REVIEWS
“The Honey Badger is a simple, do-it-all machine.” -Mountain Flyer 31
“The Geometry is more of the same from Spot–that is, they have nailed it.” -Switchback
Road Bike Action Features The Acme
We are grateful for another stellar review, this time by Road Bike Action. “We know, you’re looking at the Spot Brand urban bike and thinking, “That’s not a carbon race bike!” No, it isn’t, but the story worth telling about the Spot is the innovative Gates belt-drive system it uses. No other bike company in America has taken the lead with belt technology like Spot has. And, in pursuit of chainless drivetrain technology, Spot owner Wayne Lumpkin would be considered the motorman up in the lead car. Back in the ’90s, Wayne made a name for himself as the founder… READ MORE
Paved Magazine Praises the Ajax
From the folks behind Bike Magazine, the gorgeous Paved Magazine raves about the Ajax Belt. In their Showcase section, which featured all black bikes, the Ajax Belt showed beautifully. “Spot Brand is one of the pioneers in belt-driven bicycles, offering a belt-drive option for jest about every bike in its line-up. The Ajax is no different, pairing the maintenance-free Gates Carbon Drive [CenterTrack] with Shimano’s easygoing Alfine 8-speed internally geared hub to make for an extremely capable city bike. Disc brakes add to the package, with the carbon fork featuring nifty dropouts that are oriented to compensate for braking forces…. READ MORE
Elevation Outdoors Lauds the Mod SS
“Somehow the purity (and, um, insanity) of a belt-drive single speed ride seems a perfect fit for cyclocross, and this bike is, excuse the pun, spot on. Plus, the Mod’s dropout actually allows for the addition of a derailleur. But as a single-speed machine, the bike is surprisingly smooth and responsive. The belt means no mud in your chain … and it provides powerful strokes without all the drama of mid-race derailleur failure.”
Outside Magazine Chooses Spot Rocker SS as Singlespeed Mountain Bike of the Year
Outside Magazine has named the Rocker SS from Spot Brand as the singlespeed mountain bike of the year in its 2011 Summer Buyer’s Guide. Outside called it “the smoothest, most reliable singlespeed available.” The Rocker features the Wayne Lumpkin-designed Gates Carbon Drive CenterTrack system. The magazine heaped praise on this nimble 29er and it’s clean, quiet, light and strong belt drive: “Single speeding is about simplicity, and belt drives–which replace the chain and chainrings with a clean, quiet belt-and-pulley system–are austerity incarnate. Testers loved how the Rocker SS’s new CenterTrack belt, with a center channel and shaped fin design, locked the… READ MORE
Riding The Street On a Bike With No Chain
Excerpt from TheStreet.com NEW YORK (TheStreet) — With new bike paths chasing around lower Manhattan and the outer boroughs, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s velocipede-friendly New York puts the Big Apple within drafting range of other two-wheel world capitals, includingl Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Beijing. Bike makers are taking notice of this ride-to-work wave. Bike giants such as Giant, Merida Bikes International and Trek and dozens of smaller makers such as Kona, Co-Motion Cycles and BMC are quietly moving away from their pure road-racing/mountain-bike heritage. Enter so-called hybrid bikes, which bring sporty features to all-around rides a small-business owner can take to and… READ MORE
Wired.com – Spot’s Stealth Commuter Breaks the Chain
Transcribed from Wired.com By John Bradley The Spot Ajax is the quietest bike I’ve ever been on. During one test ride, I found myself cutting through a deserted parking lot away from traffic. The only sound the bike made — and this was while pedaling — was the squeak of the tires against the asphalt. If the matte-black Ajax looks stealthy, it’s even more so once you ride it. Though materials and build play a part in the Ajax’s silent operation, the main reasons are the 8-speed internal hub and belt drive at the heart of the bike’s derailleur-free drivetrain…. READ MORE
New York Times Features Spot Brand and CenterTrack
www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/business/24novel.html Excerpt from the New York Times: “The wheels on bikes haven’t been reinvented — though the chains are getting an update. Those clinking roller chains that are now standard on most bicycles have long had a drawback known to any cyclist: they become grimy, and can soil a pants leg or a skirt. That’s because the metal links must be oiled regularly, and the oil attracts dirt. Now companies are developing new designs and materials to replace these chains with grease-free alternatives like polymer cables or belts toughened with carbon fibers. The Gates Corporation in Denver, a maker of… READ MORE
The new CenterTrack belt drivetrain on a Spot ACME
Via Dirt Rag: “The center track running down the center of the belt (that gives the drivetrain its name) fits tightly over the “fins” between the teeth on the crank’s pulley, keeping the belt in alignment and eliminating the need for a flange on either pulley. This version of the Belt Drive is lighter, allows smaller pulleys and better chainstay clearance, and is also supposed to shed mud better – we’ll have to try it somewhere with enough water to make mud.”
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PRESS RELEASES
Meet Spot’s New Street Line
Spot Brand Launches New and Updated Line of Belt Drive Street Bikes Wazee, Acme, Ajax and Dualie offer something for every type of urban cyclist, upping the ante on street bike performance and style GOLDEN, Colo. (July 18, 2013) — Spot Brand, a leader in innovative street, mountain and cyclo-cross bikes, has launched its new line of street bikes. Consisting of four models that blend stylish design with performance and reliability, Spot’s street bikes offer something for all urban demographics. “Since Wayne Lumpkin designed the Gates CenterTrack system that is incorporated on these four models, Spot has been at the… READ MORE
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SOCIAL
Spot Brand
It may sound like an obvious statement, but we folks at Spot make bikes. It’s been our sole focus from day one. No shortcuts, no marketing tricks, no redefining what “cool” means – just building bikes that turn bike riders into bike addicts, and racers into winners.
When it comes to designing, engineering and building our bikes, we’ve been at the forefront of the industry long enough to know the difference between a real innovation and a trendy fad. It’s been true right from the start, when we gave single-speed mountain bikes the attention and technology they deserved, creating a whole new riding experience. Then, as one of the first to build a 29er, we took the opportunity to complement the wheel radius with a dialed-in geometry that turned its potential on paper into a reality on the trail. And our partnership with Gates has added yet another dimension to the industry. The development of the carbon belt drive has introduced a level of strength and efficiency that would never have been possible in traditional drive systems.
In truth, all that innovation is fine and good, but our real goal is to make sure that once you’re in the saddle, you completely forget that any of it exists, and just enjoy the ride. After all, the best stories are about biking, not about bikes.
Spot BrandDecember 31, 2015 8:46 pm
If only we had parts to hang on it. Shock, drivetrain, fork, tires, etc. Choices, choices. @srammtb @shimanomtb @foxmtb @cane_creekusa @rockshox @bos_suspension @schwalbetires @maxxistires @wildernesstrailbikes @noxcomposites @stansnotubes @envecomposites #mtb #colorado #livinglink technology coming in spring 2016!
Timeline Photos
Spot BrandDecember 17, 2015 6:20 pm
Thanks for the write-up Matt. It's definitely a super fun rig.
Spot Brand Rocker 27.5+ bike looks great | Mutterings, Trends | Muddymoles: Mountain biking...
muddymoles.org.uk
Semi-fat bikes are the perfect best-of-both-worlds option for fun hardtails at the moment and the Spot Brand Rocker is a great example
Spot BrandDecember 11, 2015 8:23 pm
We've been sold out of most sizes of Acme and Ajax bikes for a while, but now we have all sizes in stock except for the Acme Open. These models remain among our most popular for their fast handling geometry and the reliable @carbondrive and @rideshimano drivetrain. #urbanrocketsled #bikecommute
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Spot BrandNovember 25, 2015 12:37 am
Denver Zephyr in brushed @kva_stainless #steelisreal
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Spot BrandNovember 24, 2015 1:14 am
What better way to explore a city than on a bicycle? Good fun had by all, except that crab. That was a bad night for him.
Spot BrandNovember 16, 2015 10:42 pm
What a gorgeous Colorado weekend that was. Here's the view from the #denverzephyr with #kvastainless getting out to play.
Spot BrandNovember 12, 2015 7:37 pm
The Rollik basking in the sun at the #feedbackcup. #livinglink #lookup #mtb
Timeline Photos
Spot BrandNovember 11, 2015 12:27 am
www.bicycling.com/rides/commuting/why-bike-commuters-should-be-using-strava
Why Bike Commuters Should Be Using Strava
bicycling.com
Strava Metro wants more commuters to upload their rides so they can provide better information about safe cycling routes.
Spot Brand shared Prefiro pedalar.'s video.November 4, 2015 5:01 pm
'at'll learn ya.
Prefiro pedalar.
:o :o :o