For 4ucksake people, let's get some tech on these boards. Here is my contribution:




Benefits: No lubrication, quieter than yours, belt lighter than equivalent length of chain

Cons: Drivewheel/cog are potential boat anchors, not NJS

can you skid?

I don't see why not. The belt interface isn't directional.

More importantly, does it have enough tension to sever your fingertips during routine maintenance? If not I don't want to hear about it.

Do you get rocks/crud/sticks stuck under the belt? Seems like this would happen really easily.

I think it could be a good thing. But it's as technically advanced as a Harley Davidson.

Which is what 1/2 of this board will be taking out home equity loans out for in 25 years...

Looks like it could slip pretty easily, so I'd guess no on the skids.

Why would that be any more likely than with a chain/chainring?


Like many other drive choices, it has it's pros and cons. If you look at drive systems for camshafts in modern vehicles, you'll see application of both belt and chain driven systems. The service interval on a belt system would be significantly shorter, that's the first thing that comes to mind. This is true in vehicles, and I'd expect the UV / environmental contribution on a bike to exaggerate this.

I didn't know it was in use on MTB setups. How do people like it?

I'm going to disagree with this. Properly tensioned, a tooth belt drive in this application would be no more likely to slip than a chain drive. As I said previously, they use them on timing belts so...

If I had to guess, I'd say really the only reason you don't see more of this is that the chain is such an established drive system due to necessity on geared bikes. While this system would likely work as well (if not better in some aspects) for single speed, a 10 gear rear cassette might look a little... plump?

how do you get the belt on? You can't break a car belt, you slip it on the gears and then tension it. Bikes use chains because you can break a chain and put it through the rear triangle. Or are these breakable belts?

Touche, Some sort of awkward outboard adapter perhaps?

Unless the drivetrain is like the one on this bike:



So, to answer your question, I have no idea.

bwahahahaha.

the jerico has a chianstay? that you can pull apart.

People said they had slippage issues just pedaling a SS, skidding/skipping puts more pressure than that..

What is that thing? I'm appalled and awestruck at the same time.
EDIT: The aero bike.

Also: If it breaks, you are pretty much SOL unless you are carrying a spare belt or are within walking distance of a shop

VERY susceptible to vandalism (i.e. some jerk with a broken bottle can cut it).

Won't leave stylish holes in pant legs (maybe).

Belt drive systems are far from high tech. They've been around about as long as the roller chain. They are used on motorcycles, but roller chains are still the more popular choice.

Pros are lover maintenance, belt drive systems on motorcycles don't need periodic lubrication, and they don't need tightening as frequently.

Cons: I think they are also less durable, and are of course impossible to repair. I believe they also have more friction than a properly lubricated and adjusted roller chain, but I might be wrong about that one.

Yes, it does. There's a little bolt on the chainstay and one on the seatstay, you remove the bolts, take off the right side dropout/trackend then slide the belt into the rear triangle, then re-install the dropout/trackend and bolts.

a disqualified hour record bike

sorry to disagree but my auto-cross car used to slip the timing belt under hard acceleration it was due t too much torque on the little rubber teeth

I'd be willing to bet you had a tension issue or something similar. I have built or been a part of many 300-500whp cars on stock timing belts and NEVER had an issue with slippage, even at 9k-10k rpm motors...

I've spent years in autox, prosolo, rallyx, hillclimb, etc. etc. I've never had any timing belt slip.

this is nothing new. the jerico belt derive system came out a couple years back. it was called the "red october" system.
it was only available in a 2:1 ratio. (mtb offroad)

it/jerico failed for many reasons, mainly beacuse of the nuerotic owner of jerico bikes driving the company into the ground for untold reasons. i'm not sure if jerico is back up and running, i've kinda fell off the mtb hype circuit.

and all belt driven bikes are fatally flawed from the beginning: efficiency.


i used to own a jerico bike. it was the best mtb bike i've ever ridden.

If people had slippage issues then something wasn't nearly designed/setup right. It is a hard statement for people to really listen to, but it's important that I say "when it is designed properly" That means the ratio between gears, belt dimensions, tension, system deflection, etc. must all be taken into account. Too many variables on a bike I only have 1/2 a picture of to analyze this one in particular, but my goal was just to say that there is nothing inherently wrong with a belt drive for a single ratio system.