I feel that modernizing and giving a second life to retro bikes is a passion project. And if your passion is having a 92 Raleigh M20 with a belt drive and you have the means to do so, why not? More power to you. Cyclist will drop 5-10 thousand dollars/pounds into a bike that is generally for enjoyment, and I don’t think making a belt driven retro bike is all that different.
Great episode! My belt drive guru is Alee Denham on his channel, Cyclingabout, a must see for adventure and touring cyclists. But retro city commuters, bit of an overkill, so I'm inline with your train of thought. Money counts and if getting a drive train means spending hundreds on the belt, front crankset, probably hub gears too(thats another story!!) then you probably are looking at over a grand in parts. Better to focus on reliability, good tyres, good saddle, posture, anti theft devices and above all, making it look yours!! The psychological effect of looking at your bike and getting a smile on your face is probably the most important element to making a perfect retro commuter!!
I have a Boardman belt drive converted to more of a gravel bike, belt drive is brilliant with literally no maintenance rain or mud does not affect it unlike a derailleur dirt hoover.
i've yet to find a frame with elevated stays that has any horizontal play in the dropouts. You'd need to magic-gear it and even if you found a ratio that works, belt drive still sucks azz
I picked up a quite rare 7 Speed hub Mercedes-badged e-stay mtb with belt drive. I bought it just to investigate belt drives and the e-stay frame. Rode it for a while but preferred the simplicity and more direct feel of a chain drive. I sourced a new belt as the previous owner had lubricated the original? Just a case of finding a car fan / alternator belt that measured the same. Aligning the rear hub after removing the rear wheel was tricky and needed the instruction booklet every time. Not for me but a clean solution, different & interesting.
"simplicity" of a chain? The different feel, ok, matter of personal preference, that's just individual taste. But how is a chain simpler than a belt drive? Seems the opposite to me.
@@oerthlingThe simplicity lies n the easy availability, sourcing and cost of a replacement. Adjusting the length of the chain if your sprocket sizes change can be helpful.. I had to source a new belt at a reasonable cost. Did it but it took some digging and even then I wasn't 100% sure it was going to be OK until I fitted it. Guess I'm just familiar with chains and the belts benefits didn't outweigh the practicality of a chain in my opinion.
@@DavidScrafton-pl7ep If I need a new belt I just go to the same shoo where I bought the bike. Should I be travelling, I'd simply buy one in advance and carry it. So I don't really see what the big problem is. Plus it's highly unlikely to happen in the first place.
@@oerthling Fair enough points. All my bikes are several years old and bought second hand. I am on my own to source and replace parts economically. It's a hobby and I enjoy trying all things bike related.. I was just not convinced by belts for the cycling I do.
@@DavidScrafton-pl7ep Enthusiasts who like to tinker on their bikes aren't really the target market. :-) What makes belts nice is the almost complete lack of maintenance that is to do. The belt that can't rust and doesn't need grease and together with internal gear hubs means that there just isn't anything to do, except to rarely re-tension the belt and one day replacing the set after it's been used up after tens of thousands of km. People who enjoy working on their bikes and regularly wax their chains won't feel that same appeal. :-)
Belt drive pros: silent, clean,(no grease!), extremely durable, easy to adjust. Cons: Expensive, big supply problems,( yeah got some horror stories.), expect potato heads to start taking box cutters to them. Hey they slash tires don't they? Honestly, a belt drive is a plus but I really don't see that much difference.
The point of a retro bike is; geometry, durability and price. I have done 6 retro bikes now and all for less than 500$ including the purchase price. Fitting a retro bike for a belt drive; rebuilding the rear wheel, special belt, and a new crankset and bottom bracket....and still no guarantee it will work?.....I'll pass!
But for me retro bikes have a horrible geometry you sit too far back due to slack seat tube angle reach is too short. Steep head angle. But very old rigid bikes had slack head angle, but absurdly slack seat tube angle so abused knees. For me a modern bike and oval chain ring is a must.
For many years now, at least a decade and probably closer to 2, i have been repeating the same cliche about belt-drive: a solution for a problem nobody has.
I had problems with chains. Need more maintenance, are nosier, don't run quite as smoothly, dirtier and more difficult to clean. Belt solved all these problems. And the accompanying hub gear is also less noisy and requires less maintenance than cassettes. It's not a must-have and has a higher upfront cost (though can save money in the long run), but for me a belt drive is clearly better and I don't see why I would ever get a chain again. So, clearly not "nobody". :-)
@@oerthling If you have problems with chains, you're doing it wrong. Try to do it better, see if the problems persist, and if they're actually problems at all... FYI, most of the benefits you list (noise, maintenance, smoothness) has more to do with running an IGH or SS vs a cassette, than it does with belt vs chains.
@@fatrobdouble I'm not doing it wrong. More noise is inherent in chains. You can keep the difference low by putting more effort into maintaining your chains, but belts are inherently quieter by default.
@@oerthling that's funny that you consider a sound that can only be Heard in the stand to be a "problem" so bad that you'll take the many disadvantages of a belt over the convenience of a chain
@@fatrobdouble Consider that everyone is different with different needs and it all might make more sense to you. Chain bikes need constant adjustment or they don't work right and are noisy. I'm simply not interested at all in the maintenance of bicycles. Not to mention parts availability for repairs can be poor for older bikes, all my bikes are second hand I'd personally never buy a brand new bicycle. People like me are very interested in moving to belts.