another inquiry about belt drives and NuVinci

[mrtilman]

I have been looking at Cruzbikes for about a year (I ride a 15-year old old BikeE CT), finally got to test ride one, and am getting close to making my upgrade. One thing I wanted to see about was customizing the drivetrain, as mentioned in the subject line. Basically, I am looking at taking the drivetrain such as offered on the Bike Friday Silk Infinity:

http://www.bikefriday.com/bicycles/commuter/1336

...and having it custom installed on a Quest. I have test ridden trikes with the NuVinci, and am sold on it. I've never ridden a belt drive, but given the climate I live in (western Oregon), it seems worth it.

I guess my real questions, as I am not a bike-builder or well-versed in bicycling technobabble, are:

Is it even possible? Does the Quest have wide enough dropouts? What other things will I need to know or discuss with my bike shop to do this? Is there any *technical* reason NOT to do this?

And by techincal reason, I am *not* asking how heavy the Nuvinci is (I already know), or how it is less efficient than a derailleur (I already know), or how it won't be a fast bicycle (it is going to be a commuter and travel bike, not a racer...besides, with me at the con, it never would be fast).

Thanks in advance,
Joe

PS On a completely different issue, someone needs to talk to Marilyn at Coventry Cycleworks in Portland about carrying Cruzbikes. I have asked three times now, and, effectively, her explanation was that she had a hard time the one time she tested one, and so she won't carry them. I think an exact quote was "it was quite a handful." My experience is that the SWB I took on a test ride (probably a Baccetta) was more of a "handful" than the Quest I finally rode.

 

[adifferentbent]

Belt drive

With the new Quest 3.0 in the 26" version there is no front suspension so the belt drive is a possibility. As for the dropouts, it uses a standard mountain bike 135mm spacing which should work for the Nuvinci hub.
So there is no technical reason for not going this route. One item to keep in mind would be the crankarm length of the standard cranks provided is 155mm. If you go too much longer than this you may have issues with knee strike on the handlebar, plus bents usually benefit from the shorter crankarm length.

 

[chrisblessing]

Nuvinci

I have installed a Nuvinci N360 on my 20" conversion, and am more than pleased with the results. Whether you need the belt drive is debatable. I'm using a KMC chain with a tensioner (which I don't really need but allows for swapping the sprocket without doing the chain link stuff). The chain is short, and the chainline is clean (I also have a Patterson-Metropolis CVT, so, effectively a single gear). All in all, it's easy to clean up after a dirty ride.

 

[Gromit]

Gates Carbon Drive

IMHO Fitting a Gates Carbon Drive to a Cruzbike isn't possible without major re-engineering. Cruzbikes have vertical dropouts so there is no easy way of adjusting the belt tension. Bikes with a Gates usually have horizontal dropouts or an eccentric bottom bracket so the belt tension can be adjusted.

 

[mrtilman]

thanks for all the feedback!

I liked the idea of the Silk Infinity, but perhaps it is overkill. Chris, that looks like an awesome setup! I also found your thread from earlier last month, and all this discussion really helps.

Thanks again, everyone!
Joe