Silence is golden..... or is it when it comes to freehubs?

[RegG]

I've been looking round at wheel upgrades for my Bianchi which is currently running on Fulcrum Racing 5's. The freehub is not too noisy but is far from silent..... The original Giant wheels on my Giant Defy (winter bike) are virtually silent but are clearly a cheap wheel.

I've looked at Hunt, Mavic, Campagnolo and Fulcrum wheels and they all seem to have a louder freehub noise in varying degrees.

I do like a quiet freehub but is it a case that the better quality ones are by nature noisier? Is it better to just keep pedalling and enjoy the silence or put up with a bit of noise when freewheeling?!!

 

[ianrauk]

I much prefer quiet freehubs

 

[Cycleops]

Just squirt in some oil or if you want to go whole hog disassemble it and pack it with grease. You might even be able to adjust the spring tension that holds the pawls.

View: https://youtu.be/2Ug7RZv5XCw

 

[vickster]

I like them clicky but not as loud as some Mavic!

The Fulcrums aren’t that bad, on an par with my Novatech handbuilts

 

[I like Skol]

Quiet is best IMO. I like the standard Shimano freehub noise, quiet enough to be unobtrusive but reassuringly there if you listen for it on a quiet road. Most of the time you don't even register it, they just work.

The noisy ones should be banned as a source of noise pollution, along with Garmin/GPS devices that emit that annoying BEEP to tell anyone within 30ft that you have just stopped or started moving again!!!

 

[ColinJ]

Noisy ones are great for waking up dozy pedestrians who wander out in front of the bike. Back-pedalling usually makes them even noisier, for added effect! I would prefer them to be quieter though - I can always shout at people who don't look before stepping out into the road.

I have some wheels with noisy Campagnolo and Mavic freehubs, but my noisiest freehub is the Hope one on my MTB.

 

[smutchin]

is it a case that the better quality ones are by nature noisier?

No, I don't think that the noise level of any hub is an indicator of quality. Some cheap ones can be noisy too (eg Novatec).

 

[Fab Foodie]

Shimano hubs are virtually silent. Hope, Mavic and many others not so.
For true class you need Campagnolo hubs as sampled by Kraftwerk.....

I’m ambivalent about hub noise.... like any self-respecting cyclist, you should be pedalling not freewheeling ;-)

 

[Hacienda71]

Hope hubs

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAMSfok3_nI

 

[ColinJ]

Shimano hubs are virtually silent.

Yes - my CAADX has one and I found it odd freewheeling in near silence, having not experienced it for nearly 30 years!

As for not freewheeling - I usually do 30+ mph downhill and sometimes 50+ mph, so I don't tend to pedal much on descents...

 

[Fab Foodie]

Yes - my CAADX has one and I found it odd freewheeling in near silence, having not experienced it for nearly 30 years!

As for not freewheeling - I usually do 30+ mph downhill and sometimes 50+ mph, so I don't tend to pedal much on descents...

....tsk, you’re just not trying hard enough....

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I prefer them quiet, but as Colin has said noisy ones are great for waking pedestrians, the original freehub on my Eastway was a quiet as a church mouse, its replacement is like a demented football rattle.

 

[ColinJ]

....tsk, you’re just not trying hard enough....

I don't have high enough gears/cadence! (For short periods I can manage 120-130 rpm but I prefer 90-100 max.)

I sacrifice big gears to get lower gears for the tough local climbs. The highest gear on any of my bikes is only 48/12 but it used to be 52/14 or 48/13.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I don't have high enough gears/cadence! (For short periods I can manage 120-130 rpm but I prefer 90-100 max.)

I sacrifice big gears to get lower gears for the tough local climbs. The highest gear on any of my bikes is only 48/12 but it used to be 52/14 or 48/13.

Shhh... I have the same ;-)