sweeks

I had a Strida 2 which I rode through the winter here in Chicago. The front pulley (or whatever it's called) would pack up with slush and the belt would pop off. This didn't happen often, but it was a major pain when it did.
In better weather, I never noticed extra drag from the belt. I'd prefer a belt drive over chain on a commuter bike any time.
Steve

sweeks

Also, the belts I have seen have teeth that are "square" or at least symmetrical when sectioned in the plane of the sprockets. How this would behave differently under "reverse" force is unclear to me.
Steve

davidad

Timing belts on auto engines are good for 100.000 miles.
I think I read that the belts are good for 75k miles on a bike.

TimothyH

Skid stops.


-Tim-

TimothyH

It seems like some have the same visceral reaction to belt drive as others do to disk brakes, 1x or tubeless. Maybe they are the same people. Either way they think only in binary and refuse to see that there is a time and a place for each of these technologies. No one is suggesting that we change the world.

This is a Trek District Carbon belt drive bike. It is based on a modified Madone 5 frame and owned by user @Aka_ricerocket. The bike weighs 12 lbs.



I would ride the crap out of this thing.


-Tim-

fietsbob

As I thought when I saw them the Ideal use for a drive like the Gates is inside a "chain-case"..

Seeing as the fully enclosed chains get ignored and rarely thought of, in like Dutch Oma/Opas , grand ma/pa bikes

the not needing oil but wearing still from grit slurry with water, out of sight would be good..

But the niche market for $1500 + bikes has a need to show that feature off and compete on a weight basis..

Typical 1st question in bike shops...How much does it weigh?




...

JonathanGennick 

Belt drive has been wonderful for me in winter. No lube. No rust. No muss. No fuss.

My friend replaced his drive train after riding last winter. Granted, he could have taken better care of it. But my belt drive came through fine without any care at all.

HillRider

Not necessarily higher but if the lugs aren't symmetrical, they may not tolerate the same force in reverse.

valeriano

75k miles is around 10 years of ride for me.
I guess it's worth.

valeriano

Bike porn

TimothyH

There are several iterations of that bike. That is the least appealing, if you can believe it.

I'd ride a 12 lb belt drive Trek Madone 5 any day.

tamnalan

To me, the biggest shortcoming of a belt drive is the chronic lack of grease tattoo on your right calf. People won't believe that you rode to work.

andr0id

If you actually work, you can afford to get a chain ring tattoo!

Velo Mule

You mean like a real tattoo? Can you imagine walking into a tattoo parlor with a roller chain and saying that I want that on the inside of my left calf.

ksryder

Seen lots of pics on Instagram of exactly that.

CharlieFree

My experience is similar. I don't notice any efficiency loss compared to a chain. But I did have the belt pop off twice last winter, both times in slush under uphill load. I just rotated it back on, no problem. Not bad in 100+ days of riding though. I am definitely a fan of belt drive and want it on my next bike too - one minor thing is I hope to see more hub options coming.

tamnalan

I bought a BF Pakit with carbon drive & 4 speed hub. I love it so far, but the belt started creaking. What usually causes that - too loose? Misalignment?