Hey guys,
Has anyone ever tried or seen the AWD mtb's
I think Christini and Jeep Rubicon make them so far!
here's the link for Jeeps' bike..... http://www.cyclesourcegroup.com/rubiconawd.html


I don't know, I have my reservations about these systems....how well would the open gear/sprocket drive system fair in a mud-grass-leaf XC terrain???

Post your comments!

Hey guys,
Has anyone ever tried or seen the AWD mtb's
I think Christini and Jeep Rubicon make them so far!
I don't know, I have my reservations about these systems....how well would the open gear/sprocket drive system fair in a mud-grass-leaf XC terrain???

I already have problems with traction with my one wheel drive bike with fat tires and a fat butt over the rear wheel. I'm not sure how pedalling the front wheel too is going to help. And the current drive train is a pain to maintain (every other ride in my case) so I'm not interested in have an exponential increase in the complexity of the drive train available to exercise my limited maintenance skills. Plus it's appears to significantly increase the weight of the bike, if that matters to anyone. it's an idea, like many in the bike industry like U-brakes, which will run its course.

Hey guys, Has anyone ever tried or seen the AWD mtb's...

I posted about the hardtail version <a href="http://forums13.consumerreview.com/crforum?13@42.6y3Vajfv8CG.11291396@.efe47c9/6">here</a>.

Since then, we've had a bunch of snow. You can climb a steep hill that is covered with about 8" of heavy snow if you have the legs. The front wheel resists washouts very well by driving into the turns on slippery surfaces (mud or snow). And there is a crux on a long technical climb that I had never been able to do, but I can always clean it on the Christini.

The exposed gear train has survived fine considering my ride buddies & I have been dragging it into crazy situations to see what it can do. I'm not crazy about the WB fork, the sliders get very stiff in cold weather so the fork is not very plush - an open bath would be better. Other than the torque steer & drivetrain binding due to the lack of a differential (mentioned in the old post), it seems to successfully do what it was designed to - and like I said before, most people probably would not benifit much from the AWD (like the majority of AWD SUV users ;) ).

Cheers,

Tom

Well I figured the only real benefit of this is the uphill grunt, on leaf covered mud, or similar terrain. God knows how bad it is going downhill on mud, let alone uphill!

I think this just might be a gimmick, just like the old grip shifters, oval chainrings, etc....

Hey--Doable....did you find that you have to hammer harder to transfer the power to both tires? And I guess bush-whacking with this is out of the question....not that you should with any other bike...if you value your derailuers.....
just a thought

One big benefit, other than traction, is how the front wheel will track better and have less tendancy to push out. People probably don't think about this but it could be as big a benefit downhill, as up.

One big benefit, other than traction, is how the front wheel will track better and have less tendancy to push out. People probably don't think about this but it could be as big a benefit downhill, as up.

...just a thought, how does the drive shaft on the front fork compensate for the fork movement (up and down) on the big bumps?? I wonder if its a shaft in shaft design?

Well I figured the only real benefit of this is the uphill grunt, on leaf covered mud, or similar terrain. God knows how bad it is going downhill on mud, let alone uphill!
The AWD actually is nice on loose or sandy downhills (or snow-covered slippery DH's) - as long as the rear tire is spinning (or you are pedaling) the front does not wash out as much. Even when you start to wash out, if you keep pedaling, the front wheel drives it back - I was skeptical about this claim until I tried it.


did you find that you have to hammer harder to transfer the power to both tires? And I guess bush-whacking with this is out of the question....not that you should with any other bike...if you value your derailuers.....
The front tire only gets power when it turns slower than rear - ie when the rear slips, instead of your pedals starting to spin, it just doesn't happen. The only thing you notice is the gear train noise, some torque steer (takes getting use to) and the fact that you are still on the bike. You can get both wheels to spin if you really hammer - we tried it just for fun, but it gets really tiring! The only time you have to pedal harder is on large obstacles with transitions, like large logs. When the rear wheel needs to go faster than the front (rear wheel going over a log/front is already over) the one of the wheels has to slip - annoying but no biggie.

And I do bushwhack it - what's the point of AWD if you can't bushwhack? So far so good. In all my bush whacking, I've only ever broken one deraillure. If I could only get a Rohloff hub on it...


...just a thought, how does the drive shaft on the front fork compensate for the fork movement (up and down) on the big bumps?? I wonder if its a shaft in shaft design?
The drive shaft has a sliding sleeve. On the FS model, there is another sliding sleeve at the rear shock. I don't have a good picture of it, I'll try to get one.

Cheers,

Tom

Spicer Cycles has the AWD Iditabike for $5000

And an AWD conversion kit for regular bikes..

http://www.spicercycles.com/index.cgi?cat=33&sub_cat=Two-wheeldrivebikes&prod_id=443&cat_desc=Two-WheelDriveBikes


Theres a 17" AWD specific frame on closeout for $100.

Not that I would want either,.. but for the sake of discussion,
How do you all think the flex-shaft system would compare to the Christini system?

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/443-large.jpg

Spicer Cycles has the AWD Iditabike for $5000
...
Not that I would want either,.. but for the sake of discussion,
How do you all think the flex-shaft system would compare to the Christini system?

Spicer has had the flexshaft AWD conversion for many years - there is an old MBA review about it - anyone with really old back issues? From memory, the review said driving the front wheel was useful in sand & loose surfaces, but the flex-shaft had noticable drag & power loss. I think the Christini drive train is more efficient. Also, Spicer had resin bevel gears, and a noisy ratchet/friction 2-way slip clutch on the front, Christini has hard coated aluminium bevel gears, and a one-way roller clutch on the front.

Cannondale also had this technology a few years back. They used a cablt much like a speedometer cable in a car. My dad is an engineer so he get's magazines that have all the new technology. Oh yeah it was remote operable (disengage or engage it).