Don't want to use the lift? Then the day in our park won't cost you anything." The young lady at the lift station smiles kindly. I grin back, dumbfounded. Have I misheard her? When I ask her that I still want to ride all the trails that have been built and that this is probably a misunderstanding, she shrugs her shoulders and collects the next biker: "Day ticket? 28.50 euros please." Oops!
The German saver is a strange breed. They willingly pay tens of thousands of euros for the latest car from Stuttgart, but then moan at the petrol pump when the price of petrol rises by 2 cents. As a bike park fan, I feel the same way. Raiding the savings account for the new carbon downhiller? No problem. 28.50 for a day ticket? Oh noooo! But not today, because today I've installed my lift in my bike. As a FREERIDE tester for many years, I've had countless downhillers under my bum. Until now, it never occurred to me to do without a lift or shuttle bus when testing. How could I? There were simply no uphill-suitable representatives of this genre. They do now, but nobody notices. At least in the car park, the Rotwild R.G+ FS Evo (what a name!) attracts zero attention. The technical innovation is too well hidden: the Brose motor and the in-house developed battery with carbon fibre
The housing blends so unobtrusively into the design of the bike that it only becomes clear what's going on here when you look very closely.
I immediately feel exactly what is going on here. Even at the lowest support level (50 watts), the Bolide sets off purposefully. And it's completely silent - off it goes. Speaking of which: I have to go up first before the descent. In the Geißkopf bike park in the Bavarian Forest, it's exactly 325 metres in altitude from the car park to the summit. On a normal day, I give myself an average of ten descents here. The slow lift and the often long queues from midday mean that I can't do much more. I want to do about as much with the red deer - is that possible? The keyword "reach height" pops into my head. This is clearly limited with the E-Downhiller because the battery is permanently installed in the frame. It's impossible to change it in between to extend the fun. But how many climbs can I manage with the bike? How much help do I need from the motor? Ten ascents, that would be 3250 metres in altitude! Only now do I realise that this self-experiment will be much more strenuous than a normal test in the park. But hey, better than the office!
I chose the bike park near Bischofsmais for the test because the first uphill flow trail in Germany has just been opened here. If 3250 metres in altitude, then at least it should flow, right? On the way to the trail entrance, I play a little with the cockpit buttons. A button on the left of the handlebars extends the dropper post. Unfortunately a little too far for me pedalling dwarf. Rotwild has given the Kindshock dropper post 150 millimetres of travel. In combination with the 430 millimetre seat tube, that's almost exactly 2 centimetres that I have to drop in order to have a good pedalling position. But I'm only 172 centimetres tall and have really short legs. The riding position is surprisingly balanced. Not really sporty, because the saddle and handlebars are at the same level, but the top tube is long and the seat angle is steep. Button two is actually a double button with a mini display. Here I can select four speed levels - represented by four microscopically small blocks. According to the sticker information on the motor, the speed levels are divided into 50, 100, 150 and 320 watts of additional power.
I treat myself to just one block and turn off the gravel track onto the uphill flow trail. And there is flow on the first few, rather flat metres. With the lowest level of support, the Rotwild rides more or less like a light CC bike. Quite lively when setting off and with good traction on the climbs. Awesome. However, the similarity ends with the gear selection: With a 36 chainring and 36 teeth on the smallest sprocket, I can probably only conquer steep climbs with more motor power. And that means less reach. So fewer descents. So rubbish.
Luckily for me, park owner Diddie Schneider has dug the trail into the mountain in such an ornate way that the 325 metres of elevation gain are spread over almost 4 kilometres. The gradient is mostly under 10 per cent and I stay at level 1 and 50 watts. At least for the most part. Because in the uphill berms (yes, there is such a thing now), accelerating briefly and surfing through on the rear wheel is really fun. But that only really works with 150 watts of assistance. So I keep both tyres on the ground most of the time, stubbornly sweating into my full-face helmet and trying to see the battery indicator on the small display through the veil of salt water. The stress level rises. Lordy times, the battery symbol is tiny! Oh God, is the first bar already flickering? I haven't even finished driveway one yet. Nah, it was just dirt. Phew. After two unavoidable 100-watt ramps (reach height, reach height!) and about 20 minutes of sweaty work, I reach the top. And meet two bikers at the exit of the lift, who I had already seen earlier at the car park. In fact, it took them pretty much the same amount of time to get to the top as me, including the waiting time at the entrance. So in terms of time, ten descents are possible. And even a lunch break. I'll need that too. CC bike uphill performance on the Downhiller is nice, but God knows you don't get 3000 metres in altitude for free. Well, let's get down first.
Once the saddle is out of the way, I immediately feel at home on the Rotwild. The geometry is modern and exactly the same as that currently found on motorless competitors. The 450 millimetre rear triangle length matches the long reach.
I switch off the Brose drive for the descent. Apart from the first few metres at the start and two short acceleration sections after hairpin bends further down the trail, there's nothing for the "E" to do here. Without support, I clearly feel the weight - current carbon bikes in this class are up to 7 kilos lighter. But as soon as gravity pulls on the Rotwild, there's no stopping it. Am I in a good mood today, or is it the bike? In any case, I'm rolling through the moon-rock-like boulders in the upper part of the trail like never before. The bike doesn't skip, I hit the line perfectly. And then the first rock kickers appear in front of me. Jumping with massive excess weight - that's embarrassing in an outdoor pool. And here? Oh well, that feels different! I sail further than usual. And at first I feel like I have less control over the path the e-bike is taking me on. More flywheel mass to control. Pure physics. And I'm right in the middle of it. Crazy. After just over 4 minutes, I'm back at the bottom. Good time, good flow. Saddle up and left towards the uphill instead of the usual right towards the lift. Ascent two. 50 watts. Rising pulse. A veil of salt water in front of my eyes. Puffing and panting. I manage four runs before the lunch break. On the last climb, I treat myself to a few extra 100 watts. Two of the four battery blocks are now missing from the display and my downhill times are getting faster and faster. Another four? Beer first. Non-alcoholic.
4 pm. Departure 6. I was almost knocked out twice in the rocky desert. My concentration is waning. My fitness is at its limit anyway. Battery empty. Mine, that is. One last block beckons in the display of the red deer. Come on, you wretch. I'm starting to get annoyed by the uphill bikers. Don't want to see any more. I want to get home. Run eight. I'm through. With the last of my strength, I click my way up to the 150 watts - and am gently pushed uphill. Until shortly before the end, when the power in the R.G+ FS runs out. Push. Groaning. And back down into the valley with my tongue hanging out. The lift is closed. Everyone gone. Last man standing.
Conclusion: An e-downhiller in the bike park. Does that make sense? I think sport makes sense, so my answer is yes! The mixture of full-fledged downhill fun and intense fitness training in alternation works great, especially in smaller parks with fewer metres in altitude. Recommended for imitation.
Rotwild R.G+ FS Evo
8999 euros is not uncommon for a top-of-the-range downhill bike. In addition to the highest quality components, the Rotwild offers the Brose motor and the in-house IPU battery pack for this price. The "integrated power unit" forms the down tube as a carbon unit and also functions as a shock mount and rocker bearing. Elegant and chic. This doesn't make the bike a bargain, but the price seems reasonable. All the more so because the riding performance is very good.
The geometry is successful: safe downhill with a long reach, flat steering angle and low position on the bike. Effective uphill with a steep seat angle, good pressure on the pedals and smooth and almost silent support from the Brose motor. The high-quality suspension can be finely tuned and works very harmoniously. No bobbing uphill and stable in the upper stroke on ramps. Downhill, the traction is above average. The system weight ensures an extremely plush, smooth ride. This is exactly what you need to be really fast. And the Rotwild is definitely fast. The high weight hardly interferes with load changes because the centre of gravity is very low. When jumping, the extra weight is more of a problem, or rather a challenge. The large flywheel mass can only be mastered with increased physical effort. Once you get used to this extra work on the bike, it can be used in all areas of freeriding. In addition to classic downhill routes, we rode high wood drops, steep berms and flow trails and had fun everywhere. Points of criticism are the 180 mm rear disc, which quickly overheats, and the 175 mm cranks, which are too long and clog up quickly. With a 34 mm front disc, climbs could be pedalled more relaxed without having to crank up the motor support too much. A removable battery would make the concept perfect and even more fun.
DATA
Drive Brose
Max. Torque 90 Nm
Battery Lithium-ion, Rotwild IPU Carbon 500 Wh
Display Brose
Equipment
Material / Sizes Aluminium/carbon/M and L
Fork/damper Fox 40 Float 200 / FIT HSC/LSC Factory Kashima/Fox Float X2 2 /POS HSC/LSC HSR/LSR Factory Kashima
Brake Shimano Saint
Disc front/rear 203/180 mm
Impellers DT Swiss FR 1950 27.5
Tyres Continental Kaiser Project 2.4
Info
Price 8999 Euro
Weight 23.4 kilos
Info rotwild.de
