Belt Drive Ride
March 18, 2013
 Like so many individuals, my New Year’s Resolution focused on my belt.
Some folks figure a New Year is a good time to start losing some of the weight around their waist, while others look to save money. You can call those various attempts at Tightening a Belt.
My Belt didn’t need tightening. Or greasing, for that matter.
I dedicated the start of 2013 to the Gates Carbon Belt Drive system.
OK, so I didn’t exactly plan it that way. But with the launching of our Bike Friday Silk, and its attention to the Gates Carbon Belt system, I didn’t have much choice.
My job is to get photos, write copy, write blogs, etc. That means it’s my JOB to get out on the Silk.
I did that big time in January. Commuted exclusively on Gates Belt Drive.
I can say that because when I wasn’t stealing a Silk out of the showroom hoping to find that perfect photo for our upcoming catalog, I snatched up a Carbon Drive tikit when no one was looking. Belt Drive all the way.
Aside from my instant love of Belt Drive, I focused on digging deeper.
In essence, the question is WHY?
Why is this a profoundly different feel?
I harken back to my baptism in the way of the Fixed Gear. Something about the Gates Carbon Belt that connects one to the bike, much like the sensation I feel on a fixed gear.
While some folks raise their eyebrows when I mention such talk, I think back to the New York Bike Expo last year.
Back when our only Gates Carbon Belt offering was the tikit, a tried and true NYC Bike Messenger hopped on one for a test ride.
She came back with a smile. I asked what she thought of the ride.
“Intimate,” she said, pausing while her partner nodded in agreement. “I’ve never felt intimate on a bicycle before. But that felt intimate.”
If you haven’t given a Gates Belt Drive a spin, do so. And tell us what you think.
Entry filed under: News from the Factory. Tags: Alfine 8, Belt Drive, bicycling, Bike Friday, Carbon Drive, Carbon Drive tikit, commuting, custom bikes, custom sizing, cycling, Eugene, fit, folding bikes, Gates Carbon Drive, high performance cycling, Infinity, Internal hub, John Rezell, mountain bike, New World Tourist, NuVinci, Oregon, Pocket Crusoe, Pocket Llama, Pocket Rocket, Q Tandem, road bike, Rocket Pro, Scholz, Shimano Alfine 11, Silk, sizing, tandems, tikit, touring, travel bikes, Two'sDay.
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