Reply With QuoteI have the older version of that bike abs it’s brilliant. Super smooth great urban bike. However the back end is quite heavy due to the rear wheel, it’s never bothered me though.
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Hi guys,
I’m looking to buy a new bike for casual weekend use. I’ve had CUBE Bikes before in the past but with the standard metal chain.
This new bike has a “belt chain”, does anyone have experience with these and would you recommend them?
Link for bike below.
https://www.cube.eu/en/2021/bikes/ur...iridiumnblack/
Thanks in advance
I have the older version of that bike abs it’s brilliant. Super smooth great urban bike. However the back end is quite heavy due to the rear wheel, it’s never bothered me though.
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I've had my Cube Editor for about 5 years now, gates drive and Alfine 11 speed hub gear and use it almost daily on my commute to work and I am still on the gates drive it came with, where I would normally change the chain on my previous bike at least once a year.
It is almost maintenace free, over the five years I added mudguards, changed the oil in the hub gear, and replaced the hydraulic brakes with mechanical ones.
It requires a higher tension than a chain which can be hard on the rear hub bearings.
In answer, yes they are very good. In particular for city type bike, and you want low maintenance etc. So a very good fit for what you are looking at.
For a city bike, absolutely yes. Low maintenance and minimal need for component replacement.
Thanks guys, seems like a winner to me. Appreciate all the feedback
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Never used one but on paper they look to be an excellent idea for town/commuting/touring.
Clean with no lubing required, also no need to replace for many 1000s of miles compared to a conventional link chain.
Cheers,
Ben
..... for I have become the Jedi of flippers
" an extravagance is anything you buy that is of no earthly use to your wife "
I’m not a cyclist but I’ve had belts on all my Harleys and they do 80-100,000 miles with a huge engine driving them so on a push bike I don’t think you’d ever need to replace one.
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I’ve had one of these for the past ?8 years: it’s got a front Shimano cable disk system, which transforms the braking compared to the standard model in the review.
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bi...lery&gallery=1
Yes, it’s been brilliant: slightly sluggish feeling compared to a well set-up derailleur and I’m sure it saps a certain amount of power, but the almost complete lack of necessary maintenance (cleaning or adjustment) has been absolutely game changing. I had the bike professionally serviced for the first time last year since I didn’t feel confident doing any necessary belt drive work, but the only belt/Nexus work it needed was apparently a slight adjustment to tension.
I’m now doing around 1500 miles a year. The only issue I’ve had has been a very occasional ‘clunk’ from the transmission which I can just about feel through the pedals. This did it from new and hasn’t got any worse or more frequent - it’s maybe once a month, and I left it with the suppliers a couple of times and they checked and adjusted it (and naturally couldn’t reproduce the noise).
Probably worth trying it before you finally commit if you’re used to riding tautly handling road bikes, since it feels very different.
Last edited by drmarkf; 26th July 2021 at 23:27.
A belt drive Brompton would be pretty cool.
Canyon have some belt drive options now too. Would have tried one but they're not on our cycle to work scheme.
Low maintenance?????????????????
* shakes head in disbelief *
An occasional drop of oil or wipe over with an oily rag is hardly maintenance....
Last edited by Tifa; 27th July 2021 at 09:12.
Chain maintenance, certainly to maintain longevity and reduce wear, is a bit more time consuming than that.Originally Posted by Tifa
Mrs Syd and I both commute by bike. Her’s is slightly longer but flatter and she does it on a bike with a standard chain / derailleur system on her Cannondale Synapse. My bike is a Cannondale Bad Boy One with a Gates belt drive system and an 8 speed Alfine rear hub.
The time required for routine maintenance between the two, especially over winter, is considerable.
Quite. Still, most people ride little and maintain never.
When I was commuting to work in all weathers and partly over farm tracks, I’d get through 1 chain a year and 1 cassette every 2 years. That was with fairly regular cleaning and lubrication. Costs add up, as well as time.
Considerable??
What, like a full day...or a week even?
I ride with a guy who has two bikes both use Rholoff Hubs and belt drives. I didnt realise a belt drive isnt a simple retrofit to a standard frame, as you have to have a break in the frame to install the belt.
He likes his, he did damage one when a branch was picked up by the back wheel , jammed in the rear hub and trashed the belt.
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