Rotwild R.G 375 Pro endurance test: Full throttle & wear - Rotwild e-bike in heavy-duty continuous use
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The Red Deer R.G 375 Pro is a speciality on the market. A fully-fledged 180-millimetre freerider with a small, quick-change battery and high weight. Plus a Shimano EP8 for full power on demand. With a removable battery, you can achieve solid ranges, but the relatively low weight gives you a natural downhill riding experience. The riding performance is top! Low wheel stability and tyres that are too thin are the main points of criticism.
The facts about the Rotwild R.G 375 Pro
- Motor: Shimano EP8, 85 Nm max. torque
- Battery: 375 Wh (removable, 1.96 kilos)
- Frame material: Carbon
- Suspension travel: 180 millimetres
- Wheel size: 29 inch
- Frame sizes: M, L, XL
- Price: 9499 Euro >> available here
- Weight: 20.66 kg (test bike in size M, EMTB measurement)
- Permissible total weight: 130 kilograms (manufacturer's specification)
The e-bike drive
With its 375 series, Rotwild is taking a special approach in the light e-bike sector. The small 375 battery with carbon casing makes the bike light, yet Shimano's EP8 provides a full 85 Newton metres. The idea behind it: For the short after-work ride, there's a turbo boost on request, with reduced power but enough endurance for longer tours. To achieve this, Rotwild assigns one of the two Steps profiles ex works with a customised motor setup with less power. Thanks to the super-fast battery change and the lightweight battery (less than two kilos), the capacity can easily be doubled. No matter whether the second battery is waiting in your rucksack or in the car park at the trail centre. Please note: The 375 series comes with EP8, not the new and more powerful EP801. This test shows the differences between the two generations of Shimano EP8 and EP801.
The features of the Rotwild R.G375 Pro
With thick suspension elements from Fox, the R.G375 is fully trimmed for racy descents. The grippy brake system from Magura with a large 220 mm disc at the front also matches this. However, the lightweight tyres are undersized. The profile of Schwalbe's Magic Mary and Big Betty tyres is excellent, but the thin Superground casing on the front wheel in particular has no place on a bike with such a downhill focus. Flats are inevitable in serious terrain.
- Fork / shock: Fox 38 / Float X2 Performance Elite
- Gear system: Shimano XT, 12-speed
- Brakes: Magura MT5 HC, 220/203 mm
- Wheels: Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro
- Tyres: Schwalbe Magic Mary Super Ground Soft, 29 x 2.4" / Big Betty Super Trail Soft, 29 x 2.4"
- Special features: Lightweight 375 battery with quick release
The Rotwild is stable and safe. With the removable battery, it is (m)a perfect park bike. The tyres and wheelset are undersized for use. - Christian Schleker
The endurance test: 90,000 metres of altitude in fast motion?
It really is unbelievable what you have to think about with e-bikes. The fact that it's important how the motor sensor cable is routed was never in my focus of attention. Unfortunately. Otherwise, I might have realised right at the beginning that the thin cable on the Horstlink (pivot point at the dropout) of the Rotwild is subject to considerable bending stress if it is routed too tightly. A small detail that can have a huge impact. And in my case it had. W101 is the error code that appears if the cable breaks and the sensor no longer transmits data. I know that now too. But it didn't help me much to google it halfway up the hill.
And what I also know now is that even well-stocked Shimano dealers in Italy don't necessarily have suitable replacement sensors to hand. Result: Bike holiday trip over on day 1 - to paraphrase Asterix: Grmblfix! After all, a replacement sensor only costs just under 20 euros. In future, I'll need one of these in my bike rucksack just like cable ties and a spare cable for the gears.
Unfortunately, a spare wheel doesn't fit in there, but would have been necessary for my endurance test. One day, my bike surprised me with a loud cracking noise from the rear and subsequent freewheeling in both directions. The rear hub of the Crankbrothers wheelset showed a crack across the hub body. Hub burst.
Now I could feel guilty for practising cavalier starts at traffic lights in turbo mode while fetching bread rolls and torturing the hub beyond measure. But I didn't! I deliberately ride economically and relaxed uphill. Ecomode, smooth pedalling. My goal is to reach the summit of my local mountain as often as possible in order to experience as many intense descents as possible.
The Rotwild with its small removable battery seemed ideal for this: the 375 watt hours are enough for two climbs of 600 metres each, and the solid super enduro is extremely stable and smooth-running on the way down, without pushing over the front wheel when braking like a 25-kilo e-bike. The handling is more natural, the riding enjoyment is much higher for me. When the battery runs out, it's a quick trip to the car, a new battery and another two laps.
Actually ideal. Unless the golden button for removing the battery simply falls out of the frame unnoticed. This happened to me (pre-production problem, says the manufacturer). If the button is missing, you can press it just once, then the mechanism is blocked and you can't put it back in. Great.
When, shortly before the end of the endurance test, the plastic body of the Magura brake lever broke at the screw connection on a descent (without a fall), my nerves were pretty frayed. This text had already been typed when the inner workings of the Fox shock finally gave up the ghost during an action shoot in South Tyrol. Really now? So let's get back to the desk. Five major damages that finally cut the long-term goal of 90,000 metres in altitude in half.
The damage assessment in the picture gallery
Conclusion from Christian Schleker, EMTB editor
A season of problem-free e-biking is not that easy. With its various defects, the Rotwild R.G 375 became a real love-hate relationship for me. The concept is ingenious, and so much downhill power paired with a lightweight and removable battery is still unique on the market. Exactly my thing! If only it wasn't for the bugs.
Strengths
- Ingenious concept: full power, low weight
- Extremely powerful bike
- Unrivalled quick battery change
Weaknesses
- Too many defects in the test period
- Shimano motor rattles downhill
