Revolution’s Belter keeps up the company’s tradition of producing value-laden machines. The addition of a Gates carbon belt to a singlespeed is a natural one – adding a clean, quiet transmission and oil-free drivetrain to the one-gear ethos.
Its aluminium frame is quite modest – functional rather than elegant, with bulky welds – but the down tube gusset shows that care has been taken speccing the frame. The drivetrain is exceedingly smooth, almost silent, the riding position very upright, ideal for busy roads and urban cycling, and the front and rear rack mounts add practicality.
The Prowheel 55-tooth chainset and 22T sprocket create a 65.8in gear (similar to a ‘conventional’ 44x18, 42x17 or 34x14), which is fine for commuting, and the bike is comfortable enough for longer trips, depending on the hills and your fitness of course.
Changing the rear tyre will take a little longer than usual, and although the Belter has eyelets for a front mudguard there’s insufficient clearance to fit one; the rear has more clearance but no mudguard eyelets… But even taking those foibles into account, this scores as a great value, fuss-free ride.
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.