anyone run a Gates belt drive on their rohloff ?

[ton]

just curious and wondering of the pro's and con's over a chain.

[pistonbroke]

The "off the shelf " version of my bike, the Van Nicholas Zion Rohloff has a Gates belt but I prefer a single speed chain for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the trails around here are very stony and I've read bad things about stones getting trapped between belt and sprocket causing breakage of one or both. Second changing gear ratios means a new belt rather than taking or adding links to a chain, or buying a new much cheaper chain. Also the cost is a factor, you can buy a lot of chains and sprockets for the £250 that was the cost last time I looked. On the plus side, they claim that they last forever, don't need lubrication and don't require adjustment.

[BigdummySteve]

I’d have to agree with Duncan, I got 6000miles out of a KMC X1 chain on a rohloff, if you use something like Molton speed wax they are pretty clean.
The cost/benefit ratio just doesn’t make sense to me, a Rohloff is very low maintenance and you don’t have to run it at high tension, I always thought that the extra tension could possibly affect bearing life.
I’d also worry about typical UK winter clag, not sure how they cope, do BMW use belt drives in their off road bikes?
I’ve never run a belt, just going on gut feeling, it might be life changing

[mikehowarth]

Pretty much the others have said.

In really dry conditions I've also noticed Gates to have a tendency to be a bit on the squeeky side - not sure if you've noticed that pistonbroke?

[lune ranger]

I keep getting very close to doing so. 20+ years of Rohloff riding and I’ve always coveted a belt drive.
I looked very deeply at it this time and have the funds to do it but have decided not to (again). For me it’s just too much money for too little gain.
I’d probably love it if I had one but it’d be a vanity project and I’m not into those.
I would also fear breaking a belt in the back end of nowhere - my research leads me to believe that’s unlikely, but it would leave you with an unridable bike and avoiding that scenario is one reason I have a Rohloff in the first place.
Whilst I understand that you can carry a spare belt I also am aware that the spare can’t just be shoved into a tool kit like a couple of chain links.

[ton]

reason i am asking is this,
whilst out on a 48 mile circuit on friday, i heard a ping, and then i was spinning fresh air. my bloody chain had snapped.
it had snapped at the quicklink it had been joined with. but the quicklink was not in 2 like how they come, it was laid on the floor with the chain in 4 pieces. the 2 pints had pulled out of the plates completely.
but guess who did not have a quicklink with him, or indeed any spare chain links. the reason being for some reason i did not expect the chain to snap. but i reckon it must have been a faulty one to come apart so.
so 18 miles from home, i was stuck. wife is at home laid up with a knackered back. daughter looking after her whilst i sneak a ride. had to phone my bro in law to rescue me.
phoned bike shop when i got home to see if there was anything better chainwise i could be. he told me they always use good 8 speed chains, and has kindly sent me some spare links.
i mended the chain with the proper chain spare from the build. rather than a quick link.
done a 30 mile ride on it since and it was ace.

i nearly bought it with the belt option. but was unsure.
fingers crossed it was a faulty link and nothing else.

i have to say i do love riding with a rohloff. it suits my steadiness.

[pistonbroke]

Sounds like you had a bit of bad luck, however, I can't see the benefit of using an 8 speed chain with quicklink vs a singlespeed chain with the motorcycle type 3 piece split link. Using a quick link means pulling the wheel forward or out to create enough slack to seperate as you haven't got a derailleur. A 3 piece link can be put together with the wheel in situ, also there's no need for a chain that can cope with the bending forces of moving across cassettes and chainrings. A singlespeed chain will ultimately be stronger, if you want indestructible then a track bike chain will be the answer. Also a 3 piece split link can be removed and replaced with a plain screwdriver rather than special pliers.

[ton]

any chance of a link to something suitable ? please.

[pistonbroke]

https://www.kmcchain.com/en/series/single-speed
For 3 piece split link, scroll down and look at page 2.

[lune ranger]

FWIW I’ve always used either a Rohloff chain or latterly a KMC X1 chain and standard split link. Currently I’m reusing the KMC single use split links with no problems.
If I need to split the chain i dismount it from the chainring and ramp it back on when I’m done - this also pulls the split link into shape without tools.

[JohnClimber]

Mine lasted around 300 miles on my 29er+ with it's Rohloff, Dorset's flint filled mud caused it to split 19 miles from my car.

Went chain and cogs and they are bomb proof ever since.

As a commuter drive on tarmac I'd consider it, but not for anything more than that

[ton]

pistonbroke, thanks for the link.

and thanks for the replies gents.

[firestarter]

My shand had a belt and while it was great to just put it away without cleaning in the rain, and it looked cool , which everyone knows is important lol. I did always worry in the back if my mind that if anything did happen there was no way I could fix it by the roadside or even at an lbs , you wouldn't carry a spare either, it might never go wrong but it was a worry
Also I realised very quickly that if I wanted to alter my chainring size it was very expensive to do, oh and when I'd refitted my bb I had no idea if the tension was correct, which in turn worries my further, id not get one again, purely based on I can carry a link and a tool and all bike shops sell chains

[mountainbaker]

I'm running a belt (albeit on a pinion 1.18), I only got the bike a couple of months ago. I snapped the first belt within a week. Turns out I hadn't read the f'ing manual, and I had got the belt on by mounting a few teeth then turning the cranks like you would with a chain on a single speed. That cracked some of the fibres and weakened it. I replaced the belt and took ample care with it, and it's been perfect ever since. Tension is easy, there's an app that uses the microphone and checks the resonance when you ping the belt. Mine is running at 66Hz. It's very very muddy and flinty around here and I've had no trouble at all, and I carry a spare in my hip pack. You can twist it (in the correct way per their instructions) and it's pretty compact.

The only downside I know of is that the belts are 80 quid each, and not easy to source here, I had to get from Universal Transmissions in Germany that do manual invoicing by email, it's all very old school.

All that said, if I was do do a long race/ride like HTR or TD again, I'd put a 1 1/8" chain on and carry a few spare links.

[RobLyon]

I have the same reservations as many of you but this guy has lots of positive experience,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SKeQ6B2UTk

[mikehowarth]

Moral of the story....

Always carry a spare link in your tool kit and save your cash for retirement ton

Honestly a decent chain on a rohloff will last a very very long time.

[BigdummySteve]

https://www.kmcchain.com/en/series/single-speed
For 3 piece split link, scroll down and look at page 2.

Blimey! That makes the X1 look puny, how many decades does that last?

[ton]

right then, i fitted a very robust hub gear specific chain today. with a 3 peice link.
i managed to fit the link with the chain in situ. i did not have to remove the wheel or ramp the chain.

the chain i have fitted is the same length as the one removed. but it feels a bit tighter ? is this because it is a more robust chain. surely it will be fine as it was fitted whilst chain was on chainring/sprocket ?

[pistonbroke]

Have you tried the chain tension at various positions on the cranks, the chainring may appear circular but I've found there are slack and tight spots at various points. As long as it's not hamstring tight, you should be ok.

[ton]

it has movement up and down. like i can wobble it up and down a inch or so.
when i put forward pressure on the pedals the lower chain part is still slack tho not overly

[pistonbroke]

That's absolutely fine, just check it's like that all the way round a rotation of the crank.

[lune ranger]

Sounds good.
Not likely to be the difference here but a brand new chain will always be tighter than a used one.
You can get away with a lot more slack in the chain than you imagine. It has to be pretty baggy before it falls off.

[Cyclepeasant]

Fwiw Ton,
I have been running two bikes with belt drive a 700x35 hybrid and a cube 29er which I use on and off road.
I Agree, expensive investment,but cheaper long term.
However,not totally maintenance free.
Needs to be cleaned with small brush and water, especially if clogged with mud etc.
Off roading on dry dusty trails can cause sqeaking,like a dry chain, again,wash with water. Obviously easier to clean than a greasy chain!
Gates suggest silicone spray can be used,it does attract dirt if not a dry type.
Tensioning is easy using the gates app on a smartphone.
I have had a "puncture" off road in extremely claggy clay , a nail had punctured the belt. Immediately noticeable by feeling an occasional resistance every belt revolution.
Just cleaned belt, spotted nail and removed it. It still remains on bike 7000 miles later.
Check cyclingabout site. He uses rohloff and belt drive in all conditions.
Pro's and con's for each type of transmission system.