Feature

Bike Check: Christian Textor – BULLS WILD CREED Team

21.01.2020
by Manne Schmitt

Although Christian Textor is still a relatively new name in the international enduro circuit, the three times German enduro champion, who raced the complete Enduro World Series for the first time in 2019, has big plans for 2020. We took a closer look at his BULLS WILD CREED team race bike.

Ready for action – Christian Textor’s BULLS WILD CREED

Who is Christian Textor?

Texi, as his friends call him, made his debut in the international enduro circuit in 2019, taking part as a pro rider in all races of the Enduro World Series. But first things first: after securing the German Enduro Championship title in 2016 and 2018 and the runner-up title in the German downhill championship, Texi decided to focus on enduro racing for the 2019 season. As a team- and test-rider at BULLS, he was actively involved in the development of his own enduro rig, the BULLS WILD CREED team. While he was still riding a prototype in the first few rounds of the EWS, in Whistler he rocked up with the brand new, final version of his BULLS. Texi is happily married and has a young son. As a family man he likes travelling with his loved ones, who followed him around the world to cheer him on at most EWS races. Successful: in 2019, Texi was able to defend his German Enduro Champion, making both his main sponsor BULLS and his home club MTB Siegerland very proud.

Christian Textor’s first EWS season – a quick overview

As far as results go, Texi’s EWS season only really started at the third race in Madeira, where he rode the BULLS WILD CREED team prototype for the first time, ranking 27th overall. At the previous races in Rotorua / New Zealand and Derby / Australia, Texi had to deal with some technical problems and only managed 44th and 42nd, respectively. After taking 31st place at the fourth EWS round in Val di Fassa, the fast German finished the race in Les Orres in the French Alps within striking distance of the top EWS champions, taking home a very gratifying 14th overall at the end of the second day – his best achievement yet. By placing 6th in stage 1 and 7th in stage 6, Texi proved his outstanding riding skills and put his name on the list of top international enduro racers. And once again, at the following EWS appointment in Whistler, Texi bared his teeth and showed the World what he’s made of, placing 14th in the overall ranking. In California he finished the race in 21st place. In the last EWS round of the 2019 season, the TRAILLOVE Alpine Mountainbike Festival in Zermatt, he only managed 27th. Texi ended his first EWS season with a respectable 21st place in the overall ranking.

When asked, which of the 2019 EWS races he’s most proud of, Texi hesitates at first, and then says: “All of them, really. Every EWS race was new to me, and apart from the Trophy of Nations in Finale Ligure, I didn’t know any of the tracks. Since my 14th place in Whilster was my best result, I guess it should be my personal highlight.”

Christian Textor’s BULLS WILD CREED team in detail

Texi played a major role in the development of the new BULLS WILD CREED and supported product developer Daniel Plath throughout the process. From an engineering point of view, the main question was: What does the rider want? Now, if you ask Texi, he was looking for a playful, confidence-inspiring and reliable bike – and he’s not a great fan of super-long bikes. The development team tried to fulfil all of his wishes, providing the frame with an integrated storage box for spares and tools, a bottle cage for a large bottle deeply integrated in the frame, a protection shield made of solid rubber on the down tube to protect the carbon frame and, of course, internal cable routing allover.

Standing at 183 cm, Texi rides a size L. The BULLS WILD CREED has a chainstay length of 435 mm and a reach of 470 mm. The head angle is 65.5° and the seat angle 75.5°.

Throughout the racing season, Texi only made minimal adjustments to his suspension set-up. He raced on a FOX 36 FLOAT GRIP2 fork with 80 psi (5.5 bar) and Float X2 shock with 145 psi. As far as tire pressures go, the TEAM BULLS racer was running 1.5 bar (22 psi) at the front and 1.75 bar (25 psi) at the rear in all races.

From spring 2020, the new BULLS WILD CREED will be available on the market in three sizes (M, L, XL) and in two different spec versions. The entry-level model should cost around € 3,000, while the top-end version should retail for around € 4,500.

Christan Textor’s enduro weapon: a size L BULLS WILD CREED team with 170/160 mm of travel and 29 ”wheels
Christian Textor | Born in 1990 | Nationality: German | Height 1.83 m | Weight 75 kg
A 170 mm FOX 36 FLOAT GRIP2 fork with 44 mm offset takes care of the front end. In Zermatt, Texi was running a pressure of 80 psi (5.5 bar). On his front wheel, Texi uses a 29 x 2.35 Schwalbe Magic Mary tire, set up as tubeless. The purple stripe on the tread and purple ADDIX badge tell us: It’s Schwalbe’s softest rubber compound, which in combination with the Super Gravity carcass makes for a great front tire for enduro bikes. In his front wheel, Texi runs a tire pressure of 1.5 bar (22 psi).
In Zermatt, Texi raced with a 160mm Factory FOX FLOAT X2 shock with 145 psi. Tune’s ultra-light seat clamp holds in place a 175 mm FOX Transfer dropper post.
The shock mount of the FLOAT X2 shock is deeply integrated into the top tube.
Both the frame and the swing arm of the BULLS WILD CREED team are made of carbon. Only the rocker arm is made of alloy.
As far as components go, Shimano provides the drivetrain of Texi’s BULLS. The German rider used 170 mm XTR cranks and a 32 DM chainring all season. Whilst the XTR narrow-wide chainring was designed to eliminate chain drop, Texi wants to play it safe and combines it with an additional E * thirteen chain guide. The chainsuck protection plate protects the chainstay from damage if the chain gets stuck between the chainring and the chainstay. The homemade, waved chainstay protector prevents the chain from bashing against the chainstay and cause damage.
Shimano’s 12-speed XTR M9100 rear derailleur shifts on a 10-45Z-XTR cassette. Texi rolls on a pair of DT Swiss SPLINE ONE alloy rims with 30 mm inner width. At the back, another Schwalbe 29 x 2.35 Magic Mary tire, this time in the ADDIX-Soft compound. In Zermatt, the rear tire was inflated at 1.75 bar (25 psi). To find out more about Schwalbe’s mountain bike tire-range, head over to our big tire group-test!
In Zermatt, Texi hit the trails with race plate n. 33 and finished in 27th position. His grips and saddle are from German manufacturer Ergon. He uses the slim GD1 grips, because they’re a better fit for riders with small hands. Instead of Ergon’s Enduro saddle, Texi uses their SMD2 model from the Gravity Downhill series, because it gives him more freedom of movement. If you take a closer look at his bar-ends, you can tell Texi is hiding a Sahmurai SWORD tubeless repair kit in his handlebars.
The cockpit is from FSA and includes a 780 mm Gradient alloy handlebar with 25 mm rise and a 45 mm stem. To stop the cables from rattling, Texi ties his brake and shift cables together using several blue zip ties.

Just in case – tools and spares on Texi’s BULLS WILD CREED team

The handy storage compartment for tools and a spare tube sits right above the bottom bracket – a low point of gravity was the main priority. Right above, the bottle cage.
For extra peace of mind, Texi always carries a Sahmurai SWORD tubeless repair kit with him.
In his tool pouch, the fast German carries a spare shift cable, mech hanger, chain lube, some tubeless milk… and a small bottle of “Skimmies” sunscreen, which he found in his starter package at the first EWS race of the season in New Zealand. By the way, Texi also stores some spare zip-ties in his bottom bracket.
A OneUp Components EDC Tool is installed in the head tube
Texi activates his 175 mm FOX Transfer Factory dropper with a Shimano remote lever, which, in his own words, is way better than the original remote, because the rubber pads provide way more traction and control – in his opinion, currently the best dropper remote lever on the market.
On the front wheel, a four-piston Shimano XTR brake with a 203 mm rotor provides optimal deceleration
On the rear wheel, Texi uses a small 180 mm rotor! When asked why he doesn’t use a standard 203 mm rotor, he says: “Because I can handle it. With big 200 mm rotors, brakes lack sensitivity and bite way too hard.
Texi hits the trails with Shimano SAINT PD-M820 clipless pedals. Head over to our pedal group test to find out why Shimano’s downhill pedals secured our coveted Best Buy Tip.
As the reigning German Enduro Champion, Texi races with the National Team jersey. He’s had a great season and is currently the only German among the top 100 EWS riders.
Texi on the BULLS WILD CREED team at the last race of the Enduro World Series in Zermatt

Finally, we asked Texi to tell us about his 2020 goals
His answer was short and very clear: focusing on the Enduro World series and trying to get top 10 results. And of course, he will try to defend his German Enduro champ title.

We wish Texi all the best for the 2020 season!

If you want to keep up to date with Texi’s achievements, you can follow him on Instagram.

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Words: Manne Schmitt Photos: Manne Schmitt, Boris Bayer

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About the author

Manne Schmitt

As the proud father of Robin and Max-Philip, Manne has been there from the start and is the wise elder of the editorial team. He won his first cycling race in elementary school at a school sports day. After less successful attempts at football, he found his passion for cycling via endurance racing in 1989! The world of racing still consumes him and no one in the team knows the EWS pros better than Manne. As a former head analyst of a state agency, he knows how to do proper research and finds exclusive news that no one else has. He supports his sons in day-to-day business dealings as the authorised signatory for 41 Publishing – viva la familia!

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