Minus Ten Review- 40

Ten years ago I rode in the pines on the North Side of Ingawanis.

Ten years ago on the blog I was a week back from Interbike and processing a bunch of info. That was back in the heyday of the 29"ers acceptance and growth. Things were humming right along then. Well......with the exception of the economy. The "Great Recession" was just hitting the news then and we were fearful in the cycling industry about just what that might mean for us going forward.

One of the things I was working through was trying to get a test bike for the then new Gates Carbon Drive, or just belts, if you will. I'd tried one the year before at Interbike when Gates was out in huge numbers touting the superiority of the system over traditional chains. Only........you couldn't use it with derailleurs, so...... Yeah. There's that. Oh! Internal geared hubs though! Right........ There's Rohloff and...... Expensive and anything else is not as reliable or doesn't have the range of gearing. Whatever.....

The point was that Gates was telling us this was the best thing since sliced bread, so I listened to their story, mounted up, and then got the belt to "ratchet". (Read: skipped a tooth) Funny thing happened then. Gates said they needed to go back to the drawing board. Yeah....... Marketing fail.

Then they came out with Center Track, which did a great job making single speed riding with a belt more reliable. But my set up will still ratchet in super high torque situations. And you still can't use a derailleur set up.

Then I also had just about wrapped up my fork experiment. The Blackbuck was the bike and I swapped a whole bunch of forks in and out of that bike to show that you could make anything work, if you liked the handling. Offset and axle to crown measurements were also discussed along with trail figure and what that all meant. It was fun, but I made my head hurt with all the tinkering with numbers.

And the first "Touring Tuesdays" posts were rolling out. That was a fun series which is being reposted every Sunday now for a while. Check it out......

Minus Ten Review- 40

Ten years ago I rode in the pines on the North Side of Ingawanis.

Ten years ago on the blog I was a week back from Interbike and processing a bunch of info. That was back in the heyday of the 29"ers acceptance and growth. Things were humming right along then. Well......with the exception of the economy. The "Great Recession" was just hitting the news then and we were fearful in the cycling industry about just what that might mean for us going forward.

One of the things I was working through was trying to get a test bike for the then new Gates Carbon Drive, or just belts, if you will. I'd tried one the year before at Interbike when Gates was out in huge numbers touting the superiority of the system over traditional chains. Only........you couldn't use it with derailleurs, so...... Yeah. There's that. Oh! Internal geared hubs though! Right........ There's Rohloff and...... Expensive and anything else is not as reliable or doesn't have the range of gearing. Whatever.....

The point was that Gates was telling us this was the best thing since sliced bread, so I listened to their story, mounted up, and then got the belt to "ratchet". (Read: skipped a tooth) Funny thing happened then. Gates said they needed to go back to the drawing board. Yeah....... Marketing fail.

Then they came out with Center Track, which did a great job making single speed riding with a belt more reliable. But my set up will still ratchet in super high torque situations. And you still can't use a derailleur set up.

Then I also had just about wrapped up my fork experiment. The Blackbuck was the bike and I swapped a whole bunch of forks in and out of that bike to show that you could make anything work, if you liked the handling. Offset and axle to crown measurements were also discussed along with trail figure and what that all meant. It was fun, but I made my head hurt with all the tinkering with numbers.

And the first "Touring Tuesdays" posts were rolling out. That was a fun series which is being reposted every Sunday now for a while. Check it out......

Update On "The Belt"

As many regular readers of this blog know, I have chronicled the development of "The Belt" for single speed mountain biking here for quite some time. (Want to see the past reports? Put "The Belt" in the search box on the upper left of the header and hit the magnifying glass icon.)

Here's the latest update I have on this technology and my take in relation to how The Chain performs.

2013 Raleigh XXIX

At Interbike, I rode a 2013 Raleigh XXIX with the Gates Carbon Drive Center Track belt. The XXIX has benefited from the Center Track version in three key ways:

• Better "belt line" due to the Center Track has enabled Raleigh to return to the past XXIX geometry that was ahead of its time. 
• Better (lower) belt tension has made for less stress on bottom bracket and free hub bearings. 
• The Center Track is light years better than the older Carbon Drive versions. 

I really like the new XXIX. It handles and rides like the older XXIX's, except that it has a nice Fox suspension fork, of course! However; this is about The Belt.

The Center Track design has really been a boon to belt drive fans and designers wanting to employ a belt into their bicycles designs.  It definitely works better, but can you really put all of your confidence in The Belt? Can you "stand and mash" with impunity without fear of snapping that high tech blackened strand?

This was always in the back of my mind as I rode the Sawyer. Sure, I'd stomped and pushed The Belt pretty hard, but I'd never had a ride where I felt I had put it to a severe test, not ever worrying about the chainless drive train, and had a good outcome. 

Back in '07, I rode the first edition of the Carbon Drive on a Spot Brand single speed. The demo loop went fine until towards the end, I hit a steep embankment up with a sharp right turn at the top, with a further climb up and to the left after that.

On the first blast on the pedals going up the initial steep, I heard a loud "pop". I expected that I would be catapulted off the bike, but I wasn't. The Belt held, but what had happened?

It had "slipped", or in Belt Terminology- it had ratcheted. That is not a good thing either. I wasn't very impressed, or trusting of The Belt after that.

Fast forward to this past Interbike where I rode that XXIX. I hit the same steep up, but now, after five years of erosion and riders, it was way tougher and cobby going up than ever. I knew that if The Belt was going to fail- this was it. I hammered the pedals, slipped, lost traction, timed a few good hard strokes, mashed, mashed, and mashed, then I made it all the way up.

No issues.

So The Belt has my trust back, but that isn't the end of the story. My partner, Grannygear was impressed by my story, but he has had "squeaky" issues with The Belt in dry, dusty conditions. I had never experienced that, but I had no reason to doubt his story.

Yesterday I rode the Sawyer and after a bit of time into the ride, I began to hear a "squeak......squeak....squeak" that was timed with the pedal stroke. It went away with coasting. I began to go into "diagnoses mode", as I suppose any bicycle mechanic does when they are riding a bike that doesn't work right, or makes odd noises.

Well, I would have to say that the dreaded "dry squeak" made a brief and intermittent appearance yesterday on the Sawyer. And you all know one of the selling points on The Belt is that it is dead quiet and doesn't need maintenance in the form of lubrication, etc.

In the dry, which it has been here for most of the year, it seems that The Belt can squeak. Kinda bums ya out, if yer a Belt fan, I know. Grannygear says he quiets his down with silicone spray. By the way, I've heard The Belt does this in really wet conditions as well. I have no basis to know whether or not that is true, but I have seen that reported.

We'll have to wait for some really wet weather to see about that. For now- it's one big plus and one minus for The Belt this time around.

Update On "The Belt"

As many regular readers of this blog know, I have chronicled the development of "The Belt" for single speed mountain biking here for quite some time. (Want to see the past reports? Put "The Belt" in the search box on the upper left of the header and hit the magnifying glass icon.)

Here's the latest update I have on this technology and my take in relation to how The Chain performs.

2013 Raleigh XXIX

At Interbike, I rode a 2013 Raleigh XXIX with the Gates Carbon Drive Center Track belt. The XXIX has benefited from the Center Track version in three key ways:

• Better "belt line" due to the Center Track has enabled Raleigh to return to the past XXIX geometry that was ahead of its time. 
• Better (lower) belt tension has made for less stress on bottom bracket and free hub bearings. 
• The Center Track is light years better than the older Carbon Drive versions. 

I really like the new XXIX. It handles and rides like the older XXIX's, except that it has a nice Fox suspension fork, of course! However; this is about The Belt.

The Center Track design has really been a boon to belt drive fans and designers wanting to employ a belt into their bicycles designs.  It definitely works better, but can you really put all of your confidence in The Belt? Can you "stand and mash" with impunity without fear of snapping that high tech blackened strand?

This was always in the back of my mind as I rode the Sawyer. Sure, I'd stomped and pushed The Belt pretty hard, but I'd never had a ride where I felt I had put it to a severe test, not ever worrying about the chainless drive train, and had a good outcome. 

Back in '07, I rode the first edition of the Carbon Drive on a Spot Brand single speed. The demo loop went fine until towards the end, I hit a steep embankment up with a sharp right turn at the top, with a further climb up and to the left after that.

On the first blast on the pedals going up the initial steep, I heard a loud "pop". I expected that I would be catapulted off the bike, but I wasn't. The Belt held, but what had happened?

It had "slipped", or in Belt Terminology- it had ratcheted. That is not a good thing either. I wasn't very impressed, or trusting of The Belt after that.

Fast forward to this past Interbike where I rode that XXIX. I hit the same steep up, but now, after five years of erosion and riders, it was way tougher and cobby going up than ever. I knew that if The Belt was going to fail- this was it. I hammered the pedals, slipped, lost traction, timed a few good hard strokes, mashed, mashed, and mashed, then I made it all the way up.

No issues.

So The Belt has my trust back, but that isn't the end of the story. My partner, Grannygear was impressed by my story, but he has had "squeaky" issues with The Belt in dry, dusty conditions. I had never experienced that, but I had no reason to doubt his story.

Yesterday I rode the Sawyer and after a bit of time into the ride, I began to hear a "squeak......squeak....squeak" that was timed with the pedal stroke. It went away with coasting. I began to go into "diagnoses mode", as I suppose any bicycle mechanic does when they are riding a bike that doesn't work right, or makes odd noises.

Well, I would have to say that the dreaded "dry squeak" made a brief and intermittent appearance yesterday on the Sawyer. And you all know one of the selling points on The Belt is that it is dead quiet and doesn't need maintenance in the form of lubrication, etc.

In the dry, which it has been here for most of the year, it seems that The Belt can squeak. Kinda bums ya out, if yer a Belt fan, I know. Grannygear says he quiets his down with silicone spray. By the way, I've heard The Belt does this in really wet conditions as well. I have no basis to know whether or not that is true, but I have seen that reported.

We'll have to wait for some really wet weather to see about that. For now- it's one big plus and one minus for The Belt this time around.

Friday News And Views

Single Speed Energy Vortex

"The Belt" Update: The last few days I have been dealing with an issue that arose with my Gates Carbon Drive Center Track set up on the Fisher Collection Sawyer.

I was up at the Camp a few times with this set up and never had an issue. I've ridden it a bunch since getting it squared away last summer. No issues. No noises. Nuthin'.

So I go ride at the Camp this past week and hit this steep climb. It is a toughy too. You come off a bumpy section and start gradually going up. Then the pitch steepens right at the point where you have a few roots and lots of embedded rock sticking through the dirt, just waiting to stop your forward progress. As if the hill's pitch wasn't enough.

Well, right as I get out of the saddle at the very point where the trail pitches upward, I hear the dreaded "pop" of a belt ratcheting.

Wha...??!!

I dismounted to examine the situation, fully expecting to see that the slider had shifted, or the belt had popped off a tooth, but nothing of the sort. I did see that the belt was looser. Yeah......how that happened I don't have a clue. Well, I couldn't continue on with it the way it was, and tightening it trail side was not a possibility since I didn't have a 8mm box end wrench for the jamb nut on the tensioner. Bah!

Well, after a bit of a disgruntled Tweet, Gates contacted me to find out what was going on and they are administering a fix. So, I should be back up and running again soon. Stay tuned for further updates.....

When will this wintery scene happen again?

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.A. That means that within days the skies will open up and start dumping the white stuff on the area.

Well.......that is if the pattern of the last three years is any indication. 

Typically the "Turkey Burn Ride" at the Camp is the last ride on open trails for the year. Usually just after that the snow falls. Well, last year I didn't have the Snow Dog, and now I also have "Big Fat Larrys" to mount on it, if need be.

Last January I had a longer ride into the country on snowmobile trails where I was wanting for a tiny bit more float than the 3.8" Larrys were giving me. Also, truth be told, I was running maybe a couple psi too high on the air pressures. I never ever got down there to the point where the sidewalls were flexing. Maybe had I got down that low, I would have made more riding and less walking.

But no matter. Now I have bigger tires in the arsenal, and flotation will not be an issue this year. Then again.....maybe this will be a return to the brown winters of years past. 

 And if so, no big deal. I've got gravel roads to be riding. I love it. Now, short of massively thick coatings of ice, I am ready to take on winter on my bicycles. I even have thought that it may be time to bring back the KMFDM and run it this winter. Wait.......you don't know what "KMFDM" means?  (Not the band) It stands for "Karate Monkey Fixie Death Machine", because I probably will eat it on some day commuting since it is fixed and I can't hop curbs well riding fixed. I have a tendency just to bash over them!

One thing though- that fixed gear in winter is really much, much better on slippery surfaces. So, I am pretty sure some big, fat tires are going on that bike and the Tomi Cog as well. Ditch the rear brake, and all will be good.

Hope ya'all have a great weekend. Ride somewhere if ya can! winter is nigh!

Friday News And Views

Single Speed Energy Vortex

"The Belt" Update: The last few days I have been dealing with an issue that arose with my Gates Carbon Drive Center Track set up on the Fisher Collection Sawyer.

I was up at the Camp a few times with this set up and never had an issue. I've ridden it a bunch since getting it squared away last summer. No issues. No noises. Nuthin'.

So I go ride at the Camp this past week and hit this steep climb. It is a toughy too. You come off a bumpy section and start gradually going up. Then the pitch steepens right at the point where you have a few roots and lots of embedded rock sticking through the dirt, just waiting to stop your forward progress. As if the hill's pitch wasn't enough.

Well, right as I get out of the saddle at the very point where the trail pitches upward, I hear the dreaded "pop" of a belt ratcheting.

Wha...??!!

I dismounted to examine the situation, fully expecting to see that the slider had shifted, or the belt had popped off a tooth, but nothing of the sort. I did see that the belt was looser. Yeah......how that happened I don't have a clue. Well, I couldn't continue on with it the way it was, and tightening it trail side was not a possibility since I didn't have a 8mm box end wrench for the jamb nut on the tensioner. Bah!

Well, after a bit of a disgruntled Tweet, Gates contacted me to find out what was going on and they are administering a fix. So, I should be back up and running again soon. Stay tuned for further updates.....

When will this wintery scene happen again?

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.A. That means that within days the skies will open up and start dumping the white stuff on the area.

Well.......that is if the pattern of the last three years is any indication. 

Typically the "Turkey Burn Ride" at the Camp is the last ride on open trails for the year. Usually just after that the snow falls. Well, last year I didn't have the Snow Dog, and now I also have "Big Fat Larrys" to mount on it, if need be.

Last January I had a longer ride into the country on snowmobile trails where I was wanting for a tiny bit more float than the 3.8" Larrys were giving me. Also, truth be told, I was running maybe a couple psi too high on the air pressures. I never ever got down there to the point where the sidewalls were flexing. Maybe had I got down that low, I would have made more riding and less walking.

But no matter. Now I have bigger tires in the arsenal, and flotation will not be an issue this year. Then again.....maybe this will be a return to the brown winters of years past. 

 And if so, no big deal. I've got gravel roads to be riding. I love it. Now, short of massively thick coatings of ice, I am ready to take on winter on my bicycles. I even have thought that it may be time to bring back the KMFDM and run it this winter. Wait.......you don't know what "KMFDM" means?  (Not the band) It stands for "Karate Monkey Fixie Death Machine", because I probably will eat it on some day commuting since it is fixed and I can't hop curbs well riding fixed. I have a tendency just to bash over them!

One thing though- that fixed gear in winter is really much, much better on slippery surfaces. So, I am pretty sure some big, fat tires are going on that bike and the Tomi Cog as well. Ditch the rear brake, and all will be good.

Hope ya'all have a great weekend. Ride somewhere if ya can! winter is nigh!

Gates Carbon Drive Center Track: Conclusions

I have been riding the Gates Carbon Center Track on the Fisher Collection Sawyer for a while now and here are my thoughts on the system. I think Gates has come a long, long way in regard to the functionality, but.....(.there's always a "but"), there are other concerns surrounding the system that give me pause. Some are surmountable, some perhaps not so much.

"What's The Ratio, Kenneth?"

First off, the system works. I'll be perfectly clear. Gates has finally made a belt drive that you can use just like your chain system- no binding, and freer spin on the cranks, almost as good as a very worn in chain drive. The belt stays on the cogs, and there are no noises that don't belong. (Meaning no noise at all.)

Let's face it, the Sawyer is steel, and we all know that frame is twisting and flexing some. Not a lot, but the previous Carbon Drive belt I used, on an arguably much stouter steel frame, was not quiet, and did pop and squeal some times. It never ratcheted, but it wasn't dead quiet, and I had to have that belt "banjo string tight" to keep it tracking. Not so with the Center Track.

Had the Sawyer been equipped with the older belt, I don't think I would have given it a passing grade at all. Not with that frame, at any rate. That was a silly thing to my mind anyway. Why run a belt if it meant you had to have a very stiff, rough riding, over built frame so it wouldn't ratchet or derail? It just seemed stupid, really. Now Center Track seems to have relaxed those requirements to the point that if the frame did flex enough to give you issues, it probably would mean the frame is a poor choice for single speeding.

The new cogs are great. No more tearing up the bases of rear cogs and no goofy flanges to start making noise when things get wet/dirty. The stainless steel rear cog is a thing of CNC beauty, and the front ring, while rather bland looking, does its job perfectly.

That little fin in the middle is the magic to these. It keeps the belt from derailing, and allows for slight out of alignment conditions like when the frame twists slightly as you torque the pedals hard going up a climb. The belt itself is pretty amazing. Wider at 12mm, it is the widest belt Gates has offered for a bicycle, and it just works. I had a bit of tooth interfacing noise right out of the box, but it literally went away within the span of a couple of rides. Since then, I just periodically check the tension by pushing down on the belt, (admittedly, a no-tech way to do that!), but theoretically, the belt should never stretch, or need much of anything beyond a washing with water and a visual inspection from time to time.

Not A Lot Of Choice

So, it works. Then it is good to go, right? Not quite. There are a few things which are stumbling blocks that Gates may or may not get squared away with the Center Track. If they do, it could be the premier single speed drive train choice. It could, but.......

Cog Selection Is Too Narrow: Gates says they will offer a wide array of ratio choices at some point, but as of now, only the ratio I have is available. It was too tall to get me up some of the steeper inclines we have here, and it is way too stout of a gear for extended mountain climbing. At least on a 29"er it is. Admittedly, given time, this should get better. Just don't expect much for choice yet.

The system is very expensive. Even the previous incarnation of belt drive was/is expensive, and you can get two complete chain driven drive trains for the price of one Gates set up. Add in the fact that you will likely need a different belt and cog for different ratios, and it could get ugly on the pocketbook. Of course, the components are said to out last chains and traditional cogs/chain rings by a huge amount, but the upfront costs of getting into a Gates set up with multiple ratios would be staggering.

Tensioning is still a problem. Not everyone carries their iPhone on rides, or wants to. Then again, not all cyclists have iPhones. So that ap for "tuning" the belt tension, while clever, will not be of much use to many people. Folks that have bikes requiring re-tensioning every time they remove the rear wheel, or change ratios are going to have a hard time. Gates needs to come up with a repeatable, easy, mechanically measured means to tension their belts properly that can be carried easily on the bike. Engineers at Gates, "Go!" Let's see this get done and soon. 

And You Still Need A Special Frame. After all, not all frames can be, or should be Gates compatible. So your favorite geometry, or brand may not be compatible. Chains can be fitted to any bicycle, Gates equipped or no.

Then you have to also consider the myriad ways that a chain can accommodate making almost any ratio work on any given bicycle, and even can make bicycles not meant to be single speeds into single speeds. Derailleurs? Yeah. One choice there!

With that said, I am still excited about a Gates Center Track set up. Why? Because of winter, more than anything. I would love to see a snow bike in my stable with an internally geared hub driven by a Gates Center Track belt. To me, that would be the ultimate winter set up for around here.

Gates Carbon Drive Center Track: Conclusions

I have been riding the Gates Carbon Center Track on the Fisher Collection Sawyer for a while now and here are my thoughts on the system. I think Gates has come a long, long way in regard to the functionality, but.....(.there's always a "but"), there are other concerns surrounding the system that give me pause. Some are surmountable, some perhaps not so much.

"What's The Ratio, Kenneth?"

First off, the system works. I'll be perfectly clear. Gates has finally made a belt drive that you can use just like your chain system- no binding, and freer spin on the cranks, almost as good as a very worn in chain drive. The belt stays on the cogs, and there are no noises that don't belong. (Meaning no noise at all.)

Let's face it, the Sawyer is steel, and we all know that frame is twisting and flexing some. Not a lot, but the previous Carbon Drive belt I used, on an arguably much stouter steel frame, was not quiet, and did pop and squeal some times. It never ratcheted, but it wasn't dead quiet, and I had to have that belt "banjo string tight" to keep it tracking. Not so with the Center Track.

Had the Sawyer been equipped with the older belt, I don't think I would have given it a passing grade at all. Not with that frame, at any rate. That was a silly thing to my mind anyway. Why run a belt if it meant you had to have a very stiff, rough riding, over built frame so it wouldn't ratchet or derail? It just seemed stupid, really. Now Center Track seems to have relaxed those requirements to the point that if the frame did flex enough to give you issues, it probably would mean the frame is a poor choice for single speeding.

The new cogs are great. No more tearing up the bases of rear cogs and no goofy flanges to start making noise when things get wet/dirty. The stainless steel rear cog is a thing of CNC beauty, and the front ring, while rather bland looking, does its job perfectly.

That little fin in the middle is the magic to these. It keeps the belt from derailing, and allows for slight out of alignment conditions like when the frame twists slightly as you torque the pedals hard going up a climb. The belt itself is pretty amazing. Wider at 12mm, it is the widest belt Gates has offered for a bicycle, and it just works. I had a bit of tooth interfacing noise right out of the box, but it literally went away within the span of a couple of rides. Since then, I just periodically check the tension by pushing down on the belt, (admittedly, a no-tech way to do that!), but theoretically, the belt should never stretch, or need much of anything beyond a washing with water and a visual inspection from time to time.

Not A Lot Of Choice

So, it works. Then it is good to go, right? Not quite. There are a few things which are stumbling blocks that Gates may or may not get squared away with the Center Track. If they do, it could be the premier single speed drive train choice. It could, but.......

Cog Selection Is Too Narrow: Gates says they will offer a wide array of ratio choices at some point, but as of now, only the ratio I have is available. It was too tall to get me up some of the steeper inclines we have here, and it is way too stout of a gear for extended mountain climbing. At least on a 29"er it is. Admittedly, given time, this should get better. Just don't expect much for choice yet.

The system is very expensive. Even the previous incarnation of belt drive was/is expensive, and you can get two complete chain driven drive trains for the price of one Gates set up. Add in the fact that you will likely need a different belt and cog for different ratios, and it could get ugly on the pocketbook. Of course, the components are said to out last chains and traditional cogs/chain rings by a huge amount, but the upfront costs of getting into a Gates set up with multiple ratios would be staggering.

Tensioning is still a problem. Not everyone carries their iPhone on rides, or wants to. Then again, not all cyclists have iPhones. So that ap for "tuning" the belt tension, while clever, will not be of much use to many people. Folks that have bikes requiring re-tensioning every time they remove the rear wheel, or change ratios are going to have a hard time. Gates needs to come up with a repeatable, easy, mechanically measured means to tension their belts properly that can be carried easily on the bike. Engineers at Gates, "Go!" Let's see this get done and soon. 

And You Still Need A Special Frame. After all, not all frames can be, or should be Gates compatible. So your favorite geometry, or brand may not be compatible. Chains can be fitted to any bicycle, Gates equipped or no.

Then you have to also consider the myriad ways that a chain can accommodate making almost any ratio work on any given bicycle, and even can make bicycles not meant to be single speeds into single speeds. Derailleurs? Yeah. One choice there!

With that said, I am still excited about a Gates Center Track set up. Why? Because of winter, more than anything. I would love to see a snow bike in my stable with an internally geared hub driven by a Gates Center Track belt. To me, that would be the ultimate winter set up for around here.

Friday News And Views

Just down a wee bit and to the right!

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational: As per my post yesterday, you will note that I did recon some of the upcoming GTDRI route.

I am excited about a couple of the roads. One in particular is just past the corner where I shot the image here looking down to the north. I sure hope it doesn't rain, because it is a B Maintenance road that, while not as gnarly as the one on T.I.V7, is pretty dang rad. It is mostly clay, highly crowned, and has a steep drop down to a gentler downhill. It looked wet when I rode it Wednesday, and knowing how slippery-snotty clay can get, I eased into the down hill with trepidation and great caution, lest I fall and slide off into a 20 foot deep ditch to the outside of the bench cut roadway. Well, it was just tacky, but, ya never know!

If it gets wet, we'll have to take a work-a-round, but hopefully the weather will be good for that weekend. Some of the storm damage I encountered on the roadway should be cleared by that time, as well. More details to come.......

So, How About That There Belt-thingy?: I did get a brief ride on the Gates Carbon Drive Center Track system Wednesday too. Readers might recall that tensioning the system requires getting the belt to produce a tone in the 70-85Hz range. That turns out to be approximately a D# on the bass clef. Who knew?

Well, I had it pretty tight already, (tuned to approximately an A), so I rode it anyway. After a while out at The Camp, I felt pretty confident in mashing up steeps on it, and it held up well. The best part? The tension I used allowed the cranks to spin approximately as easily as a chain. The bad part? I didn't get the spacers right on the freehub! (jingle-jangle) Oh well..... More to come, but this looks to be more promising from a purely performance standpoint than the older system.

The only bummers about it, and likely to remain so, are the availability of combinations that would yield a desired "virtual chainstay length", and costs.

Ergon PC2-L pedal. Cooler Than U Think

I Wasn't Expecting Much: Ergon has been working on some things for a while, one of which was some pedals. That much I knew about some time ago. I figured they would be mountain biking pedals of some sort, and figured they would be some time in coming. However; I wasn't ready for the news that these would be commuter pedals. I also wasn't expecting too much. I mean, flat pedals have been done to death. These would have to be something pretty cool to raise my eyebrows at all.

Well, Topeak-Ergon man, Jeff Kerkove invited me to try a pair out recently. So they hit the door yesterday and looky here! They are different than I thought they could be. Very different.

My first impression is that they are large. Really, they are pretty big pedals. A bit larger than most free ride flats even. They are also contoured to fit the curvature of the bottom of a shoe/foot combination. For instance, my Vans sit in these like they were custom made for them. The rough surface is a material from 3M, and is grippy on the soles of my Vans too.

There are no aggressive pins, teeth, or other protuberances on these pedals to scar you. The contours are smooth and friendly. Good stuff for those times when you nick a pedal while walking your bike, or are moving it about. (Especially so if you slip a foot off while riding, although I seriously doubt that will happen with that 3M material there and with the way these are contoured.) These also have the most mondo reflectors I've yet seen on any pedal, and they are integrated into the design.

By the way, please do not ask if they are toe-strap compatible. Just. Don't. Ask. Toe straps are eee-ville! Eee-ville I say!

First Impressions: I slapped these pedals on the Schwinn Xtracycle rig, and went down to get a case of soda for my lady, and a bottle of Fat Tire Ale for myself. I noticed right off that my feet hit the Ergon PC2's just right. No positioning, then re-positioning needed to find a "sweet spot" The whole pedal just feels the way it should. The concave contouring works. Then again, we've seen some of this concave contouring on higher end mtb flats, haven't we? The PC2 does it one better for commuters.

I felt like I could do anything I wanted with these within the realms of flat pedals, even without having any pins. The big ol' platform cradled my feet and spread out the load put on them by pedaling. I think these are going to be good. We'll see about that later...... For now, I am well impressed, and I didn't think I would be all that much.

Okay, hope you all have a great weekend. Get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

Just down a wee bit and to the right!

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational: As per my post yesterday, you will note that I did recon some of the upcoming GTDRI route.

I am excited about a couple of the roads. One in particular is just past the corner where I shot the image here looking down to the north. I sure hope it doesn't rain, because it is a B Maintenance road that, while not as gnarly as the one on T.I.V7, is pretty dang rad. It is mostly clay, highly crowned, and has a steep drop down to a gentler downhill. It looked wet when I rode it Wednesday, and knowing how slippery-snotty clay can get, I eased into the down hill with trepidation and great caution, lest I fall and slide off into a 20 foot deep ditch to the outside of the bench cut roadway. Well, it was just tacky, but, ya never know!

If it gets wet, we'll have to take a work-a-round, but hopefully the weather will be good for that weekend. Some of the storm damage I encountered on the roadway should be cleared by that time, as well. More details to come.......

So, How About That There Belt-thingy?: I did get a brief ride on the Gates Carbon Drive Center Track system Wednesday too. Readers might recall that tensioning the system requires getting the belt to produce a tone in the 70-85Hz range. That turns out to be approximately a D# on the bass clef. Who knew?

Well, I had it pretty tight already, (tuned to approximately an A), so I rode it anyway. After a while out at The Camp, I felt pretty confident in mashing up steeps on it, and it held up well. The best part? The tension I used allowed the cranks to spin approximately as easily as a chain. The bad part? I didn't get the spacers right on the freehub! (jingle-jangle) Oh well..... More to come, but this looks to be more promising from a purely performance standpoint than the older system.

The only bummers about it, and likely to remain so, are the availability of combinations that would yield a desired "virtual chainstay length", and costs.

Ergon PC2-L pedal. Cooler Than U Think

I Wasn't Expecting Much: Ergon has been working on some things for a while, one of which was some pedals. That much I knew about some time ago. I figured they would be mountain biking pedals of some sort, and figured they would be some time in coming. However; I wasn't ready for the news that these would be commuter pedals. I also wasn't expecting too much. I mean, flat pedals have been done to death. These would have to be something pretty cool to raise my eyebrows at all.

Well, Topeak-Ergon man, Jeff Kerkove invited me to try a pair out recently. So they hit the door yesterday and looky here! They are different than I thought they could be. Very different.

My first impression is that they are large. Really, they are pretty big pedals. A bit larger than most free ride flats even. They are also contoured to fit the curvature of the bottom of a shoe/foot combination. For instance, my Vans sit in these like they were custom made for them. The rough surface is a material from 3M, and is grippy on the soles of my Vans too.

There are no aggressive pins, teeth, or other protuberances on these pedals to scar you. The contours are smooth and friendly. Good stuff for those times when you nick a pedal while walking your bike, or are moving it about. (Especially so if you slip a foot off while riding, although I seriously doubt that will happen with that 3M material there and with the way these are contoured.) These also have the most mondo reflectors I've yet seen on any pedal, and they are integrated into the design.

By the way, please do not ask if they are toe-strap compatible. Just. Don't. Ask. Toe straps are eee-ville! Eee-ville I say!

First Impressions: I slapped these pedals on the Schwinn Xtracycle rig, and went down to get a case of soda for my lady, and a bottle of Fat Tire Ale for myself. I noticed right off that my feet hit the Ergon PC2's just right. No positioning, then re-positioning needed to find a "sweet spot" The whole pedal just feels the way it should. The concave contouring works. Then again, we've seen some of this concave contouring on higher end mtb flats, haven't we? The PC2 does it one better for commuters.

I felt like I could do anything I wanted with these within the realms of flat pedals, even without having any pins. The big ol' platform cradled my feet and spread out the load put on them by pedaling. I think these are going to be good. We'll see about that later...... For now, I am well impressed, and I didn't think I would be all that much.

Okay, hope you all have a great weekend. Get out and ride!

Gates Carbon Drive Center Track Ready To Go

Okay, after some waiting, I have finally procured the belt that will work with the length of the chain stay, the cog, and the front ring that are on the Sawyer. The Center Track system is alive!

Carbon Drive Center Track on the Sawyer

As I posted before, The Belt has issues when it comes to combinations that will fit existing bikes. Had I wanted to go with the shortest chain stay setting on the Sawyer, I would have needed to "massage" the drop outs with a Dremmel tool a bit to get the shorter belt to work. To avoid that, I went with the next longer belt, which slammed me back almost as far as the wheel will go. So much for short chain stays! Not that I am worried too much about these sorts of things, but it does point out that Gates has a long way to go before they can cover the combinations possible with The Chain. They claim at some point that they will. (It would be good to start with some more Center Track compatible cogs, for instance)

My issues with getting a belt to fit also pointed out some other irregularities that may plague some designs out there. The sliders on the Sawyer, which have a ton of "throw", arc throughout their travel. Okay, now stop and think about that for a minute: Those sliders have to travel in the exact same arc on either side, or you will notice "oddities" with regard to your rear wheel placement within the frame.

This manifested itself to me when I tried fitting the first, too short, belt. The sliders were off enough from side to side in terms of the arc they traveled in that the wheel was almost slammed over to the non-drive side in the front, near the bottom bracket. At the seat stays, it was barely noticeable. As the sliders traveled backward, the arcs traveled by the sliders matched more closely, then at the end of the throw, were only slightly off to where the adjuster for the non-driveside is out more than the driveside  adjuster, which is nearly buried into the drop out.

Notice the adjusters? One is out further.

I'm okay with it. I got the wheel centered, but with sliders, I've noticed these sorts of issues before. They don't have to have arced slots  to be off either. I've seen out of plane sliders on several bikes. Custom ones even.

But I digress.....

This is about Center Track. I think t's going to be good, or at least better than the older design, in terms of tension on the system. My contact at Gates said that Center Track isn't so much about "less tension" than it is about not having to use "excessive tension" to make it work. He recommended that I use the iPhone app that is made for tensioning the Center Track belt, which should resonate at between 70-80Hz. Okay......what if you do not own an iPhone?  Not a problem......if you are a musician!

Looks like I'll be busting out the chromatic tuner and going for approximately a D#. We'll see how that goes, and then test it out on the trails with a report to come later.

Gates Carbon Drive Center Track Ready To Go

Okay, after some waiting, I have finally procured the belt that will work with the length of the chain stay, the cog, and the front ring that are on the Sawyer. The Center Track system is alive!

Carbon Drive Center Track on the Sawyer

As I posted before, The Belt has issues when it comes to combinations that will fit existing bikes. Had I wanted to go with the shortest chain stay setting on the Sawyer, I would have needed to "massage" the drop outs with a Dremmel tool a bit to get the shorter belt to work. To avoid that, I went with the next longer belt, which slammed me back almost as far as the wheel will go. So much for short chain stays! Not that I am worried too much about these sorts of things, but it does point out that Gates has a long way to go before they can cover the combinations possible with The Chain. They claim at some point that they will. (It would be good to start with some more Center Track compatible cogs, for instance)

My issues with getting a belt to fit also pointed out some other irregularities that may plague some designs out there. The sliders on the Sawyer, which have a ton of "throw", arc throughout their travel. Okay, now stop and think about that for a minute: Those sliders have to travel in the exact same arc on either side, or you will notice "oddities" with regard to your rear wheel placement within the frame.

This manifested itself to me when I tried fitting the first, too short, belt. The sliders were off enough from side to side in terms of the arc they traveled in that the wheel was almost slammed over to the non-drive side in the front, near the bottom bracket. At the seat stays, it was barely noticeable. As the sliders traveled backward, the arcs traveled by the sliders matched more closely, then at the end of the throw, were only slightly off to where the adjuster for the non-driveside is out more than the driveside  adjuster, which is nearly buried into the drop out.

Notice the adjusters? One is out further.

I'm okay with it. I got the wheel centered, but with sliders, I've noticed these sorts of issues before. They don't have to have arced slots  to be off either. I've seen out of plane sliders on several bikes. Custom ones even.

But I digress.....

This is about Center Track. I think t's going to be good, or at least better than the older design, in terms of tension on the system. My contact at Gates said that Center Track isn't so much about "less tension" than it is about not having to use "excessive tension" to make it work. He recommended that I use the iPhone app that is made for tensioning the Center Track belt, which should resonate at between 70-80Hz. Okay......what if you do not own an iPhone?  Not a problem......if you are a musician!

Looks like I'll be busting out the chromatic tuner and going for approximately a D#. We'll see how that goes, and then test it out on the trails with a report to come later.

Friday News And Views

Let's Try This Again...

Gates Redux: You may have read on this blog last year about my Gates Carbon Drive belt experiences, which weren't all that encouraging. Well, Gates hasn't been sleeping, and are working on solutions.

The latest is called "Center Track" and as the name suggests, the belt has a groove in the center that "tracks" along a ridge in the center of each cog. This has the effect of keeping the belt aligned on the cogs despite slight discrepancies caused by misaligned cogs, or flexing due to pedaling. The Center Track technology steps up the belt width to 12mm as well, which also alleviates tension issues, according to Gates.

I'm going to mount this on the Trek, Gary Fisher Collection Sawyer. Well, in fact, I did. Trouble is that due to a very limited number of Center Track combinations available now, the belt I have was juuuusssst a bit too short. It wouldn't work. So, Gates is sending out another, longer belt, which ironically enough, will be almost too long. Strike one: "The Chain"  is more adjustable than "The Belt". (But we already knew that from last time.) It's still true. More to come......

Ergon HE2 Gloves: Ergon, the company known for its grips and backpacks, has now branched out into gloves. The HE2 by Ergon is the one I am trying out now. It is Ergon's take on a glove for endurance riding and all mountain pursuits. I'll tell ya this much right off the bat: It ain't like any other glove you've had your mitts in.

First of all, I'll say that almost any cycling glove gives my hands fits. Too snug and my hands go numb, almost instantly. I was recently pleased to find some gloves that made my hands really happy, but the Ergon HE2 needed trying out, so I laid those aside for a while.

The HE2 fits like a second skin. Like a race jersey for your hands. The feel is startling at first. In fact, I was sure that within minutes I would be hating them for making my hands go numb. The tips were right against my finger tips, almost to the point of having the seam go under my finger nails. This was also disconcerting at first, but I gave them a tryout anyway.

After a few uses, the gloves stretched just a bit, and the feeling of snugness went away, for the most part. Still, they fit like a second skin, and you know what? My hands never went numb. Not even for a second. On the bike, they were great, almost like not wearing gloves, but better. Grip is enhanced, and of course, with that snug fit, tactile feel is top notch. In fact, these are the only gloves I've ever worn that I didn't want to immediately peel off to do something like use a tool, reach into a pocket for something, or pick up something off the ground. I could text with them on, and even operate the tiny buttons on my Panasonic LX-3 camera. Pretty impressive!

However; I found it almost radical that Ergon did not put on any "nose wiper" material on the thumb, or back of the glove. (Can it even be a cycling glove then?) I also did not like the Velcro closure, finding it too tight, short in length, and restricting. And my wrists are pretty small for a guy my size. I would like to see Ergon adopt a closure, or more appropriately, an opening that simply stretched wide for entry, and then relaxed, like the aforementioned gloves I linked to. Finally, for a rough and tumble glove meant for endurance racing, back country, and all mountain use, the lack of finger tip protection on the outside/back of the fingers, and the "euro-trash", driving gloves styling were odd here.(Note: There is a really nice "pad" of carbon-fiber-like material to protect the heel of your palm.)

Did I like them? No, not at first, but I did end up grabbing them over the others for a recent ride. They are pretty darn good gloves, as long as you can get by the snug fit, sparse features, and the quirky styling. I guess I don't dislike them, and I may end up really liking them in the end. They just are so different. Now I just have to get them and the helmet I left behind back in a Suburban in Northfield back again! (DOH!) A final review will be seen on The Cyclist soon.

Speaking of Northfield.... That criterium deal fried my legs and feet. I don't know what it was, but my legs have been like two limp meat-sticks since that Monday in the sun, and I have been super tired all week. I just hope I can recover soon.

Okay, ya'all have a great weekend, and hopefully you all get some fun, adventurous, and safe bicycling in this weekend.

Friday News And Views

Let's Try This Again...

Gates Redux: You may have read on this blog last year about my Gates Carbon Drive belt experiences, which weren't all that encouraging. Well, Gates hasn't been sleeping, and are working on solutions.

The latest is called "Center Track" and as the name suggests, the belt has a groove in the center that "tracks" along a ridge in the center of each cog. This has the effect of keeping the belt aligned on the cogs despite slight discrepancies caused by misaligned cogs, or flexing due to pedaling. The Center Track technology steps up the belt width to 12mm as well, which also alleviates tension issues, according to Gates.

I'm going to mount this on the Trek, Gary Fisher Collection Sawyer. Well, in fact, I did. Trouble is that due to a very limited number of Center Track combinations available now, the belt I have was juuuusssst a bit too short. It wouldn't work. So, Gates is sending out another, longer belt, which ironically enough, will be almost too long. Strike one: "The Chain"  is more adjustable than "The Belt". (But we already knew that from last time.) It's still true. More to come......

Ergon HE2 Gloves: Ergon, the company known for its grips and backpacks, has now branched out into gloves. The HE2 by Ergon is the one I am trying out now. It is Ergon's take on a glove for endurance riding and all mountain pursuits. I'll tell ya this much right off the bat: It ain't like any other glove you've had your mitts in.

First of all, I'll say that almost any cycling glove gives my hands fits. Too snug and my hands go numb, almost instantly. I was recently pleased to find some gloves that made my hands really happy, but the Ergon HE2 needed trying out, so I laid those aside for a while.

The HE2 fits like a second skin. Like a race jersey for your hands. The feel is startling at first. In fact, I was sure that within minutes I would be hating them for making my hands go numb. The tips were right against my finger tips, almost to the point of having the seam go under my finger nails. This was also disconcerting at first, but I gave them a tryout anyway.

After a few uses, the gloves stretched just a bit, and the feeling of snugness went away, for the most part. Still, they fit like a second skin, and you know what? My hands never went numb. Not even for a second. On the bike, they were great, almost like not wearing gloves, but better. Grip is enhanced, and of course, with that snug fit, tactile feel is top notch. In fact, these are the only gloves I've ever worn that I didn't want to immediately peel off to do something like use a tool, reach into a pocket for something, or pick up something off the ground. I could text with them on, and even operate the tiny buttons on my Panasonic LX-3 camera. Pretty impressive!

However; I found it almost radical that Ergon did not put on any "nose wiper" material on the thumb, or back of the glove. (Can it even be a cycling glove then?) I also did not like the Velcro closure, finding it too tight, short in length, and restricting. And my wrists are pretty small for a guy my size. I would like to see Ergon adopt a closure, or more appropriately, an opening that simply stretched wide for entry, and then relaxed, like the aforementioned gloves I linked to. Finally, for a rough and tumble glove meant for endurance racing, back country, and all mountain use, the lack of finger tip protection on the outside/back of the fingers, and the "euro-trash", driving gloves styling were odd here.(Note: There is a really nice "pad" of carbon-fiber-like material to protect the heel of your palm.)

Did I like them? No, not at first, but I did end up grabbing them over the others for a recent ride. They are pretty darn good gloves, as long as you can get by the snug fit, sparse features, and the quirky styling. I guess I don't dislike them, and I may end up really liking them in the end. They just are so different. Now I just have to get them and the helmet I left behind back in a Suburban in Northfield back again! (DOH!) A final review will be seen on The Cyclist soon.

Speaking of Northfield.... That criterium deal fried my legs and feet. I don't know what it was, but my legs have been like two limp meat-sticks since that Monday in the sun, and I have been super tired all week. I just hope I can recover soon.

Okay, ya'all have a great weekend, and hopefully you all get some fun, adventurous, and safe bicycling in this weekend.

The Belt Drive Odyssey : Part IV

Okay folks, this is the last of this series on "The Belt" vs "The Chain". First though, an update on what has been going on since the last time I posted on this.

I installed a Manitou Tower Expert 100mm travel suspension device on the front of the XXIX. Whew! What a relief to my paws and a major boost to the handling that was! A few more rides revealed no more issues with "The Belt". However; the belt tension is so tight that even with my "throwing" the crank arm as hard as I can backwards, the crank will barely spin one revolution. In contrast, all of my chain driven single speeds spin multiple times around at the crank when doing a similar "throw".  What does this prove? Well, nothing except that there is excessive drag in the belt system which is either due to the tension of the belt resisting engaging with the cogs, or the side loading of the bearings. Probably some of both.

This tells me two things. One: The tension necessary to maintain proper belt/cog interface during hard efforts also decreases efficiency of the system overall. Two: Premature wear of bearings is a distinct possibility.

Now, as for "The Belt" working in a mountain bike setting, I give the system a passing grade. Yes- it works. However; one must "count the costs", both real and in a design sense, in regards to using the Gates Carbon Belt Drive.

First off, let me say that Gates is working very hard to minimize the drawbacks, and someday, (perhaps), they will achieve lower costs, better design integration, and more choices in gearing options. (I speak strictly in terms of mountain biking/racing mountain bikes) However; this is now, and Gates is not there today with those goals accomplished.

So, to get a belt drive to work on a reasonably priced single speed, we have this example of the XXIX. A bike with some serious compromises to geometry, (long, even for 29"ers, chain stays, weird drive line), and efficiency that is lowered due to tension requirements of the belt itself. Whether this will also affect future drive train life expectancy is question not yet answered, but signs point to earlier failure, (snapping, crunching sounds from the free hub body already at this early stage.)

Another point to consider is the current cost to invest into the system. You obviously will need a frame that is compatible with a belt, (currently a very limited selection), and you may need to swap out to a different belt/cog combination. This will prove to be quite expensive, as the current costs of cogs is in the neighborhood of $110-$135.00 and belts are around $65.00-$70.00 each. (You can't simply change the length of a belt, you will have to have different lengths to accommodate different cog options.)

Belt drive fans will tell you several "advantages" over chains, but only two things they say really matter. (The rest are not really advantages over chains in single speed applications.) One: Belt drive set ups are lighter than chain drive. Two: Belts and cogs will outlast chains and chain rings in terms of lifespan. This is somewhat offset by the fact that the looming early wear issues on the bearings are still out there, the efficiency of the entire drive train suffers, and obviously, in terms of costs.

Conclusions: The short and simple is this: Belts are not better than chain drive systems. Not in terms of single speed mountain biking. Belt drive has some advantages, but costs, unknown bearing wear issues, design constraints in terms of frames, and the limited availability of cogs and belts in all gearing ranges is holding belt drive back. For now "The Chain" is the obvious winner.

Maybe Gates will achieve the goals they have set forth for themselves and premium, high end single speed mountain bikes with belt drive will be something that makes sense. However; today that isn't the case, and most of us will be better served with a chain driven single speed mountain bike.

The Belt Drive Odyssey : Part IV

Okay folks, this is the last of this series on "The Belt" vs "The Chain". First though, an update on what has been going on since the last time I posted on this.

I installed a Manitou Tower Expert 100mm travel suspension device on the front of the XXIX. Whew! What a relief to my paws and a major boost to the handling that was! A few more rides revealed no more issues with "The Belt". However; the belt tension is so tight that even with my "throwing" the crank arm as hard as I can backwards, the crank will barely spin one revolution. In contrast, all of my chain driven single speeds spin multiple times around at the crank when doing a similar "throw".  What does this prove? Well, nothing except that there is excessive drag in the belt system which is either due to the tension of the belt resisting engaging with the cogs, or the side loading of the bearings. Probably some of both.

This tells me two things. One: The tension necessary to maintain proper belt/cog interface during hard efforts also decreases efficiency of the system overall. Two: Premature wear of bearings is a distinct possibility.

Now, as for "The Belt" working in a mountain bike setting, I give the system a passing grade. Yes- it works. However; one must "count the costs", both real and in a design sense, in regards to using the Gates Carbon Belt Drive.

First off, let me say that Gates is working very hard to minimize the drawbacks, and someday, (perhaps), they will achieve lower costs, better design integration, and more choices in gearing options. (I speak strictly in terms of mountain biking/racing mountain bikes) However; this is now, and Gates is not there today with those goals accomplished.

So, to get a belt drive to work on a reasonably priced single speed, we have this example of the XXIX. A bike with some serious compromises to geometry, (long, even for 29"ers, chain stays, weird drive line), and efficiency that is lowered due to tension requirements of the belt itself. Whether this will also affect future drive train life expectancy is question not yet answered, but signs point to earlier failure, (snapping, crunching sounds from the free hub body already at this early stage.)

Another point to consider is the current cost to invest into the system. You obviously will need a frame that is compatible with a belt, (currently a very limited selection), and you may need to swap out to a different belt/cog combination. This will prove to be quite expensive, as the current costs of cogs is in the neighborhood of $110-$135.00 and belts are around $65.00-$70.00 each. (You can't simply change the length of a belt, you will have to have different lengths to accommodate different cog options.)

Belt drive fans will tell you several "advantages" over chains, but only two things they say really matter. (The rest are not really advantages over chains in single speed applications.) One: Belt drive set ups are lighter than chain drive. Two: Belts and cogs will outlast chains and chain rings in terms of lifespan. This is somewhat offset by the fact that the looming early wear issues on the bearings are still out there, the efficiency of the entire drive train suffers, and obviously, in terms of costs.

Conclusions: The short and simple is this: Belts are not better than chain drive systems. Not in terms of single speed mountain biking. Belt drive has some advantages, but costs, unknown bearing wear issues, design constraints in terms of frames, and the limited availability of cogs and belts in all gearing ranges is holding belt drive back. For now "The Chain" is the obvious winner.

Maybe Gates will achieve the goals they have set forth for themselves and premium, high end single speed mountain bikes with belt drive will be something that makes sense. However; today that isn't the case, and most of us will be better served with a chain driven single speed mountain bike.

The Belt Drive Odyssey : Part III

As you may recall, in "Part II" of the Belt Drive Odyssey I had a weird noise occur that I found disconcerting. Well, afterward I discovered that my freehub is kind of noisey, and that pehaps the noise was from this part of the bike. Not 100% on that, but since it is my belief that the noise is due to higher tensions required to run "The Belt" , the score remains as is.

Now on to Part III............

I resolved to run the XXIX at some real trail venues, "torpedoes be damned". I headed off to Cedar Bend, where there are some steady climbs, and some nice, open trails. (A good thing since we've had crazy winds of late) Not a half mile into the ride I hit a steep, stood to mash, and "Thbbbbbbbttttt!" The familiar sound of the ratchet. "The Belt" skipped. I stopped and examined my belt tension, which had no reason to be loose, and regardless of the eccentric being perfectly tight, and regardless of the fact that it had not slipped, "The Belt" seemed to be inexplicably looser.

No big deal. I had a split shell eccentric bottom bracket and a multi tool. Lickety split-like, I had some big time tension on that sucka! No way was it going to ratchet on me now, and it didn't, no matter how hard I hit the pedals. Okay. That's good.

The rest of the ride went fairly normal. I was struck by the odd feeling in my pedals though. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something was missing. I am a musician, and tactile feel of things is something I am tuned in to, being a guitar player and all. So, the missing sensations at the pedal were obvious to me. I surmise that it is a function of "The Belt" having carbon fiber strands in it which may be deadening the feedback I would normally be getting from "The Chain". A good or bad thing? I can not say, but it is there for me. I can feel that something is definitely different.

Finally, in regards to that tensioning of "The Belt"? Yeah.......it definitely is putting a "drag" on the crank and free hub. That can't be a good thing.

For a decent showing on the trail, "The Belt" finally scores a point. But due to the excessive tension needed to make it work, we have to give another nod towards "The Chain".

Score: "The Belt"1,  "The Chain" 3

Next week I'll go over some finer points on each contestant and we'll give a final score......

The Belt Drive Odyssey : Part III

As you may recall, in "Part II" of the Belt Drive Odyssey I had a weird noise occur that I found disconcerting. Well, afterward I discovered that my freehub is kind of noisey, and that pehaps the noise was from this part of the bike. Not 100% on that, but since it is my belief that the noise is due to higher tensions required to run "The Belt" , the score remains as is.

Now on to Part III............

I resolved to run the XXIX at some real trail venues, "torpedoes be damned". I headed off to Cedar Bend, where there are some steady climbs, and some nice, open trails. (A good thing since we've had crazy winds of late) Not a half mile into the ride I hit a steep, stood to mash, and "Thbbbbbbbttttt!" The familiar sound of the ratchet. "The Belt" skipped. I stopped and examined my belt tension, which had no reason to be loose, and regardless of the eccentric being perfectly tight, and regardless of the fact that it had not slipped, "The Belt" seemed to be inexplicably looser.

No big deal. I had a split shell eccentric bottom bracket and a multi tool. Lickety split-like, I had some big time tension on that sucka! No way was it going to ratchet on me now, and it didn't, no matter how hard I hit the pedals. Okay. That's good.

The rest of the ride went fairly normal. I was struck by the odd feeling in my pedals though. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something was missing. I am a musician, and tactile feel of things is something I am tuned in to, being a guitar player and all. So, the missing sensations at the pedal were obvious to me. I surmise that it is a function of "The Belt" having carbon fiber strands in it which may be deadening the feedback I would normally be getting from "The Chain". A good or bad thing? I can not say, but it is there for me. I can feel that something is definitely different.

Finally, in regards to that tensioning of "The Belt"? Yeah.......it definitely is putting a "drag" on the crank and free hub. That can't be a good thing.

For a decent showing on the trail, "The Belt" finally scores a point. But due to the excessive tension needed to make it work, we have to give another nod towards "The Chain".

Score: "The Belt"1,  "The Chain" 3

Next week I'll go over some finer points on each contestant and we'll give a final score......

Just A Few Words Before We Begin....

With Interbike on the doorstep, I wanted to give my thoughts on where I think big wheeled bikes stand going in. Of course, I may have a totally different viewpoint coming out the other side of this, but I really don't think so. Here's what I see going on from where I sit.

First things first: Anybody who doesn't think this European blast of 29"ers isn't going to amount to anything better reconsider that position. Here's a couple of reasons why. The first comes from my earlier post this month on my thoughts about Eurobike where I described the effects of World Cup racing on 29"ers and the manufacturers getting behind the wheel size in big numbers:

"It all added up to what may be a perfect storm of sorts for fans of big wheelers. Not only were the people interested and curious about 29"ers, there was plenty of product to satisfy that curiosity there at the show. (Eurobike) This will now be an interesting thing to watch: That being how the European cycling community reacts to what they have now seen and tried at the show. If the dealers sell through the hard tails they are testing the waters with for 2011, I think it will bode very well for 29'er aficionados all over the world. More components, more bicycles, and more designs will be produced. Already we are seeing several new tire designs being promised at Eurobike 2010. " 

I really believe that component choices and tire choices will proliferate due to this happening. Secondly, my contributor from Europe to Twenty Nine Inches, "c_g", recently e-mailed me his thoughts on what is happening "on the ground" there in Europe and all signs point to 29"ers not only sticking around there, but becoming a "big deal" of sorts.  The mindset of the press, the manufacturers, and even the riders has become one of encouraging and support towards the wheel size, which is a huge change from the apathy noted as recently as last spring.

So, the bottom line there is: Europe will heavily influence the 29"er scene in the coming months and years.

Next we have a burgeoning long travel/AM/DH niche that is showing stronger signs of catching some legs and growing beyond just being a curiosity. Down hill pros are starting to take a serious look at 29 inch wheels and with a few more component and tire developments, I believe we will start to see some serious usage of big wheeled DH bikes in some big events that have courses suited to 29"ers.

I'll admit two things about those thoughts up front. #1: I didn't seriously believe it would happen as recently as the beginning of this year, and #2: It will be awhile in coming. Unless we get blown away at Interbike by some new Rock Shox Boxxer 29"er or a Fox DH 29"er fork, some serious 2 ply DH tires, and a few more rim choices beyond the excellent Sun Ringle' MTX-33's, then I just think the pros will sit and wait. I don't think there is any doubt that some of the better riders are looking at 29"ers and thinking seriously about the prospects. In fact, I've read quotes to that effect already. So, it's coming, but maybe not just quite yet.

Who'da thunk it!

Then there is the already established long travel 29"er scene, which is where I believe the growth will be in big wheels as far as bikes, components, and tires in the coming year. There are a lot of rumors floating out there about single crown and dual crown forks in the 140 plus travel range that are being tested and once they hit, there are designs already in the can from the major manufacturers waiting to use them. Tires will be there, rims will follow, and long travel 29"ers with 5 + inches front and rear will soon be as commonplace as 26"er models.

Another thing "they" said "would never happen" in 2005 is coming true right before our eyes. 

And what about 650B? A well known mainstream cycling media writer recently Tweeted that he thought 650B was a "flash in the pan". Brutal? Maybe.....but that is looking to be accurate. For what ever reasons you want to bandy about, 650B just doesn't seem to be doing anything beyond the "niche of a niche" predictions I had for it going in back in 2007. (When the wheel size was heralded as the next thing in big wheeled mountain biking) Pundits proclaimed that 650B would be where 29"ers were in 2007 by 2010. Then the economy went south, and so seemingly did any hopes for the 650B wheel to take root. Again, you can tie this lackluster enthusiasm for the "B Wheels" to anything you like. But when Pro mountain bikers from the Woman's ranks go to 29"ers, and when long travel bikes with 29 inch wheels actually do work without compromising much- if anything, and when the whole of the European continent summarily disregards 650B, (the birthplace of the wheel size, for cryin' out loud), then one has to wonder if the standard really isn't just a "flash in the pan".

Interbike may breathe some life back into the 650B wheel, but unless there is some big component news, a few new 650B models shown, or a new tire or two, I will have to say that the wheel size is slipping into the shadows at a rapid pace. Sure, it will be around, but the reality seems to be that it will not be something very noteworthy in the years to come. And I want this to be clear: My thoughts are in regards to 650B mountain bikes specifically. The road side of 650B actually shows more signs of life, ironically.

Finally- will there be a belt drive 29"er that makes sense? Interbike is going to be the show where a "new development" in belt drive single speeding is set to debut that promises to fix some of the short comings of the much ballyhooed Gates Carbon Belt Drive. I am going to be looking at this very carefully, because #1: I am a skeptic when it comes to replacing anything on a bicycle with well over 100 years of successful use. (ie: The Chain). #2: I am very skeptical when something new makes claims about the "shortcomings of _____" when those alleged "shortcomings" are not at all a problem. So it will be with a very careful eye that I will look upon this "new development" and you can bet that if it does work, I'll say so. Look for my take after Interbike.

Okay, that's enough of my ramblings. I've got to finish packing! I will be in Vegas in less than 24 hours............