Rotwild had long since made the transition from a pure single-pivot to a supported multi-link - at least in the cross-country and marathon bikes. The rear shock has been sitting parallel behind the seat tube for two years now. Together with the visible externally butted tubes and the rear triangle made of carbon tubes, this design has almost become a Rotwild trademark. Now the Dietzenbach-based company is also introducing this design to the all-rounder segment. The flagship is the "RFC 0.3". With 125 millimetres of front and rear suspension travel, this bike fits into the so-called all-mountain class, just like its colleagues Fusion "Raid" and Ghost "AMR" in this test field.
In contrast to the race models with their steep angles, Rotwild designer Peter Böhm deliberately designed the geometry of the "0.3" to be more of an enduro bike. However, the steering angle of 68 degrees, which is very slack even for this class, is good for the riding characteristics. This makes the "RFC 0.3" very stable. However, this does not stand in the way of the balanced, agile steering behaviour. Nor does it affect the climbing characteristics. And if you want, you can also lower the front a few centimetres thanks to the Fox "Talas" fork. The bike also scores points when it really gets downhill. The geometry is predestined for fast runs and the suspension elements can take a beating. Thanks to the continuous seat tube, the seat post can be lowered downhill without any problems - a feature that is still underestimated by many manufacturers. The "RFC 0.3" probably has the widest range of use of the entire Rotwild range. Despite plenty of suspension travel, nothing stands in the way of marathon use. At twelve kilos, the bike is definitely competitive. Once again, we were a little disappointed with the DT "HVR" platform shock. When open, it works perfectly and responds excellently. However, when the platform is switched on, the loud clunking and the noticeable resistance when compressing are annoying.
CONCLUSIONS:
Rotwild's new all-mountain concept works: With the kinematics of the race models and the geometry from the enduro sector, the "RFC 0.3" has a huge range of applications.
