Gates Partners With Specialized and SRAM on Relief Project

Gates Corporation, maker of the Gates Carbon Drive belt drive for bikes, has partnered with two of the most respected brands in bicycling on a program to benefit rural health care in Africa. Every time a consumer buys a Specialized Source Two commuter bike, Gates—along with Specialized and SRAM--will donate one Buffalo Bike to the nonprofit World Bicycle Relief. Buffalo Bikes are sturdy steel bicycles made to withstand the rigors of the developing world and designed to be easily repairable. WBR will deliver the Buffalo Bike to health care workers in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Sturdy bicycles are an important form of transportation for the region’s medical workers, who travel many miles to visit patients.

“Gates is so pleased to participate in this partnership to benefit health care workers in Africa,” says Todd Sellden, director of Gates Carbon Drive Systems. “For those of us in the industrialized world, bicycles are often a tool for recreation or an alternative to driving a car. It’s good to remember that in many parts of the world bicycles are an important form of life-saving mobility.”

The Source Two is one of the most innovative and technologically advanced commuter bikes of 2013. Instead of a chain it features a Gates Carbon Drive paired with the new Automatix two-speed auto-shift system from SRAM. The Automatix shifts into a higher or lower gear as the cyclist speeds up or slows down.  The combination of technologies, along with the lightweight frame from Specialized that features a rack and fenders for all-weather commuting, makes the Source Two ideal for getting to the office or running errands.