Oh, f… 
Would you be able to change the freewheel by yourself?
Hmm, 3000 km are not really much, I mean.
Picture of my freewheel I just took:
dl.dropbox.com/u/71046440/strida/IMAG0128.jpg
It doesn’t need any special tools no? Then I should be able to change it myself.
Thank you, good pic!
And yes, it does need a special tool:
Jump to tool T Strida workshop tool guide
or use this one:
http://www.parktool.com/product/freewheel-remover-FR-6
Usually the freewheel is tightened very hard!
(I’m going to write a small post for an easy removal procedure asap.)
Be careful when ordering/purchasing these tools, I’ve seen the Shimano tool in USA for over 78 $, while in Spain it was available for just 9,50 Euro (without shipping).
If you’re unable to find it for an acceptable price you might consider to pm me.
Please note also:
Well, it looks like even the aluminium freewheels don’t last long when the weather conditions are not good (the weather can be bad in Belgium):
- The so called ‘improved sealing’ is inefficient: water and mud very soon penetrate the system and ruin the ratchet mechanism
- The pulley surface quickly wears out with the abrasion effect: when riding in the rain, grit sticks to the belt and scours off the pulley surface
Blackstridaaustria, there are 2 items you could add to the list of suggestions to Ming:
-
Improve the sealing of the freewheel mechanism (taking ‘dirt friendly’ MTB or BMX freewheels as a reference).
-
Increase the surface hardness of the rear pulley to improve its wear resistance. It should last at least 10.000 km
It does not pop yet, but I have a spare freewheel ready. Belt does not seem to be affected by wear, so I guess there is no point in early replacement of freewheel.
Not salt - I have another bike for winter. Road dirt+rain is a perfect abrasive =(
I try to keep tension low, so it is unlikely.
I’m really thinking about attaching a used toothbrush head on the bottom tube where there’s a gap between the tube and the belt. This brush will sweep off grit in the belt teeth.
There are mild abrasions in the freewheel already and I’m seeing aluminum particles in the belt.
Good idea, but I think it would be better to tackle the problem at its source, namely prevent the grit to reach the belt.
The BMW F800S/ST does have a belt drive but with a quite big belt guard:
My proposal would be to put a mudguard extension on the front wheel (like the one available as Strida accessory) and to make a side extension on the rear mudguard to prevent muddy water to seep from the mudguard onto the belt.
But hell, this would make our beloved Strida very ugly 
That’s a better idea. I think the belt gets wet and gritty because of the drip and splash from the fenders.
This will be a definetely useful piece of accessory 
Bietrume is right.
I have put about 10K on my Strida 5.0 (with Schlumpf 2 speed added) riding daily to work. Always run the belt slack and adjust the snubber gap as Mark suggests.
HOWEVER - I have gone through the OEM plastic pulley in 0.8K, and 3 aluminium pulleys lasting only about 3K each. This renders the Strida into the toy category for the daily commute. Belts always fail about the same time, due to the knife-edged pulley chewing them up.
Contrast that with my previous belt experience on a Japanese Bridgestone Lacrosse full size bike. After 10K, driving to work on exactly the same route, the belt was original and the rear pulley original and no perceptible wear on either. The 3 main differences from the Strida were:
-Automatic belt tensioner (patented) inside the crank wheel. No snubbers here. Belt as slack as you like.
-Steel rear pulley, not plastic (!) or aluminum.
-12" height for pulley above road dirt, vs. 6" for Strida.