Winfried

Hello

Unlike my road bike, the cassette on my new folder makes the following clickety noise when coasting, ie. not pushing down on the pedals:

www.pastelink.me/dl/c5af60

I know very little about bike mechanics: Does someone know where that racket is coming from, why the mfg chose that cassette, and whether I should get it replaced for a noise-free alternative?

Thank you.

chewa

Hi,

It's just the pawls in the freewheel (the bits that allow drive one way and coasting another). It's perfectly normal but you may find it quietens down a bit as it wears in.

My Hope hub cassette used to be so noisy, Concorde pilots used to lean out the window during take off and tell me to keep the noise down .

Different types make different levels of noise..

Winfried

Thanks for the infos. If it doesn't get more quiet after a few weeks of riding, I'll consider getting a more quiet cassette.

Phil_gretz

Not the cassette, but the freehub contains the mechanism. Different freehubs make different noises when coasting.

Winfried

Thanks Phil. Can I replace just the freehub inside the cassette?

Bezalel

It probably won't help, the replacement freehub will most likely be the same design as the original.

JanMM

Some freehubs are quiet, some not so much and some are pretty loud - no direct correlation of sound level to quality.

Winfried

Yes,the freehub on my road bike is totally silent, which is nice while riding in the city.

I'll check what other cassette I could use as a replacement. Pacific Cycles only mentions this:

cny-bikeman

Try just lubricating the freehub with a heavy oil, like Phil Tenacious - should quiet it considerably.

bradtx

Winfried, If the bike is brand new, have the bike shop that sold it to you have a look at the free hub under warranty.

Brad

bobotech

I was going to say that the clicking you hear when coasting or back pedaling is perfectly normal but I went and listened to your file and it really does sound odd. Have you tried taking the wheel off the bike and spinning the cassette backwards to see how it feels? It almost sounds like it is too stiff, like there is a lot of friction. I can't really describe it but it doesn't sound right compared to the noise most Shimano/generic hubs make. Even my buddy's fancy super expensive Chris King hub which are known to be very noisy doesn't sound like that. HIs King hub has a nice fast sounding loud tick tick tick. Yours sounds like something is jammed and springing free each time it rotates.
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SkyDog75

Sounds normal to me. Like chewa and Phil_gretz mentioned, some freehub designs are simply louder than others. Freehubs and freewheels are a ratcheting mechanism, much like a socket wrench. When turned in the "free" direction, you may hear the pawls as they slip from one tooth to the next. If you'd prefer a quieter freehub, it may involve replacing the hub and re-spoking the wheel, or simply swapping the wheel for one with a quieter hub. Swapping the cassette won't make any difference at all since it doesn't include the ratcheting mechanism.

Personally, I've grown to like the sound of the Campagnolo freehub on my road bike. When I hear that clicking, it's a reminder to stop being lazy and start pedaling.