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Pics of my belt drive project

w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
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A big thanks to Errol at Delta Cycle, Doc & Terry at Superco, Todd at True Precision (though I haven't gotten the cog fitted to my Stealth hub yet, I will), and to Stan, my new employer at RASE for letting me use the machines for personal projects.

Photos by Sandwich







I need to get a BMX style chain tug to keep it tightened properly, but it works really well as it stands. I guess it's time to grind off those chain guide mounts.
 
Bicyclist

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Looks very well-done. If I may ask though, what are the inherent positive qualities of a belt drive?
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
The belt is lighter than a chain, it doesn't need lube, doesn't stretch, doesn't rust, it's quieter, and the belt won't take paint off the frame if it does slap. To be honest I did this because I thought it was neat and I had the ability to. It is a lot more sensitive to chainline (or beltline, I guess).

I was at Diablo this weekend. I would have preferred to hit Plattekill to see how it stood up to alcohol and fireworks, but Sandwich had to meet someone there to buy a bike. It was also my brother's first time DHing, and I think Platty would have been a bit over his head.
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
rvanderveur said:
I saw you riding this bike at Diablo on Saturday. I was behind you coming off of Dominion and the bike was real quiet. Good Job!!
Rob
Click to expand...
Thanks, Rob, but it will get a LOT quieter once I get it working with my Stealth hub. That Profile hub is great but it sounds like a sack of ratchets falling down the stairs. My goal is to get it so you only hear the tires.
 
ire

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Very cool! It would be pimp to pair it with a Rohloff hub
 
S

Staplerzzzz

Chimp
May 21, 2007
46
0
Earth
I like it a lot. I'm just curious about one thing; since a chainring is skinny, mud has a hard time sticking on it. This on the other hand is a bunch of grooves, and if I were mud, that's were I'd be.

Let us know how it works when it gets caked with mud.

Nice job again.
 
R

RD

Monkey
Jul 31, 2003
688
0
Boston, MA
w00dy said:
Thanks, Rob, but it will get a LOT quieter once I get it working with my Stealth hub. That Profile hub is great but it sounds like a sack of ratchets falling down the stairs. My goal is to get it so you only hear the tires.
Click to expand...
Dave,

is this you? It's Ricky w/ the Commencal.

Ricky
 
Bikael Molton

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,022
1,154
El Lay
a fully enclosed chainguard similar to dutch/european city bikes could solve the mud problem on a drivetrain like this, since there is no chaingrowth or derailleur. could fab it in carbon.
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
Not sure of the actual weight change. I unfortunately didn't think to weigh it before installing. The front cog with the adapter I made is a little chunky, but the belt itself is crazy light. I imagine it's just a little lighter, though not enough to make a difference.

Rohloff=huge and heavy. That much unsuspended weight would beat the tar out of any rim in it's way and give you a healthy dose of pinch flats. To be honest I love riding DH with one gear. It's just so much less to think about, more enjoyment. That said, if heir rohloff ever pulls his head out of his ass and makes a hub with half the gears and half the weight at half the price I'll buy one, but I don't see it happening.

I'll follow up when this thing sees some mud. I'm interested to see what happens too. Since it's all plastic you can just hose it out. I don't know if it will wear out if it's ridden dirty. The belt/cogs were designed for commuter bikes.

Hi Ricky, yeah it's Dave. My brother loved the bike. Thanks again and I'll be giving you a call about the frame we discussed.

An enclosed drive? I wouldn't be able to show off my work! in all seriousness, it would be a chore to service. I have to take that wheel off pretty regularly to fix flats and it's enough of a pain as is. The brake mount on this bike works great with a thru-axle, but the profile has a nutted one. That setup makes me want to slash my wrists.
 
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xy9ine

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
the ported cogs used w/ the gates carbon drive seems to (they claim) solve the mud issue. i think there's great potential for belts (w/ non derailleur systems of course).



^damn - missed the best benefit - the ability to 'wear white pants to the coffee shop' - i'm like totally sold now.

neat build, btw. i ran my tmx ss for a bit, and the silent drivetrain was very cool (and those steel frames are quiet to start with).
 
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L

LMC

Monkey
Dec 10, 2006
683
1
^^ dang, beat me to it...

i actually thought it was a gates carbon drive when i first looked.
 
Horror Business

Horror Business

Monkey
Jun 20, 2007
349
9
Nice! I have been dreaming of a belt drive for years, it is nice to see the reality is creeping closer each day.
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
XY9,

That picture is for a system from a different manufacturer. The parts I used are from Delta Cycle. It's similar, and the belt is also made by Gates, but the pulleys are plastic.
 
M

mfreak

Chimp
Feb 12, 2009
34
0
that would be perfect for gearbox bike like the dhi run two belts to replace the chains to help quiet it down and less maintenance. great work btw.
 
Uncle Cliffy

Uncle Cliffy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 28, 2008
4,490
42
Southern Oregon
Awesome work! :clapping:

A bike that's silent? I don't know... For me, quieter bikes have made it hard for me to judge speed sometimes. I think my freehub acts like a tachometer. (This is also why I don't ride with an ipod...)
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
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Freehub is one thing, but your chain slapping around doesn't do anybody any favors. Dave never really suffered from that, as he had a single speed chain before the belt, but the belt is way clean, rides like a chain, and between the plastic and carbon, it should save a little weight, but that's hardly a concern on his bike (think durable, like when you wreck then scream and yell and chuck it, you can pick up and still ride). I rode Ricky/now Mike's commencal, and it was the first bike I've been on since my racelink, which was dead silent. The commencal sounds like a change machine comparatively.
 
manhattanprjkt83

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,646
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Dave,

You my friend are an OG badass...Love the bike, always have and this is even better. We should be coming out to diablo soon, let's link up and do some laps again.

-Bill
 
J

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
Looks nice, man. I've been interested in this whole belt drive thing. I like riding SS sometimes (XC anyway....) and it's a good way to make things simpler. I guess the biggest shortcoming is that you need either a design that happens to work with it (like your bike) or a frame designed/modified with it in mind.
 
Uncle Cliffy

Uncle Cliffy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 28, 2008
4,490
42
Southern Oregon
Sandwich said:
Freehub is one thing, but your chain slapping around doesn't do anybody any favors. Dave never really suffered from that, as he had a single speed chain before the belt, but the belt is way clean, rides like a chain, and between the plastic and carbon, it should save a little weight, but that's hardly a concern on his bike (think durable, like when you wreck then scream and yell and chuck it, you can pick up and still ride). I rode Ricky/now Mike's commencal, and it was the first bike I've been on since my racelink, which was dead silent. The commencal sounds like a change machine comparatively.
Click to expand...
Yes. All of my bikes I pretty much kill all the chainslap noise. Freehub is what I was talking about.

For instance it seems like nobody in B.C. runs a chainstay protector. Every bike in Whistler bike park sounds like a clapped out shopping cart going downhill. It's unbelievable. :plthumbsdown:
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
Uncle Cliffy said:
Yes. All of my bikes I pretty much kill all the chainslap noise. Freehub is what I was talking about.

For instance it seems like nobody in B.C. runs a chainstay protector. Every bike in Whistler bike park sounds like a clapped out shopping cart going downhill. It's unbelievable. :plthumbsdown:
Click to expand...
I have trouble judging speed when I ride with goggles. I think I judge it by the number of bugs per minute I swallow with my eyes. It helps me a lot to be able to hear what the terrain is doing.

Edit: Bill you're on.
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
I honestly couldn't tell the difference. The gear ratio was different than normal. Maybe once I get that sorted out I will be able to tell, but so far it's right on par with a chain as far as efficiency.
 
J

Jonnyc

Chimp
Oct 20, 2005
64
1
Bicyclist said:
Looks very well-done. If I may ask though, what are the inherent positive qualities of a belt drive?
Click to expand...
So people talk to you when you're outside. Like the guys who walk around with exotic birds on their shoulders or parking a Harley and standing by it. With a bike like that all you have to do is go to your local trails and sit on your bike to get all the man loving you can handle
 
O

Owennn

Monkey
Mar 10, 2009
128
1
w00dy said:
XY9,

That picture is for a system from a different manufacturer. The parts I used are from Delta Cycle. It's similar, and the belt is also made by Gates, but the pulleys are plastic.
Click to expand...
And the website states its not for offroad use. Interested to see how they hold up with no cutaway sections for water and mud to clear from the teeth.

http://cycledrive.com/specs.html
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
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JohnnyBoyDH said:
Cool project, but makes me wonder how bad the drag is? Dunno if you can beat the efficiency of the chain. Still, looks cool.
Click to expand...
I didn't notice any drag when I pedaled it around. Seemed very solid and crisp, not unlike a chain. I was definitely expecting some funniness when cranking, but it just went, like it should.

I think the point of the experiment was because it's possible. Dave had the parts, and nobody has done it before. The BMW "link" bikes make excellent candidates because they're concentric with the pivot.

When he gets the stealth hub back on there, the bike will be almost completely silent, except for the noisy fork. How many bikes can do that?
 
w00dy

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
MobileChernobyl said:
Single speed I'm guessing? Looks like a slope style bike anyways so it's prolly no biggy. Cool tho, very cool
Click to expand...
WhoRyder said:
How does the single speed feel on the trails?
Click to expand...
The bike gets 6" and 7" of travel, so it's a pretty capable mini dh bike. I don't race, so I see no reason to have gears on a lift-access hill. It's great, feels like a bike BMX bike. The gear might not always be perfect, but it's always there, and it's never that far off. No skips, no dropped chains, no chainguide to futz with. No derailleur to catch on things and ruin your drivetrain/wheel. It's simple, reliable, predictable, and quiet. I only ever take a few pedals per run anyways. It's mostly coasting and pumping things. When gearboxes come down in price I'll give those a shot, but I am through with derailleurs on DH.
 
nelsonjm

nelsonjm

Monkey
Feb 16, 2007
708
1
Columbia, MD
Very cool. The one thing I'm curious about is how the belt stays on the rear. I don't see side guards so it looks like it would fall off. How wide is that belt too?
 
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