Almost every Harley-Davidson motorcycle produced in the last 20 years uses a belt drive. Now, so does the Trek District.
And this is more than just a pretty bike. Yes it looks retro (orange accents and beach-bike styling) and it looks amazingly simple and clean with the elimination of gears and chains, but the simplicity of the image translates into an incredibly light bike.
Trek has combined a reinforced carbon fiber composite belt with an aluminum frame and carbon fork and placed it on 700 x 25c tires. So what? So no oiling, lubing, greasing, or maintenance (except for keeping your brakes properly set of course). So no bumping the leg of your slacks against your chain on the way to work and spending the rest of your workday with bike grease on your suit. So an extremely light bike that you won’t mind toting up and down stairs to the subway or your apartment. So a ninja-quiet ride that won’t distract from your mp3 enjoyment as you commute to work.
This bike is not for everyone. Due to the extremely light weight and direct connection between pedals and wheel, the bike is capable of pulling a respectable hill without killing you, if you’re in reasonably good shape already. If you plan to be doing 18 mph on it, you’ll need to know how to spin like a pro. The tires are not self-sealing, but they are loosely set and very easy to change if punctured.
All in all, a fantastic commuter bike, if your commute is on pavement not covered with hazards and doesn’t include steep hills.
Some links:
The unofficial Trek District Blog
