With its 160/150 mm of travel, the Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR is a borderline trail bike. In our 2023 enduro bike group test, the Spanish trail canid takes on the competition with a striking look and the lowest system weight in the entire test field. How did the featherweight Foxy RR fare against the heavyweight opponents in this test?
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best enduro bike of 2023 – 14 models in review
14.6 kg in size L | € 7,299 | Manufacturer’s website
Combining 160 mm of travel at the front and 150 mm at the rear, the Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR offers the least travel in the entire test field alongside the Specialized Stumpjumper EVO. On the other hand, at 14.6 kg, the Mondraker is also the lightest competitor in this test, which is impressive considering that our € 7,299 RR test bike isn’t even the high-spec variant in the Foxy model range. Like all bikes of the Spanish manufacturer, the Carbon Foxy RR relies on Mondraker’s proprietary Forward Geometry, which combines a long top tube and short 30 mm stem.
The Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR 2023 in detail
The Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR takes on the competition with a sleek, angular frame silhouette and forgoes any kind of curved shapes. All cables disappear into frame through a special Acros headset, allowing Mondraker to dispense with cable ports on the main frame, thus ensuring a super tidy look. The front triangle features a tool mount on the top tube and comes standard with a FIDLOCK base plate, which is neatly countersunk into the downtube. However, Mondraker also include an adapter plate for conventional bottle cages. The chainstay protector stretches far over the front, while a thin TPU plate protects the downtube and bottom bracket area from impacts. A small fender shields the shock from flying mud and debris.
With its elegant, slim frame silhouette and straight lines, the Mondraker is the lightest bike in the entire test field.
The suspension of the Foxy is very firm, allowing you to generate speed by pumping.
The spec of the Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR 2023
The Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR comes equipped with an Öhlins RXF 36 m.2 fork, which combines three air chambers – a self-equalising positive and negative and a third ramp-up chamber. While this might take a little longer to set up, it delivers top performance on the trail and allows you to fine tune the final progression of the fork. The fork is complemented by a matching Öhlins TTX Air air shock. At 170 mm, Mondraker’s own-brand ONOFF TIJA PIJA dropper post has the joint shortest travel on test, along with the Yeti 160E and Canyon Strive, restricting freedom of movement on the trail. SRAM CODE R brakes do stopping duties: the basic R lever features tool-free reach adjustment but forgoes the bite point dial and SwingLink technology of the high-end RSC version. The brakes are paired with a 200 mm rotor at the front and smaller 180 mm rotor at the rear, which is the smallest in the entire group test and overheats quickly, delivering inconsistent braking power on long descents. We recommend upgrading the rear rotor to a bigger 200 mm version. For the cockpit, Mondraker rely on their in-house ONOFF components, combining 800 mm SULFUR alloy handlebars with a short 30 mm SULFUR stem. The E*thirteen LG1 Plus Enduro alloy wheelset emerged unscathed from this test but gave us grief on several occasions in the past, with the spokes loosening far too easily on the trail. MAXXIS supply the tires, combining a 29×2.5″ MAXXIS Minion DHF at the front and 29×2.4″ MAXXIS Minion DHR II at the rear, both in the puncture-prone EXO+ casing and hard MaxxTerra rubber compound. We recommend upgrading the front tire to a model with softer rubber compound and, if you ride enduro, changing to the robust DoubleDown casing front and rear.
A small TPU plate protects the downtube against stray rocks and impacts.
The Mondraker is the only bike in the entire test field with a small 180 mm brake rotor. On long descents, this overheats quickly, resulting in inconsistent braking power and vague bite point.
Since the shock runs straight through the seat tube, Mondraker employ a small mudguard to protect it against flying mud and debris.
The tires feature the thin EXO+ casing. For tough enduro riding, we recommend upgrading to more robust tires with the tough DoubleDown casing front and rear.
The compression and rebound dials of the Öhlins RXF 36 M.2 are on the left fork leg. While this might be a bit unusual, it doesn’t affect the performance of the fork.
Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR
€ 7,299
Specifications
Fork Öhlins RXF 36 m.2 160 mm
Rear Shock Öhlins TTX Air 150 mm
Seatpost ONOFF PIJA 170 mm
Brakes SRAM CODE R 200/180 mm
Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle 1x12
Stem ONOFF SULFUR 30 mm
Handlebar ONOFF SULFUR Alu 800 mm
Wheelset E*thirteen LG1 Plus Enduro Alu 29"
Tires MAXXIS Minion DHF, EXO+, 3C MaxxTerra/MAXXIS Minion DHR II, EXO+, 3C MaxxTerra 2.5/2.4
Technical Data
Size S M L XL
Weight 14.6 kg
Specific Features
Tool strap
Flip-Chip
The geometry of the Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR 2023
The Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR is available in four sizes, S to XL, covering riders between 160 cm and 200 cm tall. Our size L test bike combines 485 mm reach and a long 445 mm seat tube, which restricts freedom of movement together with the short-travel dropper post. A flip chip in the shock mount allows you to slacken the head and seat tube angle by 0.5°, lower the bottom bracket height by 5 mm, shorten the reach by 5 mm and increase chainstay length by 10 mm. The latter is 445 mm across the board and doesn’t grow with the frame size. Needless to say, we rode the Foxy mainly in the low setting.
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 375 mm | 415 mm | 445 mm | 500 mm |
| Top tube | 600 mm | 620 mm | 650 mm | 670 mm |
| Head tube | 90 mm | 100 mm | 115 mm | 130 mm |
| Head angle | 64.5° | 64.5° | 64.5° | 64.5° |
| Seat angle | 75.5° | 75.5° | 75.5° | 75.5° |
| Chainstay | 445 mm | 445 mm | 445 mm | 445 mm |
| BB Drop | 30 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,210 mm | 1,233 mm | 1,260 mm | 1,286 mm |
| Reach | 445 mm | 465 mm | 485 mm | 505 mm |
| Stack | 617 mm | 627 mm | 641 mm | 656 mm |
The Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR 2023 on the trail
The Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR puts you in an upright but comfortable riding position and accelerates willingly as soon as you start pedalling. The low system weight and pedal-neutral rear suspension make the Foxy the best analogue climber in the entire test field. With its 150 mm rear travel, the Mondraker is a borderline trail bike, and as such, the only bike in this test with which the climb isn’t just a means to an end. Instead, the light-footed Foxy encourages you to push harder and improve your personal bests, even when riding uphill.
On the trail, the Foxy provides unfiltered feedback and isn’t forgiving of riding mistakes, requiring a vigilant riding style.
The Mondraker offers very direct handling but easily gets nervous in fast, technical trail sections.
When you drop into a trail to shred your way back down into the valley, the Foxy RR inspires lots of of confidence with its tall front end, integrating you far deeper into the frame than the Stumpjumper, but also requiring you to actively weight the front wheel to keep it tracking. However, a softer front tire would already improve traction significantly. With its super-firm suspension, the Foxy provides plenty of pop and support – even more than the Stumpy EVO – allowing you to generate speed by pumping through rollers and berms, while begging you to launch into space on big jump lines. At the same time, the suspension provides plenty of feedback from the ground, allowing you to ride incredibly fast, provided you hold your line carefully. On the other hand, the Mondraker hardly forgives any mistakes, with bigger side impacts quickly sending you grazing into the bushes if you’re not careful. In fast trail sections, the super-direct Foxy can quickly become twitchy, requiring an experienced hand and vigilant riding style. Overall, the Mondraker is an excellent bike for riders who like a firm and direct ride feeling and have the right skills to squeeze every ounce of performance out of the bike.
Tuning tips: Front tire with softer rubber compound | 200 mm rear brake rotor
Conclusion
The sharp look of the Carbon Foxy RR seems to have rubbed off on its handling. Mondraker’s trail missile is brutally direct and blood curdling fast, provided your line choice is accurate. The firm suspension makes it great fun on small jump lines and flowing trails. Unfortunately, the Foxy isn’t forgiving of mistakes and can quickly feel twitchy on technical trails, where it requires an experienced rider who can handle the unfiltered feedback.
Tops
- Clean frame silhouette
- Suspension provides tons of support
Flops
- Direct handling doesn’t forgive mistakes
- Requires good riding skills
You can find out more about at mondraker.com
The test field
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best enduro bike of 2023 – 14 models in review
All bikes in test: Canyon Strive CFR 8 (Click for review) | Deviate Claymore (Click for review) | Hope HB916 (Click for review) | Intense Tracer 279 S (Click for review) | MERIDA ONE-SIXTY 8000 (Click for review) | Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR | Norco Range C1 (Click for review) | Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV (Click for review) | Santa Cruz Nomad X01 AXS RSV (Click for review) | SIMPLON Rapcon 170/165 (Click for review) | SIMPLON Rapcon Pmax TQ 170/165 (Click for review) | Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Elite Alloy (Click for review) | Yeti 160E T1 (Click for review) | Yeti SB160 T3 (Click for review)
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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Peter Walker, Mike Hunger
