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LATEST NEWS: BMC GETS NEW TEAM BIKES
Road Bike Action
January 27, 2012
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Gates Corp., maker of the Gates Carbon Drive belt-drive system for bicycles, has partnered with the Swiss bicycle brand BMC to become the official “lifestyle bike” sponsor of the BMC Racing Team. Cadel Evans and select teammates and race team staff will receive belt-drive commuter bikes from BMC’s lifestyle line as part of the sponsorship, which is believed to be unique among professional race teams.
BMC Racing Team trucks in Europe and the United States will carry BMC brand “urbanchallenge,” bicycles for use by team members and staff at race venues. In addition to the 11-speed UC01 models, Gates will give select team riders including Evans and George Hincapie “masschallenge” MC01 singlespeeds for commuting and personal use at home. Both bike models are equipped with Gates Carbon Drive, a chain-replacing technology that needs no greasy lubrication and will not stretch like a chain.
The UC01 and MC01 are the showpieces of BMC’s Lifestlye line and were launched in 2012 with the goal of producing the most advanced and appealing transportation bikes. The sponsorship was announced during the BMC Racing Team’s Sponsor Expo in Denia, Spain, where the team was holding its January training camp.
“We are honored to have Tour de France winner Cadel Evans and members of the BMC Racing Team commuting and running errands on belt-drive bikes,” says Greg Vigil, VP of Marketing for Gates. “Just like everyday bicycle commuters, pro racers also want a transportation bike that is clean and low-maintenance.”
BMC Racing Team owner Jim Ochowicz will also receive a UC01 for pedaling and commuting around his hometown. "The BMC Racing Team rides the most high-performance race bikes, and now we also have the most high-performance commuter and lifestyle bikes," Ochowicz says. "Gates Carbon Drive is an innovative technology that perfectly fits our team image of Swiss precision, speed and compelling aesthetics, and we are pleased to have Gates as an official sponsor."
"Gates sees this relationship with BMC Racing as a great way to build awareness of Carbon Drive's clean, quiet, light and strong advantages among European consumers and followers of elite road racing, the types of bicyclists who want nothing but the best commuter or city bike," says Todd Sellden, director of Gates Carbon Drive Systems.
The UC01 comes in 11-speed, eight-speed and three-speed versions, along with a singlespeed/fixie option. It is designed for commuting, fitness or leisure rides. The MC01 singlespeed is a high-concept bike that was conceived with the idea of getting Evans onto the lightest and most innovative city bike. Attractive, fast and light, the UC01 and MC01 are built on a lightweight iSC alloy frame and feature carbon forks, disc brakes and Gates' new CenterTrack drive train, which has won accolades from publications including Bicycling, Wired and Outside, and European media including Germany's Aktiv Radfahren and France's Velovert. For more information visit: BMC Racing
About Gates Carbon Drive
Consisting of a high-strength belt embedded with carbon fiber cords and two metal sprockets, Gates Carbon Drive is a low-maintenance, chain-replacing technology from Gates Corp., the global leader in automotive and industrial belts. Clean, quiet, light and strong, Carbon Drive requires no greasy lube, weighs less than a chain drive and will not stretch. Featured on bikes from BMC, Trek, Specialized, Scott, Focus and 64-plus brands, Carbon Drive has grown in popularity every year since its introduction in 2007 and will be spec’d on approximately 150 bike models worldwide in 2012, plus numerous custom belt drive models. Due to its low maintenance and ease of use, Carbon Drive is a technology that can get more people on bikes. Visit Gates Carbon Drive |
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