock with 525lb coil, and while I was in the shed I also swapped the drop-outs back to the middle position set, as I found the long position was putting too much weight on the front wheel (and I like a well-loaded front wheel, but it was so much load on the front in the long position it actually felt awkward/unbalanced and massively front-heavy).

I still need to run through the gears and make sure the chain doesn't need shortening up (and I might need to have another crack at bleeding the rear brake to get it absolutely rock solid) but a few laps around the backyard and a handful of bunny hops suggest all is working well. Double there was no binding of the brake hose, and was pleased to see the shock feels good. *Yes it's almost certain the previous shock/rear suspension felt bad because of the brake hose pulling taut - but I also ran that shock on another bike and found it a bit overdamped for my tastes so stuck with "new old faithful".

IMG_8150.jpeg


I also have a one-step softer coil and a Grip2 damper to install in the fork as well, but I will probably take it for a spin first because it'll just be nice to get out for a ride again finally and the fine details can wait.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top