Originally Posted by
modernjess
No problems so far with my Alfine 8, but it's a good old fashioned chain drive. I guess I could do a thread search for opinions or promotional information, but I don't get the allure of the belt drive.
...And I don't get the resistance; it's almost as if some (not you, modernjess
) are hoping for it to fail so they can say their "I-told-you-sos". For me, a 2-minute test ride is all it took, and I was hooked. Same goes for the Alfine hub. I'm not naive enough to think that belt drive or IGH are going to faze out chains and dérailleurs anytime soon (or at all, for that matter), but I do believe we'll see more and more similar setups in the coming years, especially as the bugs get ironed out. I just makes sense; less mess, less maintenance, and less noise (which offsets the extra dough, but like any new technology it is likely to become cheaper as the years go by). Those who don't get it never will, and those of us who do don't care if they get it or not.