Mondraker coming to USA in November
The 150mm Foxy trail bike is likely to draw the most interest from U.S. consumers. Prices for the 27.5 ripper range from $4400 for the base model Foxy Carbon R to an eye watering $9100 for the pictured Foxy RR SL. Photo courtesy Mondraker/Thomas Woodson
Fans of the World Cup downhill circuit are likely already familiar with Mondraker. A year ago at the world championships, the Spanish bike maker scored an unprecedented sweep of the podium, with team riders Danny Hart, Laurie Greenland, and Florent Payet finishing 1-2-3 in Val di Sole, Italy.
The Summum DH bike made history at the 2016 world champs, sweeping the men’s elite podium. Photo courtesy Mondraker/Thomas Woodson
Careful followers of frame design have also likely heard about Mondraker, which is widely credited as one of the first brands to adopt what it called (and still calls) the forward geometry concept. In 2012, their Dune XR and Foxy XR models launched with lengthened front centers and short stems. At the time it seemed a novel concept. Today, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a bike with similar geometry.
Mondraker sells some of the longer bikes on the market, the notion being that a longer front center improves high speed stability. Photo courtesy Mondraker/Thomas Woodson
And soon those same podium-dominating, forward-thinking bikes will finally be available on this side of the Atlantic. This week, Mondraker officially announced a new partnership with Colorado-based QARV Imports, which starting in November will serve as exclusive U.S. distributor.
Mondraker CEO (and very capable rider) Miguel Pina was on hand in Colorado to explain the highlights of his company’s bikes. Photo courtesy Mondraker/Thomas Woodson
Available bikes will include downhill, enduro, trail, cross-country, kids, and electric models, and all will be available at select brick-and-mortar shops. There are no immediate plans to sell direct to consumer.
QARV, which has been around for more than a decade, already has a large line-up of brands, including Rotor, Evoc, Enduro, and AbsoluteBLACK. “We don’t sell anything that we don’t ride ourselves,” said QARV founder and president Kervin Quinones. “While there’s been a vacancy in the brands that we offer, without having a frame brand, we needed the right product and people behind the brand for us to want to bring them on board and that’s what we found with Mondraker.”
The 2018 Mondraker Foxy XR is sure to attract some attention with its coil rear shock and splashy yellow paint job. Photo courtesy Mondraker/Thomas Woodson
Mondraker already has a large global presence, distributing to more than 40 countries and offering 58 models. “Bringing our bikes to the U.S. is a big step for our brand and we’re glad to be doing it with the support of QARV,” said Mondraker CEO Miguel Pina, who made the trip to Colorado for a press event last week. “We are very proud that our approach to the mountain bike geometry standard has been followed by nearly every brand today.”
Mtbr spent time on the Dune (pictured) and Foxy. Check back soon for First Ride Impressions. Photo courtesy Mondraker/Logan Vonbokel
QARV’s initial push will be to attend consumer demo events in the fall, including the Vail Outlier Offroad Festival, Outerbike Moab Fall, the Pisgah Mountain Bike Festival, and Outdoor Demo East.
Mondraker’s enduro offering is the Dune, which rolls on 27.5 wheels and has 160mm of travel in back paired with a 170mm fork up front. Photo courtesy Mondraker/Thomas Woodson
Mtbr got the chance to ride several of the model year 2018 bikes, and will be publishing First Ride Reviews soon. In the meantime, for more information on Mondraker’s U.S. line up, head over to www.mondraker.com/US.
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