belt drives

ElyMcfly

does anyone have experience of riding a belt drive bike and an internal hub.This would appear to be the best commuting option or does anyone have a better set-up.

cougie

Chains have worked for decades without too many problems. I'd think maybe in the future belt drives may be an option, but they're not as common yet.

Personally I'd stick with a chain.

EKE_38BPM

cougie wrote:

Chains have worked for decades without too many problems. I'd think maybe in the future belt drives may be an option, but they're not as common yet.

Personally I'd stick with a chain.

SimonAH may disagree with you.

Dudu

I've read that, while a chain and cog system in good nick is about 98% efficient, a belt drive only gives you about 90%.

dhope

Dudu wrote:

I've read that, while a chain and cog system in good nick is about 98% efficient, a belt drive only gives you about 90%.

Thought that as a belt doesn't stretch it was as efficient if not more, certainly fixed/SS.

jonny_trousers

Does efficiency above a certain amount really matter for commuting? I like the idea of a belt drive because they look cool, plain and simple.

OP: try to bring Roastie back from the dead for an informed answer.

asprilla

I've got an alfine / belt drive combo.

It's never going to replace a chain / derailleur set-up but for maintenance free commuting at this time of year it's pretty perfect. I put the bike in the garage at the end of my ride, whatever the weather and it doesn't even need a wipe down. Next morning it's good to go.

Eight gears isn't ideal for maintaining your cadence and it's pretty heavy at the back so you aren't going to be shooting up hills, but I can cruise along at about 19 / 20 mph and I reckon that's fine at this time of year.

I won't be using mine in the summer, but I won't use anything else in the winter.

SimonAH

I run a belt driven fixie, and for commuting duties (no MONSTER hills on my) I'd have to rate it as absolutely perfect as a drive system for the following reasons;

!) Maintenance free, totally. No really, I mean it.
2) No oil or grease. I'm riding the only sparkling clean bike I've seen since the weather turned nasty because all I have to do is wave a damp cloth at it.
3) Efficiency? Probably marginly less than a brand new clean chain, definitely more efficient than your chain after a couple of rides (think about a chain, essentially you have to coat a precision bit of mechanics with glue and then spin it in a shower of sh1t and expect it to remain efficient? Engineering madness!)
3) Ninja silence
4) And yeah, it does look cool IMHO. Certainly garuanteed to start conversations wherever you go.

As a system it lacks some of the flexibility of a chain (you can't use a conventional gear system) but my next bike will be a Ti framed, disc braked, belt driven and Rohloff hubbed build - unless we're talking time trial or full on racing I can't think of a better combo for real world roads.

baldbelter

ElyMcfly wrote:

does anyone have experience of riding a belt drive bike and an internal hub.This would appear to be the best commuting option or does anyone have a better set-up.

Hi, i'm Jack, live in the low lands of Holland, work as technician in a sports--center and enjoy riding bikes.
After last winter i had to replace my sprockets and chain of my Dawes hybride, it had sufferd from salt on the road, and using less different gears.
I bought the belt droven Trek soho, enjoyed it becouse it rides very smooth, and noting is more silent than this one.
I think now that 8 gears are enough, special when you only ride it on the (hard) road.
the only problem i have now is i can't use my bike in the snow, becouse my belt keeps coming off.
the snow gets on the belt , gets pressed to ice in the rear cam and there goes the belt.
So now i wonder if there is a protection system, to keep the camwheels and belt covered, becouse i need my bike all year to get to work.
enybody else found out this problem yet? :?:

SimonAH

Nope, not a problem for me.

I do get a 'creak' noise as snow gets onto the belt, but the holes in the drive cogs should push it out and away. Have you checked wheel alignment? Sounds to me that your back wheel is not running true and being on an angle is letting the snow build up between belt and drive flange so pushing the belt off??

I've been out in four inches today without a problem.

gtvlusso

SimonAH wrote:

I run a belt driven fixie, and for commuting duties (no MONSTER hills on my) I'd have to rate it as absolutely perfect as a drive system for the following reasons;

!) Maintenance free, totally. No really, I mean it.
2) No oil or grease. I'm riding the only sparkling clean bike I've seen since the weather turned nasty because all I have to do is wave a damp cloth at it.
3) Efficiency? Probably marginly less than a brand new clean chain, definitely more efficient than your chain after a couple of rides (think about a chain, essentially you have to coat a precision bit of mechanics with glue and then spin it in a shower of sh1t and expect it to remain efficient? Engineering madness!)
3) Ninja silence
4) And yeah, it does look cool IMHO. Certainly garuanteed to start conversations wherever you go.

As a system it lacks some of the flexibility of a chain (you can't use a conventional gear system) but my next bike will be a Ti framed, disc braked, belt driven and Rohloff hubbed build - unless we're talking time trial or full on racing I can't think of a better combo for real world roads.

Did you buy your bike as specifically belt driven or do a conversion? Do you know of part suppliers/spacings required?

dhope

gtvlusso wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

I run a belt driven fixie, and for commuting duties (no MONSTER hills on my) I'd have to rate it as absolutely perfect as a drive system for the following reasons;

!) Maintenance free, totally. No really, I mean it.
2) No oil or grease. I'm riding the only sparkling clean bike I've seen since the weather turned nasty because all I have to do is wave a damp cloth at it.
3) Efficiency? Probably marginly less than a brand new clean chain, definitely more efficient than your chain after a couple of rides (think about a chain, essentially you have to coat a precision bit of mechanics with glue and then spin it in a shower of sh1t and expect it to remain efficient? Engineering madness!)
3) Ninja silence
4) And yeah, it does look cool IMHO. Certainly garuanteed to start conversations wherever you go.

As a system it lacks some of the flexibility of a chain (you can't use a conventional gear system) but my next bike will be a Ti framed, disc braked, belt driven and Rohloff hubbed build - unless we're talking time trial or full on racing I can't think of a better combo for real world roads.

Did you buy your bike as specifically belt driven or do a conversion? Do you know of part suppliers/spacings required?

Fairly sure the Trek District is one of a few sold as a belt drive

fenboy369

This may well sound like a reaaly retarded question, but do you have break the rear triangle on the drive side to get the belt in? And how do you rejoin it?

baldbelter

SimonAH wrote:

Nope, not a problem for me.

I do get a 'creak' noise as snow gets onto the belt, but the holes in the drive cogs should push it out and away. Have you checked wheel alignment? Sounds to me that your back wheel is not running true and being on an angle is letting the snow build up between belt and drive flange so pushing the belt off??

I've been out in four inches today without a problem.

Hi Simon,
You pointed the problem, because the rear cam is closed, so the snow/ice is stapeling up in the sprocket "hollows", from the back guide outwards.
Yes , it starts with a little cracking, but soon after the belt goes off.
Alligning/ tension is o.k,so the only thing i can think off is covering the system.
its quite a fragile rear cam, i'm not sure what happend if i drill "vent" holes in the corners.
I might need a spare sprocket first.(Carbonfibre, prob.very expensive?)

baldbelter

SimonAH wrote:

Nope, not a problem for me.

I do get a 'creak' noise as snow gets onto the belt, but the holes in the drive cogs should push it out and away. Have you checked wheel alignment? Sounds to me that your back wheel is not running true and being on an angle is letting the snow build up between belt and drive flange so pushing the belt off??

I've been out in four inches today without a problem.

Hi Simon,
You pointed the problem, because the rear cam is closed, so the snow/ice is stapeling up in the sprocket "hollows", from the back guide outwards.
Yes , it starts with a little cracking, but soon after the belt goes off.
Alligning/ tension is o.k,so the only thing i can think off is covering the system.
its quite a fragile rear cam, i'm not sure what happend if i drill "vent" holes in the corners.
I might need a spare sprocket first.(Carbonfibre, prob.very expensive?)

dhope

fenboy369 wrote:

This may well sound like a reaaly retarded question, but do you have break the rear triangle on the drive side to get the belt in? And how do you rejoin it?

Something like


or

Libraio

No problems here on my Alfine kitted District, although I have been avoiding deep snow on my commute the last couple of days. But this has more to do with the fact I'm running 28mm slicks. Like SimonAH I dream of a Ti framed, cyclocros inspired, beltdriven, diskbraked, commuting monster but allas, someone isn't going through with building them. I'm hoping OnOne improve their Pompetamine so it wil take a belt. Not being able to run spikes really s#$ks in this weather.