Is a belt drive better than a chain for gravel bikes?

Gates Carbon Drive makes belt drives for a variety of applications - including bicycles. I've had a Priority Continuum commuter bike with a belt drive for some eight years and I have done exactly zero maintenance on the belt drive that entire time - and I leave my bike outside!

Like anything, though, the belt drive comes with tradeoffs. I dig into those. Also, I present the new Priority Gemini Smart Shift Gravel bike, which has a belt drive and an electronic Pinion 12-speed gear box.

Let me know what questions you have about this system as I begin to test it now for a future review video.
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0:00 belts vs chains
1:43 why test this?
2:23 pricing
3:14 abusive testing
4:09 NuVinci planetary hub
4:50 belt constraints
6:05 weight & assembly
6:26 belt gear options
9:05 TRP HyWire levers
9:35 cockpit tips
10:18 wheels & tires
10:35 give me your questions!

[nkantar]

I’m here for more videos about things outside your wheelhouse of fast gravel and racing! Love your work in general, too.

[BjornE]

Such a cool bike. Looking forward to the long term review.

[davidr]

We have two Priority Gemini’s each with about 2k miles. We love them, but they are not maintenance free. Check your headset. Both came out of the box bone dry. The wheels are also disposable. Per my LBS they are not serviceable. One of the bikes front hubs went after 1k miles. I had a set of Oynx single speed wheels made and love them. Lastly, I’ve found that I need to check/re-torque the pinion cranks every 300-400 miles. All of that said, I love my Gemini and would buy it again. It’s okay as a Gravel bike but an excellent training bike.

[bouldermountainuni]

I’ve been riding my priority 600 for a year now. I just changed the oil on the pinion gearbox for the first time a few weeks ago. It’s been awesome as a commuter bike, especially in the rainy season here in Santa Cruz. Only complaint is that the belt drive+pinion is less efficient than a chain and I notice it a little on hills. But really that just means I get a better workout so it’s actually a positive. Hope to see you next time I’m in Boulder, Ben!

[monguzzle]

Really pleased to see belt drive getting some love here - need for frame breaks aside, I wish it were on many more bikes. My Avanti Inc. 2 (an NZ brand) has been an awesome commuter with an 8-speed Alfine hub on it. Zero hassle. Zerode is another NZ brand who build beautiful MTBs that are Pinion/Gates focused. Looking forward to seeing the ride report!

[TimR]

I’ve had a belt driven Alfine setup on a commuter for the last 8-9yrs. I can’t say enough good about it. Mine had a wheel issue and kept popping spokes, but I finally fixed that. Otherwise it just works day in day out. No hassles. No fuss.

As one who’s thought about a custom Rohloff setup for years, I’ve been interested by the Pinion option as well and interested in how it really works for more enthusiast oriented off road riding.

[rayzecor]

This video was just a pleasure to watch. You have a very pleasant demeanor and while I didn't really learn much about belt drivetrains, this being what I clicked on the video for, I do not regret taking the time to finish it :)

[metonyg]

@TheRidewithBenDelaney Hey Ben, very excited to hear your opinion on the Gemini. I have been a long-time subscriber and enjoy your channel.
I converted a Priority 600 to dropbar a few years ago to use as my daily commuter since the Gemini didn't exist back then. I just prefer dropbar bikes. Over the last few years, I have watched every video on YouTube that I can find about pinion bikes. I see a lot of reviews that leave more questions than answers. Some things that I think your viewers might enjoy seeing that other videos don't show are:
1. show how easy it is to take off the rear wheel and put it back on. I would say the 600 is even easier than a bike with a derailleur but I do not know how the Gemini is.
2. If you have a trainer, it would be awesome to show going through the gears while pedaling. Many people think you have to stop pedaling when you really don't have to. I guess you could do this while riding outside but I would think it is easier to record while inside.
3. If you have still have you power pedals (like the Garmin or SRMs from one of your videos a few years back) it would be interesting to hear your results and maybe compare it to another gravel bike with similar-sized tires.
4. A lot of people complain with the engagement in the gearbox, it has more "freeplay" before it engages than regular cranks. I could see during aggressive riding on trails some could take issue with that, but for the road, I really don't see a big issue with it.
5. The sound of the belt while pedaling. Some say it is super quiet. It is but I hot wax my chains and I think my chain is quieter most of the time. Probably hard to capture that on video but maybe just give your thoughts.

I guess that is it.
I did a 50 mile test and found I was 2-3 mph slower on my 600 than the same 50 miles on my gravel bike. But the bikes have different-width tires, the 600 has a dynamo, and weighs about 10 pounds more. I was surprised it was only 2-3 mph.
Looking forward to your review!

[brianwaldrop]

Excellent video, Ben! Of course, we've heard lots about the Gates / Pinion setup from your fellow Boulder resident who shall remain unnamed, LOL. For a future video, I'd very much like to hear your thoughts on Canyon's Grizl ON ebike. I do nearly 100% of my ~4K per year on an Aeroad (and love it!), but staring 70 in the face, am getting interested in an ebike for when 100% of the energy just isn't there, for both road and light gravel / off-road forays. Love the channel, one of the very best. Cheers, Brian

[mohomoho]

Had a Rohloff hub on my Jones 29er some 13 years ago. Worked great never a bad shift. The down side was the drag an internal hub created. I'm sure the Pinion has the same drag. I believe there is now a belt on the market that doesn't require a split in the frame to mount it, just a way to tension it.

[Smaug]

I have a Priority Apollo 11 gravel bike, the predecessor to that fancy Gemini you've got there. There is NO question that belt is superior to chain as a power transfer device.

The REAL question is whether we're OK with the power that is lost in the transmission that must accompany a belt drive. A well-maintained chain is around 95% efficient. An IGH or Pinion 'box gives up another 4-10% power, depending on the gear. Whether it's "good" or not then, depends on one's goals. For racing, belt is bad, because of the lost efficiency of the accompanying gearbox. For commuting, it's good, because it's weatherproof and very low maintenance. (one still has to change oil an an IGH or Pinion gearbox) Better keep a spare belt on hand too, because you can't just drop in the LBS and buy one.

After riding my Apollo 11 for over 1, 000 miles, I rented a Trek Checkpoint for a day while on vacation. The Checkpoint felt SO much faster. I really could feel the ~8% "free" power I had gotten back.

For multi-speed bikes with equal quality belt vs. chain, chain is nearly always cheaper and higher performing; it just takes more maintenance.

I will also say that I disagree with Priority on how tight the belt should be. When I tighten it per instructions, it's so tight that it adds turning resistance to the wheel. Give it a shot. Tighten in per instructions and then give the rear wheel a spin. See how quickly it stops? Now loosen it up, while still keeping the brakes aligned and see how much easier it rotates. The idea is to keep pullies from jumping cogs on the belt, but in my experience, it doesn't need to be NEARLY as tight as they think to prevent that from happening. Even standing on the pedal.

One other thing you should try to test is how well it shifts when it's REALLY cold; well below freezing. My Apollo 11 (with Alfine 11 IGH) doesn't shift worth a damn when it's below 25 °F. I'm overdue on its oil change, but this was my experience a decade ago with an Alfine 3 as well. (it had grease inside, instead of an oil bath) Pinion told me it shifts well WELL below freezing.

[fookie-fone]

I had a Spot Acme ten years ago with a similar Gates Belt Drive paired to a Shimano Alfine 11 internal hub. Probably the best commuter bike I’ve ever owned. Never worried about riding in snow and other poor conditions. It was a little more fiddly when I had to change the rear tire, but not as bad a many people make it out to be.

The biggest drawbacks were: gear ratio, drivetrain power loss, and weight (especially the rear bias). It looks like the pinion drivetrain fixes a few of those issues.

I did absolutely nothing to it over 15, 000 miles except for tires and pads. I never even washed the thing until I sold it. A big perk was a super clean drivetrain that wouldn’t get my slacks dirty. It was also crazy silent….like ninja stealthy. 🥷

My commuting changed so I ended up selling it and using a Brompton as my commuter.

[Bob-cnfj]

Hi Ben, really nice video.
I just came back to it, to see wether your follow up video of testing this bike is out yet.
Can you tell when the test video with your experiences comes out?

I‘m building on your opinion,
Bob

[ZOB]

I think it's definitely the solution for something like a commuter bike or bike to just ride around town that you don't mind getting a little mucky. Like the first bike you showed us.

[stevenagy]

Very cool, it will be interesting to hear your impressions of riding this on your usual haunts in lieu of a standard chain drive.

[bchurch]

The original gates belt on my tandem has 11, 455 miles and counting. About once a year I’ll spray with silicone for the heck of it.

[donfondo]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these bikes.
On paper, seems like a great option for bike packing and endurance rides for someone not as concerned about speed or weight.

[hardmtnbiker]

I’m intrigued with the Gates belt drive and think the Pinion combo is pretty smart for a solid touring or bike packing rig. Imagine combining with Classified hubs for an additional range. Personally I was thinking of doing a parts bin build just with the Gates and use some of my SS specific hubs to build up a beach cruiser, just for kicks and fun on my So Cal beach path. Of course finding a frame that has the ability to run a belt is the most expensive part not in my bin.

[williamforbes]

cool bike, i like the future proof idea of ti bike and long lasting gear box.

[lazlo]

Great job on braving the elements…, Lookokg forward to your review on this somewhat interesting topic, couid we head into a chain less biking world?…stay warm Beanie Ben.