TREK Belt Drive Bikes in stock!

The long awaited, much talked about and greatly anticipated Trek District single speed and Trek Soho 8spd bikes have finally landed. Featuring carbon fibre reinforced 'Gates' belt drives these bikes offer longer life and chain lube free riding.

The concept of using a belt rather than a chain has been around in the automotive and motorcycle industry for quite some time and has proven to be a reliable and cost effective mechanism for transmitting power. Gates have been manufacturing rubber products since 1911 and over the years have become the leading belt manufacturer worldwide.

The use of a belt drive on a bicycle offers a few key features that make these bikes a great option for commuters and general riders alike. Firstly and most importantly the is no need to lubricate the belt, this means that riding to work can now be a clean afair. At this stage the life of the Gates belt had not yet been determined, but you should be able to expect at least twice the life of the best quality chains available.

The only limitation with a belt drive on a bike is possibly a large one for some, you cant have many gears. The belt rely's on a fairly large amount of tension to run properly, and thus is limited to either a single speed setup or a bike with internal gears such as the Soho, Shimano offer internal hubs with up to 8 gears and if in need of more Rohloff offer rear hub with 14 gears inside covering around the same gear range as a normal 27 speed bike.