Anybody Snapped or Stretched Out Their Gates Belt Yet ?

[Ebiker33]

The Ultra is famous for snapping chains if you hit the throttle in the wrong gear or really push it at the higher watts.
The Gates belt seems to have eliminated that, one rider says he puts 10K on them and then changes it out and the cog drives too as it takes a beating after that many miles.
That is a lot of riding.
So the question stands, how are your belts doing on your Watt Wagons ?

 

[pennybags]

I have the labs version of the Archon X1 with 3500W nominal. Throttle is restricted at 1000W. I am at ~3900miles with no issues. Belt hasnt frayed too much but if i look closely I can see flakes on the edges (almost like fuzz / lint balls)

I haven't noticed belt stretch, but I do have a spare belt and plan to replace at 6000 - 7000 miles. The front cog appears to be strong, the rear looks new if i wipe it down.

 

[chunk]

Gates make timing belts for cars and trucks that easily go 100 K miles on the front of a hot engine. My guess, if there is not an alignment issue it will outlast the motor. Some motorcycles use similar belts on their drives instead of a chain. No worries I would think.

 

[Ayl]

I'm over 1000 miles and no issues with my Gates belt. However I do carry a spare with me when I'm ebiking.

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I'm not sure how the Gates bike belt's composition compares to their HVAC application cog belts, but I worked with them for a lot of years and they are virtually indestructible PROVIDING they are in proper alignment and tension. We used them with 200 horsepower motors on fans with variable speed drives with 'soft start' programming. I'm sure a bicycle application has little alignment issues and are way more tolerant tension-wise. I've seen fan starts tear cogs off the belts where a mechanical issue resulted in the tension or alignment going off or there's no soft start put in place. Soft starts in VFDs ramp them up to speed relatively slowly....much like a bike drive would. I doubt the torque on a bike, at any PAS setting while starting out would be sufficient to rip cogs off them, but I haven't looked closely at how the ones for bikes are constructed. The HVAC ones are suggested to be replaced every TEN years. They are tough b*****ds.
I wanted a belt driven bike but was unwilling to pay and wait for an R&M Charger with either of the rear hubs offered. A Gates belt would be just about the rarest issue of any you'd see, IMO. CN

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I'm over 1000 miles and no issues with my Gates belt. However I do carry a spare with me when I'm ebiking.

1000 miles is PEANUTS on a Gates carbon belt. We ran large HVAC fans driven with Gates belts a minimum of 76 hours a week, and often 24/7 for months at a time at RPMs that would far exceed that of a bicycle. You'll never wear one out. You're far more likely to damage it by one means or another. I only recall replacing maybe 2 or 3 over 15+ years and those would be because of damage to a belt due to some sort of failure on a fan, not wear on the belt itself. I would NOT suggest you carry one. You're more likely to do damage to it that way and you're only carrying it for some misled peace of mind. They are reasonably finicky about how you store them.
Motorcycles have been using them a long time. I'll bet I have ridden over 300k miles on belt driven motorcycles and have never had to replace one. My last bike had about 60k miles on the belt. No problem whatsoever.
The biggest issue I can see would be having a pebble or stone be thrown up into it. That can damage it to the point of requiring replacement. Over the long haul they are relatively inexpensive.
Eating stones and packing it along incorrectly can make them unusable. CN

 

[Comfortably Numb]

Gates make timing belts for cars and trucks that easily go 100 K miles on the front of a hot engine. My guess, if there is not an alignment issue it will outlast the motor. Some motorcycles use similar belts on their drives instead of a chain. No worries I would think.

I had a timing belt on a Honda Accord many moons ago that made it past 90k miles. The dealer had never seen one survive that long. Honda recommends replacing them at about 60k miles. I was not even aware who made the belts for them. When they fail they can do big damage to valvetrain and pistons. Replacing them before failure saves you from replacing the engine. Big $$$. CN

 

[Ayl]

Good your alright after it snapped.

 

[scout592]

I had a timing belt on a Honda Accord many moons ago that made it past 90k miles. The dealer had never seen one survive that long. Honda recommends replacing them at about 60k miles. I was not even aware who made the belts for them. When they fail they can do big damage to valvetrain and pistons. Replacing them before failure saves you from replacing the engine. Big $$$. CN

You never want the belt to break on a Honda automobile as the following article explains. Thank goodness it's much less of an issue on an ebike, mainly an inconvenience.
"
When ignored, timing belts will eventually wear out and suddenly break when starting or shutting down your engine. This happens due to the fact that these instances are when the tension on the belt is the greatest. Failure generally causes bent valves, broken valve guides, bent connecting rods, and destroyed positions. Regardless of the component failure, you’re potentially looking at a major repair or a complete engine replacement.
When ignored, timing belts will eventually wear out and suddenly break when starting or shutting down your engine. This happens due to the fact that these instances are when the tension on the belt is the greatest. Failure generally causes bent valves, broken valve guides, bent connecting rods, and destroyed positions. Regardless of the component failure, you’re potentially looking at a major repair or a complete engine replacement."

 

[Ebiker33]

Did it yesterday on a Riese and Müller. 200 total miles.https://electricbikereview.com/foru...lite-with-a-heavy-rider-problems.43061/page-2

I wonder if that was an an alignment issue more than a snapping belt issue, if it's misaligned that would cause premature wear and a weakening of the belt.

 

[theemartymac]

You never want the belt to break on a Honda automobile as the following article explains. Thank goodness it's much less of an issue on an ebike, mainly an inconvenience.
"
When ignored, timing belts will eventually wear out and suddenly break when starting or shutting down your engine. This happens due to the fact that these instances are when the tension on the belt is the greatest. Failure generally causes bent valves, broken valve guides, bent connecting rods, and destroyed positions. Regardless of the component failure, you’re potentially looking at a major repair or a complete engine replacement.
When ignored, timing belts will eventually wear out and suddenly break when starting or shutting down your engine. This happens due to the fact that these instances are when the tension on the belt is the greatest. Failure generally causes bent valves, broken valve guides, bent connecting rods, and destroyed positions. Regardless of the component failure, you’re potentially looking at a major repair or a complete engine replacement."

I would argue that my crotch and the upper frame tube are the very definition of an interference engine! lol