E-bike with chain versus belt drive: which do you choose?

Belt drive? When the primary electrical bicycles with belts got here alongside, we have been confused: how can a belt be simply as robust (and even stronger) and extra sturdy than a steel chain? Years later, the time period belt drive is nearly commonplace on the e-bike market. It’s even tough for some manufacturers to search out e-bikes with out such a belt.

However why precisely? What are some great benefits of belt drive? Or quite: when is belt drive helpful? We take you alongside in our seek for the reply to these questions. For the sake of readability, we focus purely on belt drive for electrically powered bicycles.

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What’s Belt Drive?

By now we’re all acquainted with the idea of steel chains: a steel band with notches for the sprockets in your bicycle. Steel chains are an indispensable a part of bicycles – but that’s precisely what’s about to occur with belt drives.

Belts work precisely like steel chains. Whenever you cycle, the gears of the bicycle fall into the notches of the belt, inflicting you to zoom ahead. What is straight away noticeable is that the fabric used differs: steel is exchanged for a polyurethane combination with carbon fiber tensile cords.

Nevertheless, belt drive is usually described as carbon chains. That purport is due to this fact not solely appropriate; sure, carbon is current, however solely serves to strengthen the plastics.

Belt drive supplies

We already talked about the polyurethane combination and the carbon fibers which can be within the belt. Nevertheless, these are elements that kind that internal layer. To guard the core, Gates – the producer of belt drive elements – has utilized a so-called nylon tooth coating. This tooth coating ensures that the inner supplies don’t come into contact with the gears in your e-bike, and due to this fact put on much less shortly.

Advantages of belt drive

The truth that increasingly e-bikes are geared up with belt drives is especially pushed by the demand for low-maintenance bicycles. Belts require (nearly) no upkeep. You would not have to grease them and eradicating hyperlinks to tighten the belt will not be needed because of the carbon fibers. The steel gears of the bicycle additionally put on out so much much less shortly with that materials. All that continues to be is to interchange the belt drive. A Gates timing belt lasts about 35,000 km.

There are additionally a collection of different advantages, we are going to checklist them for you:

• Noiseless: the continual friction between steel components causes lots of noise in a traditional chain. If a series turns into worn, it abruptly begins to chatter and creak. Because of the softer tooth coating, a belt doesn’t endure from this. Nevertheless, a sand tub can result in a gritty sound. Does that trouble you? Then be happy to spray the chain clear with a (comfortable) jet of water.
• Greater effectivity: When transferring steel to steel, power (and due to this fact effectivity) is all the time misplaced because of the friction between the 2 forms of steel. There may be additionally friction with belt drives, however that’s minor in comparison with steel chains. This principally lets you make extra pace with the identical quantity of energy on e-bikes with belts. Do not you essentially wish to cycle sooner? Then belts particularly pedal so much lighter.

Disadvantages of belt drive

Sounds best. However, belt drive can’t be utilized in each state of affairs. For instance, the prices for timing belts are significantly increased than for steel chains. For instance, a Gates CDX belt prices 89 euros. For comparability: you should buy regular steel bicycle chains for someplace between 5 and 20 euros. And there are different factors to remember:

• Harder to interchange: with common chains you possibly can take away a tooth to take it off the bike. With belt drive, however, you must take away the rear wheel to take away and change the belt.
• Not for each sort of motorbike: timing belts are solely appropriate for bicycles with hub gears. In the meanwhile, bicycles with derailleur gears, together with electrical variants, will due to this fact stay caught on steel chains. So you must select between extra gears or a belt.
• Restricted Availability: there’s a good probability that the native bicycle store doesn’t instantly have a belt in inventory. Though e-bikes are more and more geared up with belt drives, their market share continues to be restricted. Has your belt damaged unexpectedly? There’s a good probability that your bicycle shall be standing nonetheless for a couple of days whereas ready for a brand new one.
• Immediately written off: a damaged belt is straight away written off. It isn’t attainable to restore the belt. It’s because structural ‘carbon fibres’ have cut up on the break. These fibers are vital to the structural integrity of the chain. Within the occasion of a breakage, a brand new Gates belt should due to this fact be fitted always.
• Little competitors: we already mentioned that the costs are on the excessive facet. On the one hand, that is because of the (comparatively) excessive costs of carbon fibres. Alternatively, it’s primarily Gates who determines the costs of his belt drive. There may be hardly any competitors that results in decrease costs. It’s in fact attainable that that is about to vary.

Belt drive versus chain

We are able to due to this fact conclude that belt drive is right for a low-maintenance electrical bicycle. Is seven gears sufficient (one blade within the entrance, seven within the hub)? Then you should definitely take a look at bicycles with belts. Nevertheless, for bicycles with 10 or extra gears, the chain continues to be needed.

Extra gears definitely present benefits for extra sporty (mountain) rides. Nevertheless, in case you cycle extra on flat surfaces and even primarily in cities, that isn’t an instantaneous benefit. So first decide what number of gears you actually need, earlier than selecting between a belt or chain.

Substitute a timing belt your self

Additionally weigh the prices instantly, ask your self how a lot upkeep you need and may give to the bike and eventually ask your self whether or not you need to have the ability to change the transmission your self. If the reply to that final query is ‘sure’, then you possibly can write off belts prematurely. As a result of rear wheels on electrical bicycles are geared up with every kind of sensors and generally even include a motor, we don’t suggest dismantling the wheels of an e-bike your self.

Are you going to interchange the belt your self? Then be sure to purchase the proper sort of Gates timing belt. There are a number of variants obtainable, every appropriate for a unique sort of e-bike (motor). We checklist the different sorts beneath:

• Gates CDN: for e-bikes with a entrance hub or rear hub motor. Chain will not be appropriate for mid-engines. Service life is proscribed: Gates specifies a most service lifetime of 5,000 km.
• Gates CDC: for e-bikes with a mid-engine as much as an influence of lower than 50Nm.
• Gates CDX: essentially the most luxurious belt drive that can be utilized as much as a torque of 85Nm. Appropriate for each mid-drive motors and entrance and rear hub drives. Has the longest lifespan of all Gates fashions.

At all times ask the producer of your e-bike which mannequin timing belt you want. Such info can normally even be discovered within the handbook of the bicycle, or within the equipped Gates handbook. A timing belt have to be tightened. Details about that might be discovered on the web site van Gates.

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