Trying a single speed bike with belt drive.

Assembly

It took me one hour this morning to assemble a single beltdrive bike. It was relatively simple, unbox it, assemble the saddle, add the handlebars, add the pedals, add the front wheel, inflate the tires and I think that was it. The part that took me longer was finding where the front wheel bolts were. They were in the plastic inserts to stabilise the bike in the box.

First test run

I then went for a bike ride on a variety of gradients to assess how it felt on each. I found that I wanted to instinctively change gears but I couldn’t. It required me to get out of the saddle more than I would with a geared bike but other than that the ride was pleasant. 

Beltdrive bikes are silent but as this isn’t a true fixie, just a fixie by name there is a noise when you stop pedalling and start freewheeling. The ride felt less smooth than when I ride the road bike but that might be due to the surface I rode on rather than the bike or the tires. The tires are 700c 28s so they should be smoother than the 25s I use on the other bike. 

I managed a few personal bests and my best 20 minute average was 24km per hour. That’s in line with the speed an e-bike will get you to so in theory it negates the need for one. We should however keep in mind that this was a short 15km ride where I avoided full steep climbs. 

Near the end of the ride I went for a speed test and got to about 40km/h before I met the limitations of this gear ratio. The gradient was about 0.2 to -0-3 percent. 

Intended use

My intended use for this bike is for when I go shopping, when I go to a nearby climbing gym and when I go to visit people who live nearby. It could also be used for critical mass events and riding around towns. It is as a replacement for the scooter on small trips.