yes, i think what attracts the sand and grime is the lubricant itself, i would think a totally dry belt would pick up much less abrasive grit.

Hahah, looks like you cought up with your cofee intake, huh? Yeah, I meant right seatstay.

I'm not sure you really know what you're talking about.

H-D, Buell, BMW, and Hyosung have belt-driven bikes in their lineups.

Personally, I'd love to rock a belt drive fixed gear bike. You go from a low-maintenance drivetrain to an effectively no-maintenance drivetrain.

Actually HD and Buell have been 100% belt drive for 20 years. My two Harleys have 70K miles and nearly 100K miles on their belts. They have belt guards to prevent stones from getting between the sprocket and the belt, which could cause serious damage. They are completely maintenance free, do not stretch, are clean and very quiet. The biggest disadvantage that I can see with a single gear setup is that it is difficult and expensive to change gearing. I really like the idea with a multispeed internal hub setup such as the Trek Soho.

beltline.

Just messin mang....

indeed....

But can I get a white belt to match my pants belt and glasses?

Whatwould the advantage be? Seems like it'd wear much faster. Ill stick w my kmc bmx chain!

The advantage is that they wear MUCH SLOWER and last much longer with no maintenance. Never have to clean it, lube it, or adjust it, and it should last many years.

still wouldn't catch me dead on one.

It looks like the part that open is right near the dropouts, at the corner of the chain and seat stay. If its at the corner there, I dont think it would really reduce the stiffness or structural integrity of the frame. I haven't done any math, but I think that makes some sense, right?...

The silver piece is bolted to the bottom of the seat stay and the top of the dropout, and can be unbolted and removed to create a gap sufficiently large to permit the belt to pass through. The chain stay is solidly connected to the dropout and is not affected. The chainstay must transmit bending and torsional loads and needs to be strong and continous, but the seatstay only carries axial loading such that a bolted connection to the dropout will not affect its capacity to carry its loading. In fact, some frames simply bolt the seatstays at the top to the seat tube, such as my old Nishiki rigid MTB. This is why seat stays are typically made of smaller diameter tubing than chain stays.

Does anyone actually own a Trek Carbon District?

It's been out a year or so and I haven't seen any on the street, or any personal reviews online...

A shop around here stocks them, so maybe they do sell

Rode one .. don't like it one bit. Yeah less maintenance but pedal response is definitely not there due to belt flex so it makes the pedals feel mushy if you're crankin up a hill. I prefer the traditional chain drive.. just IMHO.

This is surprising to me - I think you'd flex the frame and crank arms more than you'd stretch that belt under pedal power. Maybe there's a bit of deformation of the rubber around the teeth while the carbon inside stays intact.

I don't think those belts flex (stretch) or deform either. Perhaps it was not set up properly on the bike. Unlike chains, which need to have some slack in them, those belts need to be setup fairly tight so they feel like rubber bands. I've got belts on my two Harleys, and they provide a very responsive drivetrain.

There is no such thing as Buell anymore and their only success in competition came in the form of a chain drive with an Austrian made engine. This was only last year when they were able to compete (by rules made for them) with bikes with HALF the cc's. HD is the opposite of innovative. Belts are fine for a lot of uses. Many motorcycles use shaft drive too, but when it comes down to performance, ability to repair, and reliability chains are in use in every form of motorcycle competition and not belts. Outside of competition when traveling long stretches of the world outside of the US, chains are the choice.

A friend of mine commented on this Trek when it came out last year or so. He doesn't ride and doesn't own a bicycle, nor have access to one. He said he wanted one because "chain noise" was so annoying. I just looked at him in amazement and he was serious. People are ****ing weird.