What’s the deal with the really loud wheels when coasting?
#1
What’s the deal with the really loud wheels when coasting?
Maybe a stupid question.
I know the sounds has something to do with the hubs (I think). Is this a particular brand or type of wheel?
how do you tell if a wheel will make the noise or not?
I know the sounds has something to do with the hubs (I think). Is this a particular brand or type of wheel?
how do you tell if a wheel will make the noise or not?
#2
Senior Member
Likes For tyrion:
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TC, MN
Posts: 39,521
Bikes: R3 Disc, Haanjo
Liked 9,462 Times
in
4,673 Posts
All of the cool, fast kids have loud hubs.
Likes For WhyFi:
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 7,214
Bikes: Trek CheckPoint SL7 AXS, Trek Emonda ALR AXS, Trek FX 5 Sport
Liked 2,052 Times
in
1,161 Posts
Only a few years ago, hubs were pretty silent, then this loud hub thing started. You can still find quiet hubs, for some reason, some people like the loud hubs. The wheels on my wife's bike are really quiet, mine however, are loud and both from the same company, but the guts in my wife's hubs are from DT Swiss, mine are not. I would prefer less volume coming from my hubs, but, it does let people know I am there if they do not respond to my verbal calls, so it does have it's advantage.
Likes For jaxgtr:
#6
Senior Member
Only a few years ago, hubs were pretty silent, then this loud hub thing started. You can still find quiet hubs, for some reason, some people like the loud hubs. The wheels on my wife's bike are really quiet, mine however, are loud and both from the same company, but the guts in my wife's hubs are from DT Swiss, mine are not. I would prefer less volume coming from my hubs, but, it does let people know I am there if they do not respond to my verbal calls, so it does have it's advantage.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 1,859
Bikes: Lemond '01 Maillot Jaune, Lemond '02 Victoire, Lemond '03 Poprad, Lemond '03 Wayzata DB conv(Poprad), '79 AcerMex Windsor Carrera Professional(pur new), '88 GT Tequesta(pur new), '01 Bianchi Grizzly, 1993 Trek 970 DB conv, Trek 8900 DB conv
Likes: 0
Liked 816 Times
in
474 Posts
While I don't doubt the hubs are mechanically very good..the noise is a status-ego thing..for those that need status-ego things.
Likes For fishboat:
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 7,214
Bikes: Trek CheckPoint SL7 AXS, Trek Emonda ALR AXS, Trek FX 5 Sport
Liked 2,052 Times
in
1,161 Posts
that is a drag...
Likes For jaxgtr:
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 7,214
Bikes: Trek CheckPoint SL7 AXS, Trek Emonda ALR AXS, Trek FX 5 Sport
Liked 2,052 Times
in
1,161 Posts
It might be for some people, but that is a pretty broad statement.
Likes For jaxgtr:
#10
-------
My inexpensive OEM aluminum wheels are loud. My fancier carbon wheels are very quiet. Both circa 2020.
Likes For Mojo31:
Likes For aplcr0331:
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 7,214
Bikes: Trek CheckPoint SL7 AXS, Trek Emonda ALR AXS, Trek FX 5 Sport
Liked 2,052 Times
in
1,161 Posts
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 7,214
Bikes: Trek CheckPoint SL7 AXS, Trek Emonda ALR AXS, Trek FX 5 Sport
Liked 2,052 Times
in
1,161 Posts
Stupid long video, but go to the 30:30 mark, the dude took the hub body off, cleaned it really well and then added more grease on the outer part of the ratchet.
__________________
Brian | 2023 Trek CheckPoint SL 7 AXS | 2016 Trek Emonda ALR | 2022 Trek FX Sport 5
Brian | 2023 Trek CheckPoint SL 7 AXS | 2016 Trek Emonda ALR | 2022 Trek FX Sport 5
Last edited by jaxgtr; 04-24-21 at 10:38 PM.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,077
Bikes: Trek Domane SL6 Gen 3, Soma Fog Cutter, Focus Mares AL, Detroit Bikes Sparrow FG, Volae Team, Nimbus MUni
Liked 2,322 Times
in
1,220 Posts
Somebody made a bespoke, expensive and presumably high quality hub with lots of points of engagement, that was loud. Somebody else copied it. Loud became associated with exclusive. Hilarity ensured.
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,863
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Liked 3,111 Times
in
1,418 Posts
I like it in a big group ride or a race when I might not be able to see people stop pedaling further up the line.
Likes For caloso:
#17
Occam's Rotor
#19
Happy With My Bikes
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 2,481
Bikes: Hi-Ten bike boomers, a Trek Domane and some projects
Liked 2,753 Times
in
1,280 Posts
I'm so hard of hearing I don't know if my free hub makes more noise than my freewheel.
__________________
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke
Likes For Chuck M:
#20
works better than a bell or yelling “on your left” in my experience.
The buzz, particularly when i pedal backwards, really perks people up and they notice/turn when they hear it (walkers mostly, all the runners have ear buds in). It’s not a natural sound and walkers always notice. I got a lot of head tilts from my bell experiment (maybe i used the wrong bell or wasn’t loud enough)
plus it makes old farts so mad they try to use lame “insults” that might have worked on their dumb friends back in the 60’s.
Same thing holds true for hubs as does for music;
”if it’s too loud, you’re too old”.
The buzz, particularly when i pedal backwards, really perks people up and they notice/turn when they hear it (walkers mostly, all the runners have ear buds in). It’s not a natural sound and walkers always notice. I got a lot of head tilts from my bell experiment (maybe i used the wrong bell or wasn’t loud enough)
plus it makes old farts so mad they try to use lame “insults” that might have worked on their dumb friends back in the 60’s.
Same thing holds true for hubs as does for music;
”if it’s too loud, you’re too old”.
#21
Likes For noodle soup:
#23
Likes For noodle soup:
#24
don't try this at home.
Angry Bees tshirt. Chris King.
"Back when hub warranty registration was done by mailing us a postcard, Akiyoshi Takamura coined an infamous quote in the comment field of his card; "It rolls good with angry bee sound". This was the birth of the angry bees and so much more."
"Back when hub warranty registration was done by mailing us a postcard, Akiyoshi Takamura coined an infamous quote in the comment field of his card; "It rolls good with angry bee sound". This was the birth of the angry bees and so much more."
Likes For rm -rf:
#25
Senior Member
I was looking into a building another couple of sets of wheels using 240’s so I looked into the 240 EXPs and played with some wheels with them. They are clearly noisier than the 240S where which is unfortunate.
With the old 240’s you could all but make them silent with a liberal application of the DT grease although it was with increased drag and only for a few hundred miles before the grease moved around. Supposedly it’s similar with the 240EXPs.
Seems like all the hubs are getting noisier now. Maybe it all started with the distinctive “angry bee” Chris King sound or something. Me personally, I’d prefer just about silent hubs but that’s not in the cards,
I’ll likely go with the 240EXP’s just because I like the old 204’s so much, they’re super reliable, and they roll fast and smooth. The new EXPs are are supposedly more reliable and the roll even better although I presume much of that is marketing hype as opposed to actual difference.
Likes For JohnJ80: