Submitted by
Andy FitzGibbon
a Weekend Warrior
from Elkins, WV, USA
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2010
Strengths: Quality product made in the USA
Excellent customer service
AWD system performs as advertised
Weaknesses: Extra weight (2.3 lbs for AWD system)
Extra maintenance
Single pivot rear suspension
Proprietary front fork, front hub, and headset
Bottom Line:
First of all, Christini is a great company to deal with. It is nice (and increasingly rare in the bike industry) to be able to deal with a small company that sells a quality US-made product. Customer service before and after purchase has been outstanding.
The special White Bros. fork is also made in the US- pretty cool to be able to buy a new MTB frameset that is entirely US made.
The AWD system really does perform as advertised. It is great for wet, steep, rocky terrain, which we have lots of here in WV. I enjoy doing long, slow, technical rides, and the bike really excels at that sort of thing. For me, the added maintenance and weight of the AWD system are more than made up for by the added performance in difficult terrain. I would not choose a Christini as a race bike, but I don't race, so it's perfect for the type of riding I like best.
Apart from the AWD system, the bike functions like any other aluminum FS bike. The single-pivot rear suspension is a somewhat dated design, and it exhibits the usual bobbing and brake feedback problems, but it is also simple and easy to maintain. A platform shock takes care of the bobbing. The bike came spec'd with a Fox Float R ProPedal shock, which really didn't work well with the rear suspension design. I replaced it with an RP23, which helped immensely.
I built the bike up with 2010 XT components, Thomson stem and post, FSA 31.8 alloy bar, Mavic 819 UST rims and 14 ga. spokes with brass nipples, and Hutchinson UST tires. It weighs in at about 31 lbs. I could have saved weight with some of my component choices, particularly the wheelset and tires, but I wanted to build the bike to be strong and reliable.
The Christini is a great bike for folks who like to ride steep, technical terrain, and don't mind a little extra weight and maintenance.
Bike Setup: Purchased frameset from Christini, built with full XT, Mavic 819 UST rims, Fox Float RP23 rear shock
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Submitted by
Luke Jensen
a Cross Country Rider
from PA
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2007
Strengths: The bike is an overall amazement. The AWD is the best thing out there. The traction in unbeatable, up-hills and down. The fork rides beautifully and is very adjustable. Handles like a bike should in and out of AWD. Sturdy frame with little flex that can take some hard hits. The Geometry is fits like a dream. And for how complex the AWD system seems, it really isn’t. It comes apart clean and easy and reassembles the same. The christini staff is also amazing. Very knowledgeable and helpful.
Weaknesses: The only thing that I can find is a bit of chain suck that happens in the front chain rings when downshifting into 1st and peddling. But really not enough to complain about. And having to upgrade its a pretty custom job.(rims, fork) But you will not want to anyway, everything that’s on it works great.
Bottom Line:
This bike is nothing like you have ever tried before. The setup and geometry fits just like a bike should. Handles great, even when the AWD is engaged the steering is not affected, unless when your front tire should wash out on steep and loose hill when the AWD takes affect and you track through the worst conditions with no problem. You have to ride it and test it to believe it. Even in snow. All the components work very well together and add up to a very good and strong ride. I would advise anyone to get or at least try the bike sometime and put it through the worst conditions. I have not once had any trouble with mud, sticks, or sand that you think you would have. Even though I paid for it, it has been a gift to me. I have not met one person that was impressed by it either. This is a head turner of a bike. You wont be disappointed. If you want to be able to ride in 4 seasons, and all weather, this is the bike you want.
Similar Products Used: Old School Schwinn, Cannondale are the other bikes I ride, but really, nothing is similar.
Bike Setup: White Brothers Fork, Manitou Swinger SPV 3-way rear shock, XT Deore front and back and shifters, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Mavic X 3.1 rims, Crank Brothers Mallet C pedals.
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Submitted by
emil
a Weekend Warrior
from eagle river, ak
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2006
Strengths: Great suspension performance (with Swinger 3 or 4 -Way shocks), excellent braking, great-granny gear range, and oh, yeah, the AWD is pretty sweet. The owner's manual is well written and illustrated and the folks at the main office are very knowledgable. Any issues and they are on top of it.
Weaknesses: There are more parts to deal with and clean after a nasty ride but any repairs needed are within range of basic tools and skills. As for performance, the only weakness is weight and I'll take that one - the bike is solid, smooth and well built.
Bottom Line:
This bike was a real stretch for me - in terms of price and features I wasn't sure I REALLY needed. But Pete at Rhee Bikes made me a promise no other dealer has made - if I bought it I would be a better rider. Not just enjoy it more by taking the edges off the bumps and all that, but I would ride harder, faster, and longer. He was right. I ride Alaskan mountain pass trails of 40 to 80 miles and love it. I used to carpool/shuttle, now I round-trip 'em. The most noticeable upgrades over my hardtail are drivetrain and braking. Hills are smaller and downhills are less threatening. The suspension does what it should with no fuss, no noise and no extra work by me. The AWD works much the same way - you don't see it at work. Loose gravel? Sketchy hill? Really, I didn't notice. Is that why everyone else was walking up? But take it out of AWD and you see what a bunch of tall roots or a muddy hill USED to do to you. I leave it in AWD all the time and am thinking of removing the selector switch to save weight. Last summer I rode my hardtail and a Blur over the same trails I rode on my Christini and was able to appreciate the difference. Some say it is 90% rider, 10% bike. With the Christini I'd have to give the bike 20% credit, but I now ride 125% vs any other bike I've tried. If you think I'm making it up - try one. I did and may even buy a second one for a spare. Now if they could only design one of these beauties with an all-shaft drive system and get rid of that dangly rear derailleur...
Similar Products Used: Although the AWD is a unique feature, I have been able to compare the bike to a basic hardtail, Specialized FSR, and an XT Blur. All nice bikes but the Christini just WORKS.
Bike Setup: I opted for the anodized finish (very tough and a rather nice color vs everything else out there), XT package (11-34 rear, Hollowtech 2 integrated bearing bottom bracket/crank) with variable travel coil fork and Swinger 4-way shock, Kenda Karma tires w/ tubes, Magura Louise hydraulic discs (6"), White Industries rear hub, Titec cockpit. Overall weight is about 30-32 pounds.
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Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Lynchburg, VA USA
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2005
Strengths: Traction from all wheel drive
Weaknesses: Complexity of all wheel drive
Bottom Line:
Starting my third winter with the bike. The AWD works as promised. It offers the same benefits and has the same downsides as AWD on a car: better traction in crappy conditions, more mechanical stuff to do it. When the weather out is muddy or snowy and traction is going to suck, this bike is fun where others are not. I have led rides in the snow because no other bike out could physically push through first. This bike will go when others will not. But you still have to turn your legs over, so that long technical hill might still get you, its just not the bike anymore. I have bought and sold a lot of bikes (4 since getting this bike), and I am in the process of going to on to the next XC thing. But this one's going to stay, unless Christini comes out with something better. It simply does things that no other bike can.
Oh, and Christini's service is simply exceptional, period.
Bike Setup: Retro style: 8 speed triggers for better mud function
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Submitted by
Brad
a Weekend Warrior
from Port Hardy
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2005
Strengths: AWD.
Weaknesses: Headset.
Bottom Line:
This is just a follow up after using this bike for 6 months. The AWD system is still working great on the bike. It still climbs like a mountain goat on steroids. My overall opinion has pretty much remained the same as my initial post. Suspension performance is great. The White Brothers fork is surprisingly plush and adjustable. The rear suspension linkage is great. The overall construction of the frame and drive system is outstanding. Bearing longevity is the problem. The drive system spun smooth for 6 months until the bearing at the top of the seatstay ceased. It sees quite a bit of exposure. It just got replaced this week. The rest of the bearings are spinning smooth. The worst bearing performance has to be the headset. I get around 2 to 3 months out of a set of bearings. The lower 2 (it contains 4) don't last very long. I understand that these bearings will see a lot of forces applied to them, especially since the steerer is split up into 2 separate shafts, equating to more leverage on said bearings. It is too bad that a standard 1.5 inch headset couldn't be used somehow, or perhaps a longer headtube, or more bearings, I'm not too sure how to solve the problem. My worry is that pressing new bearings in so often will result in premature wear on the headtube. 3 bearings out of 25 isn't bad. YES, 25 BEARINGS!!!, not including the large one in the rear drive clutch or the ones in the front hub. I'd be afraid to get a retail value of all the bearings. The one I just replaced cost me $16 CAD. A bike with this many moving parts is naturally going to require more maintenance, but unless you stick to relatively flat ground, you are going to be replacing bearings on a regular basis. It's the price you will have to pay to out-climb, out-ride, out-last your buddies. I'd still recommend buying one, especially since they dropped in price by around $500 over the last few months. Ride on.
Submitted by
Clinton
a Racer
from Glen Spey, NY USA
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2005
Strengths: This bike will take anything you can throw at it. If you like going fast and tearing up the trails without having to deal with costly repairs this bike is for you!
Weaknesses: I can't seem to find a weakness; except for it's a little heavier than your typical hard tail (but not much).
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is this bike gets an A+ from me. Whether you’re looking for a durable bike to train on or wanting a go any where through any terrain racing bike this bike would fit the bill. My favorite thing about this bike is you can train in the snow, mud, and the dirt. It's an all season bike! And if your wondering about it's durability, DON'T! This is one tuff bike.
Submitted by
Brad
a Weekend Warrior
from Port Hardy, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2005
Strengths: AWD. Light weight (compared to my old rides). Service from Christini.
Weaknesses: I'll let you know.
Bottom Line:
I've been keeping my eye on Christini for the last 5 years waiting for the right time to buy. I did as much research as possible on these bikes. Read all the articles I could find online. Kept my eye on the mtbr.com postings. Bias is always built into these postings, so I was a bit hesitant. For the price, it isn't that bad a deal - frame, fork, AWD system, headset and front hub for $1975. I finally took the plunge at the beginning of May. I bought this bike as a frame kit. I got it at a discounted rate from Christini due to it being classified as having a discontinued frame color. Anodized green with black swingarm/seatstays. This is one attractive bike. I've seen the blue color of the LT, but this green caught a lot of eyes at the last race I attended. People saw the color of the bike before the AWD. I've read places that the thing NOT to do with this bike is to take it to the most extreme climbs you've seen and see how it does. I disagree. The best way to describe how AWD handles uphill climbs is to compare it to how a full-on 8 inch travel DH bike handles extreme downhills. Point and shoot regardless of line. You can pedal this bike up any type of off cambre loose material, sand, gravel, softball sized rocks, etc. Just pedal in a straight line and it will keep going. Same as a DH bike goes down - just point and shoot. Geometry is spot on for an all day trail bike. Not too steep of a head angle to chuck you over the bars as soon as you encounter any mediocre dip. Not too steep of a seat angle to keep you too far behind your cranks and over the rear wheel. Your weight is centred perfectly. There is a bit more noise with all the drive shafts and universals spinning, but that is only when you have the AWD engaged. The Justins at Christini have been most helpfull with the purchasing process. Any technical questions are always answered in a timely manner. Service from a bike company is becoming somewhat of a rarity in this day and age. It's nice to see some companies take some pride in their products. The only concern that I have is long term durability. Time will tell. If you want something that is going to make you a better (uphill) rider and you don't want to have the same bike as everyone else, buy it.
Bike Setup: Mavic X819 tubeless wheels. VT1.3 fork. Swinger 3-way.
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Submitted by
Robert Piekiel
a Weekend Warrior
from Marcellus, NY USA
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2005
Strengths: All-wheel drive is great for climbing in slippery spots
Weaknesses: None that I've found
Bottom Line:
I frequently ride in twisting trails where you can never get up much speed. When the trails are wet or gravelley, you often come up on a slope that can't be climbed without slipping or spinning to a stop, and having to get off and walk. With the Christini, you keep going no matter what. On the straight and level, you can't even tell the bike is in AWD mode, except for a tiny bit of noise coming from the spinning shafts. When you need it, it's there, and it is like nothing else. I've looked closely at the other AWD set-ups, Spicer and Velo. The Christini is definately the most rugged and durable. It is also the best priced, and the lightest weight of any other possible comparison. Great bike with no equal.
Strengths: Excellent paint job, rugged AWD system. Climbs like no other bike. The best customer service around.
Weaknesses: Non that I have notice...weight weenies might think is heavy. Might be a bit heavy, but worth it.
Bottom Line:
Under extreme & technical conditions, mud, roots, rocks, rain, etc, no other bike comes close. The best bike for those conditions no argue there. It might not be a race bike although you can do any race on it. Priceless to see your friends walking in a steep technical section of the trail because their rear wheel looses traction. If you ride open roads or fire roads, you might not need a Christini, but if ride technical trails no other bike does it better. The all wheel drive system is bullet proof, I haven't had any problems with it. Actually I ride with a few friends who owns christini too, no problems at all. Call Steve or go to your LBS and order yours. Won't be dissapointed. The fact that it is made by a small company is good at least for me. Less people has what I have, although they don't know what they are missing. This is the type of bike you ride and never would want to sell...unless buying the new one. Although the bike is expensive, so it is technology...finner things in life are expensive so... With this bike you get what you paid...tons of fun for sure, you even dream of going up the trickiest part of the trail so easy...if I have to buy a new bike I will buy a new christini...
Similar Products Used: Cannondale, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Giant, Trek
Bike Setup: White fork, Manitou SPV, race face crank and bottom bracket, Xt and XTR, Avid mech disc brakes. carbon fiber handlebar, WTB hub, speed disk rims, loaded!
Strengths: Climbs loose stuff better than a RWD bike.
Weaknesses: The white bros fork is too flexible and too easy to override. A fork change (if possible) would really help this bike out.
Bottom Line:
I got a 2.5 to 3 hr demo on a trip up to Black Diamond WA. The AWD weight wasn't noticeable to me (I ride a 34lber normally). Outside of the fork, the components worked well together. The frame had a bit of side to side flex but nothing too serious. Certainly the bike was a good ride all around. I would not recommend this bike unless you live in a sandy, gravelly area with steep uphills. I would like to have tried it locally where gravel surf abounds to confirm the climbinb ability (As it was, it seemed to climb eagerly up steep, solid, singletrack). I rode 2.5 hrs with the awd engaged without any issues, noises or hiccups. The slip-yokes and worm drives worked well. This bike had seen plenty of use so I would suspect there is decent to good long term reliability for this bike.
Bike Setup: White fork, avid mechanicals, X.9 srams, fox floar R on the back.
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Submitted by
roland hosch
a Weekend Warrior
from san bernardino ca
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2004
Strengths: The quality of components, The white front fork, the geometry, the over-all seating position is most comfortable, but above all it must be the all wheel drive. I would trail blaze through the brush of the san bernardino foothills and the all wheel drive would just pull me through. Going up steep hills is amazing. Normally going up hills makes the rider lean forward and stand up to get the power, but then there is no weight on the back wheel and the tire slips and there goes your momentum and your temper! But with the christini all wheel drive the front tire just pulls you up. It is really the most amazing biking experience. The other major strength this bike has that the competition doesn't is traction. Have you ever gone down a steep sandy single track or muddy trail and on the down hill you come to a sharp turn and the front tire either digs into the sand, or slips on the mud. Well with this bike there is non of that. The all wheel drive just keeps you right on track!
Weaknesses: It is expensive, but so is a hummer. Do you want to go where no other bike can or not!
Bottom Line:
Bottom line this is an incredible bike that cannot be properly introduced to the public because the the strangle hold the bigger bike companies have on the market and more specifically on the bike shops themselves. Most bike shops I took it to, to lend them one told me it was always out being borrowed by the employees at the bike shop! They noticed the amazing qualities the all wheel drive set-up gives, but in the end they needed to push their "brand" of bikes that they carry. So in the end the price is sky high because the volume isn't there yet. It is a shame. I think if this technology was in a trek or in a giant it would revolutionize the whole industry much like the full suspension did. In the end I just loved this bike. I had to get used to my sugar when the dreadful day that I had to return the christini bike arrived. It was a great six months. I miss the way I could ride up 45 degree slopes while everyone else I rode with spun out and started walking a ways back. I miss the way people gawked and admired my bike wanting to test it out. Unfortunately I am not an over-paid lawyer, but a school teacher. I used money I got from the teacher of the year award to buy my gary fisher and that is only how I afforded that, but believe you me if money was no object, I'd still be blazing trails with that bright red christini all wheel drive bike!!!
Purchased At: Steve christini himself let me borrow it
Similar Products Used: There are no other products like this. The all wheel drive puts it in a league of its own. I do own a Gary Fisher sugar 3+ and I love it, but there are those times I long for the power and control of that christini all wheel drive.
Bike Setup: White front shock, all wheel drie, fox rear shock, shimano xt's all around avid disc brakes.
