BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Custom bicycle builders will compete for $11,250 in cash and prizes in the Gates Carbon Drive bike design contest at the 2013 North American Handmade Bicycle Show.
A panel of judges will choose the five most innovative and beautiful bicycles featuring Gates Carbon Drive. Each of the five winners will receive $1,000 cash and five Carbon Drives for a total value of $2,250. Contest bikes will be judged on their overall aesthetic appeal and technical factors such as their sliding dropouts, belt tensioning systems, frame splits and other belt-drive-specific designs.
“Custom bike builders are innovators and artists, and Gates appreciates the energy and excitement that they bring to the bicycle market,” says Todd Sellden, director of Gates Carbon Drive Systems. “The contest is our way to saythanks to those hard-working builders who are pushing the envelope of belt drive bike design.”
One of the five prizes will go to the best integration of Gates Carbon Drive with a Shimano Alfine internally geared hub. Carbon Drive combined with an Alfine hub has proven to be a winner with consumers and bike builders, with more production and custom bikes pairing the two technologies to create low-maintenance transportation bicycles that are perfect for commuting and urban riding.
Gates introduced the Innovative Belt Drive Bike Design contest at NAHBS 2012 to great success, awarding $8,750 in cash and prizes—plus one free Carbon Drive system to every entrant.
For 2013, Gates will increase the prize pool and crown more winners. Better yet, nobody goes home empty handed: every qualified builder who enters a bike that meets the judging criteria and official rules will take home a free Carbon Drive system.
The North American Handmade Bike Show will be held February 22nd to 24th in Denver.
Bike builders must register for NAHBS to qualify. See the full contest rules and enter at www.gatescarbondrive.com/designcontest.
