Belt Drives

Tosspot said:

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

D.M. Procida said:

Tosspot said:

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!

Tosspot said:

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

Tosspot said:

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 hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Tosspot said:

D.M. Procida said:

Tosspot said:

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

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

Quoted message said:

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

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony Raven

(') said:

Tosspot said:

D.M. Procida said:

Tosspot <[email hidden]> 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 hidden] (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

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony Raven

(') said:

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 Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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:[email hidden]/P

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony Raven
([email hidden]'😉 wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

I suspect efficiency may be part of it,

It is as anyone whose ridden a Strida...

Quoted message said:

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

"Peter B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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. :o)

Quoted message said:

None. No service required.
Having suffered a cam belt failure that sounds good to me!
(yes, I do appreciate chains *can* break).

--
Pete
http:[email hidden]/P

Just zis Guy said:

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