Gates Carbon Belt Drive Proven in Mountain Bike Race

Editor’s Note: Normally, we’ll try to edit down or simply provide the highlights of stuff we get, but this is pretty cool.  Yes, it’s from Gate’s PR firm, but it proves the concept…now, if they could just make an internally geared hub that could stand up to the gear range and abuse of mountain biking…

PRESS RELEASE: In conditions that destroyed equipment, shredded even seasoned racers and caused a late race course change at the recent 5th annual 18 Hours of Fruita bike race at Highline Lake in Fruita, Colorado, the Oskar Blues Belt Busta’s team of Scott Hicar, Dale Katechis, Troy Mandery and Jeremy Rudolph took the overall victory thanks to the consistent performance and mud-shedding capabilities of their Gates Carbon Drive™-equipped Spot Brand single speeds.

With little more than two hours left in the race that had started under clear and cool skies at midnight on Sunday April 26, the 85 competing teams were thrown a curveball in the form of a late spring storm that turned the dusty, rolling, six-mile course into a nearly unrideable patch of goo. Aided by the spring rain, the area’s infamous bentonite clay changed from a fine white powder into a sticky mud of peanut butter consistency that ripped off derailleurs, gummed up traditional chains and coated wheels with pounds of muck.

Thanks to the foul weather performance of their carbon-reinforced, polyurethane Gates belt drive
as well as Gates chainrings and rear sprockets with patented Mud Portsâ„¢, the Oskar Blues team
was able to click off consistently fast laps while their competitors struggled to complete a lap in
two or three times their normal rate. “There were no worse conditions that I’ve ever ridden in,” said
42 year-old Oskar Blue’s rider Hicar. “The Gates Carbon Drive system just pounded right through
it, allowing our guys to keep riding fast while everyone else was literally just trying to survive!”