ShinyBiker

I was thinking about getting the right chain, er belt, tension when removing/reinstalling the rear wheel. I know I've had trouble with chain tension and I'm fairly mechanically savy.

brakemeister

chaincases, chainguards, belt driven .... whatever

There are indeed various neat products out there..... I have an SKS sample and Hebie makes cool ones and and and .. however they are all designed for So called MTB or CityBikes Hybrids ( large ugly looking bikes ) which sports 48 teeth at the very max diameter from chainwheels ... Our beloved 20 incher however need 53 teeth in the front to make up any kind of viable gear ratios ....

If anybody finds a belt drive , chainguard, which actually will fit our bikes, PLEASE send me a link and I will investigate and I will get that sucker over here and for sale ,..... but it has to fit without welding or cutting brazing etc etc

Thanks Thor

ShinyBiker

Thor,
Ask and ye shall receive...

I was able to fit this chainguard to my Dahon Yeah. It has a 52T ring.

https://utilitycyclist.blogspot.com/2...ard-to-my.html

I didn't do any cutting or welding, but I did bend out the steel a little. It came with some p clamps that I was not able to use, though. Those clamps were made for thin tubes. I utilized plumber's strapping tape. I got it from velo orange. I love it!

griftereck

what about a CVT system.
some cars use it and lots of scooters.
I saw it on a strange looking recumbent bike.
I know theres movable cone shaped pulleys in it.
cant be too hard to make.
be good it could be made with a 1.5 to about 4.5 overdrive
that would give good range of gears on a 20" wheel

datako

That's dead easy for a mechanic. In any case a belt will require a tensioner so it's simply a case of setting the tension with that and then tightening up the wheel nuts.

Carlos71

NuVinci Bicycle CVT
https://es.youtube.com/watch?v=kVPjhmTThPo
https://www.fallbrooktech.com/NuVinci.asp

Check out this comment on YouTube:

brakemeister

4 kg are almost 9 pounds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thor

datako

4kg is almost the weight of a small engine...

Carlos71

Here's some real info:

https://www.fallbrooktech.com/06_Bike_FAQ.asp

Carlos71

And last but not least:

https://www.fallbrooktech.com/06_Bike_FAQ.asp

werewolf

Weight and price settle the question. NuVinci is not for bicycles.

I saw a belt drive bike at the Tucson bicycle meet yesterday. Didn't get to try it, though. It was on a custom made bike. The builder gave me his card:

www.edsbikes.us

Very interesting website and links.

Drwecki

Hey all, sorry to bring this up again, but...I was looking on the carbon drive website mentioned early on in this post and they simply direct me to buy a new bike.... I just want the drive system (I'll figure out the opening the frame up myself). Can you buy the drive system yourself? How would you DIY this?

datako

I have all the parts on order but haven't seen them yet.

It's not as straightforward as fitting a chain system because your chainstay length is critical. If it's slightly out of range there's no way to compensate for it. This is because at the moment there is a limited range of sprockets, and the belt lengths come in 5 tooth differences. With a chain you simply knock a link or two out (or on).

I ended up writing a small program to calculate all this for me because trying to sort it out manually was making my tiny brain spin.

staehpj1

I don't get it. Why would I accept any decrease in performance to reduce noise? Bikes are already plenty quiet. I never notice any level of noise that is objectionable on any of my bikes. In addition internal geared hubs are often noisier, less efficient, and heavier than a dérailleur system. It kind of looks like change for the sake of change to me.

The belt system would be cleaner, but how big of a deal is that? I really don't find lubing a chain once in a while to be much of a hassle and I find my drive train stays pretty clean with the lube I use. So again I would not be willing to accept any performance hit.

So for example you could build a bike with a belt and a Rolhoff hub. It would be very expensive, less efficient, probably noisier, and heavier. It would be cleaner and require less maintenance, but that doesn't seem like enough to make it worthwhile to me. Different strokes... Some may find it worthwhile, but I doubt it is the wave of the future.

Drwecki

So, can you give me more information?

1) Where to buy the parts, What parts to buy
2) What is needed to do the mod the bike (I have a 3 spd coaster brake hub that I want to use)
3) Maybe your program (excel spreadsheet?/java?)
4) is there any info on this?

Thanks a billion man.

Drwecki

I'm sorry my logical brother, I am an illogical guy. Basically, I think it is unusual enough to look super sexy. My bikes are just made to get me to work and around bars while looking cool (the one exception is my winter bike which is made to eat snow). Other people have a desire for performance, I'm not one of them. This goes for my entire life, my first car was a '69 beetle (I'm only 27 years old). So, that is my answer, but it is my choice to try to have a super cool bike...

elmergeorge

I saw this review yesterday about a shaft drive folder and then went to the website to look at their belt drive...does anyone know anything about these bikes?

https://www.abiobikes.com/models.html

https://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/11/abi...ding-bike.html

itsajustme

I don't think there is necessarily a decrease in performance.

1. For a singlespeed bike a belt drive is supposedly more efficient than a chain drive.
2. On multispeeds, while a derailleur is very efficient when the chain line is straight, certain cog combinations can make it less efficient than an internal hub.
3. In urban environments any advantage a derailleur might have is probably lost on the fact that they are slower to shift and require cycling through many intermediate gears before getting the right one, especially if you need to deal with both front and rear shifters (and you will need to if you want a range comparable to a high end internal hub).
4. A belt is lighter than a chain, so a light weight three speed hub with belt may actually be lighter than a derailleur setup of equivalent range.

A derailleur is only more efficient in a very limited set of circumstances, such as a race where you can preset the gear at the beginning and don't need to stop until the end. If that's the kind of riding you're doing where you think a derailleur is the best option then I guess you'd be accepting a decrease in performance in changing to a belt drive, but for most I think a chain driven internal hub already offers better performance and a belt drive will only increase it further while simultaneously reducing noise, weight, maintainence, and filth. "Change for the sake of change" implies that the only advantage is it's different, but in this case I think the only disadvantage is it's different (everything else about it is superior).

datako

Decrease in performance? Are we talking about figures quoted for a perfectly lubed and tensioned chain? Or are we talking about a real life commuter bike situation where the average chain is not perfectly lubed or tensioned? It's not intended for the TdF.

The efficiency of the Gates belt drive is comparable - I know this must be true - I read it in their brochure.

I wouldn't swap my quiet efficient S-A 3 speed hub for an inefficient quickwearing deraileur anyday (but, yeah, why would anyone want a Rohloff coffeegrinder attached to their back wheel).

The cleanliness is a big deal for me. A chain is an evil device whose sole purpose is to spread filth over fellow commuters and oneself. (A properly enclosed oilbath chain would also be attractive)

Drwecki

is there a kit available (I see all these bike manufactures are getting a hold of parts somehow)

or

DIY instructions? or guidance? Cost?

TBAKEL

Wrapped V-Belt 90 to 95%
Notched Raw Edge V-Belt 95 to 98%
Synchronous (used on Strida) 95 to 98%

Chain efficiencies:
Roller (normally used on bicycles) 95 to 98%
Non Roller 90 to 95%

When I have to choose a drive system that must operate unattended for long periods in harsh conditions I choose a Synchronous belt and use more than two as belts fail catastrophically while chains normally do not. A roller chain is ideal for bicycle applications as long as each roller is kept clean and lubricated. A roller chain or V-Belt left unattended in a dirty environment can drop into the 85 to 90 percent range rather quickly. In a chain drive system as roller friction climbs cog friction and wear increases and soon the whole system is less efficient. A V-Belt system left unattended tends to decrease even faster than a chain drive.

Another interesting fact proven by the oil industry and steel industries still operating systems built before or during WWII, a low speed chain drive that is well maintained will last a very long time. I recently saw in an inventory audit a roller chain purchased from Germany in 1937 as a spare for a compressor. It was the only spare purchased and the original is still spinning the compressor it was installed on. A belt would not have lasted as long.

I purchased a Strida because the high speed trains in Asia and Europe would no longer let me bring a chain driven folding bike on board due to the grease and dirt. The bike would have to be in a case, which I did not have or wished to carry. The Strida is the perfect bike for my lifestyle in that it fits in the overhead of a train and under my desk at work. In both cases if the weather is bad I carry a towel to wipe the bike and tires off before boarding the train or entering the office building.

As far as belt slip in the rain goes, I am using Speedplay Frogs and having power delivered to the rear wheel through almost 350 degrees of pedal rotation seems to have cured the belt slipping when wet.

TBakel

chainstrainer

I just read this article on Trek's new belt drive bikes coming out this month and January 2009. If Trek makes a splash with the District and Soho then can others be far behind?