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My old Strive is nigh on 8 years old (frame design 10 years).
The fork and shock still work fine, but the frame is getting a little creaky.
Want something new.
Majority of my MTB riding is bike parks with the occasional winch and drop. (I've got the gravel bike for when I want to pootle about and enjoy the scenery.)
What I want.....
Ideally mullet. (I'm 5'7" and manage to scrape my arse on the rear wheel often enough as it is.)
160mm in the rear. Same or more upfront.
No electrics, although I guess I could sell if need be.
What I don't want....
Scott.
Specialized.
Sram AXS.
Anyone seen any deals out there worth considering?
Fanks!
There were loads of deals on the Orange website recently, might be worth checking there to see whats left. Stif are closing down as well so could be something on there, think they sold GT's as well as Santa Cruz.
Theres also a size C1 (small) Cotic RocketMax frame in their outlet section, think it's £1799...
Atherton S170, anything else is a compromise 🙂
deals on the Orange website recently
Forgot that orange are even still a thing. Can't remember the last time I saw one here on the continent.
Atherton S170, anything else is a compromise
Recommending what you got?
Like the look, but find it strange that they use a different suspension design on the Ali Vs carbon frames.....
Prices aren't as crazy as I suspected.
I also really like the look of the Raaw Madonna 3 rolling chassis which works out about the same price once brakes and drivetrain are added.
Atherton S170, anything else is a compromise
Recommending what you got?
Like the look, but find it strange that they use a different suspension design on the Ali Vs carbon frames.....
Prices aren't as crazy as I suspected.
I also really like the look of the Raaw Madonna 3 rolling chassis which works out about the same price once brakes and drivetrain are added.
No, i have a Trek Fuel.
Two riders I know have the Raaw - such well thought out frame package. Great bearing hardware / nice finishing touches... Next bike will be one of these...
Atherton S170, anything else is a compromise
I also really like the look of the Raaw Madonna 3 rolling chassis which works out about the same price once brakes and drivetrain are added.
I have a Madonna. Best bike ever. Find a bad review... you cant!
Dont forget those pesky import duties. I think i paid £2500 for a frame with no shock to my door. Then £500 for a rockshox SD coil. So 3k all in. Transferred stuff over from my previous bike, then upgraded a few bits over time (just got some Trickstuff Maxima's... oooosh!)
Atherton S170, anything else is a compromise
I also really like the look of the Raaw Madonna 3 rolling chassis which works out about the same price once brakes and drivetrain are added.
I have a Madonna. Best bike ever. Find a bad review... you cant!
I can show you some Raaw terrible reviews... but it was a Yalla i believe...
Canyon had £1500 off the latest Strives..... last week 😥
Strives all sold out in the Canyon sale, there were some very good deals going there, Spectral not enough bike, also very keen prices, Trek may be boring but the new slash has good reviews and is on sale and mulletable https://www.blazingbikes.co.uk/shop/bikes/mountain/trek-2025-slash-8-gen-6-5251/option/
Saracen come already mulleted in small and medium and some very keen prices
https://www.saracen.co.uk/collections/saracen-bikes-full-range/products/ariel-60-pro-black
Process x also can be mullet
https://winstanleysbikes.co.uk/kona-process-x-cr-2022-bike/
Raaw Madonna appeals to me too. Had a good poke around one last summer while the owner poked around my Geometron - mutual appreciation. Appear to be very well thought out design to my humble eyes.
Atherton S170, anything else is a compromise
I also really like the look of the Raaw Madonna 3 rolling chassis which works out about the same price once brakes and drivetrain are added.
I have a Madonna. Best bike ever. Find a bad review... you cant!
I can show you some Raaw terrible reviews... but it was a Yalla i believe...
cool. But you cant find a bad one on the Madonna... which is the bike we are talking about.
Dont forget those pesky import duties.
I'm on the continent.... which helps explain the massive price difference between £ and € on the website!
I'm coming to the UK in September and am thinking of there's a decent deal I'll take it back with me (travelling via Eurostar so no worries with officious German Customs.
I saw this which looks tempting.....
https://www.biketart.com/products/santa-cruz-nomad-carbon-c-2024
Not really a fan of SC, mainly die to their (perhaps on my part perceived) over pricing.
I can show you some Raaw terrible reviews... but it was a Yalla i believe...
Are you thinking of the review where the Fox suspension kept shitting itself? The Yalla itself is mint.
The Madonna is an awesome bike, but then so is the Edit MX for a much lower price.
I'd buy the Madonna rolling chassis with the Ohlins suspension since Airdrop went full Rock Shox.
The Atherton is just a bit unnecessarily ugly in my opinion.
If I wanted a bike with a lot of travel, the Madonna would be very high on the list. As would the Airdrop and for super niche Frame Works would be up there as well but difficult to get hold of I guess.
Canyon had £1500 off the latest Strives..... last week 😥
Not a fan of 29" front and rear.
Had my previous gen Strive for eight years and fancy something other than a Canyon.
Not really a fan of SC, mainly die to their (perhaps on my part perceived) over pricing.
Same but I do like their reputation for serviceability and warranty/support. There have been some good deals around too and reviews (for what they are worth) are usually good.
I'm very happy that I opted for an Edit MX a while ago, if I was euro based it would possibly have been a RAAW. I was tempted by Atherton but a couple of comments/YouTube vids with a problem lower shock mount were enough to sway me away.
https://cyclewise.co.uk/product/pre-order-deviate-claymore-elite-2026-full-build-medium-morar-blue/?srsltid=AfmBOopFb2UhZH5xww2u7ZdEAYi0PB9r9oWQcKSO7L0-d86zVf0Qw1BZpVI 165 rear 180 or 170 up front Mx where you want .
As there is a lot of comments about Raaw and Airdrop above, here's my thoughts on them.
In our house we have a Edit v5, slacker, Madonna V2.2 and yalla.
Last night i changed all the bearings on the Yalla and madonna using kits from Raaw. They're very well thought out bikes and very nice to work on and very reliable. The bearings were over a year old on both and were all pretty much still perfect despite a lot of abuse. I havent had to change any bearings on the Airdrops yet.
The Raaw are both faster bikes downhill (like for like) than the Airdrops. The Airdrops are more fun to ride.
All of the bikes get a lot of comments and looks whereever we are so if you're shy don't get one.
Raaw Madonna appeals to me too. Had a good poke around one last summer while the owner poked around my Geometron - mutual appreciation. Appear to be very well thought out design to my humble eyes.
LOL. I've had the same conversation
Raaw Madonna appeals to me too. Had a good poke around one last summer while the owner poked around my Geometron - mutual appreciation. Appear to be very well thought out design to my humble eyes.
LOL. I've had the same conversation
Guaranteed yours was a better conversation. His English was terrible and my French was even worse 😆
Saracen Ariels are reduced at the moment, mullet in the small and medium sizes and look fantastic
I forgot about Geometron. I loved my G16. Probably the best quality frame I've ever owned. The X2 shock was crap though. I bought an EXT and got burgled before I could ride it.
Prices seem much higher these days. I was paying trade then so not sure if they've gone up that much in RRP but they seem very spendy.
Saracen Ariels are reduced at the moment, mullet in the small and medium sizes and look fantastic
Really?
I think they are gopping
In true 'recommend what you own' fashion - second hand 1st generation Geometron G1? Regularly up for sale on FB group. Best bike I've ever owned, endless human being support from Geometron, lots of bits to fiddle with if your into that. If you are not into that, might not be the bike for you. Absolute beast, and my reasons for getting it were that it works extremely well for tall heavy people, unlike pretty much every other bike, so perhaps slightly different drivers to you.
tall heavy people,
I am neither.....
72kg of psuedo muscles packed into a perfectly proportioned 5'7" frame.....
I have just got a Raaw Madonna V2.2. Picked it up secondhand frame only with Ohlins coil for a good price. I replaced all the seals and bearings before bulding it up, which were available from Raaw direct (responsive customer services too) at a better price than online bearing suppliers), this was easy to do, all fitted back together easily and all parts of the frame seem high quality and well aligned.
I'm coming off the back of 4 Santa Cruz's (Bronson 4, 5 & Megatower 1 & 2), I fancied a change and really liked the look of the Raaw, for me it's mainly a park / uplift bike to supplement my Kenevo SL. The Raaw feels really nice straight off, I set up the shock according to the website baseline and it felt good from the start. Seated position is a little further forward, but soon got used to that. I've got 2 days at BPW in September so should have a much better idea of how it rides after this, but initial thoughts are that it's very quiet and composed, corners well, and doesn't feel its weight (though it's not a lightweight singletrack muncher). The coil shock feels really nice and I don't find as much bob as I thought, I also didn't have much of an issue hustling it around switchbacks as I thought I might (and the MX V3 will make this even better). It definitley feels like a keeper at the moment.
GT Force from Pauls Cycles?
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/mountain-bikes?term=gt%20force
Based on my current ability to break bikes, the Raaw would be where my money goes.
They arnt the fastest bikes I’ve ridden (I’ve had a Madonna V1 & 2.2, now got a V2 Jibb LT) but I go through phases of riding bikes which I really get on with, and are fast, but break a lot (looking at you Forbidden), then get annoyed & go back to the safe choice of something which I just ride, doesn’t do anything weird & just works, all the time.