ENDURANCE WESTERN AUSTRALIA: SHOPS

ALL WHEEL DRIVE MOUNTAIN BIKE

(Yes our prayers have been answered!)

Let me ask you a question: What’s the difference between a road bike and a mountain bike?

Now let me ask you another question: What’s the difference between an on road car and an off road car?

Sure, when you compare these questions you see there’s the obvious upgrade of tyres and suspension, ground clearance and engineering for increased strength, but there is a substantial difference in traction control. Your off road car has traction to all wheels while your mountain bike still has the same power plant as your on road bike.

Mountain bikes still provide only one rear tyre to deliver the power from the rider to the ground.

So this poses the question: What if you could transfer the power of the rider into both the front and rear wheels of your bike? Think of the additional traction available to the rider. Climbing hills on your mountain bike could now be done in the standing position as against trying to pull off that balancing act between keeping the back wheel from slipping and popping a wheelie.

Well all our prayers have been answered as Christini have designed an ALL WHEEL DRIVE mountain bike. There were several all wheel drive concept mountain bikes floating around towards the end of the eighties with different pullies, chains and external shafts but it’s Christini’s design that has impressed us the most as only a small percentage of energy is lost when the all wheel drive is engaged. It would seem that this is a small price to pay for the advantage of additional traction.

Christini aren’t new to this idea they’ve been trialling it in their motor-cross bikes for a few years now and have recently had success in the Dakar Rally with their motor-cross bikes.