We have the Gates drive on our Speedster. We went through a learning curve getting it set up right. First the bike shop that assembled the bike put the rear sprocket on backwards. That led to a lot of belt noise and wear. They also did not put the bottom bracket spacers on correctly that led to the belt not tracking correctly. With a belt, it is important that the pulleys be perfectly aligned front to back.

Since we have a coupled bike, the belt has to be tensioned whenever the bike is assembled. On our bike if the belt is not tensioned properly, it will not stay centered on the pulleys. I first started adjusting the belt using the method of pressing on the belt and measuring the amount of movement. That was not accurate enough in our case. I then bought a belt tension tool which helped a lot, but was still somewhat subjective. Now I am using the Iphone app from Gates where you pluck the belt like a guitar string and measure the frequency. This has proven the be the most accurate method to adjust the belt. At the right tension, the belt tracks the center of both pulleys flawlessly.

It is important to note that the belt tension varies as you turn the cranks due to the pulleys not being perfectly round. I pluck the belt as I slowly turn the cranks to find the tightest position (highest frequency). I then adjust the belt tightness at that point.

As stated before, when working properly the belt is clean, quiet, and light. We love it.