Idworx founder Gerrit Gaastra grew up on Vancouver's North Shore and is a native of the bike scene. Gerrit is obsessed with building the perfect bike and his attention to detail is almost pathological. Surprisingly, however, Gaastra generally concentrates on hardtails of the braver variety for the more sedate target group. With this preconception in mind, I sit down on the Rockn Rohler - and experience a revelation. This so-called "anti-stress" bike with Rohloff hub gears and 29-inch wheels is anything but well-behaved and is even a lot of fun on challenging trails. With its long wheelbase and thick 29'' Racing Ralph tyres, it is not fazed by root carpets or steep descents. A sensitive 100 millimetres of front suspension travel is sufficient. The Rockn Rohler takes deep mud holes that demand the balance of a tightrope walker on 26-inch tyres with stoic calm. Thanks to the long chainstays, you can climb even the steepest climbs on the bright orange bike from a seated position. After a complete test lap, I ask myself a question that I had actually been putting off for 15 years: Do you even need a fully?
"Ride all the time" - Gaastra's motto is no empty phrase. All the better that the Rockn Rohler also offers the typical Idworx details: Gaastra has the chainring specially made from hardened stainless steel. It has 39 instead of 40 teeth, which should reduce chain wear. The bottom bracket has an eccentric with extremely large stainless steel bearings that can be used to tension the chain. The frame has an integrated steering angle limiter to keep the cables as short as possible. Gaastra calls its system "ISR" (Idworx Stress Reducer) - and the name says it all.
MY CONCLUSION
With its ingenious detailed solutions and Rohloff hub gears, the Idworx is not just a real anti-stress bike. Thanks to the sophisticated geometry, it rides comfortably and safely on all trails.
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