This all-wheel-drive fat bike is built to cross continents

We cowl lots of bikes – highway bikes, gravel bikes, the occasional mountain bike – but it surely’s honest to say we’ve by no means written a couple of bike fairly like this. That’s as a result of this bike, and the expeditions it’s constructed for, are properly exterior the unusual.

Kate Leeming, a Melbourne-based adventurer who owns this Christini fats bike (and 4 others), has spent the higher a part of three a long time exploring the world by bicycle, tackling more and more arduous and mindblowing challenges. The final word purpose – one thing Leeming has been working towards for quite a few years – is to carry out the primary crossing of Antarctica by bicycle. To organize, Leeming has examined herself, and her gear, in opposition to comparable situations to what she’ll face within the Antarctic by using in Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and 4 weeks in far-northern Canada.

It might be reductive to deduce that she’s only a snow and ice specialist (though she is that, too). In 2010, she turned the primary individual to cycle the line from Senegal to Somalia, Africa’s most westerly level to its most easterly. That 20-country, 22,000 kilometre (13,670 mile) odyssey was a experience with a function, highlighting the difficult situations going through among the most impoverished nations on earth. “Individuals thought I used to be going to die on the market,” Leeming says, “however I mitigated all of the dangers,” together with traversing conflict-torn Somalia with an armoured guard.

In 2019, Leeming returned to Africa, biking 1,621 km (1,007 miles) on sand, along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast right into a howling headwind. And at different factors in her life as a two-wheeled explorer, Leeming has cycled 13,400 km (8,320 miles) across the width of Russia – she is the primary girl to attain this feat – and 25,000 km (15,530 miles) around Australia, together with 7,000 km (4,350 miles) of extraordinarily tough, distant terrain.

Once we caught up in mid-2020 in a niche between lockdowns, Leeming had just lately returned from a COVID-aborted plan to experience the size of the Andes. That journey would have culminated in an try to achieve – by bicycle – the summit of Ojos del Salado, the world’s highest volcano and South America’s second highest mountain at simply shy of seven,000 metres. As an alternative, Leeming tells me, it ended with an costly, nerve-racking scramble to get the final flight out of La Paz, Bolivia earlier than the continent shut down.

Leeming takes a shortcut by way of the fertile hinterland across the northern shores of Lake Titicaca in Peru.

We’re right here to speak a couple of bike, however I feel it’s necessary to put these foundations to elucidate the situations this distinctive machine is designed to beat, and the singular mindset of its rider, who amongst different issues can be a real tennis skilled, an writer, an educator, and an inspiration.

So: that is an all-wheel-drive fats bike designed for crossing continents, being ridden by a girl who’s already cycled on six of them.

Not the kind of sticker you’d usually count on to see on a bicycle.

All-wheel-drive?

Leeming has a fleet of 5 fats bikes designed by Steve Christini, a Philadelphian producer who developed the primary prototype of an all-wheel-drive mountain bike approach again in 1995. Within the years since, Christini has refined the idea, coming into into manufacturing in 2001, and finally increasing his enterprise into the motorbike trade in 2007. At the moment, that’s the place the vast majority of Christini’s consideration lies.

When Leeming was on the hunt for an acceptable bike for her Antarctic expedition, she was put onto Steve Christini’s design by one other framebuilder, and so they started working collectively. “It was very troublesome to trace Steve down,” Leeming informed me. “We’ve by no means met head to head – it’s all simply been discussions and emails and that’s it. So there’s lots of belief in our relationship. He simply cherished the problem of placing his know-how into a motorbike to go throughout Antarctica.”

On the core of the design is a shaft-drive system that runs from the rear wheel by way of the body, to the top tube, and down a leg of the fork to the entrance hub.

A handlebar-mounted swap – the ‘clutch’ of the system – controls whether or not the all-wheel-drive is engaged or not. When it’s, the spiral gear on the rear wheel locks into the driveshaft, and instantaneously engages the entrance wheel if there’s any lack of traction on the rear wheel. Likewise, if there’s any lack of traction on the entrance wheel, it’s re-engaged.

The system guarantees spectacular descending capabilities, with Christini saying that “with the entrance wheel below energy, it’s practically inconceivable to scrub out the entrance finish.” It additionally climbs properly and has exceptional traction on sketchy surfaces like ice, snow and sand, which is what drew Leeming to the design within the first place.

The cable from this tailored distant suspension lockout swap runs from the handlebar all the way in which down the body to the rear wheel, the place it engages the all-wheel-drive system.

When the ‘clutch’ is utilized on the handlebar management, the all-wheel-drive system engages, spinning driveshafts operating by way of the body, as much as the headtube…

… down the correct hand leg of the fork …

… to the entrance hub …

… and at last, participating the entrance spiral gear. However instantaneously.

In complete, the system provides a claimed 1.3 lbs (~0.6 kg) to the bike, which, for the kind of boundary-pushing terrain that Leeming routinely tackles, makes it a “no-brainer”.

“It’s all a shaft drive system, and so the drive angles are completely vital to make it circulation easily,” Leeming says. “So it’s fairly a feat each time. [Christini] is making little tweaks, and a few issues within the final two bikes are actually amazingly easy.”

Every of the 5 bikes Christini has constructed for Leeming have particular functions. The primary design – the one which “made the dream doable” – was what Kate dropped at Svalbard for her preliminary testing for the deliberate Antarctica expedition. “It seems to be stunning, however he couldn’t get it to carry something wider than a four-inch (101.6 mm) tyre on the again and the flotation is by far crucial factor on this,” Leeming says. “The system labored, however the bike wanted wider tyres and a few tweaks.

“The second was made for northeast Greenland, and by this stage, Steve was in a position to construct a motorbike round 4.8-inch (122 mm) vast tires,” Leeming continues. That bike, with its wider tyre clearance, is what Leeming now makes use of for her sand expeditions. Variations three and 4 of Christini’s design are optimised for polar situations, permitting for as much as 5.05 inch (128 mm) tyres – Vee Tire Co’s Snowshoe 2XL, the widest fats bike tyre at present in the marketplace.

Bike quantity 5 – the white Christini bike pictured right here, which was used on Leeming’s recent Andean expedition – is constructed for narrower tyres, with tweaks for higher manners on smoother surfaces and mounts for baggage for an unsupported stretch in the midst of the expedition.

Components picked to final

Whereas every of Leeming’s 5 Christini fats bikes are barely completely different of their design, there are a variety of commonalities all through them. After numerous hundreds of kilometres spent using, Leeming has a wealth of expertise to attract on when deciding what is going to work for her distinctive calls for, and what received’t.

“I select a motorbike and the elements by the place I’m going,” Leeming says. “I’m searching for design, reliability, for no matter situations I’m coping with. And you need to take into consideration what the worst situations are.”

Leeming and bike, fully-laden, as she set off into Bolivia unsupported.

The elements listing is knowledgeable to a sure extent by what is out there to her by way of the manufacturers that assist her, however can be fastidiously chosen to final.

Gearing is SRAM’s GX Eagle groupset, a single-chainring setup with a colossal 500% unfold. “I requested for a giant gear as a result of I’m going up some huge mountains,” Leeming says with amusing. “I have to preserve going as a lot as I can, and on the different finish [of the gearing range] I can cruise alongside. I’m not racing and it’s nearly being constant and with these tires, they’re as quick as they are often and nonetheless have that a lot grip.”

Large gear vary on this single-chainring groupset.

Gearing and braking is from the identical dad or mum firm, with SRAM GX Eagle shifting and Avid mechanical brake levers.

The opposite elements are a mixture of manufacturers, providing dependable choices. Leeming makes use of Shimano XT SPD pedals, with the strain backed off. “I prefer to be clipped in, however not too tight – that’s virtually brought about a number of crashes within the snow,” she explains to me. Her saddle of alternative is a Selle Italia Diva – “I’ve bought 4 or 5 of them” – atop a Thomson Elite aluminium seatpost.

Issues are just a little extra stunning on the cockpit, with real-world expertise informing the choices. Relatively than an aluminium handlebar, Leeming opts for a carbon fibre RaceFace bar with ergonomically formed Ergon grips. This specific mixture was chosen not for its weight or any conventional efficiency metrics, however by the way it handles chilly climate.

The Ergon grips are rubber, which implies they’re “hotter in excessive chilly, and cozy, and I like having bar ends for a change of place.” As for the carbon bar: “Carbon’s good additionally within the chilly simply because it doesn’t harbour as a lot chilly as aluminium,” Leeming explains. “There’s fairly a distinction, really. Fats bike quantity three, that went to the Yukon when it was significantly chilly – down round minus 20 to minus 30, so it was a great take a look at – you possibly can really feel the chilly radiating off the aluminium bar.”

These Ergon grips aren’t simply extra snug, however, in response to Leeming, noticeably hotter in extraordinarily chilly temperatures.

A carbon fibre handlebar, for precisely not one of the causes you’d most likely count on.

Leeming’s perch of alternative is a Selle Italia Diva saddle.

The Thomson Elite seatpost is hard and provides Leeming her most popular setback.

For this expedition, Leeming was rolling on Vee Tire Co’s T-Fatty in a 27.5″ x 3.25″ (82.6 mm) width, mounted tubeless to Solar Ringlé rims. Braking was courtesy of Avid’s BB7_MTN mechanical disc brakes, slightly than a hydraulic system.

Whereas Leeming acknowledges that hydraulic brakes provide higher efficiency, there’s one thing to be mentioned for the simplicity and serviceability of a mechanical brake, particularly when you’re days away from a city, not to mention a motorbike store, in the midst of the Andes. “I do know [these brakes] are a bit fiddly and a bit annoying, but when one thing goes unsuitable, you possibly can nonetheless sort of repair them,” Leeming explains. “With hydraulics there’s simply an excessive amount of that might go unsuitable. I took that alternative ages in the past.”

Leeming has ridden mechanical disc brakes on all of her expeditions since her Australian journey in 2004. She illustrates her ‘simplicity first’ mentality with an anecdote from 1993, when, pre-disc brake and pre-internet, she wore by way of and cut up a rim within the muddy wilds of Siberia whereas crossing the newly shaped Russia, elevating funds for the survivors of Chernobyl.

That necessitated the native police to assist save the day, with a spare wheel lastly making its technique to Leeming by way of a 200 km drive to Moscow, a four-hour flight throughout Russia, and a 120 km prepare experience. 4 days later, Leeming was finally in a position to proceed her journey.

“Ever since then, I’ve simply gone for mechanical simplicity, as a result of I is likely to be in distant locations,” she says. “I’m mitigating dangers on a regular basis, and often I can’t carry additional stuff if I’m unsupported. I’ve already bought sufficient weight.”

These Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes aren’t something fancy, however they’re serviceable.

These 27.5 x 3.25″ tyres look a lot vast, however are tiny in comparison with the a lot bigger ones Leeming makes use of for her polar expeditions.

“I’m a tubeless convert,” Leeming informed me.

On the South American expedition, Leeming – who’s a meticulous planner – knew that there could be a stretch of a few days and not using a assist car, so she bought Christini so as to add mounts for a rack and took quite a few bikepacking luggage too. That stretch, at an altitude of round 4,000 metres close to Lake Titicaca, was a collection of climbs – “down 300 metres, up 300 metres” – on typically tough terrain. It was, Leeming confirms, fairly arduous going.

“The bike was actually heavy,” she says, and it twinged a longstanding knee harm, exacerbated by Leeming competing on the Actual Tennis Australian Open in January (she received each the singles and doubles title in 1996). With the stress of pulling collectively the expedition and sponsorship, Leeming arrived in South America just a little brief on situation and managing knee ache.

However – as is so typically the case in life – biking makes issues higher. Simply earlier than Leeming’s Andean journey needed to be curtailed by a hasty sprint house, the harm began coming good and Leeming was using herself into kind. “By the point I bought to La Paz, I realised for the primary time in so lengthy, I used to be really strolling down stairs with out ache,” she tells me. “Biking’s good for me, however I’ve very broken knees that I’ve to handle. I don’t have huge energy; I simply have to make use of my gears cleverly. Nevertheless it’s wonderful what you are able to do.”

Crossing one in all many streams within the Peruvian Highlands.

Celebrating reaching the move of Abra de Jahuaycate, 5,070 m about sea stage. Picture: Javier Bellina

A number of months after her aborted try to beat the Andes, and to attempt to experience as excessive as anybody has ridden earlier than, you possibly can sense a want to get again there and to complete the job. And after that, only one continent stays unconquered – Leeming’s largest problem and the one one that continues to be elusive. Antarctica.

Behind all of those expeditions is a steely will, and Leeming’s want to fill within the gaps within the map and in her understanding of these areas.

“I like to make use of the bike to discover the world, to know higher the way it matches collectively,” Leeming tells me. “To get that feeling the place you simply perceive. The place you convey your line on a map to life.”

Picture gallery

Kate Leeming and Christini #5, in Melbourne.

For a day and a half, together with the lengthy climb of Abre de Jahuaycate, Leeming was adopted by a stray canine.

Christini #5 carrying some Andean mud.

The highest-tube bears the markings of the body luggage utilized in South America.

Christini fitted rack mounts to this specific bike, permitting Leeming to experience self-supported in Bolivia.

The chainstay sports activities a brand for Cycle Works Field Hill, a suburban bike store in Melbourne that, regardless of Leeming’s one-of-a-kind bikes, is completely happy to be taught its know-how and assist her.

Cable ties are nice, until you’re in the midst of nowhere and have to get one on or off. For that reason, Steve Christini (and Kate Leeming) want reusable closures like this.