Important Measurements & Compatibility - Madonna R

Here you’ll find all the important information to check the compatibility and key measurements of your Madonna V3.2 and to select the right components such as seatpost, handlebar, stem, etc. You can go through the guide step by step or use the table of contents to jump directly to the sections that are relevant to you.

1. Chainline
2. Dropper Post Length
3. Stem Length and Bar Rise
4. Compatibility
5. Max. Fork Lengths & Dual Crown Forks

Chainlines

The chain line is the distance from the center of the frame to the center of the chain ring.

All Jibb and Madonna frames are designed around a 52 mm chain line. If this is an option from your chosen drivetrain manufacturer, we recommend using this.

Using a 55 mm chain line on the Jibb and Madonna will work with the frame clearances, as the chain ring is further away from the frame, but it could have an impact on the performance of your drivetrain in the lightest gears.

However, this does not apply to SRAM Transmission, as this drivetrain is designed exclusively around a 55 mm chain line.

Dropper Post Length

The Complete Bikes come with a choice of OneUp dropper posts, each with a different drop amount. We always recommend choosing the biggest amount of drop possible. More drop is more better.

That said, not all dropper posts will be able to fit in all frames. Below is a table showing the minimum seat height for a given frame size and drop amount.

In order to determine which amount of drop you can fit on your Madonna or Jibb, simply measure the distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the saddle rails on your current bike, with your dropper fully extended. Check which bike you’ll be going for and in what size, then see in which drop fits your saddle height.

For example, if your current bike has a distance of 645mm, and you’re looking at a Madonna in size M, it’s above the minimum distance for the 150 mm drop post (600 mm), meaning that post will work for you, but it’s under the minimum distance for the 180 mm drop post (656 mm), meaning that one won’t work.

The OneUp droppers come with two shims included in the box, which can reduce the drop of the post by 10 mm or 20 mm. This will only affect the upper limit of the range, while leaving the minimum distance unaffected.

If you're unsure about the right choice, feel free to contact us directly. You can reach us by email at hello@raawmtb.com or by phone. We're here to help and we'll do our best to answer your questions.

Stem length and Bar rise

Rolling chassis come with a choice of stem length, 42 mm or 50 mm, as well as a choice of bar rise, 20 mm or 35 mm, that allow you to adjust the fit and feel of your Madonna or Jibb.

The 42 mm stem will give you the option to make your cockpit shorter, both when stood and seated. It will make the steering feel a bit livelier but will take a touch of load off the front wheel. If you like to have a more dynamic and faster feeling to the steering, then the 42 mm stem will be the one to go for.

The 50 mm stem will give you the option to make the cockpit longer. It will put a touch more load on the front wheel naturally from your position, but will make the steering less lively. If you like to have a calmer and slightly slower feeling from the steering, then the 50 mm stem is the one for you.

Bar rise is also going to allow you to adjust the fit and feel of the bike. But it’s worth noting that the head tube lengths on the Madonna and Jibb were designed to give riders a good bar height range for aggressive riding without needing to have a tower of stem spacers.

The 20mm rise bars will give you a lower bar height both when seated and stood. If the trails you ride most are a bit flatter, then a lower bar height can help to keep some load on the front wheel. Also, if you like to tackle steeper and more technical climbs then a lower bar height is also going to help.

On the other hand, the 35mm rise bars will give you a naturally higher bar height, making your position on the bike more upright. If the trails you ride down most are steeper, then a higher bar is going to help keep you in a comfortable and attacking position. If you prefer a more upright position while pedaling, then a higher bar height is also going to help.

If you're unsure about the right choice, feel free to contact us directly. You can reach us by email at hello@raawmtb.com or by phone. We're here to help and we'll do our best to answer your questions.

Compatibility

When we talk about the fact that our bikes are designed for durability, we do not only mean their high quality of workmanship and robust construction, but also the fact that we rely - wherever possible - on common standards instead of proprietary in-house solutions. This ensures that all spare parts will still be available for many years to come and that you always have the widest possible selection of suitable components. Unfortunately we can't test all possible combinations, so we can only guarantee 100% compatibility with the components we offer - but in general there shouldn't be any problems with the vast majority of attachments.

The following incompatibilities are known:

• Bashguards and chainguides that extend to the back a lot, can collide with the chainstays. 

Shock compatibility:

• Madonna V3.2 Shock Compatibility Information

Maximum Fork Lengths & Dual Crown Forks

Axle to crown is the measurement between the centre of the fork’s axle up to the flat surface on the crown where the lower headset race sits. As a fork’s travel increases, so does its axle to crown measurement.

Each RAAW bike is designed around a certain axle to crown fork. This dimension is one of the fundamental measurements in the geometry of a bike, so needs to be clearly defined right from the beginning of development.

You can think of the axle to crown measurement as a lever into the frame, from the front wheel to the head tube. If we put a longer travel fork onto a bike then we increase that lever length, multiplying the force into the frame. If we go really too long with this lever for a certain bike, then it’s possible to run into some strength problems.

Changing the fork length also changes the geometry of a bike. As a fork gets longer, the bike’s head angle and seat tube angle slackens, the bottom bracket and bars raise up and the reach shortens.

On the Madonna and Jibb it’s more than OK to run a 10mm longer travel fork than stock, as the geometry change isn’t that drastic. But going too far can have a detrimental effect on the geometry and the way the bike will fit and handle.

Imagine running a 180mm travel fork on an XC bike. It would ruin the geometry, be a huge miss-match with what the rest of the bike is intended for and potentially lead to some problems in the strength of the frame. All around not good.

It’s necessary then to state a maximum fork length for the bikes to ensure that the geometry stays as close to how we designed it as possible, and that the lever into the frame remains at a good length. Exceeding this recommendation will void the warranty.

Dual crown forks are generally found on DH bikes and use a crown above and below the head tube for added stiffness and strength.

However, having a crown above and below the headtube means that the stress distribution in the frame is drastically changed when compared to a single crown fork. There’s simply another crown adding the forces from riding into the frame.