Thanks! Good to meet you as well. Feel free to reach out via email (see about page) if you want to take it for a spin or checkout any of the other bikes / gear we have reviewed on the channel.
Good point. You can definitely swap the front ring or the rear cog to better match your riding style. We're still riding the Ace of Spades, it's a great to not have to worry about greasing or replacing chains.
Perfect bike other than the fact it weighs 22+ pounds. You can buy a Wabi or State bicycle brand singlespeed bike that weighs 5 pounds less, with better components in the same price range (except no belt drive). For $899 that bike should be lighter, period.
As with other lower-end bikes, most the weight is typically in the wheelset which is built for durability. Even with our Triban, swapping out the stock wheels for a set of Mavics really reduced the weight and made it more fun to ride. It's a bit harder to swap wheels with the Prioirity though, as you'll likely need to go custom to match axles spacing.
I just the Priority Classic Plus and my husband (master auto tech) knocked the idea with belts and mentioned "there's a reason we use timing chains instead of belts". What he doesn't quite get is how long these belts actually last and that Gates has been used for quite a while. It's just we're used to seeing chain drive and get nervous about belt drive.
I understand the hesitation with belt drives. But as you mentioned , the Gates belt drives have been around for quite awhile though and have proven to be robust. Gates claims the belts can survive thousand of miles without replacement have even have a simple app that lets you check the belt tension. I don't think belt drives are a replacement for road cycling metal bike chains quite yet, but for city / urban use it makes a lot of sense.
Sorry to necro this, but: if cam chains were exposed to tire spray like bike chains are, they wouldn't last longer than timing belts. And the new, oiled timing belts can last 150k mi. anyway.
Gates carbon belt drives are pretty reliable and require almost no maintenance compared to chain drives. They have also been around for years now so I wouldn't worry much about them.
Unless you plan on hooking up a high-power motor to the belt I don't think a normal person can break them. Gates belt systems are even on many 60lb+ e-bikes these days.
I'm 6'1" with long legs with the size XL bike (I typically ride a 56cm bike with aggressive position but my natural fit is a 58cm), that's why you see so much seatpost. Unless you have shorter legs, at 6' 5" I think think this bike might be a bit of a stretch for you.
