The original plan for this bike was a Rohloff/belt drive contraption. I picked the Wolverine frameset for several compelling reasons (steel, versatile, price, slick dropouts, etc.) but searching for belt capable frames that could also easily accommodate a Rohloff lead me to the Soma gem to start with.
Then reality struck ...
Nobody would sell me the carrier (pictured) necessary to install a Gates belt-compatible cog onto the Rohloff hub. Rohloff only allows the sale of the carrier for frames that pass their stiffness test. Apparently the Wolverine frame proved to flex too much to pass the test. Please note, flex does not equate to cheap or weak. Steel flexes than most other frame materials and is the reason many people ride steel. Flex is good for ride quality but apparently poor for belt/Rohloff configurations. Emails to Neil at CycleMonkey and Joe at JoeBike confirmed the test failures, and Ivan at BTI explained how the Rohloff's torque causes frame flex that can cause fluctuations in belt tension, inviting belts to slide off the sprocket. The wolverine is belt capable and is Rohloff capable, but not Belt/Rohloff capable. Reality stinks sometimes.
So why am I looking for a belt now when three experts said no? It turns out JoeBike did some investigating and got some answers. Here's what they posted on their website:
"Rohloff insisted that Gates test compatibility using the pre-CenterTrack system...and in that case the frame failed the stiffness test. We had to do a lot of research to find this out, talking to everybody from Soma to Gates to Spot to the US Rohloff distributor, and finally to Rohloff directly. This is what it all boils down to: it would likely pass with CenterTrack, but because Gates still sells pre-CenterTrack, Rohloff won't provide warranty coverage on any hub that's matched to a Gates system. For now."
I bolded the part that caused me to reconsider putting a belt on my Rohloff Wolverine. The newer CDX belts resolved the issue of belts sliding off the sprocket, so the CDX belt/Rohloff/Wolverine would "likely" work, as suggested by JoeBike. Besides, one of my favorite sayings is "a test is worth three expert opinions."
Since I was able to source a Rohloff carrier (won't say from where), let's do a test!
