Bike World News

I had my first exposure to the Gates Carbon Drive at Interbike 2009′s Outdoor Demo. I got to ride a Spot brand fixed gear bike equipped with the system and I have to say that I came away impressed. Fixies generally ride quietly, but the Gates Carbon Drive system took that to a new level. There was literally no sound from the drivetrain.

Up to now, The Gates Carbon Drive system has generally been marketed to the commuter market, where its quiet, greaseless belt would seem to be ideal. Indeed, there are now over 22 manufacturers making bikes that are compatible with the system, including:

• Calfee
• Lynskey
• Paketa
• Trek
• Spot
• Seven
• Co-Motion
• Raleigh
• Norco
• Specialized

That said, a Gates representative told me about some recent competitive successes with the system as well.

In April, the Oskar Blues Belt Busta team of Scott Hicar, Dale Katechis, Troy Mandery and Jeremy Rudolph rode their Gates Carbon Drive equipped Spot Brand singlespeeds to overall victory at the 18 Hours of Fruita race at Highline Lake in Fuita, Colorado. The team attributes their victory, in part, to the mud shedding properties of the system that allowed them to keep going while others struggled with clogged drivetrains after a late spring storm turned the race course to goo.

“There were no worse conditions that I’ve ever ridden in,” said Hicar. “The Gates Carbon Drive system just pounded right through it, allowing our guys to keep riding while everyone else was literally just trying to survive.”

In July, professional racer Christina Begy rode a Gates Carbon Drive equipped Spot single speed to second place in the Breck Epic six day race. She was not phased by the first day’s pouring rain and messy conditions, saying:

“The belt drive was perfect. I don’t even have to think about it. I just ride. I had no mechanical problems. I’ve done quite a few multi-day races, and every day, you have to make sure that your chain and gears are working well. With the Carbon Drive, it’s a no-brainer.”

Begy was the only rider at the race with a single speed.

In addition to the silent, grease free and mud-shedding qualities of the system, we should point out the the belt is very strong. The same technology that goes into the belts for bikes is used in 150 hp motorcycles and 6000 hpo dragsters. The belt only weighs 80 grams and an entire single speed drivetrain weighs a mere 240 grams, compared to 400 grams for a chain based system.

We hope to get a Gates Carbon Drive equipped bike for a longer test ride.

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