Gates Beltdrive I Riemaandrijving voor jouw fiets of e-bike

gates belt drive

Easy to maintain and durable

Gates belt drive belt drive for bicycle

The Gates Carbon Belt Drive is the perfect alternative to a traditional bicycle chain. A Gates belt is clean and quiet, has a long lifespan, and requires little maintenance.

Especially for cyclists who ride year-round, a Gates belt drive offers considerable comfort in the Dutch climate. This is because this belt requires much less maintenance than a standard bicycle chain when used in rain, snow, or salty conditions.

A Gates belt drive features a patented center track. The center track is a groove in the center of the belt and a raised edge on the sprocket, which together ensure the belt is guided correctly.

A Gates belt drive can be combined with gear hubs from Shimano, Enviolo or Rohloff and can also be mounted on bicycles with a Pinion gearbox.

MATERIAL OF A GATES CDX BELT DRIVE

Gates has been manufacturing belts and sprockets for bicycles and many other applications for many years. For example, the Gates belt drive has been used for years on Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

A Gates belt is constructed of multiple layers (see the drawing below). The carbon fiber threads give the belt extreme strength under all conditions.

The polyurethane construction is highly resistant to weather influences from rain or UV radiation.

The bicycle-optimized tooth profile ensures optimal grip and low friction for a very direct feeling when applying force to the pedals.

The nylon top layer is available in a choice of black or blue, with the blue color on the tread making it easy to recognize when the belt is dirty and needs cleaning.

CONSTRUCTION OF A GATES CDX BELTDRIVE BELT

THE DIFFERENCES IN QUALITY OF GATES BELTS AND SPROCKETS

Gates produces a wide range of high-quality belts and sprockets, the most commonly used in the Netherlands being the Cdn and Cdx. The Cdn is primarily designed for city bikes and short trips, while the Cdx is designed for intensive use.

Cdn belts are made of polymer with carbon fiber threads and the Cdx belts are made of polyurethane with carbon fiber threads in combination with a nylon top layer, which has a lifespan up to 3 times longer than the cheaper Cdn variant.

There are also major differences in wear resistance between the Cdn and Cdx gears.

Wherever possible and available, we fit the Gates Cdx Exp version to our Jongerius bikes. This Cdx Exp version is even more durable and specifically designed for intensive holiday travel. Unfortunately, Gates has decided to discontinue the Cdx Exp version for all systems because many bicycle brands (unlike us) prioritize price over quality.

At Jongerius, we have chosen to only fit the Gates Cdx and Gates Cdx Exp variants on our bicycles because they have the longest lifespan.

GATES SNUBBER FOR GATES BELT IN COMBINATION WITH ROHLOFF HUB

When mounting a Gates belt on a bicycle with a Rohloff hub, the Gates snubber is mandatory.

The Gates snubber is a guide pulley mounted near the rear dropout. This guide pulley doesn't touch the belt but is mounted approximately 1 mm from it.

The Gates snubber prevents the belt from sliding over the sprocket when riding in snow or mud, as the belt rotates between the sprocket.

The wheel (the snubber) then pushes the belt back towards the sprocket when it touches the belt.

TENSION AND ALIGNMENT OF A GATES BELT

The tension of the Gates belt drive belt can be checked with a special belt drive tension meter (we do not recommend doing this with the available app).

It's very important to always measure this at four points by rotating the gear 90 degrees after each measurement. A gear doesn't wear evenly, meaning the tension can vary at each point.

For the above reason, it's also recommended to rotate the sprocket a quarter turn during maintenance on a bicycle with a Gates belt drive. This can be done by loosening all the chainring bolts, rotating the sprocket 90 degrees (do not reverse it), and then tightening it properly.

Belt drive alignment is also very important. We use the special Gates laser tool for this, which guarantees correct alignment.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GATES CDX AND CDN BELT

measure the wear of a Gates belt drive

The wear of a Gates belt drive system depends heavily on the frequency of cleaning. A belt drive is very easy to maintain, but if it is constantly very gritty, it will wear out much faster than a clean system.

We see that the Gates Cdx and Cdx Exp systems have an average lifespan of between 10,000 and 30,000 km. Systems that were worn out at 10,000 km were often very dirty or greasy.

It's important that a belt and gears are always clean and free of grease. You can easily wash a belt with warm water and car shampoo or dish soap. Use a brush, car wash mitt, or sponge. Never use oil or sprays on a Gates belt drive. Because you don't lubricate the belt, a washed belt is less likely to attract dirt.

You can determine whether a Gates belt needs replacing by measuring the sprockets. If these are thinner than 2 mm, they should be replaced. We therefore recommend replacing the belt immediately.

CAUSE OF BROKEN GATES BELTDRIVE BELT

Because we've equipped all our bikes with a Gates belt drive for the past five years, we have a fair amount of experience with this system. The biggest fear of many avid cyclists is: What if my belt breaks during a long journey?

We can reassure these people right away, because in the past five years, we've only had one broken belt on hundreds of bicycles with a belt drive delivered, and we'll discuss the cause of this later in this article.

If you choose a Gates CDX belt, the risk of breakage is very small (with CDN belts, this is more likely). With a belt drive, alignment is very important, which is why we always measure it with a laser. Belt tension is also very important.

A belt should neither be too tight nor too loose. We recommend checking the belt tension once a year. We always check this during our annual maintenance.

The broken belt in the photo broke because it was installed incorrectly. The belt came off the sprocket while one of our customers was driving. This can happen when, for example, a piece of clothing or a shoelace gets caught in the middle of it. Our customer then kicked it back on, which later caused the break.

The carbon fiber threads are very strong, but if you were to wrap a belt around them, they would be subjected to a peak load, causing them to break off at an angle within a few days or weeks, as shown in the photo.

If your belt ever comes off, the solution is simple: lower the wheel slightly to release the tension. Put the belt back on and replace the wheel.

Using Gates belt drive in the snow

A Gates belt drive is also perfectly suitable for winter use in the snow (we enjoy doing this ourselves). However, it's important to keep a few things in mind:

*After every ride in snow, you should remove the snow or park your bike somewhere above freezing to prevent any snow debris from freezing. This frozen debris can have the same effect as a stone spinning in the belt drive.

*Pure snow poses no problem for a Gates belt drive; only when heavy brine has been spread will snow melt. If this brine-mixed snow refreezes, it can also become rock hard, posing a risk to your belt drive.

This is especially true in urban areas and not when riding through woods or more remote areas. However, it is important to clean the drivetrain before and after each use.

*For regular use in snow, we recommend temporarily increasing the belt tension. It's best to keep the maximum tension within the green range of the Gates tension meter.

*If you no longer ride in the snow, you can reset the Beltdrive tension to normal to prevent damage to the hubs and bottom bracket.

HANDMADE bicycles

We build your dream bike

Rohloff hub with Gates belt drive

Jongerius bicycle makers since 1998

At Jongerius Handmade Bicycles, we custom-build your dream bike in Vleuten. Besides choosing your favorite color and all the components you want, such as the saddle, seatpost, handlebars, stem, and more, you also choose the color of the stickers and hubs. We use the best components from well-known brands like Schwalbe, Son, Ergon, Terry, Brooks, Tubus, and Gates. We also develop many of our own high-quality Jongerius components.