Can A belt Drive Bicycle Pull A Car
In July, professional racer Christina Begy
rode a Gates Carbon Drive equipped 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!
“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!
Testimonials on the Carbon Drive System
Chad Melis
"I’ve been riding the CDS system for well over a year now with consistent positive results throughout a variety of conditions. My first experience on the system came during the fall of the 2007-2008 cyclocross season aboard Spot Brand’s “Black” model. It was my introduction to the system & I was excited to use it through all the adverse conditions of a cross season. I rode the system in conditions ranging from dry & dusty to snow & mud. I was surprised with its ability to shed pea gravel, mud & any other debris that came it’s way. That year I was able to win the Colorado Singlespeed State Championship on a miserable snowy 4 degree day in Lyons, CO without issue. The system had evolved a touch before I found myself aboard a Spot Brand “Longboard” starting my Mountain Bike season at “The 24 hours in the Old Pueblo”. Again, the day started out with snow, progressed to mud & finally was ridden into full on hero dirt as the hours & miles ticked off. It was an introduction to a season that would yield over 20+ mountain bike races & countless rides aboard the system. Honestly, my experience has been flawless in terms of mechanical performance. I ran the same drivetrain (belt/sprockets) all season until Dirt Demo this past September. There Gates/Carbon Drive Systems replaced my belt to inspect the well used one. Since then I’ve continued to ride my used sprockets & new belt without any compatibility issues. Throughout it all the only maintenance I performed on the system was hosing it off. Similar to any singlespeed application remaining focused on the position of the rear wheel & tension of the belt has allowed me to run the Carbon Drive System with confidence & performance regardless of conditions."
Alex Coleman
"The belt drive is great, it works through any condition and does not let you down, no lube necessary. The belt does not stretch and works smooth through any pressure that you might apply, This would be an unbelievable application with a rear hub with a clutch in it, gears without a chain or rear derailleur to worry about. Never having to worry about a link breaking is great peace of mind especially on a single speed, the amount of pressure and stress that you apply while riding a single speed is much greater than a geared bike and the belt takes the stress away. I think that the belt drive system could revolutionize bikes especially townies and commuter bikes that people just want to go and not deal with any type of maintenance. Every time I went on a group ride I had to share my bike - everyone wanted to check it out, and were amazed by the response of the belt. Even if they were not single speed riders, they were very interested in the idea. Please feel free to call me with any questions you might have, thanks for the great year on a great product,"
Travis Lukens
"I’ve been riding/racing single speed mountain bikes for about 5 years now. This year was the best with my belt drive. After a few rides I had full confidence in the system. Never did I worry about breaking a belt. In the past I always had to carry a chain tool with me for when I break a chain. Getting the bike ready for race day was a breeze. Just wash it off. No spending hours cleaning the chain. The belt is smooth, silent and reliable. Every race I go to people want to check it out. I adjust the seat for them and send them off. When they come back they can’t believe how much more responsive it is than a chain drive bike. Next summer I plan on racing in the Breck Epic mountain bike stage race and have no doubts in the belt drive system. I can’t wait to set up a cyclocross bike with the belt drive system."
Simon Kirchman
"I admit that I was somewhat skeptical when I saw this bike for the first time. I asked myself whether this Carbon Drive would bear up at all and if it might derail easily. And those were only a few of my concerns. "Ok boy, saddle up and do some easy laps, then you'll know more" I tried to motivate myself. So I did it, and already after the first few meters I was affirmatively surprised. Shifting the 3-speed IGH {internally-geared hub} was free-moving and quiet. The Carbon Drive spooled smooth and straight over the pulleys. The first impression was quite cool. So I decided to give it some more and check out the first dirts. Everything ran quiet and felt efficient. No rattling and the power flew directly from my calves to the rear wheel without the expected feeling of stretching a rubber strap. I was able to do some explosive accelerations on the short roll in distances before my jumps and the soundlessness of the system makes even a landing appear good that's not so perfect. Those clanking landings are an issue that really annoys me with regular chain drives. After all I can say that the Carbon Drive offers an exceptionally pleasant riding experience and many preferences compared to a chain and derailleur drive. But you should know, this maintenance-free, durable and especially the noiseless drive product should be used at single speed or internal hubgears drives (IHG´s). The advantage that Carbon Drive and pulleys set are much lighter than the traditional chain and sprockets set, the product is even able to compensate other heavy parts of the bike. My test-bike was a Nicolai FMXTB - GATES CARBON DRIVE™ Incidentally, Nicolai crew, I'm thinking of just keeping it. You don't mind, do you? Yours Simon"
Steve Fassbinder
"In classic racer /sponsorship style, I got my belt drive train in the mail, the day before leaving for Canada, to race in the ten year anniversary of the 24hours of adrenalin solo worlds. I was also being honored as a pioneer of the sport, by being the first of five riders to be inducted into the solo hall of fame. Back to the belt, I was a bit skeptical of putting this totally new system on my bike, and racing it for 24hours straight without even giving it a test ride!! As skeptical as I was, I was also equally excited about running this new, potentially sweet, drive train. So I set it up on my Spot race frame with a borrowed crappy wheel, and off to Canada. The race kicked off at noon on Saturday with sunny skies, and great temps. The belt was running super good and things were looking up. I was feeling strong and the bike was amazingly snappy and quiet. In talking with other racers on course about the belt, the number one question people had was what happens when it gets muddy? I of course had no idea, but was soon to find out as the weather began to take a turn for the worse…rain, lots and lots of rain…for several hours the rain fell in buckets! So much rain that at times the course was not a trail or a road, but just water everywhere, one gigantic mud puddle! Now I've raced in conditions like this before and it's so bad on your bike especially the drive train. The belt drive was truly amazing in this stuff! There was absolutely no change in the performance throughout the entire race, none! During the length of the race I think my bike got hosed off three times and that was the only maintenance the belt received. I wouldn’t change a thing on this system except offer more gear sizes!"
Kenny Jones
"I’ve been racing mountain bikes for about 15 years. More recently I’ve gravitated towards endurance racing on single speeds. I started riding Spot Brand bikes early this year and have recently added the Gates Carbon Drive system. Between, the two endurance races that I’ve done and the multiple training rides, I have close to 1000 miles on the belt. My first big ride on the belt was a 70 mile loop. It was a very dry part of the year and we encountered long sections with deep powdery dust followed by numerous river crossings. My riding buddies were all encountering problems due to their jacked up chains, but the belt was riding flawlessly. Since, I’ve been in every riding situation possible. I was worried about how it would react in mud and was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. I love how quiet the drive train is and the seemingly instantaneous engagement on every rotation. The carbon drive system weighs about 250 grams less than a comparable traditional drive train. There are not a lot of areas on the bike these days where you can shave more than a half a pound off your total bike weight. I am very satisfied with your products and look forward to having more options of gear ratios to ride."
Eric Weis
"I built up my new singlespeed street bike with your belt drive system. Wow! Smooth, silent, stealthy. All I hear is rubber on asphalt and wind in my ears. Low/no maintenance, and no grease on my leg! It is a continual pleasure. How did I live without a belt drive all these years?"
Testimonial sources are direct quotes from Gates Carbon System website