Vilano Diverse 4.0 Urban Performance Hybrid Road Bike, Belt Drive 8 Speed Alfine

I really like the way this bike rides and I've wanted a belt drive for my commute. I already own a bike with the Alfine gearbox so I like that this allows me to ride without dealing with a chain and the associated grease; this bike is maintenance free in that respect. The downside is that to maintain a 17 mph cadence you need more gears. I tracked down the manufacturer in Taiwan and they sold me the components to upgrade the belt system from a 60T to a 72T gear upfront. This gives me a top gear that is usable but I would still like a higher gear for down hill. The flip side is that I never use gears 1 & 2 which is a waste.The other issue is that the belt that comes with it is only of basic consumer quality (fine for most users riding short distances). It broke after 3 months and the upgraded gears and belt are supposed to be of a higher quality. I will monitor and update this review in the future.I really like the gates upgrade so far, nice and quiet and appears to be robust. This upgrade will set you back about $300, all the components are bolt on and while I modified my frame for the new chain ring I don't think that was necessary in hindsight. These are the components I added, part of the cdrive upgrade included the new BCD 130mm spider so you will have to source that separately. I also swapped the bottom bracket spindle for a 122mm spindle but with the Gates I ended up putting the chainring on the inside of the spider so I'm not sure if that was necessary. These are the gates components I used:55 tooth 130 BCD sprocket – PN 78980315522 tooth Alfine sprocket – PN 789803385 *not compatible with Shimano Nexus 8-speeds122 tooth CDX (455.7mm) – 92550894they recommend either 120 or 122 tooth belt but all I could find was the 122 which puts the rear gear towards the back but makes for easy belt swap with lots of slack when loosened.I also purchased a "cricket" tension tool and these chain tensioners which I install on the inside of the frame to accommodate the Shimano non-turn washers which you must use.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M6CN9RE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A4D2V82/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1Let me know your experience.

I purchased this bike elsewhere, but since I read reviews, I figured I'd leave one here.First of all- I don't recommend trying to put this together on your own, unless you REALLY know bikes, because it is a bit unusual. (And shop around for assembly fees. The chain outdoor-enthusiast store where you can become a member, wanted fully $100 more than my local bike shop charged me.)The guys at the store (who work on bikes at five time this price point) were all impressed with the build quality for the price (big fans of the belt drive,) and when I explained that I chose it in hopes of spending as little of my precious summer time on maintenance as possible, all confirmed that it was a great choice. As for the ride, it, shifts and brakes smoothly, and the 53" frame is a perfect fit for me, a 5 foot 7 inch female with a 32" inseam. If you like a kickstand, this $10 one worked out fine: "BV Adjustable Bicycle Bike Kickstand with Concealed Spring-Loaded Latch, for 24-29 Inch Bicycles." My only issue is that the factory tires are quite skinny. For (groomed) trails and the boardwalk, I think I might swap them out for something slightly fatter, but we'll see...

This bike has all the features I've been wanting in a lower cost model. I updated to Gates system with Alfine hub. Is now pretty high end.122 tooth belt55 tooth crank24 tooth rearShimano Alfine crank