bulgie 

Hi, late to the party, I'm just now starting to build my first belt-drive bike. I think I want to add a snubber to keep the belt from skipping on the rear sprocket. My dropout has a derailer hanger, so a snubber that bolts on there would be most cromulent.

Just so I'm clear, I'm not looking for a tensioner. A snubber doesn't rub on the belt in use, it only comes in contact if the belt starts to climb up on the sprocket teeth, caused by high torque and/or inadequate belt tension on the slack side. I'm not a belt expert, that's what I've been hearing lately, correct me if that's wrong. I hear the snubber is more likely to be needed on a flexible frame, and the bike I'm building is on the lightweight side, with S-bend chainstays for tire clearance, should make it more flexible that way.

Googling for it, I'm only finding foreign websites (I'm in the USA). I don't mind buying from Bike24 or bike-components in Germany, or SJS or RoseBikes in the UK, have done so before, but I'd prefer more local if you know a source.

WARNING, I thought I found what I needed from a US source, but it was a nasty scam site that looks legit, "ridecarnival dot com" (don't go there!) The price was slightly low, but not low enough to set off alarms. How I know it's a scam site: when I clicked to pay with Paypal, it takes me to paypal's actual site, but the payment is set up to be a donation, to a person with an AOL account (unrelated to the business name), not a purchase of goods and services. I don't know how widespread this scam is but I've been hit with it twice recently, so maybe it's new?

Also of note, the site gives a street address, but there's no such address according to google maps.

The other site that tried scamming me that way was "componentsoutlet dot com" (don't go there!) Scam site as verified by Trend Micro.

Both those sites have sophisticated interfaces with lots of manufacturer info, drop-down menus to let you chose options, HTTPS with a valid cert, all the trappings of a real site. So the take-away is, watch carefully if you pay with Paypal, to make sure it's a payment for goods or services, not a "donation". Those donations are like cash, and not refundable. Many people on the web are crying foul because Paypal won't refund their money and won't even go after the scammers. (Not their job, I guess?) Luckily I noticed it was a "donation", and didn't follow through.

Mark B

veganbikes

This could have been a good thread but then it diverted to legit website talk and scams instead of focusing on the Gates snubber. Though searching for Gates snubber I came across the website listed and it threw up red flags before clicking on it just from the listing in the google search. Not sure how people get confused but I digress.

Reach out to your local bike shop that deals with Gates/Rohloff, they can likely get one. If not check with CycleMonkey or Gates direct and see if they know who might sell them in your area. If nothing else really it just a hanger and a bearing that sits outside of the belt (in my case behind it) and does not touch it but is close enough wear if it did come off it really wouldn't. I have considered upgrading mine with a silly ceramic bearing or at least a sealed one but since the first time it squeeked and I put a bunch of grease in it and rolled it around it hasn't squeeked since in 3000 miles or so (or however long it has been the bike has over 4k miles currently)

bulgie 

Aw snap!
And yet they do. But warnings like mine are not welcome here? Noted!
My 20 years as an IT consultant did not make me as well-equipped to spot a scam as you evidently are. I'm OK with that, we all have different strengths and weaknesses.
What ScamAdvisor says about the site in question: "probably legit as the trust score is reasonable." There is (now) one bad review of the site there (ScamAdvisor), which is the one I wrote yesterday. Prior to that they had a higher score, and zero bad reviews.

Thanks, but I don't think I've ever seen Gates or Rohloff in a bikeshop. Guess I should get out more. That's on me, I hardly ever go to bike shops. As a C&V guy, bike shops almost never have the stuff I usually use. 5-speed freewheels, Mafac brakes and the like. Well, I did buy my front Gates sprocket at a bike shop, but they seemed confused about why they had one at all. Maybe a take-off, it had no box or other packaging. Lucky find, just the right size for me and about half off normal retail. But they had zero belts, rear sprockets or anything else belt-related, and no belt drive bikes on the floor.

I was hunting for a snubber on the web because I am lazy, but I will probably just make one, which will take me less time than going to the nearest shop, if they even had one (they don't). I have a lathe, a mill and decent pile of raw alloy, shafts, sealed bearings etc. Should just gone that way from the get-go, mine will be better than the one Rohloff sells anyway. No hurry since I haven't started building the frame yet.

Mark B

veganbikes

Ok maybe I was a bit harsh but we have gotten a rash of "is this legit" threads lately on some very easily scam looking websites. I am not particularly good at it I just saw something like xx% Discount in the title of the google search and that just threw up the flags immediately, it wasn't subtle at least from what I saw. Maybe you got something different

Warnings aren't bad but it felt like the thread diverged quickly and lengthily instead of focusing on the snubber.

Some shops do deal with that stuff but may not actively stock it on the floor. It doesn't hurt to ask. The custom made one might be better but in the end it really doesn't need to do a whole lot and hopefully should really never be used. I only wanted to find a sealed bearing possibly ceramic just for the sake of saying I had it.

bulgie 

I hear ya, I do things on bikes that make no logical sense, just because I want to, and it's a free country! (allegedly...) I'm setting up my bikes for an audience of one. I will probably make my snubber way nicer than it needs to be, just 'cuz.

Mark B

veganbikes

Well hey if it really comes out nice maybe make a second one and I might buy it.

CroMo Mike 

Ebay Gates Carbon Belt Drive QR Snubber Guide for Rolhoff Hubs Speedhubs CDECDQ | eBay

Or modify one of these. New Anodized (SILVER) Single Speed Bike Bicycle Chain Tensioner | eBay

bulgie 

Yes that's a snubber, but it attaches to a QR skewer, not a derailer hanger. I suspect the ones that attach to the hub axle or skewer will be annoying to me, because they come off and flop around every time you take the wheel out, and need to be re-positioned each time you put the wheel in

The kind that attaches to the hanger will stay in place through wheel changes. Plus the hanger looks less dumb sitting there useless, when you put it to use for a snubber. So I think of the hanger-mount kind as more elegant, though both kinds will probably work the same on the road.

That one is a tensioner. I have no use for one of those. You did say modified, but I can't see any way to do that, that isn't more work than just making one from scratch.
It can't be spring loaded, it has to be rigidly attached and immovable enough to prevent the belt from riding up on the teeth of the sprocket when overloaded or under-tensioned. So it needs to be keyed to the hanger with no ability to rotate. And a toothed chain pulley is not a good shape for pushing against a flat belt. So a couple pieces of that might be usable as just metal chunks to make my snubber from, but I'd rather start with a blank slate and make it the way I want, rather than be constrained by the shape of that $23 part. Plus I have all the raw materials I need, so mine will be pretty much free, except for my time. As a hobbyist, I don't count my time as worth very much.

Thanks for thinking outside the box though.

Mark

Pratt

SnubWay?

fredlord

Thank you for cromulent.

bulgie 

You're welcome. It is a perfectly cromulent word!