Belt Drives

[Tosspot]

Perusing the LBS in search of rims, hubs and spokes I spotted a little
folder with a Nexave 7-speed hub and a belt drive.

Sooo...why don't we see more belt drives? Maintenance free, tough as
tarmac, used on motorcycles and cars so proven technology.

Ok, I note it's going to be tricky with a Campag-10 setup, but still.

 

[D.M. Procida]

Tosspot <[email protected]> wrote:

> Perusing the LBS in search of rims, hubs and spokes I spotted a little
> folder with a Nexave 7-speed hub and a belt drive.
>
> Sooo...why don't we see more belt drives? Maintenance free, tough as
> tarmac, used on motorcycles and cars so proven technology.
>
> Ok, I note it's going to be tricky with a Campag-10 setup, but still.

I was going to ask exactly the same question. Just think, no moving
parts.

Daniele
--
Apple Juice www.apple-juice.co.uk
Chapter Arts Centre
Market Road
Cardiff CF5 1QE

 

[Tosspot]

D.M. Procida wrote:
> Tosspot <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Perusing the LBS in search of rims, hubs and spokes I spotted a little
>>folder with a Nexave 7-speed hub and a belt drive.
>>
>>Sooo...why don't we see more belt drives? Maintenance free, tough as
>>tarmac, used on motorcycles and cars so proven technology.
>>
>>Ok, I note it's going to be tricky with a Campag-10 setup, but still.
>
>
> I was going to ask exactly the same question. Just think, no moving
> parts.

No chain lube, no powerlinks, no cleaning!

 

[soup]

Tosspot wrote:
> No chain lube, no powerlinks, no cleaning!

Would need joining somewhere but yes would be a lot cleaner than a
chain.

--
yours S

Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione

 

[Peter Clinch]

Tosspot wrote:

> Sooo...why don't we see more belt drives? Maintenance free, tough as
> tarmac, used on motorcycles and cars so proven technology.

Same reason you don't see many on motorcycles: less efficient than
a chain. But on a m/cycle you can get over a lot of the problem by
just putting in a bigger engine, which doesn't apply to bikes in
the same way...

Same with shaft drive. They're there and you can buy them, and you
have the same pros/cons (though both to a greater extent with a
shaft): cleaner and less maintenance, but sucks up more power and
limits your choice of final drive gear.

Also the case that you can aovid a lot of ther mess and maintenance
of a chain drive, at least with hub of single speed gears, by just
enclosing it, which does add a little weight but doesn't compromise
the efficiency (and by reducing the amount of chain wear from road
clag may actually improve matters over the longer term).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Tony Raven]

Tosspot wrote:
> D.M. Procida wrote:
>
>> Tosspot <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Perusing the LBS in search of rims, hubs and spokes I spotted a little
>>> folder with a Nexave 7-speed hub and a belt drive.
>>>
>>> Sooo...why don't we see more belt drives? Maintenance free, tough as
>>> tarmac, used on motorcycles and cars so proven technology.
>>>
>>> Ok, I note it's going to be tricky with a Campag-10 setup, but still.
>>
>>
>>
>> I was going to ask exactly the same question. Just think, no moving
>> parts.
>
>
> No chain lube, no powerlinks, no cleaning!

No efficiency either. Plus tend to slip under power unless you use a
heavy belt under high tension. Best left to local errand bikes or
vehicles with motors.

Like shaft drive, they are not common on bikes for a reason.

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

I submit that on or about Sun, 07 Aug 2005 21:37:57 +0200, the person
known to the court as Tosspot <[email protected]> made a statement
(<[email protected]> in Your Honour's bundle) to the
following effect:

>Sooo...why don't we see more belt drives?

Less efficient, and belt life. I have heard the noise a Strida makes
as the belt disintegrates

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Tony Raven
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Tosspot wrote:
>> D.M. Procida wrote:
>>
>>> Tosspot <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Perusing the LBS in search of rims, hubs and spokes I spotted a
>>>> little folder with a Nexave 7-speed hub and a belt drive.
>>>>
>>>> Sooo...why don't we see more belt drives? Maintenance free, tough
>>>> as tarmac, used on motorcycles and cars so proven technology.
>>>>
>>>> Ok, I note it's going to be tricky with a Campag-10 setup, but
>>>> still.
>>>
>>> I was going to ask exactly the same question. Just think, no moving
>>> parts.
>>
>> No chain lube, no powerlinks, no cleaning!
>
> No efficiency either. Plus tend to slip under power unless you use a
> heavy belt under high tension.

Or teeth.

I suspect efficiency may be part of it, but probably the main reason
belt-drive kits are not available for conventional bikes is because of
the seat-stay. Either you'd have to have a removable drive-side
seat-stay, or no drive side seat-stay (cantilevered chain-stay), or
you'd have to mount the rear pulley on the outside of the
seat-stay/chain-stay, because, unlike a chain, you can't break and
rejoin a toothed belt.

All this is possible of course but you can't retrofit it to a
conventional frame design.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Das Internet is nicht fuer gefingerclicken und giffengrabben... Ist
nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das mausklicken sichtseeren
keepen das bandwit-spewin hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und
watchen das cursorblinken. -- quoted from the jargon file

 

[Tony Raven]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Tony Raven
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>>
>>No efficiency either. Plus tend to slip under power unless you use a
>>heavy belt under high tension.
>
>
> Or teeth.
>

Have a look at a Harley drive belt - it has teeth and still needs lots
of tension to stop it slipping on a large diameter toothed drive pulley.
So does the toothed belt on a Strida (which slips if you try too hard
on the pedals)


--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

 

[Peter B]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Also the case that you can aovid a lot of ther mess and maintenance
> of a chain drive, at least with hub of single speed gears, by just
> enclosing it, which does add a little weight but doesn't compromise
> the efficiency (and by reducing the amount of chain wear from road
> clag may actually improve matters over the longer term).

As an aside SWMBOS Nissan has chain drive camshafts, service instructions?
None. No service required.
Having suffered a cam belt failure that sounds good to me!
(yes, I do appreciate chains *can* break).

--
Pete
http://uk.geocities.com/[email protected]/P

 

[Naqerj]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Tony Raven
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>

>>
>>No efficiency either. Plus tend to slip under power unless you use a
>>heavy belt under high tension.
>
>
> Or teeth.
>

Toothed belts can still slip - as anyone whose tried to ride a Strida up
a hill will be able to testify.

> I suspect efficiency may be part of it,

It is as anyone whose ridden a Strida...

> but probably the main reason
> belt-drive kits are not available for conventional bikes is because of
> the seat-stay.

That's true too.

--
Andrew

 

[ian henden]

"Peter B" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Also the case that you can aovid a lot of ther mess and maintenance
>> of a chain drive, at least with hub of single speed gears, by just
>> enclosing it, which does add a little weight but doesn't compromise
>> the efficiency (and by reducing the amount of chain wear from road
>> clag may actually improve matters over the longer term).
>
> As an aside SWMBOS Nissan has chain drive camshafts, service instructions?

As do certain Vauxhall Vectra deisels. )


> None. No service required.
> Having suffered a cam belt failure that sounds good to me!
> (yes, I do appreciate chains *can* break).
>
> --
> Pete
> http://uk.geocities.com/[email protected]/P
>
>

 

[Jon Senior]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> Less efficient, and belt life. I have heard the noise a Strida makes
> as the belt disintegrates

The noise the Strida makes... or the rider?

Jon