Originally Posted by
DropBarFan
Belts are "unproven" & "new"? Gates makes belts for NHRA Top-Fuel dragsters & I can't imagine a more demanding application than that! The "middle of nowhere" arguments are problematic. Chains break too & I'm not sure how many Outer Mongolian bike shops carry narrow derailer chains. I've driven thru Mexico for 1,000's of miles & can attest that that aren't many bike shops of any description in the hinterlands. So a bike tourist with their dinosaur bike can hardly be confident of quickly & reliably obtaining replacement parts. Rohloff reliability is reputedly near-perfect. Why not have hi-tech reliable stuff & if there's a breakdown pay for a ride to the nearest town & have the part FedExed in?
The application of belts to bicycles is quite different from their use for high powered motor vehicles, so it's not unreasonable to think there might be a learning curve that's just getting started. Bicycles are very low power but with substantial torque and, compared to motor vehicles, demand very lightweight and highly efficient drivetrains. So just because it works in a dragster doesn't mean you can easily scale the belt down to a size that's acceptable on a bike and not run into any reliability issues. Most bike tourists are averse to being beta testers of a new item's reliability.
And yes, chains do break, but generally only a single link breaks and the chain can be rejoined with a link or two removed. You might need to be especially careful not to shift into the large/large combination for awhile, but you should be able to continue riding to the next town that has replacement bike parts even if that's hundreds of miles away.