I don’t see the point to belt drives on anything other than commuter bikes, but I do miss my Kona A a lot. Even thought it was a 16″ and a size too small for me, it was such a fun bike to ride. Wish I’d never sold it…

Adam, i agree completely, in fact i want to design commuter/utility bikes, but I wanted to learn about belt-drives first.
The A is perfect for fitting the belt to as the frame splits, and there’s no belt-growth etc. And i figured if I can make it work on a mtb, then I can make it work on a commuter bike.

And actually, having no rusty chain on a mtb is a good thing…

this is one of the most interesting threads i have read for ages, keep up the good work.

Sooo…
just went out for a spin. The outer flange keeps the belt on, BUT, the problems have moved elsewhere, to something more fundamental with the bike.
Even with the big fat nordlocks, and the bolts torqued as much as I can, the chuffin’ dropouts are slipping. Nothing for it but new dropouts with integrated tensioner bolts (like newer Konas).
Still, it means I can do the bolt-thru.

Watch this space..