Veer Cycle is an American manufacturer of
drive belts for bicycles and
light electric vehicles. The company introduced Split Belt as their first product in 2018, which is a belt that can be
spliced
Spliced may refer to:
*Spliced, the result of rope splicing
Rope splicing in ropework is the forming of a semi-permanent joint between two ropes or two parts of the same rope by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands. Splices ca ...
with
rivets
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed end is called the ''sh ...
, and therefore can be installed on
bicycle frames with ordinary rear triangles (chainstay and seatstay).
Veer claims their split belt is as strong as a
chain
A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...
, but with a higher
efficiency
Efficiency is the often measurable ability to avoid making mistakes or wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time while performing a task. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without waste.
...
.
The belts are made of
nitrile
In organic chemistry, a nitrile is any organic compound that has a functional group. The name of the compound is composed of a base, which includes the carbon of the , suffixed with "nitrile", so for example is called " propionitrile" (or pr ...
reinforced with
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...
, and can be used on vertical
droputs or full suspension bikes by using a
belt tensioner.
The split belt differs from non-splittable belts (for example those bicycle belts known from
Gates Corporation
Gates Industrial Corporation plc, based in Denver, Colorado, is a manufacturer of power transmission belts and fluid power products, which are used in diverse industrial and automotive applications. The company employs over 15,000 and has sales ...
) which require the use of specially designed bicycle frames for belt drive,
for example having an opening at the
fork end
A fork end, fork-end, or forkend is a slot in a bicycle frame or bicycle fork where the axle of a bicycle wheel is attached. A dropout is a type of fork end that allows the rear wheel to be removed without first derailing the chain.
Track bicyc ...
or an elevated chainstay to enable assembly of the belt-drive. In 2023, Veer also revealed a non-splittable belt aimed at high-
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
e-bikes.
Veer has also shown a concept where the rear
cog can change size (and thus
gearing),
a concept that is reminiscent of
derailleurs
Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980)
A derailleur () is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another.
Modern front and re ...
and implies that a
hub gear
A hub gear, internal-gear hub, internally geared hub or just gear hub is a gear ratio changing system commonly used on bicycles that is implemented with planetary or epicyclic gears. The gears and lubricants are sealed within the shell of the h ...
with
planetary gears
An epicyclic gear train (also known as a planetary gearset) is a gear reduction assembly consisting of two gears mounted so that the center of one gear (the "planet") revolves around the center of the other (the "sun"). A carrier connects the ...
may not be necessary in order to implement multi-speed gears on a belt-driven bike.
References
Cycle parts manufacturers
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