MONDRAKER 2023 RANGE LAUNCH

 

Welcome to a rather weighty feature showcasing the Mondraker 2023 range of bikes!

Mondraker very kindly flew us out to Spain in September to see the complete collection of 2023 bikes, giving us an opportunity to tour the space-age Mondraker factory and offices just outside Alicante before spending some quality time riding a selection of their most exciting mountain bikes on dusty trails just a few kilometres inland from the stunning Costa Blanca coast.

Be sure to watch our Mondraker 2023 launch event video below and read our ride review of the Crafty Carbon RR e-MTB. We’ve also included a full listing of the 2023 range of bikes available very soon at Wheelbase…

Contents:

• Crafty Carbon RR – Ride Review
• Super Enduro – Bikes
• Enduro – Bikes
• Trail – Bikes
• e-MTB Super Enduro – Bikes
• e-MTB Enduro – Bikes
• e-MTB Trail – Bikes
• e-MTB Urban Cross – Bikes

 

Wheelbase ride Mondraker 2023 bikes in Spain.

 

Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR – Ride Review

What a brilliant way to get to know a bike! In between meetings with Mondraker and after a substantial 2023 presentation it was time to get out and ride some of Mondraker’s most exiting bikes in their ever-increasing range. It’s fairly rare to get enough quality time on a demo bike to be able to really understand and appreciate what you’re riding. Circumstances would mean that I got two lengthy rides in on the Crafty Carbon RR, firstly a two hour guided ride with other retailers from across Europe and secondly a longer ride of over three hours with the crew from Mondraker UK. Having two bites of the cherry proved significant; that second ride really let me tune into how the Crafty RR rode and allowed me to push it much further and get more out of it than on my first ride.

The Crafty Carbon RR sits within Mondraker’s E-Enduro sub-range and features a full carbon frame sporting 150mm of plush suspension travel on the rear thanks to the Spanish brand’s excellent Zero Suspension kinematics, matched up with a burly Fox 38 fork upfront featuring 160mm travel ready to absorb the sort of big hits that this bike will quickly coax you into riding. This rather pimped-up model in the Crafty range included Fox Factory Kashima coating on the Fox fork, rear shock and even the Transfer dropper post, with fork and rear shock tuned specifically to accommodate the increased forces of an e-MTB.

 

We spent a couple of days riding the 2023 Mondraker range, including the Crafty Carbon RR on dusty Spanish trails with the Mondraker UK crew.

 

At the heart of the Crafty Carbon RR is Bosch’s brilliant 4^th generation Performance Line CX Smart System setup with a large capacity 750Wh battery making ‘range anxiety’ a thing of the past. In fact I was amazed at just how efficient the battery was during my longer 3+ hour ride; thanks to the pretty extreme terrain I had asked a lot of the Bosch drive system on countless loose, short sharp climbs, being more liberal with the use of EMTB and Turbo modes than I normally would have. Despite this I finished up my ride with around 45% charge showing on the compact Kiox 300 display!

The mountain bike terrain just a couple of kilometres from our beachside hotel was a real surprise, with endless natural trails scattered through open scrubland and tighter more technical singletrack intersecting miles of Spanish woodland. Conditions were prime, particularly on my second ride when an earlier brief rain shower had damped down months-worth of dust to provide just a touch more grip. The Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR’s Bosch drive system helped make short work of the steeper climbs that would deposit us at the top of some of the most demanding downhill trails that I’d ridden in a long time.

Riding the trails blind on day one, with no knowledge of what was coming up meant that on occasions I had to hold back a little, but day two was a different story and I was really able to let go of the anchors and see what this long-travel e-Enduro bike was capable of. Those large 29er Mavic E-Deemax e-MTB-specific wheels shod with burly Maxxis Minion tyres and combined with all that plush suspension travel encouraged me to hit sections at speed.

 

With a group of seven of us all on the same Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR model and with the Bosch motor helping to level things out on the hills this was one of the most enjoyable group rides I’d had in a long time. There was one particular moment when I hit a different line through a large rock garden and as I pulled the front wheel up and over a rock drop I saw a large barrel-sized boulder directly in front of me where I was about to land; I braced for impact readying myself for a heavy fall but somehow the Crafty Carbon RR took the massive hit in its stride and I stayed on the bike, rolling through while the Mondraker UK guys behind me laughed hysterically in disbelief that I’d survived such a sketchy moment.

The Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR is an e-MTB that can be fairly described as a ‘fun-amplifier’. What do I mean by that? Well, the bike’s fantastic suspension platform and sorted trail geometry means that you’ll get more out of your riding when the bike is pointed downhill (in some cases compensating for your own skill levels – see sketchy boulder moment above!). Despite its ‘full-fat’ e-MTB specification with the 750Wh battery powered Bosch Performance Line CX drive system the bike felt lively and surprisingly agile. As I’ve mentioned already, the inclusion of the Bosch system just means that you go further, faster and with more ease, making an e-MTB group a true pleasure as the spread of fitness levels within the group is completely evened out. As I reflected on my two days on the bike totalling over five hours of riding I was surprised how fresh I felt and how ready I was for another ride!

I’ll fess up right now and admit I don’t spend much time on e-MTB’s, other than when one comes along as a demo bike at Wheelbase I tend to prefer to ride a non-e or ‘acoustic’ mountain bike most of the time. This means that each time I DO ride an e-mountain bike there’s a certain amount of mindset adjustment and riding adaptations that I’m required to make, quickly adjusting to how I ride through, up and down technical terrain. It’s fair to say that it takes a little time to tune into how to get the very best out of such a bike. I’m happy to say that by the time we rolled back to the Mondraker base-camp at the end of day two the Crafty Carbon RR had made me a true convert!

 

Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR Full Specification:

• Frame: Crafty Stealth Air full Carbon, e-Bike Optimized Zero Suspension System, 150mm travel, Forward Geometry, internal non-removable battery, Boost 12x148mm rear axle, tapered head tube, one-piece Monoblock upper link, HHG internal cable routing, MAX capacity sealed bearings, oversize 17mm axles, integrated dropout speed sensor, exclusive plastic motor covers. Optional MIND System (EU only)
• Sizes: S: 380mm / M: 420mm / L: 450mm / XL: 490mm
• Rear Shock: Fox Float-X LV Factory Kashima, 205x65mm. Settings: compression 2 positions lever, low-speed compression, low-speed rebound, air preload. Trunnion top mount, 25x10mm bottom bushings
• Shock Settings: Medium compression, medium rebound, air volume spacer 0.2
• Fork: Fox 38 29 Float GRIP2 Factory Kashima, 160mm, e-bike optimized, tapered steerer tube, Boost 15x110mm axle, 44mm offset, 68mm OD crown. Settings: high and low-speed compression, high and low-speed rebound, air preload
• Headset: Acros custom for 1-1/2” head tube, angular contact bearings 40x52x7, Internal cable routing
• Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX Cruise (25Km/h) GEN4 Smart System
• Battery: Bosch Powertube 750Wh
• Display: Bosch Kiox 300 / Bosch Mini Remote / Bosch System Controller
• Stem: Onoff Krypton FG 30mm, CNC, 31.8mm barbore
• Handlebar: Onoff Krypton Carbon 1.0, rise: 25mm, width: 800mm, 9° backsweep, 5° upsweep, 31.8mm barbore
• Grips: Onoff Desert, 1lock-on, 135mm
• Seatpost: Fox Transfer Factory Kashima internal, diameter 31.6mm, S size: 363.5x125mm, M/L size: 418.3x150mm, XL size: 475.1x175mm
• Saddle: FIZIK Terra Aidon X5 145mm
• Front Brake: Sram Code RSC, oversized 4-piston caliper, Centerline 200mm IS 6 bolts one-piece rotor, steel-backed metal sintered pads
• Rear Brake: Sram Code RSC, oversized 4-piston caliper, Centerline 200mm IS 6 bolts one-piece rotor, steel-backed metal sintered pads
• Brake Lever: Sram Code RSC, SwingLink and lever pivot bearings, tools-free reach and contact point adjust
• Rims: Mavic E-Deemax 29, 30mm internal width, welded, PFP, tubeless ready, 28 spokes
• Spokes: Mavic J-bend double butted, contactless lacing
• Front Hub: Mavic, Boost 15x110mm, IS 6 bolts
• Rear Hub: Mavic, Boost 12x148mm, ID360 Ratched system, IS 6 bolts
• Front Tyre: Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.6, tubeless ready, 3C MAXX TERRA, EXO+ Protection, 120TPI, folding bead
• Rear Tyre: Maxxis Minion DHR II 29×2.6, tubeless ready, 3C MAXX TERRA, EXO+ Protection, 120TPI, folding bead
• Crankset: Race Face Aeffect ebike, 165mm
• Chainring: Sram X-Sync 2 Eagle 34T, steel, narrow-wide, 104 BCD
• Chain: Sram SX Eagle, 12s, Powerlock
• Rear Derailleur: Sram GX Eagle, Type 3 roller bearing clutch, cage lock, 1x12s, X-Actuation 1:1
• Shift Levers: Sram Trigger NX Eagle, 12s, X-Actuation 1:1, single click
• Cassette: Sram PG-1210, 11-50T, 12s

 

 

ALL-NEW ALLOY MONDRAKER RAZE

Key Features:

• Affordable Alloy Full Suspension Price Point
• Same Geometry and Kinematic
• Stealth Alloy Construction
• Zero Suspension System
• Forward Geometry
• Threaded BB73
• Post Mount 180mm
• Tapered Headtube
• Hidden Housing Guide
• ISCG 05
• Clearance for 2.5 Tyres
• Boost 12x148mm
• Integrated Rear Shock Fender
• Custom Frame Rubber Protector

 

Wheelbase look forward to seeing the all-new range of 2023 Mondraker bikes coming into stock in-store and online in the coming weeks and months. Watch this space!…

 

Written by Johnny Dodgin

 

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