shouldbeinbed
Rollin' along
- Location
- Manchester way
@Pale Rider the B'Twin Tilt range offer a carbon belt option.
rolhoff speed hub
- Thread starter gerryscott
- Start date
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Brommie is one of the few folders that cannot work with a belt because of the fold between bottom bracket and rear dropouts and chain tensioner. Most Dahon style ones could be built belt-compatible, esp the MU with twin-stay rear rather than rear triangle.
Anyone who travels alongside a folder on a busy train would welcome oil-free transmission.
Rohloff_Brompton_Rider
Formerly just_fixed
Not strictly true, there are few I've seen with belts - although very heavily modified.
marcusjb
Senior Member
- Location
- Twickenham
Have a dual belt-drive tandem with Rohloff.
It's been exactly what we wanted it to be so far (clean, low maintenance and just easy); but it's only done 1 big tour so far.
Not had any issues with the belts at all - other than a little bit of noise and squeakiness when riding in dry sandy conditions - needs a quick squirt from the water bottle and it's quiet again. The thought of packing our tandem into it's cases (S&S equipped tandem) with chains is just horrible - all that muck.
Rohloff is a compromise on certain things, but for a touring tandem, it works very well. When we're riding it unloaded and caning it, it would be nice to have those fine adjustments you get with deraillieurs changing 1 tooth at a time at the top end. It's taking some getting used to and I still bugger up the planet change (6-7?) from time to time, bringing us to a grinding halt as it goes into 14 to protect itself.
Until the price comes down on belts and sprockets etc., they will remain fairly niche. But they do have a future and I would hope to see them on more and more utility bikes as well as touring bikes.
I like the combination so far. Though it doesn't make it any easier to go up hills.
It's been exactly what we wanted it to be so far (clean, low maintenance and just easy); but it's only done 1 big tour so far.
Not had any issues with the belts at all - other than a little bit of noise and squeakiness when riding in dry sandy conditions - needs a quick squirt from the water bottle and it's quiet again. The thought of packing our tandem into it's cases (S&S equipped tandem) with chains is just horrible - all that muck.
Rohloff is a compromise on certain things, but for a touring tandem, it works very well. When we're riding it unloaded and caning it, it would be nice to have those fine adjustments you get with deraillieurs changing 1 tooth at a time at the top end. It's taking some getting used to and I still bugger up the planet change (6-7?) from time to time, bringing us to a grinding halt as it goes into 14 to protect itself.
Until the price comes down on belts and sprockets etc., they will remain fairly niche. But they do have a future and I would hope to see them on more and more utility bikes as well as touring bikes.
I like the combination so far. Though it doesn't make it any easier to go up hills.
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
I have owned a Woodrup Rolhoff hubbed Gates belt drive touring bike for three years. It still has the original belt which was retensioned at 4,000 miles by moving the rear wheel back a smidging. It was just within the tension limits at that mileage. I have used the bike for audaxes, hilly and flat plus touring through Scotland, France, and from Passau to Belgrade along the Danube. It is virtually maintenance free needing no lubrication and the odd squirt of water to remove excessive grot. My drive system is the older version and I have had no problem with drive line alignment or the belt skipping over the rear sprocket. I am lardy and when combined with a full touring load, place a lot of stress on the belt.
There is some transmission loss and over a 12 mile ride, I am around four minutes slower on the belt driven tourer compared with my derailleur geared bike but how much is due to the transmission and how much is due to the increased weight of the tourer, the higher gearing of the derailleured bike and fatter tyres on the tourer is a moot point.
As for making things easier on the hills, the gearing takes care of that. The bottom gear of the Rolhoff bike is around 17" and the top gear is around 91". My derailleur fitted mountain bike has a gear range of 17" to 95" so the difference there is minimal whereas my audax derailleur geared bikes has a gear range of 20" to 118" making higher speeds possible on the flat without 'spinning out'.
Rohloff belt driven tourers are increasingly popular. I saw my first one on Germany and an intensive grilling of its owner about its durability and maintenance persuaded me that
a) Rolhoff hubbed tourers were a viable alternative to derailleur geared tourers
b) My fears about snapping belts and alignment adjustment were unfounded
c) The price premium is worth paying
Ownership of Woodrup has been a joy. There are several members of Cycle Chat who have taken the plunge and have bought a similarly specced Woodrup bicycle. None to my knowledge have had any problems with their bikes. Other British bike builders also supply Gates belt driven bikes. Thorn cycles have relatively recently included belt drive as an option.
There is some transmission loss and over a 12 mile ride, I am around four minutes slower on the belt driven tourer compared with my derailleur geared bike but how much is due to the transmission and how much is due to the increased weight of the tourer, the higher gearing of the derailleured bike and fatter tyres on the tourer is a moot point.
As for making things easier on the hills, the gearing takes care of that. The bottom gear of the Rolhoff bike is around 17" and the top gear is around 91". My derailleur fitted mountain bike has a gear range of 17" to 95" so the difference there is minimal whereas my audax derailleur geared bikes has a gear range of 20" to 118" making higher speeds possible on the flat without 'spinning out'.
Rohloff belt driven tourers are increasingly popular. I saw my first one on Germany and an intensive grilling of its owner about its durability and maintenance persuaded me that
a) Rolhoff hubbed tourers were a viable alternative to derailleur geared tourers
b) My fears about snapping belts and alignment adjustment were unfounded
c) The price premium is worth paying
Ownership of Woodrup has been a joy. There are several members of Cycle Chat who have taken the plunge and have bought a similarly specced Woodrup bicycle. None to my knowledge have had any problems with their bikes. Other British bike builders also supply Gates belt driven bikes. Thorn cycles have relatively recently included belt drive as an option.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
April Fool!
I must have mis-read something on the Thorn Cycles web site. Their anti Gates stance has not been modified since their vehement dismissal of it in their literature from summer 2013 , page 22
http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/thornlivingwitharohloff_lores.pdf
It's as strident as their support for Rolhoff hubs elsewhere in the brochure.
Looking at the picture above, am I right in thinking that the chain wheel and the sprocket are different with a Gates?
By the way I can't say I notice any difference when I move from derailleurs to Rohloff and back. That's in reference to the extra weight in the back wheel. I have feeling that people are imagining it based on there being a slight weight difference.
By the way I can't say I notice any difference when I move from derailleurs to Rohloff and back. That's in reference to the extra weight in the back wheel. I have feeling that people are imagining it based on there being a slight weight difference.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
The belt uses it's own belt specific toothed sprocket and front ring.
A Rohloff hub is quite a bit heavier than a cassette and derailleur.
However, if you add the extra front rings and shifter you would need to match the Rohloff's range, the total weight is about the same.
http://www.bikestation.fi/info/en/brands/rohloff/speedhub/weight/
Twowheelxtc
Senior Member
Bike Friday Silk has Alfine 11 and a Gates belt drive. I think Gates have to agree the frame design re rear end stiffness before allowing use of their belts.
Smurfy
Naturist Smurf
- Location
- Smurfette's Kitchen
Main advantage of the belt is zero maintenance, which means no oil, no rust, and no mess.
