RAAW Bikes Founder Ruben Torenbeek

When Ruben Torenbeek founded RAAW back in 2016, he had a clear vision for the sort of dependable, no-nonsense bikes he wanted to build. He clearly wasn’t alone in wanting a bike in that vein, because RAAW is going strong with an expanding model lineup, a bigger team, and so on.

So Ruben and David Golay sat down to chat about all of it, including why things like carbon fiber frames and fancy details don’t necessarily equate to higher performance; his philosophy on bike design and how he’s gone about designing bikes to both ride well and be easy to live with; the expanding RAAW lineup and how it’s evolved over the years; and a whole bunch more.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Founding RAAW (2:12)

The original concept for the brand (6:36)

Bike weight & its relevance (or lack thereof) (11:03)

The V1 Madonna (14:59)

Cable routing (19:34)

Ride feel and being “in the bike” (23:53)

Launching RAAW & the initial reception (30:41)

Evolution and growth of RAAW (37:15)

The Jibb (44:05)

The Yalla! (45:38)

The Madonna V3 (47:15)

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