Gates Belt Drive question.

[Woodtourer]

Considering changing my wife's touring bike to belt drive. Is there a website that would show the way to get a great inch range?
Thanks!!

[alexnharvey]

https://www.gatescarbondrive.com/Apps/D ... index.html

[Sweep]

Can I ask why you are changing?

And why the wife"s and not yours (or maybe you have already).

I had the idea, maybe wrong, that there could be issues with the thing.

[reohn2]

Can I ask why you are changing?

And why the wife"s and not yours (or maybe you have already).

I had the idea, maybe wrong, that there could be issues with the thing.

This chap rides a Gates belt:- https://youtu.be/K7FtLKqa-vE

[Tigerbiten]

Which IHG are you thinking of getting.
Rohloff, Shimano Alfine or even SA ??
If you know what chainring-sprocket combo works with which belt, then any gear calc will let you know the range you will get with each hub.

Luck ..........

[Mike_Ayling]

1)You have to be able to open the rear triangle to get the belt around the sprocket on the IGH.

2) Belts come in various sizes so if you wish to change your original sprocket/chainring size it is not as easy as just adding/removing a few chain links.

Mike

[NickJP]

The rear triangle on the drive side has to be able to be split so that the belt can be fitted, and you also need the frame to have some way of increasing/decreasing the distance between the crank and rear wheel to set the tension on the drive belt, either sliding rear dropouts and/or eccentric bottom bracket. Cyclingabout has some articles on belt drive bikes:

https://www.cyclingabout.com/carbon-belt-drive-everything-you-ever-need-to-know/

https://www.cyclingabout.com/belt-drive-touring-bike-manufacturers/

[Woodtourer]

My wife's bike has a Rohloff at present. But she has probation on her right ankle and she can't keep from getting chain lube all over. I usually use wax lube but we have been touring in Europe for 3 months and wax lube was not available when I needed more.
So thus the belt drive idea!

[freeflow]

A pack of baby wipes may be a simpler solution. Alternatively, sufficient bottles of squirt.

[Tigerbiten]

Would something like a Hebie Chainglider work at keeping the oil off your wife leg.
If it does then it would be a lot easier/cheaper option.

Luck ...........

[Wanlock Dod]

I had the idea, maybe wrong, that there could be issues with the thing.

Mine has done over 20,000 km and is still looking fine (I would normally knacker a chain driving a hub gear in about 2000 km), the only maintenance I have ever done to it is to empty a water bottle over it when it gets a bit squeaky. These days I tend to find chain driven bikes intolerably dirty. Probably best combined with disc brakes for optimal cleanliness.

The potential gearing range depends on your choice of hub, and minimum/maximum gears on choice of chainring and sprocket (which may be limited by available belt lengths). I think Shand Cycles have a web page that gives the gearing ranges available on their bikes with comparisons against derailment options.

[Mike_Ayling]

A pack of baby wipes may be a simpler solution. Alternatively, sufficient bottles of squirt.

+1 for Squirt

Mike

[Brucey]

My wife's bike has a Rohloff at present. But she has probation on her right ankle and she can't keep from getting chain lube all over. I usually use wax lube but we have been touring in Europe for 3 months and wax lube was not available when I needed more.
So thus the belt drive idea!

Do you intend to modify the existing frame (get a split coupling fitted in the seatstay) or get a new one?

FWIW I think part of the problem might be the design of the rohloff hub; this practically forces you to use a 50-51mm chainline whether you need to or not. This isn't so terrible if you are using a bike with fat tyres (and chainstays to match) but on a (road) touring bike with narrower tyres the chainline can be about 10mm wider than you might otherwise choose and this increases the chances of making contact with the chain/chainring. Alfine hubs can use a much narrower chainline than that.

Anyway quite a lot of potential solutions involve the chances of coming into contact with something even greater. For example the belt drive will be wider than a chain, a fixed chainguard will stick out further, or you could fit a chainguard disc beyond the chainring (e.g. using longer bolts and spacers ).

Its worth trying to find out if the chain makes contact with the leg/ankle on the top or bottom runs, or with the front of the chainring (eg when standing with the bike between your legs). There may be a good solution that is a lot less of an upheaval than converting to a belt drive. Oily marks are bad enough but they perhaps are an early warning that clothing is in danger of getting into the workings.

Belts can be good but one thing they are not is super-efficient; if (as with many couples) you are already the stronger rider, a belt drive will only make the disparity worse.

cheers

[squeaker]

A pack of baby wipes may be a simpler solution. Alternatively, sufficient bottles of squirt.

+1 for Squirt

Mike

Have you tried googling 'Squirt'

[freeflow]

Squirt is not the most internet safe product name.