Chris’ SS Plus XL Belt Drive

Chris has been a friend for a number of years. When he and I were talking about bikes he reminisced about a stolen Surly 1x1. While he still had his full-suspension XC bike, he longed for the simpler pleasures of a single speed. But he did not want any single speed, a belt drive, with internal cabling, options for internal geared hub later, or even going to a derailleur set up are all possible. This was not a simple build, as full internal routing with the need for a chainstay yoke made things challenging. Thanks to Paragon Machine Works’ yoke which I modified, the brake hose and potential gear cable are entirely hidden from the downtube until their exit points on the dropouts.

Chris had not ridden a modern progressive geometry bike. During our first ride, Chris exclaimed, “Who needs rear suspension?” The power transfer of 27.5” x 2.8” tires, the lightness of a belt drive, and the strength of a steel hardtail frame made it feel like a rocket compared to his XC bike.

I finished it off with a lot of polishing elbow grease and a clear powder coat.

The details:
XL Frame
T47 Bottom Bracket
Gates Carbon Belt Drive
Shimano Deore XT Brakes
Fox Factory 34 140mm
RaceFace cockpit and crank
SunRingle Duroc wheels
Maxxis Rekon+ Tires