SSMTBs

I think I have 32x17 on the Inbred at the moment. I dropped the chainring from 34 or 36 or something. I think it's probably comfortable 20kph cruising to the shops but kinda sucks trying to do normal road pace.

Kona has 32x16 and a bashring. I wonder if I could run two cogs quite close use the sliding dropouts to take up the slack? Would prefer not to add another chainring but then not sure how much bigger gear I could run.

This thing on the RHS

Yeah where I am is pretty flat and found the spin to the hills on the 29+ soul destroying, hence the set up. I still get the simplicity of the singlespeed, just means I get to where I want to ride a bit quicker so have more time to enjoy the fun bit.
I suppose I could always put the bike on top of the Audi....but I dont have an Audi.

I do have a car but I've always hated the idea of driving to the hills to ride.

I've got two singlespeeds here and would like to stick knobbies on one and try riding the Chiltern Ridgeway without luggage. But the start is about 50k from here so, not that keen doing another 6hrs out/back.

I have got the train down to Chippenham and ridden back a few times via Streatley and then a loop through the singletrack in the Chilterns.

Chippenham -Avebury is a flat 8 miles along an old railway.

Agreed about driving - try to avoid it.

Ha...seriously? one gear to ride to the trails without changing...one gear for on the trails without changing. it's still singlespeed for both types of riding. You don't keep swapping each time you get to the top and bottom of a hill. :)

Why add full gears/mechs/shifters and lose all the benefits of singlespeed when adding a dingle retains all the benefits of it but also gives you the benefits of a higher gear too for the road?
You will lose far more time spinning like a twat for an hour on an off road gear getting to the trails than you lose just loosening the wheel and moving the chain across once on arrival and once before heading home.
I honestly think this is why so many people try, and then give up on singlespeed...because they can't be arsed to spin like crazy on the road to get to the trails, and aren't lucky enough to have trails on their doorstep.

Exactly this...usually 3 or 4 tooth difference between ring and cog gives close enough tension with the same chain length.

It's a bit cleaner for me though because of the belt drive not being lubed.

belt drive and peanut butter mud - ok? I would have thought there might be problems..

Well I've managed to snap one in nearly ten years, but I've also snapped one chain in nearly ten years, so I'm not too worried. :)
THIS
covers most of the questions about belt drive. I personally don't want to go back to a chain unless I have no choice.

"3-4 times longer than a chain, that's roughly 30,000km"

Dafuq? I get like a month out of an 11spd chain.

Have you been using a belt fixed at all?

My Omnium is on 5 months of being ridden every day at the moment and is still as good as new. The one on the English was years old before it snapped.

Only ever singlespeed. But I would have used one on my fixed if any of them had a split frame.

Which igh did you go for again? (On the omnom)

Interesting.

I noticed in that video the guy mentions the stiffness off the frame being important and then I read a post on Facebook this morning that mentioned stiffness of the rear triangle in relation to belt drive. I wasn’t aware that the Omniums has particularly beefy rear ends and when I think of English bikes I tend to think of skinny seatstays, not sure about chainstays... what’s your thoughts on rear triangle stiffness?

Only belted bike I’ve had was a trek district and it made that rubbing noise which I put down to flex in the rear end but then it was from before the belts with the centre track.

I could be wrong, but I think the stiffness thing was from back before Gates developed the centre track system... So if there was too much flex the belt could work its way off the cog and ring sideways. Centre track has made that pretty much impossible now.
It's also allowed the belts to be run with a bit less tension.

8 speed Alfine. I only ever use 2 gears though. :)

Yeah it was interesting that he’s been running it so loose.

I can see me maybe replacing a few bikes in my collection with something running a belt and the option of fixed, singlespeed or hub gears.

Love the idea of lube-free, maintenance-free but it's the frame-modding I don't like. I've got a few perfect candidates for belt drive here but to have frames modified? Not interested. The belt that can be joined he mentions towards the end was interesting. Wonder what real world usage is like.

I’d have thought adding a splitter on a suitable tube was a better idea than the splittable belt.

In what way? I mean, it might be functionally better, but cutting and welding a frame is not my idea of a simple drive chain (soz) change.

My point is, I will never retrofit a belt drive to any of my bikes, unless I don't have to cut the frame, ie. joinable belt might be an option.

I mean, it might be functionally better...

Just this.

Having ridden a belt drive bike with the split built in at the dropout, I’d choose a splitter in the seatstay next time and in a steel frame I don’t see much difference between retro fitting that out doing it when the frame is built.

Like @velosaurus I've run dinglespeed and found it to be decent. I went for 36/34 in the front and 16/18 in the back. Chainrings were on a road crank and sprockets on a cassette hub, spaced to match (46/41mm chainline). No issues with disc brake position. (This was on a pompetamine)

I've got a few chainrings already, so if I found some longer chainring bolts I could probably sort the front out with 32/34or36 and I have a decent spacer set, actually and I have some cog options so maybe I could do this. Just need some chainring bolts and some trial and error.

Tadaaa