Attending Eurobike 2012? Visit the Gates Carbon Drive booth (A2/202) to check out some cool new 2013 belt drive bikes–including one of the most technologically advanced full-suspension bikes of the year, Mi-Tech’s 29er with a Pinion gearbox. This bike will have huge media interest due to its technological innovations. Instead of an internally geared hub, which adds weight to the rear wheel, the gearbox is located in the bottom bracket, providing a more balanced bike that is low maintenance and takes a beating. Say goodbye to derailleurs.
E-bikes are also very hot in Europe. One of the most highly anticipated models is the Smart electric bike bike. Call it the Prius or Smart Car of bikes. It captures energy from braking to power up the battery. Smart is using a Gates Carbon Drive instead of a chain to provide superior performance. Check out the video:
German bike maker Schindelhauer will show off itsThinBike (pictured above). With bars that twist to the side to save space and pedals that fold up, the ThinBike is designed for space-cramped city dwellers who want a full-size bicycle that is easy to store in small apartments. The bike was designed in collaboration with Treehugger.com founder Graham Hill. Watch the video:
In addition to these bikes, Gates will be showing off a number of new belt drive bikes from Nicolai (which is also building a Pinion gearbox prototype), Grace (a new e-bike), a custom Cyfac tandem, a fat tire bike from Sandman Bikes, as well as Frank Schneider’s Megavalanche SS hardtail, and many more. Stay tuned for more updates on interesting bikes with Gates Carbon Drive that will be rolling out at Eurobike. Sehr gut!
Next week’s Eurobike trade show will be the biggest ever for Gates Carbon Drive, with more brands showing more belt drive bikes. The Source 11 (pictured at left) from Specialized is a swift 11-speed urban commuter that will be sold in both Europe and North America in 2012. It has all the bells and whistles you expect from a car-replacing transportation bike: disc brakes, dyno-powered lights, fenders and rack. See more pix here. The Source 11 is also one of the models in Europe to spec Gates’ new CenterTrack drive, which is making its first big European debut at Eurobike 2011.
Eurobike will also feature a number of innovative new electric bicycles with Carbon Drive, including the Smart e-bike above. Smart, which makes those cool compact cars, created the e-bike in collaboration with electric bike specialist Grace. It packs a 250-watt motor, a lithium-ion battery that provides up to 62 miles (100 kilometers) of range and ingenious regenerative braking (the energy created when braking is captured to recharge the battery, just like in a Prius or hybrid car). The styling is also impecable, looking like an iPhone on two wheels (it has an iPhone charging dock). Smart says its e-bike will be available in 2012 in North America and Europe, where the market for electric bikes is exploding–rising from 200,000 sold in 2007 to 700,000 last year. Check out the Gates drive train integrated with the rear wheel drive BionX system below. More pictures and news release from Daimler, Smart’s parent company, here.
Scott is another brand that is debuting a new belt drive model in 2012. One look at the SUB 10 from Scott and you can see they are going for style points.
The SUB 10 from Scott. Photo courtesy of BikeRumor.com
Readers of this blog know that German brand Schindelhauer gets a lot of attention here. The company features five models of urban bikes, all with Gates Carbon Drive. We recently received word that their Von Ludwig XIV (14-speed Rohloff) has won the Urban Bike of the Year prize from Eurobike’s organizers. Check it out below.If you plan to attend Eurobike, stop by the “Gates Tower,” (A2-202) where you can check out the Smart e-bike and multiple belt drive models from Schindelhauer and Nicolai and electric bikes from Grace. While belt drive is growing by leaps and bounds in the commuter category, there will also be plenty of mountain bikes to check out including the Nicolai Argon 29er with Rohloff, pictured below.
Some of the coolest new belt drive bike designs are coming from the growing cadre of custom frame builders across North America. Hoping to spur innovation, Gates Carbon Drive is sponsoring a contest for American and Canadian builders who create the most innovative new belt drive bikes equipped with Carbon Drive for display at the North American Handmade Bike Show in 2012. Gates will award $8,750 worth of cash and product to bike builders who devise the most elegant and innovative sliding dropouts and tensioners, frame splits and other creative designs. Click here for complete rules and the online entry form.
This Black Sheep touring mountain bike won best "Off Road" bike honors at NAHBS 2011
The number of beautiful bikes with Gates Carbon Drive has grown every year, and innovative custom bikes with Carbon Drive continue to win more awards at NAHBS. So, if you’re up for the challenge and have a mad science project in the works, step up to the plate and compete for the opportunity to win money and Carbon Drives and a boatload of free publicity courtesy of Gates. The North American Handmade Bike Show will be held in Sacramento, Calif., March 2-4. Gates will have a booth in Sacramento. Contest entrants must display their bike at NAHBS to be eligible. Enter now at http://www.gatescarbondrive.com/designcontest/
Rosene's belt drive mtb won "Rookie of the Year" honors at NAHBS 2011. Photo Dirtragmag.com via Flickr
Gates Carbon Drive was at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, Calif., last weekend with Spot Brand, whose booth was mobbed with media, bike shop dealers and curious customers who wanted to check out Spot’s new city bikes and mountain bikes equipped with the new CenterTrack belt-drive system.
Check out the video from www.bikecommuters.com with Spot honcho Andrew Lumpkin describing the Acme, Ajax and Coyote belt-drive bikes. Lumpkin, looking super casual in his stylish shades, shows off the belt-drive Spot Rocker singlespeed in this video on www.mtnbikeriders.com.
Bicycling Magazine’s Matt Allyn was also in the house and he spotlighted the Ajax 8-speed in this nice post on Bicycling.com.
Spot sent journalists packing with bikes that will be featured in upcoming reviews and videos on Singletrack.com, Road Bike Action, Mountain Bike Action, Momentum and more. Singletrackworld.com/Singletrack Magazine also came by to shoot some photos.
Spot’s pavement bikes, available retail in May, are the first models to come to market with Gates’ CenterTrack. Look for more sexy belt-drive bike models from some prestigious brands as the year progresses.
Going to the Sea Otter Classic this week in Monterey? Make sure to stop by the Spot Brand booth in the expo area. Spot Brand Bicycles, based in Golden, Colo., will be showing off its sleek and stylish new belt-drive commuter and city bikes including the Coyote, Ajax and Acme, as well as its singlespeed 29er the Rocker SS. All are outfitted with the new CenterTrack drive system from Gates Carbon Drive. Spot will have ride samples of the Rocker for ripping the Laguna Seca singletrack, as well as demo bikes of the Ajax, Acme and Coyote.
Acme, $1,999
Spot has a long history of involvement with belt drive bikes. It was the first company to spec Gates Carbon Drive way back in 2007. Spot’s belt drive bike lineup has evolved and grown considerably in the years since. The Acme features a nimble aluminum frame, carbon fork, hydraulic disc brakes and an 11-speed internally geared hub paired with a Gates Carbon Drive for grease-free, low-maintenance riding. Puncture-resistant tires feature 360 degrees of visibility thanks to reflective sidewalls. Kit out the bike with stylish PDW racks and SKS fenders and leave the car in the garage.
Ajax Belt, $1,699
The 8-speed Ajax is built on the Acme frameset and comes with mechanical disc brakes. The carbon fiber fork features a unique post mount with dropouts that “recognize and compensate for directional braking force of the disc calipers,” Spot says on its web site. “Post mount brakes reduce the weight, bulk and additional hardware of ISO mount brakes. That means your brakes are directly engaged to the fork, without any bulky hardware.”
The steel Coyote is made for those who value simplicity. Set up as a singlespeed or fixie, it features Spot’s patent-pending “Kobe slider” sliding dropouts.
Coyote, $1,099
Spot has rethought the way a vertical slider-style dropout should come together. Their system gives you the ability to remove and replace the rear wheel without having to adjust belt tension. Spot calls it the “strongest, safest, least fussy and most versatile” sliding dropout setup anywhere.
The Rocker SS is a steel 29er stallion, made for marathon rides and racers who desire an agile bike that they can get on and go without worrying about chain maintenance. It is available in Clear Smoke, Tractor Green and Pearl White.
Rocker SS in 'Clear Smoke'
The 8-speed Sprawl won’t be at Sea Otter but it is a gorgeous bike worthy of a sneak peak, right down to the “Tractor Green” paint job. Commute, tour, train or zip down to the Post Office. You will be sure to turn some heads.
