Regarding belt drives, I'm not sure what to think of them. They require a special frame (with the rear dropout opening in the back). Plus you'll have to go with an internally geared rear hub, and no crank gearing.
That was my breakthrough - as much as I'm a fan, I'm not actually IN the TdF. No one will boo me if I get off and walk or alter my route when I'm gassed. As soon as I came to terms with that, I started riding at least 3-4 times a week (14 miles round trip). And the funny thing is - I never actually get off and walk. As soon as I realized I COULD, I didn't need to. Now that I've been doing it a while, I don't really even think about walking - I like the work of it.
Funny thing, the mind.
Separate question: What do you all think of belt drives? I've mangled my derailleur once and ripped my chain apart once both on that damn hill, so I'm seriously wondering about a belt drive both for the reliability and so I can keep riding as the weather starts to get bad. I've got a 3x8 gear now, but I pretty much never use the granny gears. Effectively, I'm riding it like an old-school 10-speed anyway.
