Gates Carbon Drive

Spring arrived early this year in South Lake Tahoe, cutting short the ski season but allowing cyclists to get on their bikes sooner. It’s a beautiful season to ride. The meadows are sprouting with wildflowers, providing colorful splashes to the rapidly greening landscape. The trunks of the big pines glow reddish in the late-afternoon light, their giant cones littering the trail.

The Raleigh Hodala singlespeed with Carbon Drive is fast and agile–a cyclocross racing bike. Belt-drive riding, however, is about more than just speed. I grab the bike from my garage and go, no dirty chain to clean or lube. No derailleur to adjust.

Some technologies make life more complex. Carbon Drive has simplified mine. Less bike maintenance means more time to ride. And to slow down to enjoy the flowers.

Thanks to Tahoe photographer Dylan Silver for the photos.