ROTWILD Insights: Christoph Scheuvens

Which colleagues from engineering do you work closely with?

With everyone! When it comes to frame development, Steffen Weingärtner, Katja Hensler and I are a team. I work closely with David Dönigus on the topic of battery and drive integration, and all other colleagues support each other across projects as needed. Thanks to the good working atmosphere and short walking distances, the teamwork works pretty well and is uncomplicated.

How are the tasks distributed in your team?

We have specialists for different areas. Our colleague Katja, for example, is responsible for frames, add-on parts and accessories. Steffen takes care of the right rear kinematics, among other things. The development of the main frame, including the integration of the various interfaces, is so extensive that Steffen and I usually work together on it. All the strings then come together with me. I keep in close contact with our frame builder and ensure that our ideas are implemented.

The intensive coordination also in production is an important component for permanent quality control.

You are the engineer responsible for the development of the R.X750. How would you describe your day-to-day work?

When it comes to the new development of a bike, my work consists of five different phases. It starts with the development of new functions. Here it is important to find clever problem solutions for the desired requirement. Then comes the phase of constructive elaboration, followed by communication with the frame builder, because now it's all about the technical implementation. Once the frame has been produced, inspection and acceptance of the parts follow. When it's time for series production, I communicate with the manufacturer in Asia and support our team here in Dieburg.
As we have other projects running in parallel to the R.X750, I am involved in all phases at the same time with different work packages depending on the project. In the R.X750 project, I am currently primarily concerned with maintaining the high quality of the frame builder and supporting the service internally. In parallel, preparations for the next model year are taking place and work is being done on the implementation of future frame platforms.

Before the parts are released for series production, they are inspected and approved, as here directly at the frame builder.

What are the details of the coordination with your producer?

We work closely with our partner Topeak in Taiwan. They have their own team of technical advisors and engineers on site at our frame builder who take care of quality assurance. As a result, the team from Topeak also helps us overcome the language barrier. I'm in daily contact with the engineers via Skype or email and also regularly on site myself.

How time-consuming are these coordination processes?

We can draw on a huge wealth of experience, both internally and externally through the Topeak team, and work with highly qualified partners. The effort is different according to the topics. With bicycle frames, there are certainly a lot of details that our frame builder can master in his sleep. If, on the other hand, we want to implement innovations, the effort and need for clarification is incomparably higher. Examples of this are certainly the chainstays of the R.750 bikes, which have a continuous shaft in the pivot joint with integrated cable routing instead of the conventional bridge, as well as the integration of the 8Pins seatpost, which presented the frame builder with great challenges in terms of manufacturing precision.

Engineering and development of new technologies also means close coordination in teams of experts where every detail is discussed.

As a development engineer, are you also responsible for quality assurance in frame production?

Responsible in that I define the quality requirements and intensively check compliance with them in the initial phase. A team of Topeak engineers then carries out quality assurance directly on site. This takes place immediately after production in accordance with the specifications we have defined. A further quality check then takes place when the goods are received here in Germany. I play a supporting role in both cases.

How has the Corona pandemic affected your day-to-day work?

Of course, trips to the frame builder were cancelled and we had to make do with the alternative online communication channels, just like everyone else. We also kept mutual visits to suppliers and testing institutes to a minimum. It is clear that issues can be clarified more efficiently with a real counterpart. This eliminates the time spent sending samples back and forth, and many things can be clarified more quickly when everyone is sitting around a large table and holding the components in question in their hands. Now, processes take correspondingly longer and more explanation is needed until the desired result is achieved. To reduce the risk for employees, we have organized our office at the Dieburg site in such a way that only some of our colleagues work on site at any one time. The other part works in the home office. For this purpose, we have a kind of schedule that flexibly regulates who is currently on site and who is working at home.

As early as the prototype phase, Christoph defines the quality requirements on site at the frame builder's and intensively checks compliance with them.

Regardless of the special situation caused by the Corona crisis, what are the biggest challenges in your job and how do you overcome them?

The biggest challenge is certainly to reconcile the many new ideas, designs and requirements of the component manufacturers with the feasibility of production at the frame builder. Because in the end, the best idea is useless if it cannot be realized economically in series production. In addition to design challenges, there are also very general problems when building an e-bike. How can I achieve high drive power with the lowest possible weight? How can I integrate a simple battery removal system in such a way that the rigidity of the frame and a low weight are maintained? But topics such as ease of maintenance and design also constantly present us with new tasks during new development. In all cases, a compromise is worked out that must ultimately satisfy all sides.

How can new ideas be technically implemented and the necessary components realized? That, too, is one of the challenges in the everyday life of a development engineer.

In which areas do you see the greatest potential for technical improvement of the current bikes?

The current state of the art is already very good and our bikes are technically at the forefront. Of course, there's always room for improvement, but the leaps will be correspondingly smaller. Weight is certainly a big issue, especially for sporty e-bikes like the ones we build. The current trend toward ever greater range is open to question. Lighter concepts that then make use of exchangeable batteries or expansion packs are certainly also exciting approaches. There is also hope that there will be improved energy storage systems with higher energy density in the future. This would make it possible to further reduce the weight of the bike. There is still a lot of potential in digital networking, especially with regard to everyday bikes. I find topics such as driving assistance systems like ABS and other sensor technology enormously exciting.

What qualifications should you have as an employee in engineering at ROTWILD, and how important is your own practical experience on the MTB for your job?

In addition to the technical background and your own fascination for locomotion on two wheels, you should also have high quality standards and an open ear for ideas and suggestions from colleagues who are enthusiastic about cycling.

Passion for two-wheeled sports, open to ideas and suggestions, at the same time technically versed and with your own high quality standards: this is part of the requirement profile that is expected as a development engineer in the bike industry.

Do you have any tips for someone who would like to work in the bike industry?

Yes, do it and apply!

About your personal bike preferences: Downhill or Uphill?

Downhill for sure.

Fully or Hardtail?

Both gladly, depending on the gear. On the trail full-suspension, on tour with a nimble hardtail and on the pump track best front and rear hard as a board.

E-bike or conventional?

In my free time, mainly conventional. From A to B, for example to work, I'm more likely to be seen electrically lately.

Your favorite bike from the ROTWILD collection?

I ride an enduro from the 2019 model year, which my colleague Steffen designed before my time at ROTWILD. The bike is just huge fun! The model year 2021 will be very exciting, and I'm sure, there comes a great throw!

Testing the new prototypes intensively on the trails is naturally part of engineering. In his private fleet, however, the R.E1 is still the favorite for ROTWILD engineer Christoph.

How many kilometers do you sit in the saddle per year?

I don't think in terms of kilometers when I cycle, but for me it's mostly about circuits, jumplines or descents. I also don't have a speedometer on my private bikes, nor am I someone who diligently monitors his rides via app. After all, it's about 20 kilometers to work every day.

Do you have a favorite area for biking?

The area around Dieburg is not very mountainous, but there are still a surprising number of nice tracks and action-packed spots. However, I'm most often seen on the Umstadt Pumptrack.