I am looking at a couple of spin bikes that range from $289 to $299 and both use a chain on the fly wheel. More expensive models use a belt. My question is- does it really make a difference?
At our health club our Star Trac V- Spin bikes use chains. These are commercial bikes costing about $1000 each. Before we bought our V-Spin bikes we used belt driven Cycle Reebok bikes. We actually liked both types of bikes and we really didn't notice any difference as far as noise is concerned with the belt driven or chain driven bikes.
You will find opinions vary about chain and belt drive spin bikes. Belts will not rust and some say are quieter than chain bikes. Others feel that chain bikes give a truer real bike feel. Our chain bikes are very quiet and we have never had a problem with our chains rusting or breaking. There really are other things that are more important than belts and chains in selecting a spin bike. Here is a link to a site that has reviewed a lot of different spin bikes. - Click Here