Co-Motion/Gates Carbon Drive Timing Belt System
Incredibly smooth and more efficient power transfer, immediate response and an incredible weight savings of 283 grams/10 ounces (compared to top quality chain and chainrings) makes the Gates Carbon Drive a natural choice for our top race tandems. The Carbon Drive lasts as much as 10 times longer than traditional chain and chainrings, and never needs oil. The Gates Belt Drive comes standard on 2009 Supremo, Robusta and Macchiato Models and is optional on several other tandem models. It is exclusive to Co-motion Cycles through 2009.

Will the Gates Carbon Drive Fit the Tandem I have now?
While Co-Motion does indicate that this may fit on specific older bikes, our experience with attempted installation fails to support this. Thus Tandem Cycle Works recommends the belt drive for NEW 2009 models only.

Please note: We do not expect that the Gates Carbon Drive will fit on all tandems.

The Gates Carbon Drive sprockets will replace your chainrings on the timing cranks. The sprockets are made to fit onto a 130mm bolt circle diameter (BCD). Our current FSA Gossamer and FSA SL-K cranks both accept 130 BCD rings. Shimano Ultegra cranks also accept 130 BCD rings. The older Race Face tandem cranks have a 110 BCD, as do many other older tandem cranks. Some cranks, like the current Truvativ Elita cranks, have the right 130mm BCD but have a compatibility problem as there is inadequate chainring clearance from the chainstay.