41
Belt Drive / Re: New "Child Board" for Belt-drive related topics
« Last post by Andyb1 on February 25, 2026, 09:02:33 AM »Thanks Dan, great work. 👍
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42
Belt Drive / Re: Belt drive article from Thorn Blog
« Last post by Andyb1 on February 25, 2026, 09:00:57 AM »How long do the sprockets last on belt drive systems?
Do you change them at every belt change, every second belt change….or never?
Do you change them at every belt change, every second belt change….or never?
43
Belt Drive / Re: Belt drive article from Thorn Blog
« Last post by Tiberius on February 25, 2026, 08:17:13 AM »I just watched a youtube video. And at the end of it, it of course displays some other video suggestions which I usually ignore. But the title of this one intrigued me, so I started to watch it, and watched the whole thing.
Short summary is that belts are great for commuters, but a spare belt that is not stored and handled properly can fail when you are in the worst place for a failure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx5nN3kyx5k
Re carrying/storing a spare belt - Gates say.....https://youtu.be/VgM-qeHGK_4?si=juJL4eavETswXT8s
Once you've done that a couple of times, you can do it in your sleep. Mine lives in a plastic container tucked away in a frame bag. It weighs nothing and it's out of harm's way.
I've only covered roughly 6,000 Km on my belt drive bike but so far I'm inclined to agree with 'WorldTourer' I don't do anything special to clean or tension the belt. I live on the coast and the bike gets absolutely blathered in mud, sand and sea water. The belt doesn't squeak, creak, slip or do anything out of the ordinary. The truth is that, apart from removing the rear wheel to fix the odd puncture, I haven't touched the belt. The bike gets washed down and that's it - I have yet to mess with the tension of the belt. I did have a play with the Gates belt tension app when I first got the bike, but I (rightly or wrongly) soon dismissed it as unreliable. When I re-fit a wheel I simply give the belt a 'twang' and off I go. No mess, no drama, it's all so simple.
In my case I believe that I overthought belt drives - far too much 'what if' went through my mind. I'm very much old school and I thought that I wouldn't be able to leave the belt transmission alone, but I was wrong. It works, I don't notice it, I just leave it alone. I do carry a spare belt but I don't expect to fit it for a long long time.
I bought this (Pinion) bike as I wanted a bike that was as maintenance free as possible, and that is what I've got If my 'fit and forget' situation changes I will pop back and let you know.
44
Belt Drive / Re: Belt drive article from Thorn Blog
« Last post by WorldTourer on February 25, 2026, 01:20:22 AM »And belts need to be kept clean to ensure optimum performance.
Few long-haul riders on belts are making much effort to keep their belts clean. If there is noise or if the belt visibly looks filthy, then you pour some water over it or (maybe) scrub it with an old toothbrush. Otherwise, you just ride it as it is and less than optimum performance isn’t something noticed. Winter riding would obviously be a special case.
45
Belt Drive / Re: Belt drive article from Thorn Blog
« Last post by JohnR on February 24, 2026, 05:30:11 PM »A big minus of the belt drive system is the cost of changing the overall gearing ratio which needs replacement of two of the three drivetrain components.
And belts need to be kept clean to ensure optimum performance. I had a belt drive bike some years ago and rode it through a winter. I spent a lot of time trying, unsuccessfully, to identify the source of creaks. When spring arrived I gave the bike, including the belt, a good clean. The creaks disappeared.
And belts need to be kept clean to ensure optimum performance. I had a belt drive bike some years ago and rode it through a winter. I spent a lot of time trying, unsuccessfully, to identify the source of creaks. When spring arrived I gave the bike, including the belt, a good clean. The creaks disappeared.
46
General Technical / Sherpa dimensions?
« Last post by steveparry on February 24, 2026, 03:12:32 PM »I have a Sherpa Mark 1 - I think see photos in the For sale section. I know it's a 535L. Does that signify the frame dimension ie one of the tubes is 535mm long? Also does anyone have a link to an old catalogue that describes this bike? I guess the mark 1 was made around 2005 - 2010? Thanks.
47
Bikes For Sale / Re: Sherpa 535L
« Last post by steveparry on February 24, 2026, 02:36:20 PM »Still available.
48
Belt Drive / Re: Belt drive article from Thorn Blog
« Last post by Tiberius on February 23, 2026, 10:58:21 AM »A quick heads up for anyone running a belt drive.
SJS are currently running an offer on SOME belts - I've just bought a 113T for half RRP.
SJS are currently running an offer on SOME belts - I've just bought a 113T for half RRP.
49
Electric Conversions of "Manual" Bikes / eBike Motor Reliability
« Last post by Danneaux on February 22, 2026, 11:09:32 PM »Hey All!
A valued member contacted me to suggest the following video "article" by Alee Denham on the reliability of eBike motors might be of interest to those considering either a conversion of their existing bikes or the purchase of a new eBike. After viewing the video -- and finding myself surprised at some of the reported data -- I thought I'd pass it on...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOZf0U1XsoE
Best, Dan.
A valued member contacted me to suggest the following video "article" by Alee Denham on the reliability of eBike motors might be of interest to those considering either a conversion of their existing bikes or the purchase of a new eBike. After viewing the video -- and finding myself surprised at some of the reported data -- I thought I'd pass it on...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOZf0U1XsoE
Best, Dan.
50
Belt Drive / New "Child Board" for Belt-drive related topics
« Last post by Danneaux on February 22, 2026, 09:49:38 PM »Hey All!
At the private suggestion of a valued member, I've created this "Child Board" under the Transmission Parent Board for belt-related topics...and then populated it with past posts that were scattered throughout the Forum boards, mostly on the Transmission board. This is a start; as the week progresses, I'll sieve through the files, looking for more on this topic -- I'm sure I missed some in this first go -- and transfer them to this board.
[Edit/update: I *think* I have now assembled most of the dedicated belt-drive content here. However, this is not exhaustive, as there are mentions and discussions of belt-drives on other boards/in other topics and discussions around the Forum as minor or sub-topics to others. To find these, use the Forum's Search function for the following terms...
Belt, belt drive
Gates
Centertrack
CarbonDrive, Carbon drive
Veer
Snubber ]
It was time, especially as Thorn have now offered belt-capable bikes for awile and belt drives are more common than in the past. Hopefully this will make finding posts related to the topic a bit more convenient than using the Forum's Search function.
After things have been up and running for awhile and people are more used to looking for topics here, I'll go back and delete the redirect notices for each moved topic.
At some point, I may need to make a separate board for e-bike modifications and related topics. Conversions are likely to become more popular as time goes by and it would be nice to have the valuable information already posted relocated to one place.
All the best, Dan.
Danneaux, Thorn Cycles Forum Administrator
At the private suggestion of a valued member, I've created this "Child Board" under the Transmission Parent Board for belt-related topics...and then populated it with past posts that were scattered throughout the Forum boards, mostly on the Transmission board. This is a start; as the week progresses, I'll sieve through the files, looking for more on this topic -- I'm sure I missed some in this first go -- and transfer them to this board.
[Edit/update: I *think* I have now assembled most of the dedicated belt-drive content here. However, this is not exhaustive, as there are mentions and discussions of belt-drives on other boards/in other topics and discussions around the Forum as minor or sub-topics to others. To find these, use the Forum's Search function for the following terms...
Belt, belt drive
Gates
Centertrack
CarbonDrive, Carbon drive
Veer
Snubber ]
It was time, especially as Thorn have now offered belt-capable bikes for awile and belt drives are more common than in the past. Hopefully this will make finding posts related to the topic a bit more convenient than using the Forum's Search function.
After things have been up and running for awhile and people are more used to looking for topics here, I'll go back and delete the redirect notices for each moved topic.
At some point, I may need to make a separate board for e-bike modifications and related topics. Conversions are likely to become more popular as time goes by and it would be nice to have the valuable information already posted relocated to one place.
All the best, Dan.
Danneaux, Thorn Cycles Forum Administrator