Anyone Riding a Belt Drive?

 I'd appreciate your experiences/advice, etc. as I'm in the market. (I searched the archives and the tech has since evolved.)

Thanks for your response.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on June 25, 2018 at 10:54pm
Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on July 15, 2018 at 6:22am

I guess Ikea's venture into the bicycle market didn't work out so well for them.  Looks like they're not even fixing the bikes, just giving full refunds.  No one beats their enormous bags of tea candles, though.  

Permalink Reply by djm on July 15, 2018 at 6:48pm

Note that IKEA chose not to adopt the near-universal Gates Carbon Drive belt.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 25, 2018 at 11:50pm

They're great as long as you stick to shops that know how to properly service and tension them.

Permalink Reply by the Turtle on July 14, 2018 at 9:26am

I've been enjoying a new belt drive commuter since late February.  my  main goal was to avoid all bike maintenance. so far, so good. i am sure, eventually, it will be a struggle to change the inevitable rear flat tire, but until then, my abc check is pretty much reduced to ab, see ya. 

i'd recommend a good bell or other noise-maker... belt drives run super silent so you tend to sneak up on anyone you may be over-taking/passing. 

one minor annoyance - the belt drive does skip/miss sometimes when i mash on the pedals getting started from red lights or climbing hills in wet weather.  

Shout out to Ben at Tailwind Cycles. for building the bike up. i was super happy with that too.

Permalink Reply by Jane Healy on July 18, 2018 at 4:05am

I've had a Gates belt drive for about 14 months now and I *love* it.  Since I year-round bike commute, and because I have worn through many chains and even cassettes and cranks over the years, I thought it was high time that I upgraded to something that was easy maintenance.  

Positives:

-Super quiet

-Excellent drive action;  never slips or jerks, even when standing on the pedals going up a hill or starting from a hard stop while towing

-No grease (EVER) to ruin your pants or leave a chain ring tattoo on your leg

-Easy-peasy to clean

-Works great in all weather conditions

-NEVER RUSTS

Negatives:

-If you do catch a pant leg in it (very, very rare), it can still damage your pant hem, but not as badly as a regular bike

-Changing out a flat

I have not had a flat, but I have the best Schwalbe Marathon tires that I could buy in the size that fits my bike.  Since I have internal hubs on both front and back wheels, the carbon drive is the least of my worries in this circumstance.  I know that flats are a catastrophic fail for me on this bike and have a Ventra card in my bike bag as a consequence.  

Hope this helps!

Jane <---rides a hand-built Legacy bike with a carbon belt drive and a Brompton folder with a chain. Both have front and rear internal hubs

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on July 19, 2018 at 2:03pm

Thanks for your input everyone- anyone else?

Trying to stay under a grand if possible, and am currently leaning toward Brilliant and Priority's offerings.

Permalink Reply by PC on July 20, 2018 at 4:24am

I used a belt drive on my SSCX bike a number of years ago. Tensioning the belt was the biggest PITA as a sweet spot is required between too tight and too loose. Obviously, maintenance was a breeze but that convenience is negated if one needs to seek out specialized services to maintain.

I ditched the whole system after the CX season and haven't looked back.

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