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No oil, no chain rattling and always clean trouser legs! More and more cyclists are opting for the low-maintenance, quiet Gates drive for hub or geared bikes. The toothed belt has proven itself in practice as a tensile and stable transmission. However, the robust timing belt concept also requires good working conditions. We show you how to optimally clean and maintain your belt drive and how to recognise when it is starting to wear out.
Pre-clean the belt first in three steps ...
Step 1: Dry cleaning
After riding in the rain, all you need to do is brush off the dried-on dirt with a dry brush. The profile of the belt teeth and angled grooves on the sprocket and chainrings automatically push dirt particles out of the system while riding.
Step 2: Leaf care
Remove dirt from the tooth profiles of both drive pulleys. The spaces between the webs are milled in such a way that dirt particles are usually pushed out by the belt tooth sliding over them. Nevertheless, compact stones or branches can become wedged in the system.
Step 3: Groove clearing
Carefully go through the entire length of the CDX groove with the blade of a small screwdriver. Carefully prise out any stones or particles that have become trapped.
... then comes the wet wash in 5 steps ...
Step 1: Cleaner against stubborn dirt
If the toothed belt is very dirty, first spray Bicycle cleaner(biodegradable!) on the entire drive. Leave it to work for a few minutes. Normal bicycle cleaners cannot harm the material of the Beltdrive
Step 2: Let it work
Brush the damp surfaces so that the cleaning fluid foams up a little. This makes it easier to get into all corners and edges of the drive and effectively softens stubborn dirt deposits. At the same time, the bristles remove coarser deposits.
Step 3: Lathering
Go through the entire belt centimetre by centimetre with a rinsing sponge. Rub the foam in well on the inside and outside. This also removes greasy and salty residues from road dirt.
Step 4: Clean the interdental spaces
An old toothbrush is perfect for getting the dirt out of interdental spaces and the centring groove. Slowly crank the belt backwards and proceed tooth by tooth, just like brushing your teeth. Don't forget the chainring and sprocket.
Step 5: Water & sponge
Finally, wash off the dirt and cleaning foam thoroughly with plenty of water. Rinse with plenty of clean water. A garden hose is ideal for this. However, do not use a high-pressure cleaner. The hard jet presses water into the bearing gaps of the drive.
... Finally, check and adjust the belt drive
Step 1: Profile check - Does the belt drive need to be replaced?
Once a year, take a close look at the profile of the sprocket and chainring teeth. Wear can be recognised by the fact that the webs are losing width at the top and are becoming increasingly pointed. The rear tooth flank, where the belt teeth are attached, is also increasingly bulging - creating a shark fin profile. Then it's time to change the sprockets.
Step 2: Sighting the line -
After cleaning, check that the belt runs exactly straight across both drive pulleys as shown in the picture. There must be no lateral misalignment or run-off on the sprocket and chainring. The number and dimensions of the spacer rings on the rear wheel can be changed to align the two pulleys perfectly parallel.
Step 3: Check free running - Is everything running quietly and undisturbed?
Finally, crank your drive alternately forwards and backwards without load. The belt, sprocket and chainring should run smoothly, quietly and undisturbed in both directions. Listen for noises: Tooth edges running at an angle or particles jammed in the groove could be the cause.
Step 4: Free of grooves - Is the belt drive running cleanly?
Flanged pulleys prevent the belt from running sideways in the grooveless CDC system. You can recognise undesirable skewing by the fact that the belt cuts grooves into the flanged pulley. If the flanks remain intact, this is a sign that your system is running smoothly.
Step 5: Rule of thumb - the belt should have about one centimetre of play
The horizontally aligned CDX belt should be able to be pressed into the upper strand between the chainring and sprocket with moderate force by about one centimetre - just like a normal chain. However, it is better to forget the Gates app for acoustic tension testing: it works far too inaccurately.
Step 6: Measure voltage
Gates recommends its own "Eco-Tensioner". It consists of a ruler and a test weight of around 1100 grams. With the belt aligned horizontally, the belt tension is read at the intersection of the ruler and the display panel.
Step 7: The correct belt tension
For the grooveless CDC belt, Gates recommends a tension in the lower half of the green bar. The more tolerant CDX belt (with locking groove) can tolerate a lower tension. Ideally, it should be in the upper area of the green field. Red means "Please retighten", yellow means "Loosen up!"
