Bycicle Drive System Comparison

There are a few choices on how you can push yourself along on a bike these days. I'm going to quickly run these down with their pros and cons.

Traditional Chain

This is the traditional type of drive found on 99% of the bikes out there.
Pros:

• Cheap with lots of competition
• Parts are available anywhere
• Every bike mechanic and probably a few of your friends know how to fix it

Cons:

• Rain or Snow requires prompt cleaning and lubrication or rust will form
• requires periodic calibration/alignment/tensioning or gears don't mesh/switch properly
• Your pans/skirt need protection from the drive system or you get dirty/torn clothing.
  

Belt

Currently only provided by Gates Corp.. This is an old technology from cars being applied to bicycles in recent years. Trek, Norco and a few smaller bike manufacturers are selling bikes with this.
Pros:

• Silent operation.
• Almost zero maintenance required for any weather condition
• Smooth feel
• Less dirty as it doesn't required lubrication.
  

Cons:

• Expensive relative to chain
• Can only be used with a single cog front/rear
• requires "broken triangle" frame so you can pass the belt through
• requires internal geared hub if you want more then one speed, which adds to the cost and repair complexity
• Few shops have experience and probably less have spare parts. That being said, it's easy to work on and more durable than a chain so not a large issue

Shaft Drive

This is the most exotic of the drive systems. Most commonly found on certain Biomega bikes.
Pros:

• Sealed system against elements
• Never have to worry about your pants/skirt getting dirty/caught.
  

Cons:

• Very expensive. The highest cost of this list
• requires internal geared hub if you want more then one speed, which adds to the cost and repair complexity
• Can only be used with the frame it came in. This is not a standard
• mechanical loss due to bevel gears
• Huge issue if you have a flat while riding. Requires disassembly to change tires.
• Maybe one shop per city knows what to do with it. Parts are special order
• Heaviest of the types

Conclusion

I recently purchased a new bike. I chose a traditional driven bike due to price and maintainability. Yes, it requires more care and attention, but it's all stuff I know how to do. The bike was also under $1k which is not going to happen with the other drive systems. That being said, if money had not been a factor, I would have gone with the Norco Ceres belt drive bike.