Home > Bike Types > Commuter

Tout Terrain Bringing Two More Belt Drive Commuter Bicycles to U.S.

Tout Terrain Chiyoda commuter bicycle with Gates belt drive and Shimano Alfine internally geared hub
6 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Tout Terrain Chiyoda commuter bicycle with Gates belt drive and Shimano Alfine internally geared hub

We just reviewed the Tout Terrain Metropolitan, a heavy duty, fully stocked urban commuter bike. Now, they have two additional Gates belt drive equipped models heading to the States in December.

The Chiyoda is their “fast, agile and cool” city bike and has pretty everything you’d want to simply get about in the urban jungle. Disc brakes, belt drive and a Shimano Alfine internally geared rear hub (Rohloff is optional) all adorn the steel frame. The rear fender mounts directly to the mono-stay for a very clean overall look. It’s also available in black.

For those who carry a bit more stuff, check the Amber Road after the break…

Tout Terrain Amber Road commuter bicycle with Gates belt drive and Shimano Alfine internally geared hub

The Amber Road is technically their trekking bike, but with 28″ wheels and wider tires, TT says it’s just as at home in the city. Same brakes and drivetrain as the Chiyoda, but it has a built in rack, central mount for a tripod-style kickstand (or the mono-stand shown above) and it’s approved for retrofit with the BionX rear hub motor if you want to add a derailleur and cassette instead.

Both bikes use a split dropout on the drive side to allow the belt to enter the rear triangle. Available through Peter White Cycles in the U.S.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Adam
Adam
12 years ago

Isn’t there anybody else out there who thinks that disc brakes on commuter bikes is ridiculous? Give me a low-maintenance, long-lasting, non-flashy drum brake any day. I keep on looking at these commuter bikes, and keep on shaking my head. Nice (fenders!), nice (rack!), nice (belt drive!), except….flashy, high-maintenance, theft-magnate brakes. Is there any belt drive bike with all the features of a good commuter, plus drum brakes?

Editz
Editz
12 years ago

People have criticized the Trek Soho’s drum brakes for being too weak. The Torker Graduate has drums, but I’ve not read reviews. Discs are wonderful for sloppy weather and they don’t chew up your rims.

Chipollini
12 years ago

@Adam…. Did you actually look at the description of this bike? This bike is pure low maintenance: Belt drive supposedly last ten times longer than a standard chain + no lube no grease marks, internally geared hub = duh no cassette and derailleur to wear, break, or go out of adjustment, no derailleur hanger to bend. The dynamo front hub that powers both the front and rear lights is great for a city bike and you don’t have to replace the batteries, how about that? The frames are not flashy, garish, or over built. No giant logos on every part of the bike. Fenders are pretty handy. Oh and the most important part, the disc breaks… Disc breaks are superior to drum breaks, no question. And if you read the instructions for most disc brake system like my Avid Elixir or my Juicy 3’s installation of new pads are really easy takes about 15 min to change both pairs and clean the pistons. Its raining, and I like my bike to stop. Disc brakes are the future, even low end (500$) mountain bikes come with disc breaks, and many hybrid city bikes are popping up every day from most major manufactures example : Marin’s Larkspur CS4 msrp 750$, Felt’s Verza City 2 also 750$, Specialized makes a few higher end ones like the Source and the Globe Live 3… and then we get into touring bikes and dics cross bikes… Disc brakes are only flashy when you hold them in the sun. These bikes are no more at risk for theft than any other bike of a designated price point – bike theft is usually a crime of opportunity and ability, buy a good lock, locking skewers, etc. or take your bike with you where ever you go, you are the best anti theft device.

joshka
joshka
12 years ago

pretty cool bike, i love such stylish commuter bikes.
fenders, disc, belt … unworried round the clock

it looks very similar to the veloheld lane

http://www.veloheld.de/collections/katalog/products/veloheld-lane

Alex
Alex
12 years ago

Mr Chipollini… Have you ridden a bike with hub brakes? They aren’t as powerful as disc brakes, true. But they are very low maintenance and protected from rain,snow and dirt, bike racks etc. Very quiet too. I have some large diameter Sturmey-Archer models fitted to my bike and find that they work very well. The rear also has a 3-speed IGH – ideal for city riding.

Rider X
11 years ago

@Adam and @Alex – Not sure the hate on for disc brakes on commuters. In Vancouver we have some real hills. I haul a lot of gear often (e.g. multiday business trip). I ride year round. And I can tell you that disc brakes on my commuter have been a godsend. We have some steep hills (26% grade) which get you up to speed in a hurry. Being able to stop from 60 km/hr (37 mph) to zero with a full load (e.g. 60 lbs) in under 30 ft has saved my life on a couple occasions.

If you ride 20 min and never break 15 mph, I agree drum brakes are ideal. But don’t rain on everyone else’s parade just because you don’t get it.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.