4. May 2018

ROTWILD Insights: Danny Herz

Danny Herz has one of the most varied jobs at ROTWILD. In addition to sales for Austria, he also takes care of technical support there and supports the headquarters in looking after the AMG ROTWILD Team and the Factory Riders. The former BMX rider has been working in the bike industry since 1994. As a trained industrial mechanic he can perfectly combine hobby and profession. However, the 44-year-old is no longer seen on a BMX bike, but he still makes the bike parks in his Austrian homeland unsafe.

Picture: Ole Wittrock

How did you come to ROTWILD?

In 1996 I was still working at RooX and there I met Peter Schlitt, the founder of ROTWILD and today's CEO. Peter was looking for components for the first ROTWILD test bikes. There was a dual slalom bike in my office that I was racing at the time. When Peter saw it, he said, "You can do better than that" and built me a dual slalom frame. That was the birth of the ROTWILD RDS 01 and together with Stefan Hermann I became the first team rider at ROTWILD.

Since we also had a distribution structure at RooX, we took over ROTWILD distribution for Germany and Austria in 1997. I can still remember well the very first delivery of 20 frames. Since I still had to drill a hole for the front derailleur cable, which one had forgotten - "real Handmade". When I parted ways with RooX in 2000, Peter Schlitt offered me to take over the distribution for Austria and the coordination of the race team. That was perfect and exactly what I always wanted to do!

How big is the sales team at ROTWILD, and who do you work closely with?

In the sales office there are currently Daniela, Nicolas, Detlef and Markus. Detlef also does some field work and is very familiar with my Austrian dealers and extremely popular because he understands dialect ☺! Fidi and Stephan also work in the field. With Stephan I organize many events and trainings in Germany and Austria, we complement each other very well. When it comes to the AMG ROTWILD team and the factory riders, I work closely with Ole Wittrock from the headquarters in Dieburg, who is responsible for marketing there. Most of the time we are at events and races together. Internally, we call this "marketing and technology on the road". That always works smoothly. Ole also takes the cool pictures for social media. For me, he is one of the best photographers!

What does your day-to-day work in sales look like?

The day usually starts around 6 o'clock with a Skype coffee with my sales colleague Detlef Schlehenstein. We agree on the stock levels and the next orders. Then we answer emails and take phone calls with dealers and customers about technical questions, events and orders. In between I also need tools in my hands and go to the workshop, where I do the service for test and fair bikes or assemble bikes for the AMG ROTWILD team. In addition, there are many events, trade fairs and appointments at dealers or meetings at the ROTWILD headquarters in Dieburg. The events with our cooperation partner AMG offer special variety. Sometimes I am allowed to drive a few laps with the AMG SLS 63 on the race track in Abu Dhabi, while the AMG customers test our ROTWILD AMG bikes.

Assembly and setup of the AMG ROTWILD team bikes take a lot of time. Photo: Ole Wittrock

What has been the biggest challenge in your job so far?

The most nerve-wracking challenges I had to master in my ten years as a mechanic at the Downhill and 4X World Cup: Long journeys, bad weather, prototype parts from all material sponsors, lack of time and constant improvisations. Everyone who thinks he is a wrench god should work once on such a race weekend. For me, the first two years were hell, and I had to admit that I still had a lot to learn. But through the spirit and helpfulness among the World Cup mechanics, things got better and better, and we pushed ourselves from race to race. As a reward, there were also great successes. The biggest was certainly Mickael Deldycke's 2004 World Cup runner-up title in France. We rolled down the hill together with tears in our eyes. Finally everything had worked out!

What qualifications should you have as a sales employee at ROTWILD?

We always say "stay situationally elastic". That actually says it all!

What's so appealing about your job?

Definitely the variety and the constant novelties and changes. In addition, it's funny when you've raced with BMX riders from all over the world decades ago and now you meet at trade shows and have business with each other.

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

Of course, you have to have a passion for biking. Look for an area where you're strong and can be connected to the industry. But say goodbye right now to a 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. day and lots of weekends off. For me, though, it's worth it because I get to work in the coolest industry in the world!

Friendly relationships develop with ROTWILD dealers. Photo: Ole Wittrock

About your bike preferences: Downhill or Uphill?

DOWNHILL!!! For uphill there is a lift and e-bikes.

Fully or Hardtail?

Clearly Fully!

E-bike or conventional?

As skeptical as I was in the first few years - an e-bike is just casual!

Which is your favorite bike from the ROTWILD range?

Emotionally, it is usually the "classic models" that have a history, such as the RDH 04 Pull Shock, which we used for several years in the World Cup and with which Stefan Kudella became German champion. The bike was way ahead of its time at the time because of the shock and the low center of gravity. However, it also gave me and the engineering many sleepless nights. When it was finally perfect, Rock Shox has unfortunately discontinued production of the special damper. That was bitter. From the current model range, my favorite is clearly the R.X+.

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

You don't sit in the bike park and I don't count kilometers there either. In my Mercedes V-Class, I get 60,000. Does that count?

Do you have a favorite area for biking?

Saalbach Hinterglemm of course! There you have a varied selection of routes, good hats and hotels and of course the Bike N Soul team. There's something for everyone here and one of the largest ROTWILD test centers. Convince yourselves!