RAAW to Offer Privateer Support for 2023 Downhill World Cup Riders
PRESS RELEASE: RAAW Mountain Bikes
Since we started RAAW we’ve dreamed of making a downhill bike and going racing at the highest level. After many hours of chin scratching, tinkering and getting our ideas into production, we received the first samples of our DH bike in late 2021.
In 2022 we entered world cup racing with KJ, Douglas, Luke and Ryan at 555 RAAW Gravity Racing, starting the journey of a lifetime. From the first test camp in Portugal, through all the World Cup races and even World Championships, there has been so much to learn and experience. It's been one hell of a ride!
Luke Williamson on his way to finish 23rd in Fort William, what a day!
Everything we’ve learned has helped us tweak and confirm what we’ve been working on. The experiences we’ve gathered with the four World Cup riders have given us a solid understanding of the different setups we can achieve with the adjustments that our frame offers to accommodate for differences in tracks, conditions and riding styles. The result is that our DH bike will see its official release this coming winter, and frame-kits are scheduled to be available to purchase shortly after the launch.
Being at the World Cup races this year has also made us aware of just how many athletes give it their absolute all week in and week out to race as privateers. Families and small teams traveling all over the world to chase their dreams are often a bit in the background, but fundamental for the future of the sport. These privateers are the ones working their way up the racing ladder and maybe someday in the future competing for wins. That made us decide that we’d love to support those riders as well as we can with frames we believe are a durable tool for the job with all the adjustments to have a fast bike, no matter what track.
Riders with the UCI points to race World Cups, and the intention to do so in 2023, interested in riding our DH frame can reach out to us for all the technical details on the bike. We will offer a 45% discount and to assure ample quality time on the new bike before next season, we will ship the privateer support frames with air freight instead of sea freight from Taiwan to our HQ in Germany, meaning they will be available before the end of this year.
Racers interested can reach out to us with their resume and plans for 2023 at hello@raawmtb.com.
For more information visit raawmtb.com.
Photos: Ross Bell
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Because it's a german bike company.
Haven't ridden, or even seen one, as they're a bit hard to come by here in the US... but man, I love their aesthetic, and design choices.
Simple design, beautiful frame, big bearings with good shields, moderate-ish reach, high stack, long chainstays. All stuff I'm looking for.
If they made it a bit easier to buy in the US (like how Privateer has done, with a US distributor), I might be tempted to swap from my Banshee to try one.
Ruben answered my silly questions quickly. Have absolutely beat the hell out of my Madonna v2.2 this summer, and it is still impressing me every ride.
What sort of rides are you guys putting on your Madonnas? The Madonna was my dream bike, but I worry that I'd want a smaller bike to complement it for less gnarly rides (vs. something like a Ripmo).
Also, I ride this bike everywhere, not just gnar. With 27% sag it rides like a big trailbike. Does like to go fast though...
Oh, awesome to hear it went well for you and others. That’s encouraging.
Turns out I’m not all that familiar with buying stuff from out of country.
How did the customs/duties etc work out? That’s the big part I was worried about, as it seemed like a potential hidden cost. Maybe I was worrying about nothing though.
Replaced an Evil Offering V2 with a Madonna V2.2. I’m a bit of a clumsy smasher style of rider. Not good at sticking to the line I choose, not good at avoiding hitting stuff. Also lots of big loose rocks here. The Madonna is obviously heavier than the Evil was. I tend to ride a 13 mile loop on the daily that involves about 2k’ of climbing followed by fast loose rocky descents. Have had the Madonna on multiple days at Trestle, did the Monarch Crest epic on it, and a couple of Pikes Peak plummets (6500’ descending with 1k of climb in the middle). I am definitely over-biked. (Are we still using that term?) But I don’t need help climbing, so I built my bike to assist my weaker areas. So stoked on the fit, finish, pedal efficiency, and silence.
I find the climbing position is really comfortable. Its definitely not as lightweight as some bikes, so you sacrifice a bit of extra energy going up but it doesn't ride as heavy as it is on paper. Then when you point it down a hill... Big fun. I got rid of my full DH rig as I can go 95% of the speed and I'm getting old so I'm happy to crash slower.
If I could only have one bike I'd go for my madonna. I'll put a pic of mine on my profile so you can see the set up.
I see myself owning this bike for years, just changing out components to keep things interesting.
I paid zero duties/US taxes. I think in theory they can send you a bill while it is going through customs but I never had that happen.
It did sit in customs for about a week in Chicago, which was annoying but not unexpected
Even if they do make a bit of a profit. they basically get some free advertising and the chance to say "this nobody kid shocked the cycling world this year on one of our bikes."
Its a smart way to get your name out there for little cost, and give privateers a shot at the big show.
I like it.
@RAAW, If you want to get credit on this, you should offer at least the frames for free and technical support in the events. Privateers with worldcup deserving more simply.
Until then: no positive vibes from me at least (though frames seems to be great)
they suddenly have to get tents and event items, tools and mechanics and cover travel?
also wouldn't that make them no longer privateers with all that?