 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.
