A couple weeks ago I was climbing some of the steep stuff at Georgia International Horse Park and I had a question: Does a front wheel drive mountain bike exist? If not a front wheel drive bike, how about an all-wheel drive mountain bike? Well friends, I’m happy to say all wheel drive mountain bikes do indeed exist.
Meet the Christini AWD Full Suspension. At the flip of a switch you can engage the all wheel drive system for increased traction and control. Honestly I’m a bit skeptical about how much difference this really makes in ascending given that when you’re climbing there is very little weight on your front tire (will it spin out?). The website does mention that AWD helps improve cornering and traction in descents and from what I understand this part makes a bit more sense.
I’m also really interested to know how this works mechanically. There is probably an axle running through the bike frame from the crank to the front wheel involving lots of internal cogs and gears. I don’t think there is a third derailleur so you’re probably stuck with a single gear on the front wheel, but maybe this doesn’t matter? Oh yeah, and don’t forget that second axle running through your front fork – that might just affect your travel. Of course this is all speculation and I’m no mechanical engineer but in any event, Christini’s system is patented so it must be pretty special 😉
Has anyone tried an all wheel drive mountain bike (Christini or otherwise)? I’d love to hear how these babies handle…
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