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Hub went from loud to silent

Old 03-08-20, 08:44 AM
  #1  
chadtrent
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Hub went from loud to silent

I have a set of Fulcrum S3 wheels. I got them from someone who had never ridden them. You could look at them and tell they were still brand new.

I put them on the hub was pretty loud. I rode 34 miles yesterday and by the time I got home the hub was almost completely silent.

I don’t really care if they are loud or silent or whatever. My concern is that something is wrong with them. Everything seems to be okay with them. They ride fine. They engage fine. Is this anything to worry about?
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Old 03-08-20, 08:54 AM
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These use cup and cone bearings, right? Could be that the cones are (were) too tight.
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Old 03-08-20, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Unca_Sam
These use cup and cone bearings, right? Could be that the cones are (were) too tight.
Honestly I don’t know what they use. I don’t know how to tell by looking. And there is no information I can find on them. Fulcrum made them exclusively for Specialized so they aren’t in their standard wheel line.

What do I look for to tell what kind of bearings they have?
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Old 03-08-20, 09:02 AM
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From Sheldon Brown's page about cup and cone adjustment.

You can read here about cup and cone, as cartridge bearings are install and forget until replacement.
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Old 03-08-20, 09:06 AM
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Thanks. So would that cause the change in sound? And I guess I should specify the sound I’m talking about is the hub body spinning on the hub when coasting.
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Old 03-08-20, 09:12 AM
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No, it wouldn't cause the change. Thanks for being more specific. If your freehub became quieter, it's probably because you finally distributed all the lubricant along the pawls inside.
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Old 03-08-20, 09:12 AM
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Old lube got warmed up and moved around, rough edges got worn away. Broke in.
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Old 03-08-20, 09:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Unca_Sam
No, it wouldn't cause the change. Thanks for being more specific. If your freehub became quieter, it's probably because you finally distributed all the lubricant along the pawls inside.
Ahh. That would make sense. Thanks. So I assume since all is working fine it’s nothing to worry about?
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Old 03-08-20, 09:13 AM
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Front or rear hub???
Freewheel or hub???
Tire noise or ???
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Old 03-08-20, 09:24 AM
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Originally Posted by trailangel
Front or rear hub???
Freewheel or hub???
Tire noise or ???
Rear hub. Cassette not freewheel. The ratcheting sound when coasting.
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Old 03-08-20, 09:27 AM
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Originally Posted by chadtrent
Ahh. That would make sense. Thanks. So I assume since all is working fine it’s nothing to worry about?
Never Fix A Running Piece
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Old 03-08-20, 02:07 PM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
Never Fix A Running Piece

I hear temptation calling, how many times have I, don't have enough fingers and toes...... getting better with age and a limited budget...
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Old 03-08-20, 05:36 PM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
Never Fix A Running Piece
This sounds good but can sometimes be misguided advice.

Besides working on bikes and cars, my responsibility at work is to keep our machines running efficiently. When I know something is wrong and will lead to failure or poor performance, I correct it. I don't wait until it is no longer running.

This is not a comment on the OP's situation, just the quoted advice in general.
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Old 03-09-20, 06:56 AM
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If you have this kind of freehub mechanism, 1) it’s incredibly easy to remove, disassemble, inspect, etc.
2) there is very little scope for issues as long as coasting drag is not excessive and you have no skipping under power.

I agree that it is very odd that yours went silent (I assume you mean quieter... this mechanism should not be truly silent). Usually pawl mechanisms get louder as they shake off excess lube.
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Old 03-09-20, 08:12 AM
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Originally Posted by smashndash



If you have this kind of freehub mechanism, 1) it’s incredibly easy to remove, disassemble, inspect, etc.
2) there is very little scope for issues as long as coasting drag is not excessive and you have no skipping under power.

I agree that it is very odd that yours went silent (I assume you mean quieter... this mechanism should not be truly silent). Usually pawl mechanisms get louder as they shake off excess lube.
Yes, that is what it looks like. I've never removed one though. It's almost completely silent. If I put my ear near it I can hear it. But in my garage with the heat going I can't hear it. But it's working just fine. I don't care about the sound one way or another. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing to worry about.
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Old 03-09-20, 09:48 AM
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My Campagnolo Shamal freehub had a pleasant, but not loud click when coasting. One day after I came back home from my ride, I suddenly noticed that the freehub was eerily and almost completley quiet when I put my bike back into the garage. I pulled the cassette, then removed the freehub to inspect it. I found that my pawl spring was broken, and my freehub was barely working with one pawl hanging onto the last springy bit of the broken pawl spring. If I had ridden much further on it, it probably would have broken completely and left me stranded on the road somewhere. So, please get yours checked out for your own piece of mind.
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Old 03-09-20, 10:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Warren128
My Campagnolo Shamal freehub had a pleasant, but not loud click when coasting. One day after I came back home from my ride, I suddenly noticed that the freehub was eerily and almost completley quiet when I put my bike back into the garage. I pulled the cassette, then removed the freehub to inspect it. I found that my pawl spring was broken, and my freehub was barely working with one pawl hanging onto the last springy bit of the broken pawl spring. If I had ridden much further on it, it probably would have broken completely and left me stranded on the road somewhere. So, please get yours checked out for your own piece of mind.
This is easy to check. Just pull the freehub body and push on each of the pawls to ensure proper operation. It’s a 5 minute procedure. No need for a shop
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