Originally Posted by
orangepaint
My advice on this matter is to avoid alu forks. The Giant page says the fork is steel so it's a bit strange that the ride was so stiff.
I immediately ruled out the belt drive models. Although this design offers a low maintenance drivetrain, it is also much less efficient mechanically. I mean, you've got an IGH hub which is already incredibly low maintenance, why sacrifice efficiency for a tad bit less maintenance? Of course, if you're really drawn to a belt drive, that opens your options up a bit but I tend to be a traditionalist.
I think just the steerer (which I understand to be the part that fits inside the frame) of the Seek's fork is cromo while the blades are aluminum. Riding the Seek made me think I should consider cromo or carbon forks if the frame is aluminum.
Why do you think belt drives are less mechanically efficient? Harley-Davidson uses them throughout their line of motorcycles and they create a lot more horsepower than I do. I'm sure there is some loss due to stretching, but no more than with a chain. If it was significant we'd all be riding shaft-drive bikes like Dynamics. Thanks for your reply, though.