Full suspension with Belt drive - why ?

[pushkar]

I love belt drives and low maintenance angle. The amount of engineering involved to make this happen is crazy (I mean in a good way, but still crazy).

I would be curious to see if people have used a belt long term with an FS bike, and what their experience has been? Does it ever come off ? What limitations have you noticed?

Hypothetically if there was a mainstream provider of such a bike(edit: beyond R&M).. what would be attractive about it?

 

[onlineaddy]

Hypothetically if there was a mainstream provider of such a bike.. what would be attractive about it?

I thought R&M is one such provider.

 

[pushkar]

You are right. I just assumed RM as a given so the question was more beyond RM.

I edited my question.

 

[pennybags]

I don’t know what the limitations are. It does look frigging awesome.

I’ll be watching this thread closely to hear opinions from those who own one.

I would say full suspension is already so comfortable. May be belt just gives it a more bulletproof feel?

 

[onlineaddy]

The main purpose of a belt to me is low maintenance. FS, on the other hand, is for both comfort and safety, as we keep the wheels on the ground as much as possible. This is all from the standpoint of a commuter bike.

 

[AdilDesai]

I told @pushkar a few weeks ago that if he built a full suspension, mid-tail e-cargo bike they would come! I'll be the first buyer. Rohloff, Gates, Full Suspension, Carrying Capacity. Truly a Superbike!

 

[AdilDesai]

I love belt drives and low maintenance angle. The amount of engineering involved to make this happen is crazy (I mean in a good way, but still crazy).

I would be curious to see if people have used a belt long term with an FS bike, and what their experience has been? Does it ever come off ? What limitations have you noticed?

Hypothetically if there was a mainstream provider of such a bike(edit: beyond R&M).. what would be attractive about it?

To answer your question: low maintenance and comfort on the road and/or trails. Not sure what else, but these two are huge.

 

[onlineaddy]

Isn't belt more durable?

Yes, they’re supposed to last longer. However, it takes more effort to replace a worn/stretched belt than a chain. And more costly. Even so, I’d have the belt just for the low maintenance. I hate cleaning chains.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Today was one of the few days when I'd really want an FS bike (1500+ foot descent down eroded and decommissioned logging roads). In general I'm not super-happy with an FS bike because of the added weight, complexity, and loss of road feel.

My observation is that the technical challenge in putting a belt drive on an FS bike is maintaining belt tension, and you'll need some kind of mechanism to make that happen.

 

[byunbee]

Additional mechanism means more parts to maintain and replace. FS is overkill for a commuter bike that will be mostly on paved roads. Suspension seatpost should more than meet this need.

 

[smorgasbord]

FS is overkill for a commuter bike that will be mostly on paved roads. Suspension seatpost should more than meet this need.

Maybe the roads where you are are smooth, not so much in NorCal.

I rode a hardtail with Kinekt and a full suspension (Rockshox) bike back to back once. Instantly could tell the difference in that the FS hugged the ground better. Yeah, the seatpost cushions the potholes and bumps, but it doesn't keep the rear wheel firmly planted on the ground like FS does.

And as soon as you leave pavement it's night and day.

I got over 8000 miles on my analog bike with Campy 10-speed Chorus chain.

Now that I've discovered White Lightning's "Clean Streak" cleaning the chain isn't such a chore anymore. And the reported longetivity of SRAM's X01 and XX1 Eagle chains (which work well on lower-end GX Eagle drivetrains) should make chain replacement less frequent. We'll see.

 

[vincent]

I also wonder where all these people live that say their roads are smooth! Not here in AZ

want a belt because i do not ever want to clean the chain, basically want to ride and never do anything to the bike

All my work/maintenance is done at the bike shop, the less i need to be there the better

will have to check out white lightenings clean streak cleaner
but I would be happy never cleaning a chain or the little wheels and teeth again

a quick question, if the belt breaks or comes off why is it hard to get back on? seems like it would be no worse than a chain..???

 

[byunbee]

I guess I can't speak for everyone. I live in so cal and most road are pretty smooth and bike path is smooth as well.

 

[vincent]

Will keep this up to date on whether i have more things break on this fs than my other hardtails

but as far as cost of maintenance etc i am totally fine paying extra money to have the smoother ride , for me it is worth it

 

[pushkar]

@vincent How different is your feel with the FS you have ? For me it was definitely comfortable.

 

[pushkar]

Another question - how important are rear- rack and fenders ?

 

[onlineaddy]

Another question - how important are rear- rack and fenders ?

For a commuter/utility bike? Essential.
For a mountain bike? Obtrusive.

It all depends on one's use case.

 

[vincent]

I think it is way more comfortable and do think it rides/handles better for the dirt roads etc I ride on

For me a rack is definitely needed, fenders I can live without but only because I don’t ride in the rain and it is really dry here most of the time

Meant to add this to my thread about my bike but the sks fenders fit too tight to the tires for the off road stuff I do
Rocks get stuck in the tires and roll into the fender quite a bit and make a lot of noise, they fall out quickly but at some point I might put more of a simple, shorter mtn bike fender on mine

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Today was one of the few days when I'd really want an FS bike (1500+ foot descent down eroded and decommissioned logging roads). In general I'm not super-happy with an FS bike because of the added weight, complexity, and loss of road feel.

My observation is that the technical challenge in putting a belt drive on an FS bike is maintaining belt tension, and you'll need some kind of mechanism to make that happen.

There is an app for tensioning a belt , you play the belt like a guitar and when it hits the right frequency the tension is right. However because they don’t stretch you only do it once or if you remove the wheel.

 

[Alaskan]

belt replacementis easier than chain replacement. No gloves needed. remove the rear wheel. Remove belt, Replace rear wheel. Only complicated if you have to open up the chain stay or swing arm. With full suspension a spring loaded idler is needed to take up slack and allow a variable belt length with the up and down of the suspension. Not a complicated part or one subject to breakdown. The full suspension is clearly more comfortable but more importantly it is way safer. The rear suspension keeps the rear wheel on the ground instead of bouncing up and down with the rest of the bike. More constant contact with the road reduces braking distance and makes the bike more sure footed through the turns. Here is a shot of the belt drive with idler pully on my Riese & Muller Delight Mountain.