Maintenance Guide
Belt drive maintenance:
this is the whole page.
We tried to write a comprehensive belt drive maintenance guide. We really did. But there’s only so many ways to say “do nothing.”
Your belt drive maintenance is complete.
You didn’t have to do anything. That’s the point. Your belt drive has been maintaining itself since you bought the bike. It will continue to do so for approximately 30,000 km. You’re welcome.
OK, Fine. The Full Guide.
The complete belt drive maintenance schedule.
In the interest of being thorough, here is every single maintenance task your belt drive will ever need. We padded it as much as we could.
Every ride
Enjoy your ride. That’s it. Literally the maintenance step is “ride the bike.” We told you this page would be short.
Monthly (if you feel like it)
Glance at the belt. Is it still there? Great. You’re done. If it’s visibly muddy, rinse it with water. Not a special bike wash. Not a degreaser. Water. From a hose. Or a puddle. The belt doesn’t care.
Annually
Check belt tension. Gates sells a tension gauge for €25 if you want to feel professional. Or just push the belt with your thumb — if it deflects about 5mm, you’re fine. Adjust the rear wheel if needed. Total time: 3 minutes. Annual total: 3 minutes.
Every 15,000–30,000 km
Replace the belt. This is the big one. The momentous occasion. After years of silent, faithful service, your belt has earned its retirement. A new Gates CDX belt costs €50–100. Installation takes 10 minutes. Your chain-riding friends will have replaced their drivetrain 6–15 times by now.
Never
Oil it. Degrease it. Wax it. “Deep clean” it. Buy specialty tools for it. Watch YouTube tutorials about it. Argue about wet lube vs dry lube on Reddit. Stain your favourite trousers because of it. Question your life choices because of it.
Belt vs. Chain: The Maintenance Reality
A side-by-side comparison, for the masochists.
🕊️ Belt Drive
- ✅ Lubrication: Never
- ✅ Cleaning: Rinse with water
- ✅ Tension check: Once a year
- ✅ Replacement: Every 30,000 km
- ✅ Tools required: Allen key (maybe)
- ✅ Annual time: ~5 minutes
- ✅ 5-year cost: €0–100
💀 Chain Drive
- ❌ Lubrication: Every 200–500 km
- ❌ Cleaning: Degrease + scrub + dry + re-lube
- ❌ Wear check: Monthly
- ❌ Replacement: Every 3,000–5,000 km
- ❌ Tools required: Chain tool, wear gauge, degreaser, lube, rags, patience, therapy
- ❌ Annual time: 8–20 hours
- ❌ 5-year cost: €500–1,500
Internal Hub Maintenance
Your gears live inside. Here’s how to keep them happy.
Belt drives pair with internal gear hubs — sealed units where your gears are protected from rain, mud, and existential dread. Here’s what each type needs (spoiler: not much).
⚙️ Shimano Alfine / Nexus
The workhorses of internal hubs. Alfine 8 and 11-speed need an oil change every 5,000–8,000 km. That’s roughly once a year for daily commuters. Drain old oil, add new oil. 15 minutes. No special tools.
- Shimano Internal Hub Oil (~€15)
- Oil change every 5,000–8,000 km
- Cable adjustment: when shifting feels off
- That’s literally all
🏆 Rohloff Speedhub
The Rolls-Royce of hubs. 14 speeds, built to last 100,000+ km. Oil change every 5,000 km using the elegant Rohloff oil change kit. German engineering that makes maintenance feel like a spa treatment for your bike.
- Rohloff Oil (~€20/change)
- Oil change kit (included with hub)
- Oil change every 5,000 km
- No cable adjustment needed (ever)
🔄 Enviolo (NuVinci)
Stepless CVT shifting with sealed internals. Enviolo hubs are designed to be maintenance-free for their entire lifetime. No oil changes. No adjustments. Just smooth, infinite gear ratios forever. Yes, forever.
- Nothing. Sealed for life.
- Cable adjustment: rarely
- Seriously, that’s it
- We love this hub
🛡️ Kindernay XIV
Norwegian-made, 14-speed, fits in the front hub. Total madness. Total brilliance. Oil change every 10,000 km. Magnetic gear engagement means no cables to adjust. The future is weird and we’re here for it.
- Kindernay oil (~€15/change)
- Oil change every 10,000 km
- No cables to adjust
- Electronic shifting: charge via USB
Meanwhile, in Chain World
What chain riders are doing right now.
🔧 The Chain Maintenance Ritual (Every 200–500 km)
- Degrease the chain. Apply degreaser. Let it sit. Scrub with a brush. Get degreaser on your hands. Get degreaser in your eye. Question your choices.
- Scrub the cassette. Use a rag between the cogs. Discover muscles in your fingers you didn’t know existed. Get black gunk under every fingernail.
- Clean the chainrings. More scrubbing. More black gunk. Your kitchen sponge will never be the same.
- Dry everything. Thoroughly. Because if you lube a wet chain, the lube won’t penetrate, and you’ll have to do this all over again in 100 km.
- Apply lubricant. Drop by drop. On each link. One at a time. While debating wet lube vs. dry lube vs. wax vs. ceramic vs. snake oil. It’s a lifestyle now.
- Wipe excess. Because excess lube attracts dirt, which creates grinding paste, which accelerates wear, which means you’ll be doing this even more often.
- Check chain wear. Use a wear gauge. If it’s past 0.75%, replace. If your cassette is worn, replace that too. And the chainrings. Together. At once. With your wallet open.
- Wash your hands. Three times. With industrial soap. The black stains on your cuticles will last a week. Your landlord will ask about the grease spots in the hallway.
Repeat every 200–500 km. Or after every rainy ride. Whichever comes first. Forever.
⚠️ The Annual Chain Budget
Total annual chain ownership cost: €120–340. Plus 15–25 hours of your life. Every year. Until the sun burns out or you buy a belt bike.
Ready to never maintain your drivetrain again?
Belt Is Best™ — unapologetically biased since 2026