Hi John and all others who love innovative and efficient bicycles,
My name is Peter Moors and I am new on this forum. I live in The Netherlands (Europe) and I drive recumbents since 1997 and the last 3 years I commute on them on a daily basis to my work, which is 30 kilometers per day. Most of the time I use my M5 Lowracer with Tailbag (Lightning is the dealer in the USA), but when the wheather is bad, I take my Fietser.be WAW velomobile. I have a profile on Facebook for those of you who want to see some pictures and more information.
My experience as a commuter with recumbents is that the long chain needs a lot of maintenance. So I was looking for alternative tractions to be used on light and efficient bicyles. I found the Vendetta as one of the most favarouble alternatives because of the short chain.
In the meanwhile the use of belts as replacements of chains has appeared for bicyles. See for instance http://www.carbondrivesystems.com/ My maintenance problem would be solved with a belt. The disadvantage of this system is that you will need an internal-gear hub. Another requirement is that the frame has to have an opening in order to place the belt into his position. As fas as I can see on the photos of the Vendetta, this should be possible.
My question is: would it be possible to build a rideable Vendetta with a belt instead of a chain and a 8-speed Shimano Alfine hub (or other hub) instead of a derailleur?
Thanks and many happy, save and fast cycling miles.
My name is Peter Moors and I am new on this forum. I live in The Netherlands (Europe) and I drive recumbents since 1997 and the last 3 years I commute on them on a daily basis to my work, which is 30 kilometers per day. Most of the time I use my M5 Lowracer with Tailbag (Lightning is the dealer in the USA), but when the wheather is bad, I take my Fietser.be WAW velomobile. I have a profile on Facebook for those of you who want to see some pictures and more information.
My experience as a commuter with recumbents is that the long chain needs a lot of maintenance. So I was looking for alternative tractions to be used on light and efficient bicyles. I found the Vendetta as one of the most favarouble alternatives because of the short chain.
In the meanwhile the use of belts as replacements of chains has appeared for bicyles. See for instance http://www.carbondrivesystems.com/ My maintenance problem would be solved with a belt. The disadvantage of this system is that you will need an internal-gear hub. Another requirement is that the frame has to have an opening in order to place the belt into his position. As fas as I can see on the photos of the Vendetta, this should be possible.
My question is: would it be possible to build a rideable Vendetta with a belt instead of a chain and a 8-speed Shimano Alfine hub (or other hub) instead of a derailleur?
Thanks and many happy, save and fast cycling miles.
