Why Belt-Drive Electric Skateboards Are Dying Off

[@MikeInTheWoods]

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[@MikeInTheWoods]

@@club_rock Look into Mellow, might be up your alley

[@machyne82]

I have thousands of miles and still haven’t broken a belt. I have only pulled out a couple tinny rocks a handful of times

[@esk8unity]

getting a hub AT board might be ur best option if ur constantly kicken up pebbles. not many street board riders ride on those types of terrains. i only snapped one belt and it was was doin donuts on a street setup in the dirt. I cant imagine a Maxfind ff AT or backfire Range x3 having less performance than ur diy. I have two gear drive setups. i already had a couple issues and it’s not easy. However belts are a easy fix. but ya with your riding habits, id go for a maxfind AT, or backfire range x3

[@J.W.79]

It's all about the quality of your belts, motor mounts, etc. I have over 1000 miles on my current pair of belts & I'm running a pair of SKP 6485 (Reacher) motors at about 5000 watts apiece. You want to make sure your wheel pulley isn't touching your mounts & has ample space & that your belts aren't too tight. Tight belts will break easily under load.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Mine's an Ownboard W2 kit

[@martinchromek9037]

I fully agree with that. What belts are the best solution for you? I had CONTINENTAL htd 255-5M, they are good enough but if you found better, give me advice.

[@sageoz9886]

One issue that gear drives can have, if it’s using helical cut gears, is that lateral forces on the motors’ shafts when braking and accelerating eventually seriously damage and break them. Therefore drive systems using straight gears are going to be best until the manufacturers start using a chevron gear pattern. This would get the same advantages of helical cut without any of the drawbacks. It’d be very difficult to machine in one piece; however a single chevron gear could be made from two halves that lock together as one, each side having opposing angled teeth.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Interesting, I'll keep that in mind!

[@SanMonki]

How can we contact you? Trying to visualize your concept on paper

[@LongboardTechnology]

Year late, but my experience with belts and gravel and dirt and stuff... Riding with the motors on the front wheels instead of the rear helps a lot. Ballparking, I'd say I get a rock stuck in my pulley maybe 1/2 to 1/5th as frequently. Also, been exploring designing some e-skate builds on paper. One of the considerations I realized was that more teeth on your wheel pulley, the closer the pulley and belt will be to the ground. Speculation, but I bet smaller wheel pulleys will get fewer rocks with urethane wheels.

[@ryanoc333]

Thanks for this video, Mike. It helped me make the decision about my new board recently. I have 2 hub motor boards and love them, but wanted an upgrade without more maintenance or frustration of belt drive. I got an NYX Z1 geardrive and love it.

[@IceKarma]

Belt and hub are fine as long as you aren't pushing the upper weight limits. Not trying to be mean but you are a tall portly dude, who is also piling on extra weight of camping gear and *thats* the main fail point. You're right to go for gear drive as that's what my friends with custom eskates ride and they are a similar build, but they cost a lot more and are only necessary for heavy riders. Belt and Hub drives are absolutely not dying off as the majority of riders (see asian market) don't have the same issues with them with near the same frequency. Again, not trying to say 'stop being fat' or some shit, a body builder would have exactly the same issue. It's heavy riders are just not really the target market for out-of-the-box boards.

[@SanMonki]

Agreed

[@8REAL88]

Upgrade to 5M belts

[@zoomhardin]

Fat 250lbs michelin men should rather hang out at a weight watchers branch then stepping on a skateboard.

[@shanedecelle5157]

what if they just invented belts that were made of stronger quality because I have the same problem but it's only my belt breaking besides that I have no other problems with my skateboard if they just invented belt that was good enough quality to not break it would be perfect, but besides that I have to buy like a new belt every other week so I've just startedreturning my old pair on Amazon because they broke with a week and then getting a refunded item over and over, but if I wasn't doing that, I would be wasting so much money

[@ryanschulz9893]

You can’t use any size wheel with gear drives and most (not all) gear drives are noisy as hell

[@steveo7767]

Yeah I'm not sure where you are getting the info for the title, I have had nothing but belt drives way faster stronger and durable friends on hubs have had countless hub drive issues and motor issues.

[@willlawson6126]

I put 1000 miles on my Backfire Zealot S on the original belts and I would take 12 mile rides

[@MikeInTheWoods]

I can't even get 100 km before new belts shred

[@zoomhardin]

@@MikeInTheWoods Because you are too fat.

[@martinchromek9037]

Not true. 1500km on my exway and just 2 belts thorned. Nothing else happend. Release tension on your belts and they last much longer. 😊

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Survivorship bias

[@martinchromek9037]

@@MikeInTheWoods Trust me, im survivor :-) my weight is 110kg and after 1500km only two belts thorned. I always have another belt in my backpack for cases like this. And im telling you, key is the belt tension.

[@chromahud5790]

Just FYI, hub motors can have a lot of torque. My meepo mini hasn't found a hill I can't go up. Only real draw back to hub motors IMO is that you can only put thin PU sleeves on them vs belt and gear motors can use at wheels.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Under most situations hubs are fine for torque, but if you're heavy and/or hauling a heavy pack you start to see the difference going uphill

[@chromahud5790]

@@MikeInTheWoods ah. Might be the case. I have used mine before while carrying a heavy bag just fine though. I think I like that hubs roll smoothly after you stop accelerating vs belt motors slow you down quickly, so you’re accelerating less often with hubs

[@ryanschulz9893]

The meepo mini is powerful for something under $400 but not for any other price range

[@Matthew-re9pb]

Cloud wheels on the g3 plus is great...i do wish it had more speed and range tho...still a great board. 3 years and still going.

[@boneheadnumber1409]

Bad example lmao

[@magnussrr]

but the heavier you are the faster the gears will wear and it also depends on whether those components are replaceable outside of the manufacturer or aftermarket in general .... right to repair is still a issue

[@KudaBear-gj9br]

Finally someone who is honest and not a belt simping clown. Gear = Direct > Hub > Belt

[@shadowhacker27]

imagine blaming everything but your weight... smh

[@ryanschulz9893]

Cmon man at least comment something not about that. I think the video was wack but be a little nicer about it

[@judgegixxer]

I just got an Eovan GTO Silo (belt drive) because I can't stand the gear noise. I run hi powered RC cars that do 80-105mph that are gear drive. Trust me gear drives blow up or lock up or bust pins or spin bearings and require maintenance too.. Even with billet tranmission case and stainless gears. You have to stay on top of the lube situation. I put 450 kms on my beltdrive board in two weeks. Most of that blasting down the Alaska highway which is chipsealed. (not pavement) dirty shoulders the whole way. So far I only have had one pebble get in my belts. Board has metal pulleys. I haven't even had to adjust the tension yet. If you want to hear what gear drive sounds like at 60 mph, I have a video on my channel wear my pinion gear is spinning at a little over 30000 rpm.for 6 miles down the hghway until the set screw came out.

[@KudaBear-gj9br]

Nope. Gear drives almost never need any maintenance.

[@mrrage2265]

try using 5M belts instead of the 3M, they are far stronger, also try keep them a bit looser

[@MadDonJuan]

Bs.

[@eBoard3R]

⚡⚡ *Gear drives are becomin more common,* great option 🤙🏼

[@sageoz9886]

I’m surprised belts have lasted this long pm the market. I get the same problems and have switched over to gears or direct drive boards only

[@MikeInTheWoods]

My next proper esk8 (read: Not a wacky experimental build) will be a gear drive for sure

[@brandonandalexander]

They've lasted this long because they're cheap, provide great torque and last 500+ miles for most people who use them correctly. If you want fast hardcore riding on an esk8 you need to spend 2k+ and go with direct or gear drive

[@sageoz9886]

@@brandonandalexander my problem was that belts didn’t las because the nasty PNW conditions of constant muck, rock and twigs. Plus the stock guards on the Meepo Voyager’s belts seemed designed to vacuum up as much debris as possible

[@Agent77X]

I have a belt driver and still running after 4 years and over 2K miles! No new belt replacements yet!

[@drews0matt]

Any 3D printing options for a gear drive?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Yep if you can get the measurements right!

[@MonkeySwing]

This has more to do with your belt specs, motor mount design and belt tension. I've been using belt drives on several boards for the last 6 years and have never broken a belt. I definitely agree that gear drive is the best option available.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

It's an Ownboard W2 kit. Belts are auto-tensioned by a spring system prior to tightening the bolts

[@magnussrr]

@@MikeInTheWoods that's why it failed .. do the math and be sure it can handle it companies claim a lot these days and when put to the tests they claim in the real world they don't always work out ..

[@MonkeySwing]

@@MikeInTheWoods Sounds like an issue that is specific to the Ownboard W2 kit. That definitely doesn't represent the reliability and capability of belt drives in general.

[@Great_obnauticus26]

@@MonkeySwing That's my thought as well. I have never broken a belt and I run urethane on my 2 and 1 board. It has over 700 km on it so far. Stock belts from a German supplier - not from Ali. Make may matter, may not. Hard to say.

[@QuintonYingling]

Try 5m belts, they are much stronger

[@martinchromek9037]

Stronger than what type?

[@darkairieal]

Have ya tried making a mudguard? or reverse fender?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Hard to do to cover the belts unfortunately

[@darkairieal]

@@MikeInTheWoods Dang