German Engineering Excellence for 30 Years
ADP Engineering GmbH, the Company behind the Premium Brand ROTWILD, Celebrates Anniversary.
The German company ADP Engineering GmbH, known for its groundbreaking innovations in the bicycle industry and as the birthplace of the premium brand ROTWILD, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1994, the company has become synonymous with German engineering, innovation, and a passion for cycling. What started as an idea from two students has grown into a key player in the bike industry: today, ADP Engineering GmbH employs over 50 people and is an indispensable part of the cycling world.
When Peter Schlitt and Peter Böhm founded ADP Engineering GmbH in 1994, they were confident that their fresh ideas could develop innovative products for the rapidly growing bike market. Together, they launched the high-end bike brand ROTWILD, aiming to rethink mountain biking from the ground up. It didn’t take long for their vision to gain traction and extend into other fields. Today, ADP Engineering GmbH is a leading engineering firm in the bicycle industry and a sought-after development partner for the automotive industry. The company currently collaborates with prestigious partners like Porsche, and its client list also includes Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. ADP even developed a hand bike for Otto Bock, which debuted at the 2012 Paralympics in London.
What continues to drive ADP Engineering GmbH to this day? A passion for German engineering and a holistic approach to everything bike-related.
A Booster to Kick Things Off
In 1994, a small component served as both the starting point and the first milestone for the young company. Weighing in at just under 40 grams, the groundbreaking ADP carbon brake booster significantly improved the braking performance of rim brakes. "When Peter, already passionate about mountain biking, had an aluminum brake booster made for his bike, I suggested we make the part out of carbon," recalls co-founder Peter Böhm. "At the Fraunhofer Institute's Fiber Composite Center in Darmstadt, we first experimented and optimized various parameters, like layer structure, angles, radii, and wall thickness, using finite element simulations. Then we handcrafted the first prototypes."
Small Part, Big Impact
The debut at the BIKE Festival in Riva del Garda was a huge success. There was an overwhelming demand that even surprised Peter Schlitt. "We immediately received two requests from the industry, one for 1,000 units and another for 10,000. They also asked for an OEM price—we didn’t even know what that was at the time! At that point, we had only produced around 40 V-brake boosters and 4 for Magura brakes." The ADP brake booster quickly gained a foothold in the market after winning a comparison test of over 20 different boosters in the BIKE magazine. The positive feedback led to an expanded product range, including additional carbon components like chain guides and mudguards. At the same time, the company began to establish itself as an engineering partner for well-known companies in the bicycle industry.
ROTWILD Bikes Shake Up the Market
In 1996, the two founders unveiled their first bike prototype. This forward-thinking bike was equipped with innovative and state of the art mountain bike technology, showcasing the impressive skills of the young engineers. Many of the technologies developed at that time – such as full suspension, disc brakes, and electronic shifting – have become standard in the biking world. As a logical outcome of these advancements, the ROTWILD brand was launched in 1996, and to this day, it remains the company's core and flagship brand. "The first ROTWILD bike, the RDH P1, was created in about three weeks under pressure to meet the BIKE magazine's editorial deadline," reveals Peter Schlitt. "The frame was welded at Votec. Peter Böhm handled the carbon fork tubes, and we even developed our own belt drive for it. The European head of Rock Shox at the time explained the kinematics principle to me, as we had never built a full-suspension bike before. In the end, everything worked out, and our brand ROTWILD was on its way."
Since its inception, ADP Engineering GmbH has been characterized by intensive research, advanced manufacturing techniques, and a relentless spirit of innovation. Today, ROTWILD is known for premium sporty e-MTBs, some of which are produced at the company's headquarters in Dieburg, Germany.
The Vision Lives On
Whether it's a single component or a complex bike frame, the ADP engineering team strives for the highest precision in developing and implementing new ideas. Intensive fundamental research, close collaboration with scientific institutions, computer-aided simulations, and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques are essential parts of the process. Additionally, international racing professionals have been providing valuable feedback since the brand’s early days, celebrating significant successes. Multiple world championship titles, Olympic medal, and numerous other international and national titles emphasize how deeply professional racing is embedded in ROTWILD's DNA. In 2024, ROTWILD continues this approach in the eMTB sector, with the ROTWILD Schwalbe Gravity Team competing in the UCI E-Enduro World Cup, proving the innovation and performance of their latest bikes.
30 Years of Passion and Enthusiasm
At ROTWILD, more than just a bicycle is created. It’s the result of passion, precision, and the pursuit of constant improvement – a product that continually redefines what's possible, pushes boundaries, and boldly takes new paths. "There have been many challenges in these 30 years, constantly. Highs and lows alternated regularly," reflects Peter Schlitt. "With hard work and a deep love for our products, we managed to stay on track. We’ve always been driven by the desire to create something extraordinary and to realize our own visions. ROTWILD, with its first fully integrated IPU, was the key driver for the success and breakthrough of sporty e-bikes, and it will continue to set groundbreaking trends."
Looking back on three decades of success, ADP Engineering GmbH celebrates with pride and joy. What started as a small startup founded by two students has grown into an established company still led by Peter Schlitt. With the same enthusiasm and pioneering spirit that has always defined them, the ROTWILD team looks forward to many more years of groundbreaking developments.