Why are higher-end freewheels (cassettes) so much louder when coasting?
07-29-20, 03:46 PM
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07-29-20, 04:01 PM
#27
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We did that as kids -- using playing cards attached to a seat stay with a laundry pin. Sometimes the pin would go right into the spokes.
07-29-20, 04:21 PM
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Making SunTour Winners quiet wasn't hard. They weren't very loud to start with. I was not strong except in the big hills so I knew I needed all the help I could get in the rest of the races. Compared to a lot of my training rides, overhauling a FW was pretty darn easy.
07-29-20, 04:58 PM
#29
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I dont know why everyone says that CK hubs are loud. Maybe their MTB offerings are but my R45’s are only slightly louder than my old Shimano hubs. No where near as loud as the Hope hubs that I have on my gravel bike.
07-29-20, 05:16 PM
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Just trendy.
It takes energy to create sound. It should be optimized away.
It takes energy to create sound. It should be optimized away.
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07-29-20, 07:07 PM
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According to Chris King, it was an accidental by-product of the design. He claims they were working on a new grease product that would make the hub quieter, but they stopped when they started getting a lot of feedback that everyone loved the "angry bees" sound. Check it out here, starting at around 11:35 or so: [I'm not allowed to post links yet, but you can search on youtube for a GCN video from May 1, 2018 called "Ask Chris King Anything ..."]
I've got White Industries hubs, which are pretty noisy, but I kinda like it. It's not like loud hubs sound like Harleys or anything like that ; )
I've got White Industries hubs, which are pretty noisy, but I kinda like it. It's not like loud hubs sound like Harleys or anything like that ; )
07-29-20, 07:45 PM
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07-29-20, 07:49 PM
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07-29-20, 07:58 PM
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07-29-20, 09:53 PM
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not necessarily - an old friend who used to race told me that he would listen for gear changes when the terrain or pace didn’t warrant one, since it usually signaled that the guy behind was either tiring (maybe time to attack) or preparing to make a move (time to watch for an attack). Any time you can avoid giving your opponents free information is good
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07-29-20, 11:52 PM
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07-29-20, 11:58 PM
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not necessarily - an old friend who used to race told me that he would listen for gear changes when the terrain or pace didn’t warrant one, since it usually signaled that the guy behind was either tiring (maybe time to attack) or preparing to make a move (time to watch for an attack). Any time you can avoid giving your opponents free information is good
It's easy to silence your noisy freehub by pedaling in a big gear, but it's impossible to make a silent freehub loud.
07-30-20, 05:31 AM
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not necessarily - an old friend who used to race told me that he would listen for gear changes when the terrain or pace didn’t warrant one, since it usually signaled that the guy behind was either tiring (maybe time to attack) or preparing to make a move (time to watch for an attack). Any time you can avoid giving your opponents free information is good
You guys are regular bike racing ninjas.
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07-30-20, 08:22 AM
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Latest fad in cycling snobbery IMHO and I'm sure someone may say something about safety and being heard by pedestrians or other cyclists.
07-30-20, 10:04 AM
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07-30-20, 10:47 AM
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07-30-20, 11:13 AM
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The worst I've encountered was a lady in a running group blasting a metronome phone app to improve her cadence. That group stretched out quickly at the start to get away from her and her companion. It was worse than this.
07-30-20, 01:47 PM
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FWIW, my Dura-Ace freewheels from the mid-80s (yes, I'm still using them) are the quietest I've used. Much quieter than any modern freehub.
07-30-20, 07:53 PM
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On one of my first brevets, which would have been ten years ago, a guy in the group had a loud hub combined with a tendency to pedal/coast, pedal/coast. Either of those alone is no biggie, but combined... I didn't know what the story was, didn't care, just had no interest in hearing that for the next 20 hours.
I don't think he ended up with very many riding partners.
I don't think he ended up with very many riding partners.
07-30-20, 11:50 PM
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I don't think it's a high end thing. I have two wheelsets with entry-level DT 370 pawl hubs, and they're insanely loud. A very metallic clicking sound. My ENVE alloy hub (40t ratchet) is far quieter and between wind, road noise, etc isn't particularly loud. Above all it doesn't have that metallic quality. I may just bite the bullet and get the tools and replace the pawls in the DT 370s with 36t ratchets (and matching freehub bodies). Grease helps, but it doesn't last very long.
I'm not sure how a freehub could be made quiet, perhaps with weaker springs, but then there's the risk of reduced engagement and increased wear.
I'm not sure how a freehub could be made quiet, perhaps with weaker springs, but then there's the risk of reduced engagement and increased wear.
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