Thinking about getting a belt drive... fixie?
 

Hi, I'm gonna be new to the single-speed/fixed gear world.

I'm thinking about getting a Trek District as I am really intrigued by the belt drive and it will fit my needs perfectly. The District is a single-speed, does anyone see an issue with making it a fixed gear? I have seen some demos of a belt driven fixed gear but don't know enough about possible issues, etc.

Thanks for the info in advance.

Unless you go ghetto or have a machine shop at your disposal to make your own "belt-track-cog" it is going to be tough.

why.....

Spot bikes is coming out with a belt driven 29er. Saw it in the Photos from Expo Cycle thread today.

http://www.bicyclesmile.com/img/expo2.jpg
http://www.bicyclesmile.com/img/expo1.jpg

http://www.truveo.com/Fixie-Inc-belt.../id/2198571705

I know it can be done. just not sure what it takes and if it presents problems (performance, reliability, etc...)

why what?

why belt drive?
i am all about innovation but it doesn't seem like a belt would not work well for a fixed application

Chains have done the job well since day one. Why try to fix something that aint broke? Look at cars, they have used chains for the engines for a loooooong time. Then some geek over at GM thought it would be a great idea to switch over to a belt! Now we have to have them changed with ever oil change! LOL! The belts break as they are basically rubber and nylon, where the steel chain is much stronger and only stretches, and that takes a looooong time to happen. I had a 1966 Chevy Chevelle back in 1993 with the orig timing chain in it! In the three years that I owned it it never had a problem, but our "new" car had to have the nylon belt replaced THREE (3) times! Two of those were in the three years that we owned the Chevelle! LOL!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...imingchain.jpg

oh man. this debate again. since the chain has been what we have used it must be the only thing... stay away from new things. progress is scary. People say it ain't broke when really there are lots of downsides to a chain, people have just come to accept them.

So many people here have the same argument with really knowing the facts.

Motorcycles have used belts for a long time, its not a new concept.

Its not nylon either as much as it is carbon. They don't stretch and the belt drive will way outlast your chain.

I want it for many reasons:
No lube and grease. Cleaner and more suitable for storage in my home/work
No maintenance which is great cause I will commute with it and would rather not deal with it. I just want it to work.
I will be moving to Seattle and worrying about water, dirt and other debris the weather/city will offer will be greatly reduced.
Its an even simpler, more durable, longer lasting application.
Quiet and more comfortable of a ride.
They are fun.

i would think that the grit from the road would eat at your 'belt' faster than it breaks down metal

Also, I dunno how much I would trust it for sick skidz. Then again wtf do I know about engineering or belt drives. I've got an IQ of 67.

not when its as simple as rinsing it off. the sticky grease + grit is the real problem you avoid.

ilikebikes is totally right. Look at the difference between recommended changing mileage for a car with a timing belt as apposed to a timing chain (saab 900 comes to mind, the v6 variant requires belt change at like 1/2 the mileage of the chain on the I4 one)

the thing that bothers me about belt drive isn't the belt - it's the rear triangle having to come apart to install or remove it.

i worry about the potential loss in rigidity; not as big a deal with a motorcycle, as the power output of an internal combustion engine is great enough that losses due to flex will be far less noticeable.

but for a human being? there i'm not so sure. the much lower level of power output makes the same absolute amount of power loss a far larger percentage.

a better comparison is motorcycles. on motorcycles the belts last longer than chains

That's different though. He's looking at carbon reinforced super-belts. The **** they put in cars are designed to fail because a car that never breaks down doesn't make money.

yeah car belts are basically rubber with some steel wire. the belts on motorcycles, snowmobiles, and these bikes are carbon composites.

they dont stretch, are incredibly strong and last a really long time.

Not being able to change the belt yourself would be a major pain, even if they do last longer. Otherwise they seem pretty nice.

yup

thats the one big bummer.

why can't you change the belt yourself?

How the hell do you get the belt into the rear triangle?

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/articl...district-18268

check out the rear drop outs. it looks like there's a little gap between the chainstay and the seatstay so that you can replace the belt, then kind of insert a fitted piece of metal to "close the gap". Basically, there's a hole where the dropout is, and i can see belts as being easily replaced with this frame.

however, converting a chain-drive bike to a belt-drive bike looks like it'll take some cuttin', and CNC or forge work.

dude ,get a Disc hub flip it over and drill holes in your pulley gear thing using the old brake disc as a template. Then to get your belt line use washers under the surface of your pulley cog thing or adjust the axle in the hub a bit. Let me know how it works out.I'm sure you want have many problems.I think you can get away with using just a drill press.

I got the idea from http://www.63xc.com/jasom/milldisc.htm

as far as getting the belt on I would carefully cut the driveside dropout out with a smallish cutting wheel and develop some sort of bolt-on dropout that can removed with small bolts that mount/unmount it .uh, maybe. think about it man.You can figure some crazy $%#$ up .

Oh, yeah and good luck to you .

To my mind the only objection to a belt would be the lack of range of gearing options, but if it was available in equivalents to 32/18 for offroad, 42/16 for general hacking, and 48/18 for my fixie, I wouldn't care.

Obviously we'll need some minor changes to design to fit them. I suspect retrofitting will be a nono because belts are going to need stiff chainstays to keep their alignment perfect - chains are much more tolerant.