Yes, it has already been ten years since Gates first introduced their belt drive solution to bicycle drivetrains. Reducing maintenance, noise & the grime of an oily chain, belt drive setups have continued to evolve in that time with Gates now offering both premium & more affordable belt drive solutions (and even a few other companies following suit). Gates says that they have a whole new range of drivetrain products waiting in the wings for introduction later this summer, but for now they are commemorating 10 years on the bike with limited edition white belts to add a little bling to your ride…
Gates Carbon Drive White belt
The Gates belts premiered at Eurobike back in 2007 on a prototype Nicolai hardtail mountain bike, so the Denver, CO based company thought it appropriate to celebrate a decade of simplified bicycle drivetrains again at Eurobike. It also doesn’t hurt that Europe still is the biggest market for belt drive bikes, with Gates’ EU distributor even helping companies do R&D in-house. In that time they’ve put belts on everything from BMX bikes & single speeds to e-bikes & internally geared tourers, with around 500 brands spec’ing Gates on their bikes.
“Ten years ago, many people were skeptical that a belt drive could work on bikes. Now we have proven it not only works but that people want it, and for one simple reason: Gates Carbon Drive belts are a clean, strong, no-rust, no-stretch, low-maintenance alternative to chains,” says the global head of Gate’s bike division Todd Sellden.
Up to now Gates had stuck mostly to all black or back & blue for the premium CDX lineup & more affordable CDN belts, outside of a few Carbon Drive Red options. Now for the 10 year anniversary they are adding the special edition Carbon Drive White belt for a bit of clean style to your belt drive setup (and a reminder that without chain lube, it will actually stay white.)
You won’t be popping down to your friendly local bike shop to just pick one up though. They are an OEM thing for brands ordering at least 120 belts, so they’ll likely end up on some special edition bikes like the red belts did.
New products Coming Soon
Gates has teased us with a few new bits and bobbles slated for official introduction in a couple of weeks at the big show. There should be new light alloy CDX:SL sprockets optimized for Pinion’s C-Line gearbox, but still cheaper than stainless. Plus a new regular Rohloff sprocket and a separate specially offset one for those looking for a new electronic shifting E-14 speed hub setup with perfect Bosch Gen2 beltline. There also is a bunch of new Gates kit coming for more Bosch e-bike drivetrains to work with pretty much all the big internally geared hubs. Gates sees lots of growth potential also lurking in the e-bike realm.
