RAAW Yalla!! V2
Wheel Size: 29’’ front / 29’’ or 27.5’’ rear
Suspension Travel:
- Frame: 198 mm
- Fork: 203 mm
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 63° (adjustable)
- Reach (size Large): 480 mm
- Chainstay length (size Large): 450 mm (+/- 5 mm via flip chip)
Frame Material: Aluminum
Price:
- Frame kits from $2,720 USD / $3,880 CAD
- Rolling chassis from $5,200 USD / $7,315 CAD
Intro
RAAW’s commitment to crafting burly, adjustable, and high-quality aluminum frames has earned them quite a fan base within the gravity-focused side of the sport. Their first bike was the Madonna (now in its third generation), followed by the shorter travel (yet still pretty burly) Jibb, and the Yalla! arrived in 2023 as their first stab at a World Cup-ready Downhill bike.
The Madonna V3 and Jibb V2 have seen refinements over their predecessors in both their adjustability and overall fit and finish, but RAAW seems to have always stuck to a pattern of incremental refinement rather than wholesale revision. That pattern continues with the new Yalla!! V2 (yes, the new one gets two exclamation points), which strikes a familiar silhouette but gets a whole host of updates intended to make it more adaptable and dependable.
We’re working on getting our hands on one for a proper test during the upcoming bike park season, but in the meantime, let’s sort through the details of the new Yalla!! V2.
The Frame
At first glance, the Yalla!! V2 still looks a whole lot like the last one, with its rocker-driven four-bar suspension layout and all-aluminum frame. That first impression is fairly accurate in a lot of ways. RAAW has stuck with the same geometry of the original Yalla! (more on that below), the same AL-6066 T6 construction in a choice of other matte black or raw finishes, and the same suspension characteristics. That means a baseline 25% progression for its 198 mm of rear travel, with the option to shift that progression lower (22%) or higher (28%) with different lower shock mounts. Those shock mounts are a part of RAAW’s Toolbox Concept, which includes a bunch of other adjustments impacting the geometry, which are covered in the next section. Leverage curves, anti-squat, and anti-rise are all the same otherwise, with the graphs from the original Yalla! included below:
The Yalla!! V2 does get quite a few smaller updates, though, and a bunch of them are pretty compelling. The most significant one, in my mind, is the newfound compatibility with a smaller 27.5’’ rear wheel. While RAAW still says the Yalla!! V2 is designed around a full 29’’ setup, some of their racers asked for compatibility with mixed wheels. After experimenting with a custom lower shock mount on the Yalla! V1, RAAW found that clearances on that frame were simply too tight for the new mount to be released to the public. The Yalla!! V2 has more space in critical areas to make the MX lower shock mount viable across all three frame sizes.
RAAW also turned their sights to the dropouts, with the goal of making the Yalla!! V2’s chainstay adjustability compatible with the near-ubiquitous SRAM UDH. Their solution turns the entire dropout into an adjustment piece, with interchangeable parts that shift the chainstay length by 5 mm in either direction of the base setting. The updated brake mounts now accommodate all three chainstay length options in a single mount and can accommodate 200 mm rotors or 203 mm ones with the included spacers. A 220 mm (or 223 mm, with spacers) option can be purchased aftermarket. RAAW has also moved to a 148 mm rear hub, accommodating the widely available Boost standard while slightly improving clearance with a narrower rear end.
The Yalla!! V2 also follows the lead of the Madonna V3 and Jibb V2 with its revised main and rocker pivot design, which creates wider bearing spacing while extending the axles through the inner bearing races to reduce creaking. Other changes include a new downtube to improve shock clearance across all of the different settings options and a revised chainstay protector that now integrates cable routing and better protects against heel rub.
Fit & Geometry
As mentioned above, the Yalla!! V2’s geometry sticks with the same numbers seen on the Yalla! V1. There are still three sizes available, ranging from Medium through XL, with a reach range of 455 mm to 505 mm. Interestingly, while the reach and chainstay length (and associated wheelbase) vary by size, all other figures stay the same. That means there’s a consistent 639.9 mm stack, 63° baseline head tube angle, and fairly low 26.5 mm bottom bracket drop.
The chainstay length is adjustable as mentioned above, with the ability to go up or down by 5 mm from the midpoint setting. On the Medium, that midpoint is 445 mm, while the Large jumps to 450 mm and the XL to 455 mm.
Of course, RAAW’s Toolbox Concept means that there’s a lot of opportunity to deviate from the stock settings. The straight 56 mm head tube accommodates reach and head tube angle adjustments via RAAW’s aftermarket headset cups, and different lower shock mount configurations allow bottom bracket adjustment 3 mm up or down from the midpoint.
The geometry chart below is listed with all adjustable parameters in the midpoint and with dual 29’’ wheels:
The Builds
RAAW still doesn’t offer complete builds for the Yalla!! V2, instead offering a frame kit option or a rolling chassis, which features Fox and Öhlins suspension options in full 29” or MX wheel setup. Frame kits start at $2,720 USD / $3,880 CAD, and the rolling chassis options begin at $5,200 USD / $7,315 CAD.
While we’re on the subject of pricing, it’s worth noting for US buyers that those are pre-tariff prices. RAAW had announced a 10% discount to US-based buyers as of April 8, saying that the discount will run for six weeks and extend to any of RAAW’s frames, rolling chassis, or components. While the tariff impact exceeds that 10% offer, it’s an unexpected and generous gesture on RAAW’s part to help take the sting out of the otherwise painful tariff situation.
That said, anyone following the whipsaw that has been US national news may have seen that the tariffs have been paused for 90 days as of April 9. As such, we still need to confirm whether the discount will still apply.
In the meantime, shoppers can find out more details about the discount on RAAW’s website here.
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) The new Yalla!! V2 keeps the same suspension kinematics and geometry but sees some significant tweaks to its adjustment features and overall construction. Are those changes impactful in how the Yalla!! V2 rides relative to its predecessor, or are they more incremental steps in making the bike easier to live with and work on?
(2) The Yalla!! V2’s big change is the inclusion of mixed wheel compatibility. How much does a mixed wheel arrangement change the Yalla!! V2’s personality over RAAW’s default full 29’’ setup?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Despite a very similar aesthetic, the Yalla!! V2 has seen an impressive number of tweaks aimed at further increasing its reliability on the trail and user-friendliness in the workshop. The modularity of the Yalla!! V2 is impressive, and the inclusion of mixed wheel compatibility should broaden its appeal further. We’ve been very impressed with the Madonna V3 for its confidence-inspiring geometry, predictable suspension performance, and very solid ride feel, and we’re very keen to see for ourselves whether the Yalla!! V3 delivers the same benefits.