Trek is taking the simplicity of a single-speed bike and simplified it further in two new models for 2009. On their District and Soho models, Trek is using a new belt-drive system.
The carbon composite belts promise a whisper-quiet ride, no rust, no grease chain-ring tattoos, no chains breaking, slipping or stretching, no lubing, and little to no maintenaince for as much as three years. With a guard over the drive-train, there is also little chance of a pants leg getting caught.
A chain, by contrast, has about 3,000 parts including all the links and connectors, said Eric Bjorling, Trek’s lifestyle brand manager said in an Associated Press article.
The District, with a list price of $930, is an urban hipster. The single-speed comes with a short flat bar, understated gray paint on the frame and orange deep-V rims similar to the colored rims popularized by city bike messengers.
The Soho, at $990, has an internally geared hub that allows the bike to have eight speeds without the best having to shift, derailleur-fashion, from cassette cog to cassette cog.
Belt drives are much more common in motorcycles and snowmobiles. Other bicycle companies have developed earlier belt drives and some have used direct drive or drive shafts, but Trek will be the first to mass market belt-driven models. Trek, the based in Wisconsin, is the nation’s largest bicycle company.
Mike Farrington, owner of Green Mountain Cyclery, a Trek dealer in Ephrata, said the models are not expected to arrive in stores until February.
