Trek was either fed up with the number of dry cleaning bills sent to them from dress pants stained with grease, or decided to try and improve on an old idea for their two new commuter bikes.  The $930 single-speed District, and the $990, eight-speed Soho feature a quiet carbon-fiber composite belt in place of the greasy old chain.

The AP article describes a few benefits that really make sense for commuter bikes.  The first being that the composite belts require much less maintenance compared to their chain counterparts.  A chain includes “roughly 3,000 parts including all the links and connectors”.  Actually, taking into consideration the complexity of chains, it’s amazing they don’t fail more often.

A second benefit for the commuter is the “whisper-quiet ride” offered by the belt, but I’m not sure how big of a deal this would be in a bigger city.  Metropolitan areas aren’t usually known for their tranquility.  It would be neat take the new District, and Soho bikes for a ride down a wooded bike path though.

Of course, the biggest drawback to these new commuter models is that you do lose efficiency by ditching the chain.

Bjorling admits chain-driven bikes are still efficient, but said an urban rider won’t have to worry about greasing or cleaning the chain. The belt can be cleaned with a normal cleaning agent and rag, and the bike sprocket is designed to push through any snow, dirt or grime. And one belt will typically last three years — the life span of three chains.

I’d be willing to bet that we won’t see Alberto Contador, or Lance Armstrong ditch their chain anytime soon.

The District and Soho haven’t been released yet, but are expected to go on sale sometime in December, and January respectively.