mtalinm

I'll never buy another belt drive. way too hard to change the rear tire.

BarracksSi

Harder than usual, but how often do people usually change the tire, though? Apart from getting a nasty cut in it (which has happened to me), I try to keep them until the tread's gone or cords are starting to show.

The tube, on the other hand, can be patched while still mostly on the wheel. I did that with my road bike a couple weeks back just to see if it was as easy as they say, and the patch is still holding air. I could've done it with the wheel still on the bike, too.

canyoneagle

The process really isn't any different with a chain-driven IGH/ss - the tension and alignment are just part of the deal with any straight drive train.

Mr IGH

There's much more tension in a belt drive system, I wonder about premature wear on freehub/wheels/IGH from having the belt tension cranked up so high. I remain unconvinced about the need/advantage of the Gates system.

canyoneagle

I agree - I'm a willful "tester" of the technology, and it has worked quite well thus far. The tension is greater, but not by that much.
Gates is still dialing things in, and the design has changed from a year ago when I got my bike. I accept that as part of the process. For example, the original Alfine cog/pulley was made of aluminum - really bad idea, given the fact that the hub only has 3 points of engagement. As is commonly happening with this poor design, my pulley failed (spun freely after the points sheared), and Gates Fed-exed the new steel cog to me free of charge. Not just as a bike warranty thing - I built the wheel and converted the bike to the Alfine setup.

I figure if belt drive isn't a viable configuration, I can always go back to chain drive, but so far, I love it. It is much cleaner than a chain. Much cleaner. I know that a chain cover helps this, so that is an equivalent option (I prefer the open drive train, though). I have ridden my bike all winter in all conditions, and the belt is like teflon. nothing sticks to it. I did a spring bike bath to get the salt and dirt off of the bike, and the top tube was dirtier than the belt. If I had a chain, it would have been nasty (of course I would have maintained it frequently through the winter, so it would not have been THAT bad )

Time will tell, and I'm a pretty satisfied "paying guinea pig" at this point.

My other bike at the moment is a chain-driven IGH and I love it, too. I just have to clean and lube the chain, chainrings, and cog.

The way I see it is that - whatever shakes out of this whole belt drive thing - by having direct experience with it I can form my own opinion of it. I see it as an experimental technology (on bicycles, that is) that has tangible benefits if proven to be reliable (including influence on other parts of the drive train as you point out).