91MF

i win.

ps. anyone want to trade careers?

jhota

what's the lower chain drive? oil and water pumps?

Metricoclock

belt tension will be more crucial than ever thats for sure.

I would still be skeptical in regards to dirt and such, yes modern street bikes have belts, but there is a good reason why dirt bikes still have chains.

earthtoandy

I am going to give it a shot. I'm not concerned of the hurdles to convert to a belt since the District already is belt driven. Just wondering how well it would work as a fixie. I've seen a couple bikes that will be in production so I assume it should work fine. Looked good in the video demo

wearyourtruth

i don't know if this has been mentioned, but my thought was definitely what if you want to change ratios? do you have to buy a whole new belt since you can't just add/remove links? not a reason to avoid it but you gotta know what you want...

i also agree with the very first response of where the heck are you going to get a fixed belt-drive cog? you'll need it.

Sangetsu

Bicycle drive belts are reliable. They have been using them on garden variety commuter bikes here in Japan for years, I see them every day. Chains do wear out, and they rust. I've replaced the Campy 9 speed chain on my Gios 4 times over the years, it's amazing how quickly they begin to stretch.

No lube and no noise sounds like quite a selling point. And if the belt does stretch and wear out (it takes literally tens of millions of revolutions at high torque and temperature to break a car timing belt), a spare belt takes up less space than a spare tube, and weighs about the same.

I'll go over to the Bridgestone bike shop this week and take a closer look, a complete belt driven bike costs under $200. Perhaps they have the cranks, belt, and hubs available separately.

dobber

That career being what, taking pictures?

Seriously, big deal. It's a bunch of chain drives.

91MF

sand in your vagina?

straws papers

I feel like it would be quite squishy. People are talking about the belts being carbon and how strong they are and how long they last. My concern would be does it stretch temporarily when I crush my cranks.

Now the main reason I wouldnt get one is availability. Where can I get a new chainring, a new cog, a new belt? How much will renewing my drive train cost me? These are very specialized parts sold by Trek. We all know trek. That integrated BB that needs special tools just to adjust? I'm not buying something I cant realistically work on myself.

zac

I know you are asking a question, so I'll answer it: Absolutely not. In fact no special tools at all other than what you need to loosen your cranks (usually a hex wrench). No special BB tools at all. Just your fingers. Trek's integrated bottom bracket couldn't be any simpler in design. Even the bearings are standard cartridge bearings for your particular cranks, and available from multiple sources in various grades and composites (ie steel or ceramics). So simple, in fact, you could carry a set of bearings with you and swap them out on the road if you had to. You don't even need locktight, they fit in that precisely.

Now for the belt drive: my two concerns are availability of different cogs/ratios and how will mud/road grime/snow/ice effect the system? Seems to me this bike is intended as a commuter, so winter riding should be an anticipated use. With the right ratio and ability to change for summer/winter riding not having to worry about chain lubrication in the winter with road salt would be a real bonus. I swear after some rides you can literally see your chain rust in real-time!

zac

ilikebikes

So why did you ask if you have your mind made up? Go buy the damn bike and tell us what YOU think.

earthtoandy

Cause this isn't a question about belt drive vs chain.... the question is about the feasibility of converting it to a fixed gear setup. technically I don't know enough to understand everything involved. everyone has kinda ignored that and turned it into belt vs. chain.

ilikebikes

;Thats because everyone (well not everyone) thinks the chain would be a better bet than a belt on a FG bike, prob why everyones making the comparisons. If your that sure about the belt drive system Im sure you can find a way of making it fixed and letting us know how it goes Im also sure that the forum members will be more than happy to help you out with the conversion. (if asked)

sneaky viking

Are you hearing what people are saying?!

The first answer you got says it all: Unless you have a machine shop, where are you going to get a rear fixed belt drive cog?

Not to mention the other stuff about changing gear ratios and available belt sizes and belt durability, etc.

Earth to Andy, indeed.

straws papers

yeah, if you want to do this then ****ing do it. We'll help you out. We have not ignored that. In fact the opposite. We have given you sound advice as to why converting to fixed is a poor idea.


I'm tired of people coming in asking for people's opinion and then rejecting the opinions that dont match their own. If you have already made up your mind about something then post a thread saying "I'm going to make a belt drive fixed" or "I'm going to buy a sparton frame" instead of asking for opinions and ignoring sound advice.

ilikebikes

That gives me a headache just looking at it!

harrier

Check out this one from Fixie - going into production in their 09 line

alheim

91MF, do you work with cars?

straws papers

I dont think I could ever buy anything called or labeled as 'fixie'.

91MF

yea, im an audi tech. thats the chain drive on the back of a 4.2

alheim

ah, that seems a cool job. do you like it? what a beautiful motor.

if i didn't pay so much for rent, i'd be all over a s/rs4. wish they offered a biturbo motor in the new s4 instead of the v8 (not that i wouldn't take either)

are those chains under a lot of tension? i always am intrigued that those those plastic-looking chain guides that route the chain around, as shown in your pictures, don't wear out really quickly. i realize that they're lubricated, but still. they must be made of some sort of nylon or something?

sneaky viking

"The Five Star embodies innovation, embedded in a new interpretation of puristic extravagance."

Awesome.

Actually, it looks pretty cool. But it's a one-off for a design competition? I don't see it on their site.

bakaster

There is one thing that worries me about the belt drives and that is the need to cut open the stays to put a new belt on there rather than the ease of taking a chain breaker which only costs a few bucks. (unless there are belts that have some sort of master link type thing as well.)

bakaster

Additionally, the only motorcycles that have used belts are generally big fat cruisers. This is not because they can't hold be power, but rather that they are so inconvenient to work on/with. why do you think that all competitive performance bikes use chains? I know buell uses (well used until they designed their own engine rather than using a recycled harley sportster plant) a belt, but their 1300 cc bike can't even keep up with my r6 on the track.

zip22

'cut open the stays'? the models that companies are actually selling have pretty straightforward ways to get the belt on. the trek belt would come off with a few bolts.