Q:
I’ve done a bit over 100 km on my board and one of the belts already has some punctures from small rocks. Is that even safe to ride now? And where can I buy replacement belts for less than the manufacturer’s website?
You can get belts for electric skateboards from places like Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, or maybe some other marketplace for your country. Check your belt for text that looks something like “HTD 290-5M”. Search for that term in the marketplace to find the right size replacement belts. Also check the width of your belt – most e-skate belts are 15mm wide.
As for whether you can continue using a belt that has punctures: if the belt doesn’t look like it’s tearing, I would keep using it but have a spare and the proper tools ready just in case it breaks.
When a belt snaps, it feels like the acceleration and brakes become a lot weaker, so be aware of that if you ride in situations that require sudden braking. That’s assuming your board has dual motors. If it uses a single motor, then you won’t be able to accelerate or brake with a broken belt.