Donated to History Colorado by Laurie Thornton and Ernie Stefely.
The "Obama Bike" was ridden during the 2008 Democratic National Convention by then-Mayor of Denver, John Hickenlooper in Denver, Colorado. The bicycle was commissioned by Bikes Belong, based in Boulder, Colorado, for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, held on August 25-28, 2008 at Invesco Field, now Empower Field at Mile High, in Denver, Colorado (2019). Denver last hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1908.
This bike was ridden during the Democratic National Convention by then-Mayor of Denver, John Hickenlooper. It is unclear if Democratic Presidential nominee, Barack Obama rode it. After the convention, the “Obama Bike” traveled with the Freewheelin’ bike share program to the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Freewheelin’ brought 1,000 bikes to both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions). After making the DNC bike, Spot made a second bike with a Republican paint job. That bike was ridden by Minneapolis mayor, R.T. Rybak. The whereabouts of the RNC bike are unknown.
After being returned to the Colorado Democratic Party, it found its way to Bicycle Colorado. Laurie Thornton and Ernie Stefely, who was seriously injured in a hit and run crash while bicycle commuting in 2007, bid on and bought the bike at the 2009 Bicycle Colorado Fundraising Gala.
The program for the Colorado Gala Celebration auction states that, “As host to the 2008 DNC, Colorado made sure to show the world how much we love bicycling. To honor the historic DNC in Denver and to provide green transportation to the Democratic candidate, Bikes Belong commissioned a Spot Brand bicycle hand-built in Golden, Colorado."
After the success of the bike sharing program during the Democratic National Convention, the Democratic host committee chose to make bike sharing a special legacy program. This donation, combined with a joint venture of Trek Bicycle Corporation, Humana, and ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, created Denver’s successful BCycle program. Now there are BCycle bike sharing programs in over three dozen US cities. These bikes aimed to increase health, reduce carbon emissions, and build community interaction.
Ernie Stefely and wife, Laurie Thornton were asked to testify in favor of the House Bill 1084 in 2012. The bill passed and closed a loophole that has incentivized impaired drivers to flee the scene of an accident. On February 20, 2007, Stefely was hit by an SUV while commuting on his bicycle, while riding in the bike lane. Governor John Hickenlooper signed the bill into law in June 2012.
,
Spot Brand is a bicycle manufacturer in Golden, Colorado. The company originated in British Columbia but was bought by a group of friends in the bike industry and moved the company headquarters to Golden, Colorado. They teamed up with Gates Rubber Company to supply a belt drive system. Gates Corp. manufactures automotive and motorcycle timing belts (now nearly half of all new cars have timing belts), more recently Gates has begun installing their Carbon Drive Systems on single and three-speed bicycles, replacing the need for bike chains. The paint job was done in Colorado Springs.,
From Wikipedia, 2019:
On October 1, 1911, Charles Gates Sr. purchased the Colorado Tire and Leather Company located in Denver, Colorado beside the South Platte River. Colorado Tire and Leather Company made a single product, the Durable Tread, a steel-studded band of leather that motorists attached to tires to extend their mileage. In 1917, the company began phasing out leather in favor of rubber and Charles Gates changed its name to the International Rubber Company.
That same year, John Gates, Charles's brother, developed a belt made of rubber and woven threading called a V-belt, due to its shape. It replaced the hemp and rope belt used on automobiles and industrial machinery at the time, and was a model for the common serpentine belt. The belt's success propelled the company to become the largest manufacturer of V-belts, a title it still holds.
In 1919, the International Rubber Company changed its name to the Gates Rubber Company. Gates continued its expansion across the United States, opening more factories and hiring thousands of people. Then, in 1954, its first international manufacturing facility was built in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Expansion to other countries followed. In 1958, the company opened Gates Rubber de Mexico. In 1963, Gates built a belt and hose plant in Erembodegem, Belgium, the first of many European facilities.
In the 1980s, Gates expansion continued when the company acquired the Uniroyal Power Transmission Company and became the world's largest synchronous/timing belt manufacturer, firmly establishing its growth path in the Asia-Pacific region.
In 1996, the company was acquired by the British-based engineering firm Tomkins plc, ending 85 years of family ownership. In 2003, Gates changed its name to The Gates Corporation, a move reflecting the company's expanding range of industrial brands, product lines, and customers. The Denver factory closed, and by 2001, some buildings hadn't been used in nearly a decade.
In July 2014, The Blackstone Group, the world’s largest buyout firm, agreed to acquire The Gates Corporation from Onex Corp. (OCX) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $5.4 billion. In December 2017, Gates Corporation filed an initial public offering and became a public corporation. The company's headquarters are located at 1144 15th Street in Denver, Colorado.