BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The Gates ‘Carbon Drive’ drivetrain system is set to feature on double the number of bikes than this time last year, according to the manufacturer.
More than 43 models from 23 brands now feature the clean and quiet belt drive from Gates, which is also releasing a new component group for commuter bikes.
"The advantages of the Carbon Drive System are instantly obvious to anyone who rides it. It’s clean, quiet, light and strong," says Todd Sellden, director of Gates Carbon Drive Systems.
"The fact you never have to lube it or worry about getting your hands or pants greasy is huge for commuters who pedal to work in nice clothes."
Introduced to consumers in 2008 on four bike models (two each from Spot Brand and Nicolai), the number of models more than quadrupled, to 17, in 2009 when Trek, Simpel, Koga-Miyata, Co-Motion, Seven Cycles, MaXcycles, Schindelhauer, Santos and Fixie Inc introduced bikes with the Carbon Drive System.
The expansion continued in 2010, when the number of Carbon Drive bikes more than doubled, to 43, as companies including Globe, Norco, Raleigh, Avanti, MTBCycleTech, Civia, Tout Terrain, Tank, Bernds, Veloheld, Armor and Poison joined the chain-free
revolution. For the 2011 model year, sales projections from Gates shows that the number of models will double again as bike brands expand their belt drive lineups and new brands introduce models with Carbon Drive.
Spot Brand has seven models featuring Gates Carbon Drive, while Simpel and Schindelhauer have five each. Trek has four belted models, while Norco has three.
Increasingly popular in the United States, Carbon Drive is even bigger in Europe, where commuter bikes command a large market share. "Singlespeed mountain bikers were the early adopters, but now we see commuter bikes as the sweet spot of the market."
Hoping to grow the commuter bike category even more, Gates has just introduced a new component group called CDC. Available for 2011 model year bikes, CDC is a belt drive system designed specifically for transportation bikes and features a lower price.
