Riese & Müller Superdelite5 Rohloff: A Year of Ownership

I have run the Superdelite5 Rohloff as my own winter commuter for nearly a year now, around 850 miles in all weathers, on the hills around Dartmouth. It is our test bike, the one I quietly borrowed from the company back in December and never gave back. People ask me all the time whether the flagship is worth it, so rather than give you another spec sheet (our Superdelite5 Full Review has the full rundown), here is what a year of living with one is really like. Including why I only get 33 miles from a 1,200 Wh battery.

The Superdelite5 is the top of the Riese & Müller range and the only bike they make with the full DualBattery system. It is a full-suspension, do-everything machine: 1,200 Wh of battery, a Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 motor, and on this Rohloff version, an electronic 14-speed hub gear with a Gates carbon belt instead of a chain. It is built to cover long distances in comfort and to keep going when the weather turns, and that is exactly how I have used it.

Where the Superdelite5 sits in the range

If you have read our Charger5 vs Delite5 vs Superdelite5 comparison, you will know the Superdelite5 is the bike you reach for when range and comfort matter more than weight or price. The Charger5 is the efficient all-rounder, the Delite5 adds full suspension, and the Superdelite5 takes that further with the DualBattery and the option of the Rohloff hub. Nothing else in the Riese & Müller line-up carries 1,200 Wh as standard.

That battery is the whole point of the bike. It is what lets you ride for a weekend without thinking about charging, or commute all winter on a single charge every couple of days. It also makes the Superdelite5 a heavy bike, and I will come back to what that does to range, because it is the question I get asked most.

The free updates: not what you would expect me to say

Here is something I did not fully appreciate when I bought it: this bike has got better while I have owned it, for free, over the air. Two updates stand out, and my take on them might surprise you.

The first added automatic shifting to the Rohloff hub, and I will cover that in its own section because it is the one that changed how I ride. The second was about power. At launch this was an 85 Nm motor with 600 W. A free update later took it to 100 Nm and 750 W, and a few days ago another free update took it to 120 Nm. I have written about what those Bosch updates mean in our Performance Upgrade 2.0 explainer and the earlier Gen 5 100 Nm update.

Now, everyone wants the bigger number, I understand that. But here is the thing: I run my bike in auto with the assistance set to the original 85 Nm and 600 W, I ride it like that all the time, even up some really steep hills, and I never feel the need for more. The catch with chasing the top setting is that more power wears your components faster: sprockets and belts do not last as long when you push that much through them. So my advice is to try the modes, then settle on the factory settings and get more life out of the bike. The free updates are a real win. You just might not need to use all of them.

The auto shift changed how I ride, with one catch

The auto shift on the Rohloff is the one I rate most. The Rohloff has always been an electronic manual shift, you pick your gear, with an automatic start gear ready for the lights. Now, if you pinch the two buttons on the shifter, it moves into auto. When you are coasting it reads your speed and drops into the right gear ready to pull away. On a heavy bike in stop-start riding that is brilliant, and I leave it in auto the whole time.

The catch: it cannot shift under load, and it will not change down quickly enough for a sudden steep climb. Around here you get a fast descent straight into a sharp little riser, and the bike can be caught out in too high a gear with no time to drop. So what I do is simple: I see the hill coming, coast into it, and knock the gears down early myself. Once I am in a sensible climbing gear I hand it back to auto, and from there it shifts up and down the hill perfectly. A Pinion gearbox, which some bikes offer, can shift under load and would not have that issue, but you cannot pair a Pinion with the DualBattery, so it is a trade-off. If you are weighing the Rohloff against the belt-drive Enviolo on the Vario, our Enviolo vs Rohloff guide walks through the choice.

Real-world range: why I get 33 miles

Let me be straight, because the battery number sets a big expectation. On paper this is 1,200 Wh, and on Eco on flatter tarmac you could see 100 to 120 miles. In my real-world riding I get about 33 miles. That sounds like nothing, and it is worth explaining why, because your number could be very different.

My commute is about 11 miles each way across South Devon, and rather than the fast main roads I take the quieter lanes, which means dropping into a valley and climbing back out, over and over. Three things then eat the range. The bike is heavy, from 33 kg before I load it. I am not a small rider at around 95 kg, and I carry panniers with a laptop and tools. And I ride in auto with the suspension open for maximum comfort, happy to use turbo when I want it. As I always say, you get no points for coming home with a charged battery, so I use it.

I would happily do my commute on the single 800 Wh battery of the Delite5 too. The 1,200 Wh is the bonus that lets me bolt another ten miles on at the end of the day for a parcel run without a second thought.

Living with it: a year of wear and tear

This is the part a launch review never covers. After 850 miles, here is exactly how the bike has held up.

I was sure I had gone through two sets of brake pads, which on a bike this heavy in this terrain would not surprise me, with so much of my riding spent holding the speed down on blind descents. Then I actually pulled them out on camera and they are barely worn. So that was me being pessimistic. Pads are about £20 a set and an easy job at home anyway. The Gates carbon belt has been faultless mechanically, but it does develop a creak when road dirt builds up on the teeth. That dirt acts like a grinding paste on the sprockets, so it is worth dealing with, not just a noise. If a squirt of water quietens it, you know it is the belt, and the fix is warm soapy water and an old toothbrush.

The cosmetic damage is just ownership, and most of it is my fault. The bike fell over on a ride down to Land's End, which chewed the bar ends, scratched the frame and pedals, and bent the left brake lever slightly, though it did not snap. The rear light took a knock and the mudguard clip is bent, so it rattles on potholes until I replace it. Two small warranty bits: a plastic rivet on the side casing popped out, which also happened to one of my customers, so I suspect it was not clipped in properly at the factory, and a rubber seal on the dropper post worked loose. Riese & Müller will sort the seal if it does not refit. For 850 fairly hard miles, with me looking after it poorly, that is a short list, and the build quality everywhere that matters has been exactly what you would expect at this level.

What I have added

Two things worth mentioning. The bike comes with a built-in café lock as standard, and the 2026 model adds a chain under the saddle. They are fine for a quick stop, but a bolt cutter goes straight through the chain, so I have added an Abus Bordo folding lock, gold rated, which keeps my insurance valid when I lock the frame to something solid. The downside is yet more weight on an already heavy bike, but I would rather have the bike there when I get back. The only other addition is a GoPro mount for filming. I find the standard saddle a touch narrow and may swap it, but I am keeping the bike factory-standard so that anyone who comes to test ride it gets it exactly as it leaves the showroom.

The 2026 line-up and what it costs

The Superdelite5 comes in three main trims, and the gearing is the main decision. Prices are current at the time of writing; we will always confirm the exact figure for you.

All three share the same Performance Line CX motor and the 1,200 Wh DualBattery. The Touring is the most accessible in terms of price. The Vario gives you a clean belt drive with stepless shifting. My view, though, is that if you are spending this kind of money, do not save two thousand pounds by stepping down. Get the Rohloff. It will last a good ten years, the wider gear range and the auto shift are superb, and as we explain in our cost of owning a Riese & Müller breakdown, what you pay more for in gearing up front, you tend to claw back in lower running costs later. There is also a faster Rohloff HS version for those who want the higher assisted speed.

A quick word on sizing, because Riese & Müller have renamed it and made it confusing. The frames used to be 47, 51 and 56, and mine is the 56, which is the largest, and a big frame. The smaller sizes have been relabelled by reach, and it trips up a lot of people. Do not overthink it: go by the rider specs for your height, and if it is at all unclear, give us a shout and we will tell you which size you need.

Who it is for, and who it is not

I will not sell this bike to someone who does not need it. If you only do short, flat trips, or you want a light bike to carry upstairs, this is too much bike and there are better-suited models in the range. The weight is real, and so is the price.

But if you want the ultimate commuter that doubles as a serious weekend adventure bike, one machine that carries you and your kit a long way in comfort and keeps going for years, this is it. That is exactly the brief I bought it for, and a year in, it has more than met it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real-world range of the Superdelite5?

The bike carries a 1,200 Wh DualBattery. On Eco on flatter roads you could see 100 to 120 miles. In my own hilly, fully loaded, maximum-assistance riding I get around 33 miles. Range on a big e-bike depends far more on rider, terrain and mode than on the battery alone.

What motor does it use, and are the power updates worth it?

A Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5. Free updates have taken it from 85 Nm to 100 Nm and now 120 Nm. I run mine at the original 85 Nm in auto and never miss the extra, and chasing the top setting wears components faster, so I would not stress about the numbers.

How much does the Superdelite5 cost?

The Touring starts at £7,519, the Vario at £7,979, and the top Rohloff at £9,379. All three use the same motor and DualBattery; the difference is the gearing.

Is the Rohloff worth it over the Vario?

For me, yes. You get the widest gear range, a very durable hub and the auto shift, and lower running costs over the years. The Vario is a little cheaper and lower maintenance. Our Enviolo vs Rohloff guide walks through it.

How heavy is the Superdelite5 Rohloff?

From around 33 kg before luggage. It is a substantial bike, which is part of why the range is what it is, and worth factoring in if you need to lift it.

Come and ride this one

The best way to know if the Superdelite5 is right for you is to ride it on real hills, and the bike in this review is our standard-spec test bike, kept factory so you feel exactly what you would buy. Use the Bike Finder to see how it compares to the rest of the range, browse the Superdelite5 range, or call us on 03330 151 979 and tell us about your riding. ebikeist is the Riese & Müller and Moustache dealer in Dartmouth, Devon, and we will give you a straight answer, not a hard sell. I will give it a wash first.