Mondraker Raze Review

The Mondraker Raze is mainly one thing: atypical. Although it has 150 mm travel at the fork, it is super light. Does this make it the perfect touring bike for singletrack enthusiasts?

It’s no secret that at Mondraker, weight is given high importance. With the Podium hardtail, the Spaniards currently hold the record for frame weight (under 800 grams). And with the Mondraker Neat EMTB being one of the lightest EMTBs on the market at under 18 kilos, weight reduction is a common theme across their entire lineup.

On our workbench scale, the Raze comes in at 13.3 kilos without pedals. For comparison: the Specialized STUMPJUMPER 15 PRO costs €3000 more and is still 400 grams heavier. And this bike is already considered particularly lightweight. In the same price range, the Canyon Spectral CF tips the scales at over 1.2 kilos more. We’ve taken the liberty of comparing a few bikes with 150 mm travel in this table.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of the bike business knows: At such a low weight, some compromises have to be made. However, on the obvious level, these are relatively minor. The rear features a shock without a reservoir, and the Sram G2 brakes combined with the 180mm rotors are not exactly anchors.

But the 36 fork, the Maxxis tires, the Mavic wheels, and of course the Sram GX drivetrain are components that one cannot complain about. They work perfectly for an all-mountain bike and match its intended use.

With the aluminum handlebar, aluminum crank, and of course the aluminum wheels, there’s still room for weight savings. This potential is only realized in the expensive RR SL model from Mondraker. The key to the low overall weight is the frame weight of just 2400 grams without shock.

Anyone who thinks the low weight leads to a soft frame is mistaken. Thanks to the closed rear triangle, very short linkage and a massive head tube area, the Mondraker Raze frame is indeed stiff in practical tests.

Whether you’re climbing out of the saddle, railing berms, or in extreme riding situations, the Mondraker Raze shows no noticeable flex. And that’s even with a rider weight of over 90 kilos. Descending, it can be steered precisely. So, the low weight does not require any noticeable compromises in stiffness.

Uphill, two things come together. On the one hand, the low weight, but also the rear suspension, which may not be completely calm but still functions neutrally when pedaling. In line with the bike’s orientation, the seating position is sporty.

The stem, typical of Mondraker, is very short at just 30mm. However, the long top tube and the extremely short head tube ensure that you adopt a position that allows you to pedal efficiently. This means you can also enjoy the ride to the trailhead.

The suspension system belongs to Fox’s affordable Performance Line, but it responds just as sensitively as the top-end setups from the Americans. There is no noticeable difference here. On small bumps in the terrain, you ride comfortably all the time. However, the top-end suspensions come with significantly more adjustment options in the compression stage. Experienced riders, in particular, miss these options on the Raze. Both the fork and the rear shock quickly use up their travel. Especially at high speeds, you leave some potential on the trail.

It is also noticeable that the rear suspension offers only 130 mm of travel, significantly less than what is available at the fork. Combined with relatively low progression, it reaches its limit quicker in rough terrain than the fork. You’ll feel this on drops or rugged rock gardens. The two higher-end versions of the Raze feature both more adjustment options and a piggyback reservoir on the shock.

With some e-bikes, Mondraker has significantly toned down the Fast-Forward Geometry. However, the geometry approach on the Raze, featuring a long reach, short stem, and a typically steeper head angle, remains completely unaltered.

These three distinct values create a balance between precise handling and stable riding behavior at high speeds. Even though the geometry sounds unique, the Raze can still be steered intuitively through the terrain, whether it’s a constructed berm or a natural singletrack. The bike’s handling is a blast.

The long main frame distributes the weight evenly between the rear and front wheels. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on steep or flat trails. This makes it possible to push the Raze to its limits with full control. With other bikes, which are less balanced, the front or rear wheel tends to slip quickly in such situations.

The SRAM G2 brakes are not particularly strong anchors on the trail. They offer a good, crisp bite point, but could have better stopping power. This can be swiftly improved to some extent with larger brake rotors than the installed 180mm discs.

The headset features an integrated steering limiter. If you crash on the trail, this component protects the top tube from being damaged by the shifter or brake levers. However, you won’t notice it while riding.

For those who like to wrench on their own bikes, we still take the mechanic’s eye to the bike. The internally routed cables through the headset didn’t rattle during our test. However, the small service window in the downtube is not really helpful when changing the cables. You really need to remove the bottom bracket to work properly. Fortunately, with the threaded BSA standard, it’s no big deal.

The Mondraker Raze is available in 5 build options. 3 with carbon frames, two with aluminum chassis. We’ve taken a look at all the options. With the arrow icon , you can also compare the individual models with any other bike from our extensive market overview.

This year, the YT Jeffsy and the Canyon Spectral were already introduced in the same travel class. And in a big comparison test, we found out how much you actually need to spend to have fun on gnarly trails.