Straight ahead to the horizon - The Idworx Rohler BLT
It is not only the matt olive green of the "Rohler BLT" that is inconspicuous. The countless special solutions also require a closer look.
The "Rohler BLT" from Idworx opens the series of three highly specialised and high-priced long-distance touring bikes in this test. Compared to the other six models presented so far, the price triples: this touring bike costs at least 6,500 euros - and yet you could leave it at the railway station for a moment, because only insiders will immediately recognise what a sophisticated vehicle it is. Idworx maker Gerrit Gaastra is not reinventing the wheel, but he is working on every detail. Hardly any of the components on this bike are simple mass-produced goods.
This starts with the consistently uneven number of teeth on the special, hardened drive sprockets. They are designed to reduce wear because one outer and one inner link of the chain are in mesh alternately. You have to come up with that first! The rear brake disc is also a reinforced version. Rustproof material is used wherever possible, even in the bottom bracket between the cranks, an area that is ideally kept free of water anyway. A robust headlight bracket, specially reinforced pannier rack stays, a titanium seat post... All of this drives up the base price, with further discreet delicacies on offer for a hefty surcharge. It's almost always about carefree operation over endless kilometres in nasty conditions. This approach has earned the brand numerous loyal fans who love technology.
Braked steering
In the current test bike, Gaastra has installed a part that arouses particular curiosity: the "Viscoset" from Cane Creek brakes the steering deflections. Unlike a spring, which always straightens the handlebars, or a hydraulic damper, which dampens fast movements strongly but slow ones only slightly, the "Viscoset" is a simple friction damper: a dozen thin metal plates with a special grease between them are pressed together. The first is interlocked towards the steerer tube, the second towards the head tube, and so on, always alternating. Originally, the design was intended to prevent frame flutter on e-bikes, but Gaastra generally sees smoother steering as an advantage.
Plenty of sand on board
To cut a long story short: Unloaded and on a smooth surface, this detail doesn't make much difference. The massive frame wouldn't shake anyway, the handlebars simply turn a little more smoothly. With four panniers and a total of 36 kilos of sand on the racks, the touring bike lies as smoothly as a heavy road cruiser, to which this inconspicuous part contributes in addition to the load on the front wheel - another tiny detail that characterises the riding experience in the luxury class.
Details of the Idworx
- Price: 6528 Euro
- Frame sizes: 46/ 51/ 54 cm
- Test bike weight: 15.6 kg
- Permissible total weight: 160 kg
- Frame: Aluminium, welded
- Fork: Aluminium
- Drive unit: Rohloff Speedhub 14-speed
- Translation: 43 / 17 teeth, 514 %
- Brakes/ø: Shimano Deore XT, 203/180mm
- Tyres: Schwalbe G-One Bite TLE 57-622
- Lighting system: SON hub dynamo, SON Edelux headlight
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Uncompromising durability; well thought-out detail solutions; steering damper; good load distribution
- Minus: None
Conclusion on the touring bike
The mixture of rather calm touring geometry, durable parts and convincing handling characteristics when fully loaded makes the Idworx a safe bet for extra-long tours.
Westphalian Astronaut - The Patria Cosmos
Largely unaffected by contemporary tastes, the "Kosmos" runs its course. Its equipment is more than complete.
With our test bike, Patria could have its own trade fair stand for world tourer equipment. Everything that technology-loving touring cyclists love is on board, from the classy SON lighting system to the USB charging source in the steerer tube and the extra stand on the lowrider, which prevents the loaded front wheel from tipping over. In addition, as an eye-catcher, the shiny magenta powder-coated frame and the over two-inch wide knobby tyres - a luxury class exhibition bike. Patria actually still solders the frames in Germany, and assembly also takes place at the company headquarters. This creates plenty of scope for customisation. While the simple basic version with Shimano Deore XT and 3 x 10 gears costs just under 3900 euros, our luxury model in world tour trim costs almost 5300 euros.
Enormous payloads
Patria is confident that the frame has a system weight of 180 kilos. Compared to the brand's slimmer models, the 31.8 millimetre top tube and 35 millimetre down tube are more voluminous, but more delicate compared to the steel competition from Contoura or Tout Terrain.
But the official weight limit is not set by the frame anyway. What counts here is the information provided by the suppliers of handlebars, cranks, seat posts... Even the usual limits of 120 or 130 kilos system weight are ample if you move them without the motor, but they are quickly reached: 36 kilos payload, 16 kilos bike, a 78-kilo rider on top - and the 130 kilos are already full. Heavyweight riders with excessive luggage are therefore riding in the grey area for almost all brands. However, the four panniers sit snugly on the conventional Tubus carriers, so you're ready to go. It was to be expected that the complete XT equipment with the cleanly externally routed cables would hit the gears crisply and decelerate perfectly with its mountain bike-sized brake discs. Nothing rattles, nothing grinds - Patria hasn't just been building touring bikes since yesterday.
Slim and upright
However, the riding position on the test touring bike is somewhat unfortunate. The many spacers, which compensate for the very short head tube, place the rider in a very upright position. With so little weight on the front wheel, the steering is rather choppy despite the inertia of the front panniers. In addition, the frame and fork do not feel as stiff as possible. A longer, lower stem and less ballast than our extreme test luggage should increase the riding fun ad hoc. Even lowering the air pressure in the front wheel improved the smoothness of the ride.
Details of the Patria
- Price: 5284 Euro
- Frame sizes: S, M, L, XL
- Test bike weight: 16.5 kg
- Permissible total weight: 180 kg (frame)
- Frame: Steel, lugged, soldered
- Fork: Steel, welded/soldered
- Drive unit: Shimano Deore XT
- Translation: 48/ 36/ 26 teeth, 11-34 t., 574 %
- Brakes/ø: Shimano Deore XT, 203/ 180mm
- Tyres: Schwalbe G-One Bite TLE, 54-584
- Lighting system: SON hub dynamo, SON Edelux headlight
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Extensive customisation possible; many options for luggage transport
- Minus: Tube dimension for maximum payload very slim; slightly unsteady driving behaviour
Conclusion on the touring bike
The "Kosmos" is undoubtedly robust, carefully manufactured and superbly equipped. However, the competitors in the test handle maximum payload with a little more confidence.
A maximum solution - The Tout Terrain Tanami Xplore II
Tout Terrain sends its "Tanami Xplore II" with Pinion gearbox - and an original detail - into the perfectionist duel with Idworx.
The beauty of a bike test in the luxury class is not necessarily the opportunity to play with expensive equipment or experience a completely new riding sensation. Rather, it's often the joy of discovery, discovering a new trick during the first check, with which a perfectionist tinkerer eliminates a detail problem. In this test, it is mainly Idworx and Tout Terrain that shine with such subtleties. For example, the small latch that prevents the handlebars on the Tanami from turning round when it is parked - an annoying problem when the front rack is loaded - was a real tinkerer's delight. The solution with a second stand on the touring bike, as used by Patria, also prevents this. But the push-button lock is simply smart - and therefore makes you happy.
Modern steel
Luggage transport and integrated racks are the focus of most Tout Terrain bikes, especially the "Tanami Xplore", the 29-inch alternative to the tried-and-tested "Silkroad" with slightly smaller 27.5-inch wheels. The brand uses stainless steel for some racks to prevent rust spots even if the paintwork is damaged. The test Tanami is fitted with an even more elegant solution: The panniers sit on an all-round rustproof, abrasion-resistant stainless steel frame. It is details like this that highlight and relativise the difference to the cheaper class, in which, for example, the integrated but much more sensitive carrier of the Cube "Kathmandu" competes. Tout Terrain also provides its customers with dozens of particularly robust steel eyelets for all kinds of bags and bottles. The design spells one word: adventure. No matter what you want to take with you on the big trip, it can be elegantly and durably fastened here.
Difficult decision
Carrying the 36 kilos of sand in bags from the cellar is a drudgery before every test ride, but the 18 kilos of the test bike itself are more reminiscent of the pedelec league than of sporty riding. Pinion gearing and steel construction send their regards... Only in combination with large luggage does the weight of the bike become secondary. The relatively high tube diameters (top tube 35, down tube 38 millimetres) and the rigid carrier construction make cornering with ballast easy, the shoulder lugs of the off-road-compatible Conti tyres don't buckle even at high lean angles. It runs - even in crawling gear, which is made possible by the high reduction Pinion gearing right up to the traction limit. But this touring bike also needs a balanced load. With a heavy load only at the rear, the steering becomes nervous, but there are plenty of alternatives.
Details of the Tout Terrain
- Price: approx. 6500 Euro
- Frame sizes: M, L, XL
- Test bike weight: 17.9 kg
- Permissible total weight: 160 kg (frame)
- Frame: Steel, welded
- Fork: Steel, welded/soldered
- Drive unit: Pinion P 18 gearbox
- Translation: 636 %
- Brakes/ø: Magura MT5/ 200/180 mm
- Tyres: Continental Double Fighter 50-622
- Lighting system: SON hub dynamo, SON Edelux headlight
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Perfectly integrated rear luggage rack; well thought-out detailed solutions
- Minus: Somewhat heavy; very upright position
Conclusion on the touring bike
Oliver Römer and his team are always coming up with original details that spice up the tried and tested programme. The Pinion-powered "Tanami" invites you to discover the world without any major material worries.
>> You can find the individual tests for the leisure and adventure bikes here.
