Originally Posted by
njkayaker
??? It doesn't seem he's considering the Rholhoff as a "contingency benefit". He just wants the option to try/use one.
That's correct! One of those "wants" that us crazy cyclists sometimes see ourselves having. LOL. I'm not in any rush to get a Rohloff whether chain or belt. I'm also interested to see what NuVinci develops over the next couple of years. I know 4 people currently touring in South America with chain Rohloffs. All positive experiences from the POV of little maintenance, wide gear ratio and no worries about bent/damaged derailleurs when going off-road. As far a belt drive goes, making a frame ready for one is a minimal addition when the frame is being built. There are also no drawbacks adding the EBB and seatstay splitter as they don't compromise the frame in any way. It is, however, more complicated and expensive to add these things later and then try to make everything work smoothly. Apparently belts can be a finicky to set up. Rohloff, for instance, will not sell belt drives to just anyone. Gotta go through a dealer certified to install their belt systems. I often see posts here in the BF of people considering going belt and a common answer is that they should consider getting a new frame expressly made for one.
Even ignoring the S&S couplers, it's much cheaper adding a few extra bits to one custom frame than to have to buy two custom frames.
Ditto.