# Belt Drive Single speeds



## jonny jeez (23 Jun 2011)

I'm toying with the thought of expanding my stable of bikes and fancy a little variety....SS looks interesting and I quite like the look of a plug...but before I go about the various web sites, what’s the deal with belt driven offerings like the trek district?...it seems very different, quiet, low maintenance and smart...if not quite as "pure" as a proper ss.

thoughts anyone?


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## colinr (23 Jun 2011)

Belts are good, I know a guy that rides one and definitely doesn't treat it with kid gloves.


This one in fact: http://www.donhoubicycles.com/2010/12/30/

I guess the reason they're not more popular is the frame has to allow for replacing the belt, probably costs a bit more to manufacture.


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## mickle (23 Jun 2011)

I asked the guys on the Milk Bikes stand at Bespoked Bristol why they didn't just use an elevated RH chain stay on their belt equipped _Low Maintenance Bike_ instead of the slotted RH seat stay. 

'Because they look shoot' he said.


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## HLaB (23 Jun 2011)

The lbs owner who comes to most of my club runs with the DCC is on a belt driven fixed; I 'd reckon he'd have a good knowledge of bikes so they must be good, I 'd be tempted to one my self but I'm not as fit as him :-)


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## TheDoctor (23 Jun 2011)

mickle said:


> I asked the guys on the Milk Bikes stand at Bespoked Bristol why they didn't just use an elevated RH chain stay on their belt equipped _Low Maintenance Bike_ instead of the slotted RH seat stay.
> 
> 'Because they look shoot' he said.



I have to say, I've been wondering that for some time.
I remember elevated chainstays from back in the day.
They *do* look shoot.


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## mickle (23 Jun 2011)

The Nishiki Alien did not look shoot.


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## wheres_my_beard (23 Jun 2011)

mickle said:


> The Nishiki Alien did not look shoot.



In the past tense it may have looked ace, but it looks kinda shitty now. TBH. IMO. etc


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## summerdays (23 Jun 2011)

mickle said:


> I asked the guys on the Milk Bikes stand at Bespoked Bristol why they didn't just use *an elevated RH chain stay* on their belt equipped _Low Maintenance Bike_ instead of the slotted RH seat stay.
> 
> 'Because they look shoot' he said.



I liked that bike.... well the one with gears...

Anyway ... I've not understood what you are describing.... do you have a link to a photo of one so that I can see what you mean?


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## Cush (23 Jun 2011)

My next touring bike if I could afford it would have a belt and hub gears but alas at 2grand + it is but a dream


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## mickle (23 Jun 2011)

summerdays said:


> I liked that bike.... well the one with gears...
> 
> Anyway ... I've not understood what you are describing.... do you have a link to a photo of one so that I can see what you mean?









The Nishiki Alien


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## summerdays (23 Jun 2011)

Thank you ... its a strange looking bike certainly.


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## TheDoctor (24 Jun 2011)

Hmmm. I'm broadly speaking with Mickle here - that looks quite good.
Except...the down tube. I'd have kept it straight myself.
I'd have kept the chainstays straight too, and maybe lost the bars tying them to the seatstays.
Mind you, I have a Kirk Revolution, so my judgement is obviously somewhat suspect.


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## just jim (25 Jun 2011)

colinr said:


> Belts are good, I know a guy that rides one and definitely doesn't treat it with kid gloves.
> 
> 
> This one in fact: http://www.donhoubic...com/2010/12/30/
> ...


Very very classy stuff there.


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## Zoiders (26 Jun 2011)

Elevated chainstays and fixed are not my cup of tea, flexy with gears, god knows how it will behave with fixed putting torque through it in two directions.

The elevated chainstay traded chainslap for a shoot ride.


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## zigzag (26 Jun 2011)

Zoiders said:


> Elevated chainstays and fixed are not my cup of tea, flexy with gears, god knows how it will behave with fixed putting torque through it in two directions.
> 
> The elevated chainstay traded chainslap for a shoot ride.



my commuter has got elevated chainstays and derailleur gears. it's definitely stiffer around bb than all (4) steel bikes i previously had, but less stiff than my other alloy bike with usual chainstays. for commuting it's a perfect bike - clean, comfy, reliable, fast enough and very low maintenance. the photo below was taken on a 476km weekend tour.


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## Zoiders (26 Jun 2011)

The elevated chainstay made one of it's first outings on the alpine stars range of MTB, they were not a design that persisted due to the wibbly-ness.

It pops up now and then but in all honestly it's a cosmetic feature.


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## zigzag (26 Jun 2011)

if it was only a cosmetic feature, why would rider choose such a bike to win 24hr tt?


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## Zoiders (26 Jun 2011)

That's one of the monocoque designs which is a different kettle of fish entirely.


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## MacB (26 Jun 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> I have to say, I've been wondering that for some time.
> I remember elevated chainstays from back in the day.
> They *do* look shoot.



each to their own I guees, I rather like the look of elevated chainstays but then I do have some weird tastes


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## MacB (26 Jun 2011)

zigzag said:


> my commuter has got elevated chainstays and derailleur gears. it's definitely stiffer around bb than all (4) steel bikes i previously had, but less stiff than my other alloy bike with usual chainstays. for commuting it's a perfect bike - clean, comfy, reliable, fast enough and very low maintenance. the photo below was taken on a 476km weekend tour.



I still think that's a cool looking bike, I'll need to take some pics and post them up of my homage to it


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## vernon (27 Jun 2011)

quote name='zigzag' timestamp='1309100718' post='1723061']
my commuter has got elevated chainstays and derailleur gears. it's definitely stiffer around bb than all (4) steel bikes i previously had, but less stiff than my other alloy bike with usual chainstays. for commuting it's a perfect bike - clean, comfy, reliable, fast enough and very low maintenance. the photo below was taken on a 476km weekend tour.
[/quote]

I too have a Decathlon B'Twin Triban.

i bought mine in france and although i found it add at first I didn't really have much option as my tourer had fractured a drop out and I considered the Triban to be a cost effective solution to the problem.

It has not disappointed me.


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## Jezston (27 Jun 2011)

I have a question about belt drives.

Why does the frame need to be openable? Why not set the tension so the wheel isn't all the way down the dropout so it can be pushed further forwards thus loosening the chain and making it removable?


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## Rob3rt (27 Jun 2011)

Jezston said:


> I have a question about belt drives.
> 
> Why does the frame need to be openable? Why not set the tension so the wheel isn't all the way down the dropout so it can be pushed further forwards thus loosening the chain and making it removable?



Then how does one get it in/out of the rear triangle?  Tension isnt the problem. Getting it in and out is the issue, you break a chain to get it out, slicing a belt to get it out is okay, but how would you get the new one in?


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## Jezston (27 Jun 2011)

*facepalm*


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## wheres_my_beard (27 Jun 2011)

http://elitedrivewaygates.com/belt-drive-frame-conversion/

A nice example of an aftermarket custom conversion


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## jonny jeez (29 Jun 2011)

Jezston said:


> *facepalm*



Fear not Jezzer, your selfless display of ignorance (I know it was deliberate and purely for my benefit  ) has actually answered my question. I never gave this a thought and had no idea that the bike has a whopping great Hinge in the back (of cource it does...it has to?!)

...nope, not for me, too much opportunity for techno failure and general flexing.

I'll stick to a chain

...now then, that Charge plug looks lush!


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## GrumpyGregry (29 Jun 2011)

colinr said:


> Belts are good, I know a guy that rides one and definitely doesn't treat it with kid gloves.
> 
> 
> This one in fact: http://www.donhoubic...com/2010/12/30/
> ...




That is the neatest and most pragmatic solution I've seen to the problem so far....


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