Originally Posted by
kirbyx
A week ago I worked on my bike to remove as many of its sounds as I could... bottom bracket clicks, seat squeaks, things rattling in the toolbag, etc. The only sounds left are a quiet sound of the chain and that of the tires on the road. The last two rides I've found pleasantly astounding. The bike seems faster and yet more comfortable... probably because there are less of my senses telling me that I'm going over a bump or over a rough road. If I didn't know that I was riding the same bike, I would think that somehow I'd bought a new bike that's worth considerably more than the one I have. Is it just me, or is this something that everyone experiences?
My senses calm down when my bike is mostly quiet. I doubt that the extra friction of mechanically noisy parts impacts average speeds too much but when it is quiet I probably do push harder and maybe ride in 1 gear taller which
does increase the average speed for the ride. Whenever I have ticks, clicks, squealing, squeaking or any other audible protests from my bike, my natural instinct is to dial back the torque a bit in an effort to decrease wear and tear.
Another interesting aspect of sorting a bike to become quieter reminds me of the audiophile hobby a bit. The more you lower the noise floor of one part the more you then notice the
next noisiest part of the system. By knowing the next noisiest part, it is possible to move on to that next part and doing some problem solving to see what can be done to tighten down what is loose or lubricate what needs lubrication and so on.
And yes, I’m a chain waxer. When I get it right the drivetrain really gets quiet (at least for one or two rides). This is pretty satisfying.