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Carbon belt drive bike review.
I completed a two year 31 000km trip between europe and australia using a gates carbon drivetrain.
The centertrack drivetrain has performed flawlessly on sealed roads and under all weather conditions.
I started with belts on my modified surly long haul trucker and 10 000km later i used dual belts on my co motion tandem.
It comes complete with hydraulic disc brakes and 700x35c tires for a safe ride through winter.
They were used on bikes at the turn of the century but the first commercial bicycle with a drive belt was the infamous bridgestone picina in 1980 the bridgestone picina was a folding bike popular in japan but never really sold.
The gates carbon drive belt is made of stretch free carbon fiber tensile cords covered by a weather resistant polyurethane outer.
What is a belt drive bike.
Created by gates corporation a global leader in belt drive technologies gates carbon drive is the best high mileage bicycle drive on the market.
Whether you re an urban commuter rugged mountain biker ebike rider or casual cruiser gates carbon drive has a solution.
Although the belt is remarkably strong bending crimping and or twisting it the wrong way can bring it to a premature end.
In the end i took the chance because there s no other bike out there with a chromoly frame a gates carbon belt drive a nexus 7 internal hub at this price point.
To put that into perspective a standard derailleur drivetrain will rarely shift well after 10 000km.
Initially met with skepticism gates carbon drive has gained industry acceptance and is now featured on hundreds of bike models from more than 200 brands around the world.
The carbon drive system consists of two sprockets and a carbon fiber reinforced belt.
When it gets sandy or when the grit on.
I ve got a belt drive touring bike and a belt drive tandem sitting in my garage which both have 30 000km on their original belts.
22t gates cdx rear sprocket surefit 3 lobe.
The polygon path i8 would stand out in the company bike racks against a flood of conventional mountain bikes.
In belt drive world uses thegates carbon belt drive with shimano nexus 8 speed hub.
The history of belt drive bikes.
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The belt drive system isn t cheap but the extra cost.
Mechanical belt drives were used as pully systems as far back as 15 bc and started being used in heavy machinery in the 19th century.
This clean set up practically guarantees never replacing the belt for the life time of the bike.
Say goodbye to high maintenance bike chains.
There s no doubt that gates carbon belt drive is an excellent drivetrain solution for long distance touring bikes.
Gates carbon cdx group set.
This bike features the very latest in belt drive technology using the patented gates cdx group set with center spline which holds the belt on tightly with no slippage.
The retro inspired electric bike is the latest to feature one of the most premium transmissions in the bicycle market.
