Intro

Belt drive bikes are on the rise. Belt drive mini velos will catch up to that trend at some point but for now here are the ingredients to build your own. I have owned two belt drive bikes in the past, Marin Presidio 3 and BMC Alpenchallenge AC02, and for a commuter bike I know that is one feature on my must haves list.

This article focuses on my mini velo conversion but these parts can realistically be used on any bike as long as you can tension the belt/chain, and have the right dropouts for an IGH.

I am here to tell you the VEER Split Belt Conversion worked for me with the bike and parts listed throughout the article. Your mileage may vary.

What You Will Need

• Mini Velo

• VEER Split Belt Conversion Kit

• Internal Gear Hub (IGH) Rear Wheel and Misc Small Parts

• Shifter

Mini Velo

You will need to tension the belt in one of three ways: sliding dropouts, eccentric bottom bracket, add-on tensioner. Two of these methods are baked into the mini velo from the factory, or more likely they aren’t. Sliding dropouts and eccentric BBs are generally for bikes capable of being used as a single speed or designed for belt drive from the manufacturer.

You will have more IGH options if your frame has standard quick release dropouts to accept the axle of the IGH. If your frame uses a thru axle there are only a few IGHs that will work for this conversion.

I went with the VeloOrange Neutrino as it has sliding dropouts and is somewhat readily available new as a frameset or used (good luck). Make sure you sign up for Velo Orange’s newsletter as the frameset goes on sale (15%) every now and then, but 20% for newsletter recipients.

You will need a measurement for the minimum chainstay length. My Neutrino has a 380mm minimum chainstay length but you should confirm that on your bike in case the geometry has changed. VEER has a guide on how to measure this on their website.

VEER Split Belt Conversion

At the time of writing, this is the only way to get a belt onto a bike that does not have a split in the rear triangle or a raised chainstay. VEER has some mixed reviews of their customer service on their website and are obviously the underdog in the belt drive industry with Gates holding the vast majority of the market. In my experience VEER cares about their customers and stand behind their product allowing customers to return kits for a full refund as long as the belt hasn’t been riveted.

That being said I wish I could say VEER’s Fitment Guide made me confident the kit would work for my bike but the adjusted beltline (ABL) numbers for the listed IGHs chart was confusing to me until I got the product in my hand. I recommend using a framing square along your bottom bracket shell and your crankset to measure to the centerline of the bike. VEER, if you're reading this, please make a video on how to measure for ABL. There is some adjustability in the ABL based on where and how you mount the chainring in relation to the crankset. I measured approximately 4.5mm of adjustment from the most inboard to the most outboard mounting options I had on my SRAM Force 1 crankset with the stock SRAM 130bcd spider adapter. Two of these options weren't viable though because the front Front Belt Ring would have hit the chainstay, or is it a belt stay now?

Since mini velos have smaller wheels and generally run larger chainrings you will want to use the 72T Front Belt Ring since this is where you will get your top end speed from. The 72T is said to be similar to a 45t chainring. If you live somewhere with hills, then the 64T Front Belt Ring more closely replicates a 40t chainring.

VEER only has one rear sprocket size for IGHs at 30T, with a slightly steeper 28T for single speeds. The 30T belt sprocket is similar to an 18T chain driven sprocket. Just choose from the options to match your hub and you will be set.

IGH Rear Wheel

You will need to find, or more likely build, a 20” (or whatever your bike needs) IGH wheelset. I’ve not seen them for sale as a complete unit anywhere but it isn’t too difficult to find the components. I went ahead and had my wheel builder make a matching front wheel.

I went with a more budget friendly option using the Shimano Alfine 8 for its reliability and consistency compared to the Alfine 11 which has had some longevity issues from what I have read online. The range of the Alfine 8 has been enough for me on my relatively flat commute. You will need to purchase the Shimano Alfine 8 Small Parts Kit for the anti rotation washers and cassette joint arm. Make sure you order the version for your model of hub. While they all look similar I had issues with the first one I ordered being for the previous model of Alfine 8 and it was not compatible with the newest version. Depending on the IGH you may also need an Outer Receiver Unit (I also saw this referred to as the Cassette Joint End) like I did for my Alfine 8 even though Shimano’s exploded view didn’t show it on the diagram.

It is worth mentioning if top speed is a priority for you the Alfine 8 will get you to about 20mph at 90rpm on a 20" wheel with the VEER setup while the Alfine 11 would increase that to nearly 27mph for the same cadence. I struggle with the choice of which to go with because of the smaller 20” wheels and the lack of gear choices to make further adjustments after the wheel is built up. With a chain and sprocket setup you could change your gearing easily. At the end of the day I went with the Alfine 8 for the reliability it has over the 11. I looked at my commute speeds on Strava from my Marin Presidio 3 and my peak speeds generally around 18mph but my top speeds well over 20mph so I definitely noticed a difference in my cadence with the Neutrino but not much between the three gears versions of the mini velo. The Shimano Alfine 8 speed-by-cadence was slightly higher than the 42t/11t top gear I had on before making the conversion.

I had my custom wheelset built by Velo Mine, a US based wheelbuilder. The wheelset was $680 (including shipping) in July 2022. Steve was great to work with and was immensely knowledgeable. He even worked with Velocity to make sure the spoke angle going from the Velocity Cliffhanger 20 rims to the Alfine 8 wouldn’t be too severe for a three cross spoke pattern. They ended up lacing the IGH with a one cross pattern to keep the angles better at the nipples. There was a delay in getting the wheels built due to a backorder on the Cliffhanger 20s but once those were in the process went smoothly. Velo Mine has about a 4-6 week lead time on average. A local bike shop was looking at the bike and remarked that the wheel was well built and used industry best practices that others may have not known to use for such a unique wheelset.

The alternative to a geared drivetrain is single speed. VEER has kits for single speeds that would fit on your existing wheel if it has a 9-spline freehub.

Shifter

Most IGH manufacturers have their own shifters that go with the IGH. For the Shimano IGHs there is a small part called the Shift Cable Fixing Bolt Unit. As far as I have found most shifters come with this item and it does not need to be purchased separately.

I ended up going with the Microshift Thumb Shifter (67g) for my Alfine 8 to try something new, it doesn’t hurt that it is much lighter and smaller than the Shimano Alfine version (146g). This shifter came with the Shift Cable Fixing Bolt Unit, shift cable, and cable end. It did not include the shift cable housing or end caps. The Shimano Alfine 8 version comes with all of the parts mentioned.

What It Will Cost You

This is highly dependent on what bike and components you use. Below are the costs I spent converting the Neutrino with the VEER Belt Drive. I bought all of my parts new because I wanted the warranty on the IGH and it was the best way to get the components built into a wheel. I did consider buying a cheap used belt drive bike off of Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, I’ve seen a few in the $400-$500 range, and strip the shifter and rear hub from the bike and try to sell the rest. I couldn’t do that because I knew it would have been hard to sell and the hub would have been in a questionable condition. This could be a good option for anyone buying a mini velo frameset because you would get a lot of the other basic items that you need (handlebars, stem, headset, BB, crankset, pedals, seatpost, front and rear hubs, brakes). Just make sure everything matches the mini velo frameset and you would be on your way for a fraction of the price I spent for my entire build.

Wheelset (Velocity Cliffhanger Rims, DB Spokes, Shimano Alfine 8 Hub): $680 (you could save some here by only having a rear wheel built up with the rim you already have)

Small Parts: $24

Outer Receiver Unit: $13

Microshift Shifter: $69

VEER Split Belt Pro Kit: $350

Total: $1,100

I haven't adjusted any of the prices to factor in the longevity of the drivetrain components versus conventional parts because this varies so much on the amount of cleaning you do and terrain you ride in. It is worth keeping in mind that cassettes, chainrings, and chains will need to be replaced multiple times before the cog, beltring, belt, or hub internal assembly ever will.

Another “cost” of the IGH belt drive system is weight, if you’re tracking those sorts of things. I did track the weight of this build for the sake of this write up and to prove it isn’t as drastic as the internet will tell you. Yes, the IGH has more rotational weight but it is located at the hub so it isn't like you are putting a nearly three pound heavier tire on the bike. Yes, the bike is tail heavy now moving the center of gravity further back. Since I’m not riding trials courses with my Neutrino I honestly haven’t noticed the weight being further back or being rotational weight. Overall you’ll add less than the weight of one liter of water or a small laptop (the list goes on) with an IGH conversion.

You no longer need to carry a chain breaker but will want something to remove the axle nut. For the standard 15mm nuts I used the Portland Design Works 3wrencho. VeloOrange also sells a Runwell 15mm Wrench in standard and “on-the-go” lengths. If you end up splurging and getting the Titanium Planet Ti Small Parts Kit know that you will need a 14mm wrench. I wasn't able to find one made for bikes but was able to find a stubby 14mm that packs in my bag just the same.

Below are the weights broken out by drivetrain type. I tried to have as many items the same across the table but some alterations occurred when I built the rear wheel since I selected a different rim and spokes. It is worth noting that not all of the parts are a one-to-one comparison. For example the SRAM 42t front chainring and the VEER 72t beltring (45.28t equivalent) aren't identical and in theory a 45t SRAM chainring with spider would weigh more and require a longer chain than I had set up on my bike. I changed as little from each variant as possible to ensure the weight changes are based on the drivetrain alone.

Bike weights adjusted for rim and tube/tubeless differences:

Single Speed: 9.41kg + 180g for rim weight difference = 9.59kg

Conventional 10-speed: 10.11kg + 180g for rim weight difference = 10.29kg

IGH with Chain: 11.08kg + 17g (tubes vs tubeless) = 11.1kg

IGH with Belt: 11.01kg + 17g (tubes vs tubeless) = 11.03kg

Conclusion

It’s no wonder very few people convert their bikes to IGH with the number of small nuanced parts that go into these setups. I understand the need to purchase these items separately for maintenance but I could not find a kit that had it all for a conversion. Shimano, please provide the option to purchase the hub with all the parts necessary to build a bike from the frame up with this drivetrain (hub, small parts kit, outer receiver unit, shifter, shift cable and cable housing). The only options you would need is which small parts kit do you need for the angle of your frame’s dropouts. It is a tad ridiculous that the lockring, cassette joint arm, outer receiver unit, and axle nuts don’t come with the hub since these are integral to its operation and don’t have variants specific to frame design like the anti-rotation washers.

All in all I love my belt drive Neutrino. If you already have a mini velo and are belt curious, it’ll cost you a minimum of about $650 to make the conversion (VEER: $350, Alfine 8 IGH, shifter, and small parts: $200 (eBay kit), and wheel build and spokes: ~$100). The sky's the limit for upper end IGH conversations with hubs that easily cost more than the entire conversion I did. For me, part of this project was to show that it is somewhat attainable to make the conversion if you really wanted to.

I wish VeloOrange made a version of this bike with a split in the frame so we could use the more easily sourced Gates Carbon Drive components, not that it would make the conversion much cheaper. They did let me know if I added a split to the frame I would void my warranty but were interested to hear if the VEER Split Belt worked on the Neutrino.

At the end of the day I'd only recommend making the investment if you have ridden a belt drive bike before and know it's something you want on your mini velo.

If you use the VEER system you will be limiting your gearing options so choose your IGH wisely.

Comprehensive Parts List

Hub: SHIMANO Alfine Internal Hub Gear 8-Speed for Disc, SG-S7001-8, Alfine, 32H

Small Parts Kit: SHIMANO SM-S700 Alfine Internal Bicycle Hub Small Parts Kit - Non Turn Washers - 8R / 8L & Cap Nuts

Cassette Joint: SHIMANO CJ-S700 Cassette Joint Unit

Outer Receiver Unit: SHIMANO Alfine SG-S700 Outer Receiver Unit for CJ-S700 Cassette Joint Unit

Shifter: Microshift SL-N08 Thumb Shifter for Alfine/Nexus 8

Rear Cog: 30T VEER Cog for Shimano Hubs

Front Belt Sprocket: 72T 130bcd VEER Belt Sprocket

Belt: VEER 148T Split Belt for 380mm Chainstay

Sliding Dropout without Derailleur Hanger: Paragon Machine Works DR4005 (optional)

Titanium Small Parts: Titanium Planet Alfine/Nexus 8 Speed (8R / 8L), 8 Part Kit (optional)