Belt vs Chain - Will the Belt Win the Ebike Race? 

Thank you guys for all the overwhelming love and support!✌ If you're interested in checking out some bikes with belt drives, feel free to check out the links in the description.🚲

Here's my story with Belt Drives. I bought a high end commuter a few years back because it had the belt drive, I lived in Brooklyn and needed something low maintenance that gets me through rain and snow, so got the BMC Allpenchallenge. Everything was dialed in, just an amazing bike, if you lower your expectations on speed. Belt Drives are amazingly quiet, I loved it. Then a year later, I started getting an awful "squeak" on every rotation of the crank. I took it to multiple shops, they couldnt figure it out. So I decided to take care of it myself. Started by adjusting the tension on the eccentric bottom bracket, aligning the front and rear cogs, got a tension tuner for belt drives, got a new bottom bracket, just threw everything I could think of at this thing. Disassembled and regreased every component on the bike, even sent Gates a video of the "squeaking". Nothing worked, I stopped riding it, yes it is near zero maintenance but I couldnt handle the noise on what were supposed to be nice and quiet rides. Fast forward a few years, I get back into figuring this issue out, and I decided to clean every connector I could think of. Belt drives most of the time (not always) require a split in the seat stays, so I unscrewed and cleaned the connection as much as possible (its hard to separate that area and get a proper cleaning) and mother of christ that was the issue, tiny dust and dirt particle get in the split zone from the frame flexing over time and thats where the sound was coming from. TLDR: clean the GD split area in the frame once a year.

A couple of months ago, I rode a R&M Superdelite with all the upgrades, Rohloff and belt drive and all. A $14K+ beast. I concluded then that ebikes have the potential to revolutionize the way we apes get around, and belt drives and automatic gear shifting would be integral of that revolution. Car killing machine.

Great film Chris. I was going to mention the "cycling about" guy and how he loves the belts, he rides in some of the most inhospitable places on earth! I think chains have been popular for so long because there wasn't really a viable alternative. I think it's just a matter of time before the majority swap over to belt drive bikes.

My Cube Hyde Pro with Alfina 8 speed & belt drive is being delivered next week and I cannot WAIT to begin my journey with it. Belt drive is definitely the future.

So I’ve been writing 45 years with chain drive. I’ve also toured a lot over land. The thing with the belt drive because you have to have a specific set up for it. And if you’re overland touring going across the countryside due today and something happens with that belt you better have a spare. Or you’re up a creek without a paddle. I recently watched a RU-vidr that tours across the continent on a full-time basis and he had broken his belt drive on his priority 600. He was basically screwed. Yes chains are more maintenance, But part of owning a bicycle of any type is being turned into your maintenance just like any vehicle. I change real easy to get in any small middle of nowhere town. And usually a cassette or free wheel can be found and change mine because these are all wear down in synchronization. In the 45 years that I’ve been riding I never had a chain break just wear down.

Thanks for a very informative video Chris. My wife and I have chain style bikes on order but thats going to be changed. From a maintenance perspective going with the belt system is a no brainer. I'm sure glad we stumbled on your video.

A really excellent contribution: comprehensive, interesting and accessibly presented. Thank you!

Thanks! As usual, a very thorough and informative video. The indexing is most appreciated for review. I like the simplicity of the geared hubs on this video.

Once again, I learned a lot on my road to purchasing an ebike. Love your videos.

Hello Propel, Thank you for the very informative and very well produced video!

I’ve cycled and raced bikes for over 25 years and now added a Rohloff with a Gates belt on my R&M for daily and next years long distance touring. Just love the simplicity of it. Love the video and very well explained.

Really great video! in depth and informative.

I learned a lot ! Thanks. A great video again. I like that pinch of humor on the impulse to correct that the youtube community exhibits :) . I was a the NYC store this AM and had a great experience again! I am lucky to have a store like yours nearby!

Every question answered. Love your videos.

Mr. Calififornia/propel, very informative, I think most people would like to know more about speed, range with or without pedal assist AND cost. Thank you and keep Americans informed. I truly believe this is the wave of our future.

Great video Chris! I've had my Vario Load 60 for over 9 months now. I find the bike and the belt drive extremely low maintenance. The belt developed an annoying squeak after about 1200km. I bought a Gates Krikit tool, adjusted the tension and bingo - fixed! I look forward to many years of riding on this bike.

Lots of great information here. Thanks

My wife and I ride the Priority 600 with the Gates belt drive and Pinion gear drive and have really enjoyed the quiet, clean and low maintenance system.

another excellent insight video from Chris on an important bike technology

Belts are cleaner, quieter and super low maintenance. I found something very interesting, because I had 2 bikes with the same frame and motor - one with 11 speed Shimano Deore XT 11-50 cassette, the other was with Enviolo. Both of them using latest motor from Bosch Gen.4 85 Nm. Riding each of the bikes is completely different experience - chain feels more powerful, less resistance while pedaling and pretty fast. On the other hand side, belt feels very good, smooth, however bike accelerates a little bit slower, feels less efficient. The other significant difference is battery consumption - belts consume more, this is confirmed by testing them on the same terrain. There is one more difference - when you turn off motor assistance, pedaling bike with chain is much more easier than Enviolo. which feels very hard when you do not have motor assist. P.S. Bike comparison is between Riese Muller Multicharger MIxte 2022 750 Wh ( Touring with 11 speed Deore XT vs Vario Enviolo )

I have a Evelo Aurora with the gates belt Drive and Envelio hub the harmony shifting mechanism is smooth and quiet. Proper belt tension is key as Chris pointed out.

Great overview. Yep, I used to ride Harleys and I rode them hard. I can't recall that exact year they switched over to belts, but I want to say it was in the mid to late 80s. I got about 12k miles spread over about 5 years (I always had more than one Harley at a time, so my mileage was spread over 2-3 bikes) and even in the one case where I replaced the belt, I did it just for peace of mind. The belt that I replaced was just showing a small amount of wear, so I preemptively replaced it. That particular bike was a bespoke bike that I built and that had a very high hp, high torque, S&S engine which made the belt's longevity all the more impressive. And boy did I push that bike hard with frequent full throttle pulls and lots of holeshots! Hey, I was young and power hungry! 🤠 It's awesome tech and I wish my RadRunner had it.

Belts every time with an ebike. So much easier to care for. Clean, quiet and less maintenance

Good information. Well done.

I love it when you talk about belt and cogs :)

I have a stand up elliptical used it since 2011 w avg 2 >3k miles per year, Wipe the chain 1x week &lube and still works fine. I also have a REI Novarra Gotham w Nuvinchi 380 and Gates belt and love that as well.

I have a gates drive with an internal hub on my ebike and I love it. Quiet, clean, tough & long lasting. This is a big part of the future for most recreational riders. Well explained and interesting as usual, keep up these films .... thanks Chris!

Great Post Chris. It took me 60 years before I finally bought my 1st brand new bike. And that bike is an R & M Nevo with the (NuVinci CVT) or now called the Enviolo. I ride about a thousand miles a year and my Nevo has around 3,500 miles with all original everything. (Battery, tires, brakes, etc.) Buy nice or buy twice !!!

Thanks for a very good movie, Chris. It has everything you need to know about a belt-driven bike! I have experience approx. 3000 km driving belt driven R & M bike and I really enjoyed. The only small drawback is the annoying sound when driving in dusty conditions on a gravel road. But in this case, water washing helps. Cleaning and belt tightening are the only maintenance that I had to do.

Nice, informative and straight to the point as usual Chris ! I struggled with my first ebike for 3 years replacing chains and derailleurs 3 times, eventually found a steel 11 gear SRAM set that lasted a bit longer than the other flimsy shimano drive train sets. But all that is gone as my bike was stolen from my workplace and police could not do anything although they know who did it. CCVT not good enough. My insurance money and a bit extra enabled me to buy the R&M Superdelight Rohloff GX with a great NHS UK healthcare worker discount. Obviously there was a certain amount of R&M influence from your videos... I only had it for 2 weeks but... Woow , what a difference it makes to no worry about crunching those gears and replacing parts soon enough. Many people have difficulty adjusting to the Rhloff timing for gear change but I find that it is very intuitive and its like it almost reads my mind when to shift/ change. I agree it s the future to come indeed. Going to try some bike park traks this weekend. Keep them coming Chris, nice work !

Super informative video

another excellent video Chris belts is the only way to go for me, chains the past

Good knees to be presenting the hole video in that position.👏👏👏. Over half hour!

Super happy with my belt drive on my Lekker Outback. Waiting for the day chainless/beltless bikes are available. Heard of a fly by wire system being developed... :)

I honestly think you might be the webs best explainer of things.

great in-depth content. Not having to carry around degreaser, lube, and drivetrain floss would be a big plus in the van. The dirtiness is exaggerated in such a small space. Most often my rides are a bit rougher than commuting conditions, and a lot dirtier. I think it would be great for me. Thanks a bunch :)

Thank you for the amazing review! I’ve purchased my first bicycle with gates CDN few months ago and never regret about that, it is really almost zero maintenance and comfortable technology. Yep, there are some cons. Total odometer now about 1500km, often with rainy and greasy conditions. Because I purchased a low-end bike (polygon path i8) with polymer front and real sprockets, the real sprocket already looks very bad and soon should be replaced with stainless steel one. Fortunately, seems like Gates do not offer anymore polymer rear sprockets option, so new users won’t face this issue, I hope. Commuting by bike is not so popular in my city, carbon drive even less popular, and for all the time I’ve seen only 2 another bikes with carbon drive on the street. So, if this is also a your case, be ready that people may be curious and will ask many questions like “weird chain you have, nah, what is that?”

Good video Chris. I've enjoyed my belt drive Avanti Inc 2 commuter for 7 years or so now, and have really appreciated the low maintenance aspect around our dirty country roads. One bit of feedback specifically on Shimano Alfine 11 speed: the hub leaks oil due to a badly designed seal, meaning the belt gets greasy and this in turn attracts dirt. Not a big deal as it's easy enough to wipe the belt clean but worth pointing out. In terms of components longevity, I haven't managed to get more than about 5000km out of a single belt, and change the cogs after 10000km. I'm definitely a belt convert.

My experience with chain is, they need lots of care. You try to keep it oiled then it attracts dirt and dirt eats up the chain. It is a constant maintenance problem. At least it is where I live.

Thanks for the clarifications. I am happy for the time being with my chain drive ebike. As time goes on there will be more competition among belt drive bikes which will no doubt lower the price. My next bike will be belt drive although I am not in any rush.

Thanks for this. I test drove the Gazelle range (C-8, T10 RMB and I think the 380) tonight and insisted on testing the belted version as I’ve had experience with modern carbon belts in cars, and I’m impressed. I’m concerned with the nviolo cvt twist grip transmission and the cost when they fail. The sales rep did point me at R&M when I asked for other recommendations and I noticed I was jumping from $2,500 CAD to 8,000....Jesus guys, and all I wanted for my midlife crisis was a broken-down Miata....

This is such a good video. I use my bike for transportation and exercise and less for "racing" where chains might matter. I can do both with a belt drive plus the shifting is vastly superior and I'm not cleaning chains. I'm curious about changing out tires though. My next E-Bike will likely have a belt on it. I'll give it two years since I just received my Gazelle Bike with the chain.

You give the best explanations. I had no idea belt technology had evolved so. I ride dirt motorcycles and in that world the concern is always about a rock jamming into a tooth. The Gates system makes that extremely unlikely to happen. Probably just us riders being hide-bound.

My first introduction to Gates was back when I used to be into motorsports. When you have an interference motor, you really don't want your timing belt to snap (otherwise you'll do some very expensive damage to your valvetrain, and possibly your pistons). A Gates timing belt might cost a little more, but if you car about your motor, it's the one to get. I'm happy they're making bicycle drivetrain parts. I'm thinking that there would likely be few supply chain problems from a large auto parts manufacturer vs the likes of Shimano or SRAM.

I’m coming from a car/ regular bike & the nuances of ebikes are new to me. A video how maintain my bike would be great.

Well done.

Bosch motor, Rohloff hub, and Gates belt drive and you have an unbeatable combo

You make me think about getting a belt drive internal hub bicycle but I would never want to negotiate going into NYC to look at one or for service for one. Wish you had places in NJ suburbs too.

If youre a regular biker moving mostly on paved roads to work etc then chains are the way to go. Belts have their advantages in rougher conditions since they dont really care about mud and dirt. Chains are more efficient and unlike belts work with regular derailers. Theyre more efficient as well so itll be a bit easier to pedal.

For me the Gates CDX Belt with Enviolo hub is a clear winner. The only thing that happened in 2000 km was that the belt started to make a small squeak after a thorough wash with detergents (of the whole bike). Applying a little bit of silicone spray, and all is smooth again. No wear visible after 2000km anyhow.

I just bought a new Priority Classic Gotham Edition and it has rapidly become my favorite bike in 50 years of cycling. I am car-less by choice and this bike hits that sweet spot. I live in Southern Indiana, with hills and snow, the bike is well suited for a varied climate. The only problem is that I am a tinkerer, and there's nothing to tinker, just ride. Also I am totally clueless as to what is inside the Shimano Nexus rear hub and willing to stay that way and just ride.

I like how my first reaction is "You're supposed to oil your chain?!?" lol

I had a non electric belt drive bike, the Spot Acme and I was stunned how much the shimano alfine system slowed the rotation of the tire, I thought something must be wrong. The bike looked spotless after a salty WI winter, I'll give it that, quiet too. *If* I got a flat I might have to kneel down in bad weather to hold a phone on a belt to retension it.. I'd even consider a titanium cassette and chain over a belt even though the cost is high. I'm glad you mentioned it causes some stress on the chainstay.

Thanks for the video! I was riding the R & M Supercharger2 GT Vario HS with Enviolo, and the R & M Delight GT Rohloff HS. Although I like the idea of belt drives in general and see some advantages of belt drives, for me they have some major disadvantages. That's why I would still prefer a chain drive like the Sram Eagle, or Shimano XT : 1. Gear changing with the Enviolo is pretty smooth, but the range of 380° is a no go if you're riding mountains, or as I did, riding a speed pedelec. In Germany the speed you could achieve is around 30 mph, but then your cadence with the enviolo gets just a way too high. 2. Rohloff provides a wide range (526°), but the gear change takes too much time. So you loose speed again and it just interrupts your paddling flow. If there would be something with the same range and gear change comfort like a sram eagle 1x12, but only with a belt drive, it would be great.

About 5,300 miles on our two Rohloff's with Gates. Only issue we encountered was the lockrings for the cogs did loosen up at one point - which caused noise. A special tool and the right size torque wrench has solved that problem. The belts still seem fine. The cogs do show some wear - but they appear to be wearing a "flat" to the end of each tooth as opposed to each tooth wearing down thinner. We live in the desert, so the belts never see wet weather with road grit thrown up on the bike. From the what I've seen, I'd guess the cogs might need replacement at about 10,000 miles. Question: Should the belt be changed at the same time as the cogs?

If you live in super steep terrain, like I do, a Rohloff with belt drive is a must. I’ve just destroyed a Bosch CX motor after three years of use, because the chain& drivetrain stressed the motor too much. Also, I had to get a new chain twice a year and a cassette once a year.

Priority Bicycles’ is an American manufacturer based in NYC. Their entire line up of bicycles come with Gates Carbon Belt drive.

Thank you Chris for your informative video’s. The advice you’ve offered help me choose my Benno Boost with Gen 4 Bosch power train. On a mute point I know the Boost could not accommodate a “belt” drive but could it be upgraded to a Rohloff Speedhub, chain driven of course ? Have a great remainder if the week and weekend ! Brian Wing from cold Canada.

Seems RU-vid algorithm fail to estimate my income within reasonable margin.

Love the belt drive on my commuter bike. Will never again have a chain on my daily bike. (avid, daily biker for decades...)

Zero maintenance, completely silent and god damn clean and sexy to look at.

I rode along a sea wall during a gusty day during lockdown. The next week my whole chain gear had turned a bright orange (rust). This would be a solution especially if the cogs were non ferrous. Really enjoy your vids always high quality with easy to listen diction.

I am using my R&M charger with beltdrive and enviolo gearbox for everything. 50.000 km in 5 years, still with the 1st belt and 1st gearbox. Whatelse can you expect? Commuting, Shopping with a Trailer behind, Vacation, whatever you can think about ... no problem with this combination. The lower efficiency of this combination results in lower distance per accu-load. (about 80 Km per 500 WH capacity). I just use a 2nd battery, which I store in my luggage, whenever I am planning for more than und 80 Km per day .

With internal hubs the chain typically lasts 3 times as long as with derrailleur gears. So >=3000 miles instead of >=1000 miles. There is a surprising combination (that I prefer for Biobikes): A chain with a closed chain protection like the Hebie Chainglider. Almost no maintenance needed and I used a chain with this combination for 6000 miles (10000 km, for the majority of the world ;)). This is meant as additional information, not a contradiction to this video. Especially for Ebikes, belt drives are a great option.

Still deciding on a new touring build with to go for. Belt or Chain. The new rear cog

The neatest design shown is to have an extra roller and use that to push it up and route the bottom run of the belt over the chainstay. No frame break, no split belt. It just makes more sense.

I've own motorcycles since I was old enough to drive ... I'm not talking about a honda step through, no, my first bike was a Triumph Tiger Cub ... then 3 months later i bought a Pre-unit 650cc Triumph at a police auction for $150... restored it (even the "Bates" seat)... over the years I still own 3 Triumphs (Including a 1968 Bonneville with a 750cc kit, a WWII restored Indian Scout (750cc) and a 1979 Shovel head dresser I bought NEW. One day a friend of mine years ago was with me at a repair shop here in Australia where I moved and I was getting some work done, so he lent me his new Harley which had a Rubber mounted engine, rubber primary drive belt and a rear wheel rubber drive belt. It was the smoothest Harley I had ever rode. When I got back I mentioned this to the HD mechanic. He claimed not only smoother, less noise, but more efficient drive, in other words more HP. As I'm older than dirt and all that metal I got installed in me during the Vietnam War, I was looking at building my own new Harley Trike (still thinking about electric???) I think rubber drives beat anything hands down from my experience. I even took a friends Direct drive BMW R-750 on an 800 mile trip and it took for ever to get use to the drive on wet roads...I am old ...LOL

How do ebike belts handle stones? My Dad rode Harley's in the 80's and had a couple of bikes with belts. He liked them, but stone and pebbles were an utter bane, he even had a belt break in the desert.

Great info as always. I have a 1.st gen R&M Charger with the oldest CX motor and regular chain drive. Do you see any reason to advise against having it retrofitted with a Gate belt and Enviolo hub?

Definitely seems the future if they exist in cars and motorcycles. I confess that I have ordered a packster 70 with deraileur. I was tempted to go for a Vario with a belt drive but changing a flat with rain on the side of the road on a cargo bike above 40 kgs I had second thoughts. I hope I don't regret too much!

I have a Raleigh Mountain bike from1991, aluminum frame, and it's got the chain going through the frame, I think with the right design a person could run a belt drive without breaking the frame because I was interested in getting a Rohloff 14 speed. I'm looking for feedback on this and was trying to avoid replacing the bike since I've got so much money put in it already.

The marriage between bikes and trikes being transported in RV's is a new area for design innovations.

Good points, we definitely are seeing the evolution of what anthropologists might call Tribes, road cyclists are one and Lycra is part of their uniform. Messengers using bikes are another rarely in Lycra and at least in the uk often flouting road rulers giving a bad name to people on cycles. Mountain bikes form another and in many places Electric bikes are developing another band in the Cycling Tribe. Just like pedestrians are challenging the dominance of cars in many towns so are cyclists. That does create tension as both cyclists and drivers try and navigate a mutually acceptable space. Town planners in most places are some way behind the increasing use of bikes which is a contributing factor in this tension. The Netherlands and other places are way ahead which is a key issues in the relative harmony there. In France its required that there is a 1.5m distance between cars and cyclists, even with this and a long tradition of cycle road racing, in 2020 there was 60,000 cycling accidents requiring emergency services response. As we develop a greater focus on bikes and e bikes in particular we need to evolve planing and behavioural responses to match increased use.

For a Commuter Ebike, I would definitely buying a belt drive!

If you are going for low maintenance you will need to use wheels that do not have wire spokes. Using magnesium or some type of light weight material that does not require adjusting spokes or trueing all the time. You will also need to use a sealer in the tires.

I lived four or five blocks from gates rubber co. For several years. It’s no longer in existence though now. All the buildings from the old days are gone. I’m assuming they make every thing in China now. I’m thinking they built new facilities across the street near the administration building but I’m not sure if they relocated everything elsewhere or what.

informative!!! what are your thoughts on using the Pinion gearbox-belt combo compared to a hub?

I've been thinking about a belt for my E-bike But I have to go with Front-wheel Motor.

would be great if belt is more economical. the type always ask for more $$$ and "exclusive". I hope it get past this phase soon. Btw, won't mind if you can make a video on Enviolo hubs, versus any internal hubs in general. Do they do uphill better in non e-bike version?

I ride an e bike since 2015 and I have have at least 42000 km with that bike and. never had a problem with my chain, 🇳🇱

Hello, your video's helped us a lot when we wanted to buy electric bikes. We bought "Velo de Ville", do they have this in the States? Greetings from Belgium, Europe

in the old days, cars did need to be serviced every thousand miles, but they worked on those issues and they were then better built, however bikes never really changed that much over the years except new tech every so often and maybe you could see something new. But for the best of the time it's just been the breaks that got upgraded to disc, but that's about it until they went electric, sure they did part off where they inspired the car and were developed into the car and they split into a motorbike which was belt driven at the time, but afterwards they had such a long gap of silence, new handlebars every so often and racing... but outside that, not much for the commuter because you had the car, bikes were for kids and those that did it for sport, not commute! But then the people in other countries started saying "hey, we need more alternatives to these cars, so... pedestrian safety needs to be a priority, oh people are now cycling more because the cars are being more friendly to those meatbags... let's build better infrastructure... and so further technologies were changed and I think there's another boom since cities are seeing that it's cheaper and many times better to have people walk, use public transit and commute by bike and they are seeing less deaths and better healthcare. Electric bikes are cool, never tried one, probably won't buy one because I want my bike for fitness and I don't need the assist, maybe future me can buy one, belt drives are good because they take technology from the belt drives of the car and brings it to the bike, the electric bikes are becoming lighter because of the advancements in carbon fiber and fiberglass tech along with lithium-polymer (or your battery tech of choice) along with software, regenerators, smart things on the bikes. I like to see this, as a commuter, will I ever buy a $12,000 bike, no... but most people won't and in the end the same people would appreciate that the tech exists, for those that want it and the more that buy it the tech will eventually become cheaper, my bike is steel frame with shocks on the forks, my ass feels like it's been kicked in a few times every time I ride it, but I'm just a whiner... Keep doing this work, we need more people to be excited about commuting, and TBH the better the roads will be, the more I will bike.

Belts and hub gears pair well with ice and slush.

After riding both a belt with Shimano Nexus Hub then getting on a chain with derailleur I can tell you the performance of the chain driven machine is so much more responsive, and it pulls up steep hills with less effort. And as for maintenance I'm not sure what all the fuss is about, squirt of oil once in a while. That said I would like to try a belt for a year, but I live in a hilly area and have been disappointed with the gearing of the Shimano hub, also theres the weight of hubs to consider.

How about a review if cycle racks for cars and compatibility with step through frames

I guarantee that belts will be the future! Dirt dust mud water no problem! And quiet!

There are rubber timing belts in engines that are coated in oil spinning at thousands of rpm. in extreme heat. Not saying it is the way to go but in comparison E bike stress is minimal. Plus they are easy to change.

The down side of belt drives is the changes needed in a frame to accommodate them. The stays have to be split and reinforced (heavier) to accommodate them. The extra weight matters less on ebikes or touring bikes. Sadly the bike industry is still driven by the sports (performance) end of the market.

Really appreciate the information you guys are putting out. I have some questions you may be able to help with. I come from traditional old skool bikes, I used to mtn bike for fun and race and road bike for the same. Pre electric, got rid of the road bike , still have the 3x8 man bike, looking at going electric, rode a specialized Levo recently and loved it. Thinking about a R&M, probably either a Delite or a Delite Mountain, it will be a fun plus transport with more emphasis on transport, but more enthusiasm for fun. If I go for a Delite HS GX Rohloff, is is possible to remove the Mud Guards, and what does the Mountain version have that the Delite does not, I assume with no mud guard I could run wider tyres, but still have the option of 28 mph as opposed to 20 of the CX mountain? The other question may show my ignorance of the electric but can I pedal faster than 28mph, I can on my old skool hard tail man bike, what happens if I am peddling fast enough to hit 30 or more mph, will no motor stop, burn out, or what happens, can you even do this ?

On the maintenance comparison: what about chains protected as in Dutch bikes (like Gazelle) with full chain guards and internal hubs? Do those chains last about as long as belts? How much less maintenance do they need than regular chains?

I have a new Nevo 3 GT with Rohloff, how easy is it to remove and refit the rear wheel and is this something I can do myself?

On a riese &muller supercharger enviolo you have the choice between 22 and 28 teeth chainring i believe, but what do you think is a good chainring at the front and the back to ride in the mountains, not to go for speed, but to ride with luggage to do a week trip in the mountains…greetings, Bart

What is your take on Veer belt drive?

Belts are here to stay!

Cars moved from timing belts to timing chains so they would last much longer. Somehow with bikes they're marketing the opposite. Belts are usually lighter, have no backlash and dampen vibrations a bit, which is nice I suppose.

I Bougth a E-bike, short after my 70years Birthday, now i have used that bike with Gate´s Belt for 2636 km, without problems, the last 2 Month´s not used, because we have bad weather in DK. My Bike is a Danish Design: MBK Vitesse with Yamaha Motor PW-SE 60Nm and 400W Battery. Longest drive at one tour was 69 km, up and down at normaly Roads. I can REALLY RECOMAND to buy a Bike with Belt.

I have a steel hardtail e-bike with 7 speed freewheel... is it possible to change to belt-drive?

Any type of software or digital controls offered with digital e-bikes these days, perhaps integrated with phone apps or shortcuts?

Obviously you cant use belt with derailleur but i have internal geared hub and minimal loss in efficiency of this system is outweighed by positive factors. Im not planning Tour de France entry so sticking with belt from now on.