mountain bikes: Test: Rotwild R.X2 Transalp Pro – powerful tourer with staying power

Test: The Rotwild R.X2 is already in its fourth season in 2019; The fact that the Carbon AM Fully is by no means 'obsolete' this year is mainly due to the fact that it was ahead of its time when it was launched a few years ago: It is compatible with all three common wheel sizes, the light carbon frame and numerous geometry adjustment options it is an extremely versatile bike.

Rotwild R.X2 Transalp Pro: frame and geometry

The frame of the Rotwild R.X2 Transalp Pro is only available as a carbon version and gets a progressive 140mm spring travel out of the damper. The chassis is based on the well-known and well-proven XCS concept from our own company: a classic four-bar linkage that is trimmed for good propulsion, but also attaches importance to sensitive response behavior, especially at the beginning of the suspension travel. At just over 2kg (manufacturer information), the R.X2 frame should also be one of the lightest in this price range.

A big highlight and at the same time the unique selling point of the R.X2 is its so-called Modular Riding Concept: With chain stays adjustable via flipchip and a factory-installed Angleset headset, not only can the geometry be tuned to the preferences and requirements of the rider, but also all of the current ones standard wheel sizes: 29 inch as on our test bike, 27,5+ and regular 27,5″ wheels fit into the frame without unbalancing the geometry concept. If you opt for the small 27,5″ wheels, the rear triangle offers space up to a width of 2,8″ and even with 29″ 2,5″ tires should still fit without any problems. The modular geometry concept also includes the MHS I headset, which can be used to adjust the steering angle by +- 1,5°.

When looking at the bare numbers in the geometry table, the short chainstays in particular catch the eye. In the 29er configuration of our test bike, they measure just 435mm, if you're on 27" they shrink to a compact 422,5mm with a flip chip. The other dimensions are not extreme and promise balanced handling on different terrain - just as you would expect from an all-mountain.

Rotwild R.X2 Transalp Pro: Features

Almost 5.000 euros are due for the R.X2 Transalp Pro. In return, you get consistently solid, partly high-quality equipment, with which Rotwild deliberately swims against the tide here and there. Let's start with the chassis: fork and damper come from Fox, more precisely a Float DPS tickles the 140mm out of the rear, at the front a Float 34 provides the same amount of spring travel. Both components come in their performance variant: This comes without a Kashima coating on the stanchions and with the somewhat simpler grip damping cartridge. In practice, however, the differences to the much more expensive Factory version are not huge and most drivers will hardly notice them. What's more, the simpler setup of the grip cartridge could benefit inexperienced bikers in particular. Rotwild's decision for the somewhat lighter 34er Fox in the front is interesting - most other manufacturers use the enduro version with 36mm stanchions here. As I said, you save some weight, but you also have to do without a little bit of rigidity.

A similar course is taken in terms of drive: With a Shimano XT M8000 2×11 gear system, a front derailleur on the R.X2 Transalp Pro provides a small increase in bandwidth compared to one-by drives and, above all, closer gear ratios. Perfect for those for whom the right cadence is important and for areas of application such as the Transalp, where maximum efficiency is crucial. Despite these advantages, many other manufacturers now do without a front derailleur and also have good reasons for doing so: In addition to a significantly lower background noise, this also includes easier maintenance, the elimination of possible chain sucks and a tidier and more ergonomic cockpit.

Matching the drive, Shimano XT M8000 brakes provide the necessary braking power. With 180mm discs at the front and rear and the 2-piston variant at the front, Rotwild also turns the dial more in the direction of "Tour". But let's be honest: Even if 4-piston calipers and 203mm discs are almost the order of the day in this spring travel class, the built-in XT brakes do the job reliably. Anyone who weighs a few kilos more or who regularly throws themselves down long descents can easily retrofit a 203mm disc.

The wheels come from DT Swiss: With the M1900 Spline, the R.X2 Transalp Pro has a robust wheelset that has been tried and tested thousands of times over. Unfortunately, you have to do without the toothed disc freewheel of more expensive Swiss versions, but the pawls also do their job very reliably. The rim width of 22.5mm is no longer quite contemporary. Wide tires from 2,2″ tend to buckle in corners, and you have to use a little more pressure with a setup with tubes to prevent punctures. Speaking of tubes: Unfortunately, the Continental Mountain King tires installed are not tubeless-compatible in their RaceSport version. Otherwise, the Conti tires are good all-rounders, even if a little more grip on the front wheel would certainly not hurt.

Rotwild made an excellent choice with the Crankbrothers Highline dropper post, installing one of the best dropper posts currently on the market ( see the test of the post here ). The cockpit also comes from the Americans: Our size L test bike came with a 65mm Iodine stem and a 760mm wide Cobalt handlebar.

Rotwild R.X2 Transalp Pro: On the trail

The name says it all: Transalp! With a front derailleur and a small chain ring, it's easy to climb. The geometry, which also works on long climbs or multi-day tours, also contributes to this. The rear end hardly wobbles, even when it's open. Thanks to a flat bar, a rather long stem and a generally low stack value, the front stays on the ground, and the compact chain stays and high bottom bracket don’t change that. Uphill everything is great...

If the path inclines towards the valley, the R.X2 loses its leader position. The bike prefers technical terrain to full throttle. We really like the high bottom bracket and the short rear triangle together with the slightly steeper steering angle when things get tight. For high speed excesses we would like some changes. The geometry can be changed with an included angle control set. The steering angle is flattened by 1,5 degrees from 67 to 65,5 degrees. That changes things. In addition, the modular concept also allows 27,5 inch wheels or even thick Plus tires. All in all, we didn't like the light, narrow Continental tires with the rims with an inner width of 22,5 millimeters, at least not for shooting in Latsch. With smaller bikes comes a bottom bracket drop of about 20 millimeters, then you would miss the missing down tube protection on the carbon frame even more. On the other hand, things look different and higher speeds are also fun. The rear end and fork work well. The suspension isn't exactly plush, we'd describe it more as comfortable-effective, so it suits well for a bike that wants to be a strong climber. The seat tube is rather long, at least the possible insertion depth of the seat post could be greater, even testers who are 180 tall would have liked to have lowered the post deeper.

There's little to complain about regarding the components; everything works well. It's all very touring-oriented. The handlebars are quite narrow, as are the rims… The Rotwild R.X2 lives up to its "Transalp" promise. The fact that it couldn't quite keep up downhill in the comparison test can't be blamed on the rather versatile R.X2. The top-of-the-line R.X2 Transalp Ultra wasn't available; with its 1x drivetrain and significantly wider rims, it would have been a better fit for the test field. Overall, Rotwild interprets the term "All-Mountain" more as an all-rounder than we do; we see it as something like a light enduro or a very downhill-oriented touring bike. However, what we believe isn't a matter of taste: -1- Larger brake rotors belong on a bike like this. -2- The R.X2 would benefit from an adjustment to the bottom bracket height so that it rides just as well as a 29er as it does as a 27,5er. -3- We would prefer to go straight for the “Ultra” version, or perhaps for 27,5” wheels.