[First Flight]

For some unkown reason, I am drawn to these really stupid bikes. I like to imagine someone making a business case on how this new bike is going to change the face of cycling.....just to sell a couple hundred of them and disappear. More details and a crappy explanation of how it works @

https://www.firstflightbikes.com/1994_Trialtir_2WD.htm

<img src=https://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/Trialtir.JPG>

<img src=https://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/TrialtirFront.JPG>

<img src=https://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/TrialtirFork.JPG>

The Croosroads Vintage Bike Festival is coming up soon so make sure to put it on your calendar!! Guests include Richard Cunningham and Capt. Dondo. Schedule @ https://www.firstflightbikes.com/crossroa.htm

 

[umbertom]

funkiest thing ever
it's intresting but not that practicale IMO

 

[First Flight]

It actually didn't work as poorly as I figured it would. On flat ground, you could move along fairly briskly and the motion wasn't too un-natural. The hardest part was trying to turn with the bars in a funky position. The drive cable has a little slack in it as well which means you can't use the full "stroke" of the bars. Definitely not for off road use though!

 

[ssmike]

Not as stupid as someone elses bike...

 

[Jeroen]

Those bikes were sold over here in the Netherlands too. Must have been 8-10 yrs back indeed. They were advertised on this 'Tell Sell' channel by 'Fantastic Mike'.

"Oh Mike, you've changed my life"...

I get sick thinking back to those adds again ;-)

 

[pinguwin]

Oh I don't know if they're stupid bikes. It's how innovative ideas are created, doing something new. Sometimes it works, most of the times it doesn't.

I imagine some roadies thought the first mountain bikes were stupid....

'Guin

 

[alohachiimoku]

Modern shaft drive virsion. I saw a video they ride at beach on sand, rides great.

 

[Repack Rider]

It's not a new idea.

Here is the 1991 brochure for the Legacy 2-wheel drive bike.

You can check out the rest of the Legacy brochure and also the Transbar powered Alenax shown in the reply above on this page of my website.

 

[sammer]

i remember the legacy bike, saw it at the vancouver outdoor show in 91. thought the cable assy produced too much drag . got to ride it around on this little dirt track in BC place stadium. i wasn't a fan, but i always wondered what happened to them.

 

[nordstadt]

They made a funny sound when you pull the front wheel up, keep cycling and pull the front brake...

Chris

 

[shiggy]

Modern shaft drive virsion. I saw a video they ride at beach on sand, rides great.

They all "ride great" in the promotional videos!

 

[Hardtails Are Better]

They all "ride great" in the promotional videos!

:yesnod: That's exactly right.

 

[DeeEight]

Christini's AWD bikes actually ride very well, have gotten not only good bicycle mag reviews (MBA's tested several versions over the company's history, the last one they tested is a complete full suspension) but several motorcycle manufacturers are looking at licensing their patented design as they're already at the stage of producing conversions of existing motorcycles into a 2WD setup.

http://www.christini.com/

Incidently, I'd love to convert a Surley Pugsley with their AWD setup. It'd make an already amazing mud/snow bike even better.

 

[Hardtails Are Better]

Incidently, I'd love to convert a Surley Pugsley with their AWD setup. It'd make an already amazing mud/snow bike even better.

By "their" do you mean Surly or Christini? Tell me more! That would be so awesome.....

 

[tl1]

Remember the Carl Lewis bike?

I recall track star Carl Lewis running a late night infomercial hawking a two wheel drive row bike that was somewhat similar in concept. This was maybe early-mid 1990s. I've searched but I can find no evidence of that bike online.

 

[Repack Rider]

Found this while looking for something else, so I'm bringing this back for the dead thread heads.

It definitely qualifies as interesting. The literature is dated 1993

 

[NYrr496]

I remember reading articles in MBA about the cable drive bike and the one that you pump the handlebars. Never saw either bike in person.

 

[BikeSATORI]

wow, insanely fun just to simply look at.

Maybe one comes with a fan that you can also power if you spin the bar-ends around really fast... ?



I remember the Christini's too... seemed to be a well thought out design... then, if I remember correctly, it was licensed to JEEP and all was downhill from there, as in decline of quality, not freewheelin' gravity.
They seem to be mostly reserved to the MX/Enduro world these days, getting good response and reviews. And a fellow on one of their bikes (a converted Honda CRF450r) did fairly well with that advantage at the Red Bull "Last Man Standing", which is an amazing event by the way, just youtube it.

 

[sic_nick]

There's always the DIY route too!!!!

Came across this home made 2WD bike in Krakow, Poland last month.

 

[azjeff]

I tried one of those cable driven bikes in the early 90s at an mtb race, someone had it there promoting it. Rode it straight up a steep grassy bank that you couldn't ride up on a normal bike. The extra drag was noticeable.