[EricH]

Originally Posted by Cyberphil

If you use a chain drive or a belt drive, or even geared drive with mecanum wheels, you are taking away the advantage, that is strafing. To strafe, the wheels in parallel (assuming the wheels are aligned correctly) turn in the opposite direction. When you mount mecanum wheels with a chain and sprocket, belt and pulley, or gear drive setup, the parallel wheels cannot rotate in opposite directions.

Not necessarily. The key is 4 independent motors. Chain routing can run 1 motor/gearbox to 1 wheel, which is exactly what you'd be doing with a mecanum drive.