Hi all

My first post 'hopefully of many'.

Im thinking of getting a bike to commute to and from work. Its 3 miles each way and flat 'perfect'.

Ive had my eye on the Trek District for some time... its cool looks, belt drive and single speed seem like the right combo. I am still waiting for its release. Has any1 had the opportunity to try one out?

The Cannondale Bad Boy is also on my radar.

Any feedback please.

Is it actually in the wild yet? Last I had seen, it and the Soho were still held up for release.

I think they have started to come through over the last 2 weeks.

I checked with Trek-Madison yesterday and they gave me an ETA of July 13 (up from June the last time I checked)

I notice they leave an opening in the frame (at the drop out) so you can change the belt. I'd want to know more about that before purchasing. How does the wheel connect and is that design something that would stand up. If that turns into a weak point for some reason, your screwed as there is no going back to a different type of drop out. Be sure about this before buying.

^ well noted. I cant see there being a problem though 'famous last words'.

Any feedback on the Cannondale Bad Boy?

I wonder how changing a tire at night in the rain with this bike goes... opening up the frame and all. Besides that i would jump on this thing is a second. It's a beauty and I'm sure it just s i l e n t.

From what ive read it is silent

It has to be the best looking bike that ive seen. I think you either love it or hate it.

I would of course put a brooks sadle and bag on it.

I guess if you are looking for a bike that looks cool and is capable of going 3 miles on flat terrain, this would be a fine bike.

My Giant Sedona, which was 1/4 the price, has more functionality. But your bike would look cooler. Better get a couple of good locks.

Changing the tire should be exactly the same as any IGH with a chain. The only time you'd mess with opening the frame would be when replacing the belt.

Yep. It's a real bummer. People have been asking about the belt drives all the time at the shop, and we have to tell them they've gotta wait three months or so.

Feedback from my local dealer 'Leeds, Uk', it should arrive before the end of May

Now you know why my opening question

It depends on the dealer... some have already got their stock.

I'm too old to take the bait, but my coffee taste's like crap today. Or it might be my new filling. Either way, my bike has more "function" than your Sedona, so, by your logic, yours is a loser. If function was the key factor people want, North America would be filled with old style English 3-speeds. Lots of people like single speeds and internal gear hubs, and such bikes with high end features are already on the market. Look at the Raleigh One Way or Rush Hour.

One could also argue that "functionality" doesn't include an exposed transmission. Also, the relaxed geometry of the Sedona isn't that functional for some. Food for thought.

Is the chain, or lack of one, on the Trek District something new or am I just behind the times?

I should also add, that is one bad @ss looking bike; if I were a bit younger I'd have to have one.

Your lagging a little there pal.

Its belt driven ' carbon-composite belt'.

It is proven technology, I had a motorcycle with a belt-drive back in 85-86 (Kawi GPz-305) and Harley-Davidson/Buell has used nothing but belts on their motorcycles for 10-15 years now. And as much as I appreciate Trek forging ahead with new technology, here are some of the drawbacks I can see:

Drawbacks that apply to both bikes and motorcycles:

1) the belt abhors a small diameter. So there is a limit to how small you can make the small sprocket (front for motos and rear for bikes). So if you want to have the equivalent of 39/16 gearing on a belt-drive system, you might need to go 58/24 or something. And that big front sprocket might look pretty weird. Look at the size of the rear sprocket on a Buell Blast (motorcycle) if you want to see how goofy a too-big sprocket looks.

2) you are limited as to your gearing choices. Of course having horizontal drop-outs gives you a little leeway, but at some point changing your gearing will require a different sized belt, and it is not anywhere as easy as just taking some links out of a chain.

Drawback that only affects bicycles:

3) unlike motorcycles, most bicycles use the chain-drive to change gears. So unless there is some further development in terms of gearing built into hubs or even cranks (planetary gears??) belt drive is limited to single-speed and hub-geared bikes. So even if this works great, it will still be a niche within a niche.

Anyhow, I applaud Trek for going forward with this, and who knows, maybe in 20-30 years chain-driven bikes will be regarded as antiques.

I would love to see a geared version.

Sure, a 10 speed cassette for a belt would only be what, 6 inches wide or so with a 9 inch large cog?

Don't hold your breath.

Do it with a hub. That's doable.

Would you add a hub to the district or just buy the Soho? How come? Looks/Carbon fork?

The District looks like a great bike. I have ridden Spot belt drive mtb's and cyclocross bikes, and they are fantastic! Silent, no gunk accumulation, nigh indestructible. I suspect that once the District lands, it will sell well to the ss crowd. And yes, you can run a belt drive with an internal hub!

How easy would this be? Is it something that you could do yourself?

Simpel, a swiss firm are bringing out a number of bikes with belt drive and both alfine and rohloff hubs.

here's an optimist, the bike name, pulling a car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k80ibA-fyw

I think they have got a bit confused about what commuting by bike means