view the rest of the comments
3DPrinting
3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.
The r/functionalprint community is now located at: !functionalprint@kbin.social or !functionalprint@fedia.io
There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml
Rules
-
No bigotry - including racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia. Code of Conduct.
-
Be respectful, especially when disagreeing. Everyone should feel welcome here.
-
No porn (NSFW prints are acceptable but must be marked NSFW)
-
No Ads / Spamming / Guerrilla Marketing
-
Do not create links to reddit
-
If you see an issue please flag it
-
No guns
-
No injury gore posts
If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)
Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible
Are there any other reasons I'd want this apart from the lack of oil and the decreased noise levels, the coolness factor and the tinkering itself?
Every single one is a valid reason in itself of course, but maybe there is more.
Weight is really the only reason, but even then I think that's self-defeating on a bicycle.
Believe it or not, a chain and sprocket drive is actually the most efficient method in terms of energy transmission losses. And when it's you physically pedaling your bicycle, that's kind of important. Turning any significant fraction of your pedaling input into heat rather than forward locomotion is kind of a raw deal, which is why even fancy high end bicycles are still chain driven even to this day. A chain drive loses 1-4% of energy in the driveline whereas as comparable belt drive is more in the order of 9-15%.
If you compare apples to apples there's barely even a weight savings. Belt drives are either single speed or hub drive which can work with chains just fine. Once you add tensioner circuitry it's basically a push. The only kind of advantage is that they don't need lubrication and are quieter.
Exactly, which is why I was trying to think of any actual reasons I might want a belt, except style.
The positives of a belt drive are maintenance, and that it stays clean so they are most popular with commuters that do not want a dirty pants leg or newbie chain tat. They are only common on heavier bikes like short haul commuters in general and require a "broken frame" that is designed for them in the first place. The lack of transmission gearing means you need to either know exactly what gear ratio you need and deal with only having one speed or you need an internally geared hub. All internally geared hubs have monstrous weight to add. So in practice, you do not find many of these on the market. Even with an e-bike, you still need a geared transmission unless you have throttle control without pedaling.
On the other hand, for a hipster roadie, a fixie with a belt drive is some serious cred. Especially if they can dish it at the local group ride against people on flagship bikes.
Yeah, no lubricants and the look / style factor - that was my conclusion as well.
As for maintenance, while a belt might last 3 times as long, that's not really a factor, given the price difference between belts and chains.