Gates expands and upgrades Carbon Drive product line
Gates has launched a range of all-new Carbon Drive belts and components to meet growing global demand, with e-bike applications to the fore.
All-new components are being rolled out across 4 key product lines (ST, CDN, CDC, CDX), to ensure that the latest Carbon Drive product portfolio reinforces Gates’ position as the market leader in bring low-maintenance, clean, quiet and strong belt-drive solutions to a broad spectrum of two-wheel and other micromobility applications.
Whilst Gates Belt Drive has historically been used in niche cycling applications, finding plenty of love with custom builders, and Cairo to Cape Town style adventurers, including a certain Mark Beaumont, it’s with the rise and rise of e-bikes, and other e-micromobility solutions, that belt drive has now arrived in a more mainstream way.
Embracing new opportunities and applications, Gates has produced the CDC product line, which introduces a completely new belt designed specifically for mid-drive e-bikes typically found in commuting applications. Featuring a new combination of highly engineered carbon-fibre tensile cord, high-stiffness ethylene elastomer materials, and nylon tooth fabric, it offers all the belt-drive benefits of cleaner, quieter and more convenient operation plus 2 to 3 times the life span of traditional chain drives.
Gates say that the new CDC belt line significantly expands their application coverage and market opportunity in mid-market bicycle applications.
Working in tandem with the new CDC belt is the newly unveiled tensioner, compatible with both CDX and CDC product lines, which accentuates the benefits of belt drives and makes it easier for manufacturers to convert from chain to belt. The tensioner features a simple, elegant design, streamlining assembly and adjustment and requiring little to no maintenance.
The CDX:BLACK sprocket line for high-torque applications, including the emerging field of geared mid-motor e-bikes and mid-gearbox bicycles. The sprocket line will feature a wide range of rear & front sprockets to accommodate a variety of interfaces, including Shimano Inter-5e, Enviolo, Kindernay, & Bafang hubs, Valeo geared mid-motor, Pinion gearbox, and more.
Targeted at the mainstream bicycle market, and e-bikes with hub-drive motors, is the SideTrack (ST) portfolio, which also upgrades to the next generation ethylene elastomer and carbon cord technology.
Just such an application would be the ‘211 miles on a single charge‘ s-pedelec from Swiss start-up Revolt Zycling AG, which will be making it debut at this years Eurobike.
