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Singlespeed belt drive
March 17th, 2008 by Fritz 
Here’s some bike porn for you all. Lynskey Performance just posted about their use of belt drives on singlespeed bikes. They title the post “A Stunning Singlespeed.” I saw their belt drive bikes at the 2008 Handbuilt Bicycle Show and they are indeed stunning.
I talked with some folks at the show about the practicality of belt drives on bicycles. Belt drives used on motorcycle drivetrains are expected to last at least 10,000 miles; they should have at least the same lifespan on a bicycle. Belts don’t require lubrication, eliminating the need for a full chain case. Modern belts don’t have nearly the performance penalty that rubber belts had.
This is obviously a show bike for a boutique upscale market, but I think we can expect to see some trickle down to more practical and affordable applications. If you want or need gears for your bike, builders are now designing bikes using a belt drive with internally gear hubs.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I think these belt drives are the future for cycling, the purists may be abit upset but they will be perfect for a commuter like myself.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I’m not entirely convinced of belt drives. The automotive industry uses them, but then they’re significantly wider than the application for bicycles and shielded from debris for the most part.
a nice rock or piece of glass embedded in there may be bad.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Meh, chains work great. I’ve got nothing against belts (except the old ones that slip) but I’m happy with what I have. Belts have been the on/off fad with cyclists for years and have never really made it. Maybe this round will be different, but I doubt it.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I have a belt drive on my electric bike. They work well. They would require a frame where the rear axle can be pulled aft like on a motorcycle. The belt stretches a bit over time, and to prevent it from slipping over the cogs you pull the rear axle back to take up the slack. My electric bike has screws that make this adjustment easy. I think with an internally geared hub this would be an ideal commuter bike setup. No oiling of a chain is necessary. Makes maintenance easy.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Internal gear hub, belt drive, disc brakes. Bye bye maintenance!
March 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Simply gorgeous.
Can I sign up to be a beta tester, or a case study or something?
March 20th, 2008 at 12:37 am
What manufactures are making belt-drive compatible internally geared hubs? I read not long ago that Rohloff is not considering it. What about SRAM or Shimano?
March 20th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Belt drive have been used on the Strida folding bike for 20 years. The belt doesn’t wear (or break) … eventually the smaller pulley wears a bit (easily replaceable). It makes oil smired pants a thing of the past and on the subway people in light clothes dont get angry !
March 20th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Jared, Rohloff had a display at the Handbuilt Bike Show with several belt-drive equpped bikes. I’ll call the distributor and ask about this, but my understanding is that they’re fairly enthusiastic about using belt drive.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:42 am
There is alot of resistance to change in cycling due to the traditions. Remember the “retro-grouches” that refused to adopt index shifting when it was introduced, despite the clear advantages it offered? Belt drives would be terrific, but will face an uphill battle in getting adopted.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I’m in favor of the reduced maintenance and removal of greasy chainring, but I think with belt drive you’d still deal with chewed up pant cuffs and ground clearance issues. I’m still in favor of shaft drives ala Dynamic Bicycles.
May 4th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Cool idea. As a retro grouch myself, I find this is a positive move forward. A few questions? How is the belt put on the bike? Is it a straight belt that feeds through the rear triangle and connected with a “special” link of some sort? Automotive belts are complete circles placed over the drive and driven pulleys from the side, this cannot be accomplished with a bike?
May 4th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
The belt is a loop - the rear triangle is the part that opens up to allow belt changes.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Thanks Fritz. That sounds like a very interesting structure to be able to open and close. Where does it occur, the pics are rather small to show that kind of detail.