Why do some rear wheel hubs make a louder noise than others?
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Why do some rear wheel hubs make a louder noise than others?
Is there a functional reason for it?
Is it simply designed in by the makers?
Is there a way of making the noise quieter/louder?
Any thoughts gratefully received.
Is it simply designed in by the makers?
Is there a way of making the noise quieter/louder?
Any thoughts gratefully received.
#2
Senior Member
Basically, the way the pawls/ratchets in there were designed. Check out the GCN video
for a good explanation.
Likes For jpescatore:
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Chapel Hill NC
Posts: 1,683
Bikes: 2000 Litespeed Vortex Chorus 10, 1995 DeBernardi Cromor S/S
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 645 Post(s)
Liked 797 Times
in
446 Posts
It's simply a characteristic of hubs, with no rhyme or reason to it - some are simply louder than others. Campagnolo hubs were traditionally pretty loud, Shimano are traditionally very quiet (although my current Campag Zonda hub is ghostlike compared to my previous Rolfs, which used a DT hub). A guy I ride with - I think he has a Specialized bike, but I have no idea what hubs - his rear hub sounds like the proverbial swarm of angry hornets doused in meth. Loudest bloody hub I ever heard. If your hub is too loud, you might try adding more or thicker grease, but don't overdo it, as you might end up interfering with pawl action.
Last edited by Litespud; 06-18-20 at 01:21 PM.
Likes For Litespud:
#4
Newbie
I'm curious about this as well. In my area, it seems people with high end, newer road bikes always have the loudest hubs.
If a hub is loud, does that not make it generally less efficient than a quieter hub as well?
If a hub is loud, does that not make it generally less efficient than a quieter hub as well?
Likes For user2:
#5
Junior Member
I used to dislike my bikes/wheels with the louder hubs. But, I now view louder hubs as a "safety feature"!
When I am approaching pedestrians, and other cyclists, if I pause my peddling, the hub noise alerts the pedestrians & cyclist that someone is approaching.
Try it, I think you will find it is quite effective, at least in my experience it is, they will turn and look, but it doesn't seem to startle them, works especially on MUPs and other locations when the ambient noise is not too high.
When I am approaching pedestrians, and other cyclists, if I pause my peddling, the hub noise alerts the pedestrians & cyclist that someone is approaching.
Try it, I think you will find it is quite effective, at least in my experience it is, they will turn and look, but it doesn't seem to startle them, works especially on MUPs and other locations when the ambient noise is not too high.
Last edited by AndrewJB; 06-18-20 at 01:26 PM.
Likes For AndrewJB:
#6
Senior Member
I have Campy Protons and Zondas and they are very audible but I do notice people turn their heads when I approach on the loop in Central Park. For me it is a good thing.
Likes For Mulberry20:
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 869
Bikes: 2008 Dawes Haymaker 20XX Leader LD515 TotoCycling Road Bike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 30 Times
in
19 Posts
My Shimano hubs are almost dead silent, like being a ninja on a bike. My Sun Ringle hubs are obnoxiously loud. My SRAM hubs fall somewhere between the Shimano and Sun Ringle.
Likes For devianb:
#8
Cheerfully low end
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,971
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 644 Post(s)
Liked 1,044 Times
in
667 Posts
I have older wheels with quiet freewheels and freehubs. In the short run, louder hubs would annoy me greatly, but I take the point about the safety feature.
Otto
Otto
Likes For ofajen:
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,892
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4792 Post(s)
Liked 3,918 Times
in
2,548 Posts
The reason for loud hubs? Advertising. The quiet hubs never get noticed.
As a racer back in a distant millennia, I use to grease my SunTour freewheels because I never wanted to advertise that I was doing less work than those around me.
As a racer back in a distant millennia, I use to grease my SunTour freewheels because I never wanted to advertise that I was doing less work than those around me.
Likes For 79pmooney:
#10
Newbie
I used to dislike my bikes/wheels with the louder hubs. But, I now view louder hubs as a "safety feature"!
When I am approaching pedestrians, and other cyclists, if I pause my peddling, the hub noise alerts the pedestrians & cyclist that someone is approaching.
Try it, I think you will find it is quite effective, at least in my experience it is, especially on MUPs and other locations when the ambient noise is not too high.
When I am approaching pedestrians, and other cyclists, if I pause my peddling, the hub noise alerts the pedestrians & cyclist that someone is approaching.
Try it, I think you will find it is quite effective, at least in my experience it is, especially on MUPs and other locations when the ambient noise is not too high.
I've considered taping a piece of plastic to my seat stay in the path of the spokes to make my bike sound like a "motorcycle" (like I did when I was a kid).
Ringing my bell doesn't work well because 50% of the time the people are startled and jump into my path, and 25% of the time people are annoyed by me ringing my bell "at" them.
Last edited by user2; 06-18-20 at 12:34 PM.
#11
Clark W. Griswold
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,467
Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4335 Post(s)
Liked 3,958 Times
in
2,646 Posts
I sometimes like the noisy freehub and sometimes I don't as much. My touring bike is by far the loudest with an Industry Nine freehub on Paul hubs and it is always funny when people ask if it is broken.
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Paradise, TX
Posts: 2,087
Bikes: Soma Pescadero, Surly Pugsley, Salsa Fargo, Schwinn Klunker, Gravity SS 27.5, Monocog 29er
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 186 Post(s)
Liked 234 Times
in
166 Posts
The loud hub fans are just like the loud pipe motorcycle fans.
Likes For c_m_shooter:
#13
Banned
Put a fairly loud hub in one of those hollow carbon fiber disc time trial wheels and you will scare away animals.
freewheeling in my Rohloff is quiet
..
freewheeling in my Rohloff is quiet
..
Last edited by fietsbob; 06-18-20 at 06:16 PM.
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,851
Mentioned: 38 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6945 Post(s)
Liked 10,945 Times
in
4,677 Posts
I used to love my dead-silent Shimano hubs back when I was road racing...I could sometimes sneak up behind someone and draft for quite a while without being noticed.
#15
Airplanes, bikes, beer.
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Off the front
Posts: 763
Bikes: Road bikes, mountain bikes, a cx bike, a gravel bike…
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 398 Post(s)
Liked 788 Times
in
339 Posts
My rear end makes exceptionally loud noises. It’s a point of pride, if I do say so.
Likes For AdkMtnMonster:
#16
Senior Member
You could probably put weaker return springs in the pawls of a noisy drive unit, but why???
#17
Lopsided biped
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 737
Bikes: 2017 Day 6 Cyclone (the Buick); 2015 Simcoe Deluxe (the Xebec); Street Strider 3i (the not-a-bike); GreenSpeed Anura (the Black Swan)
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 316 Post(s)
Liked 160 Times
in
97 Posts
There's a variety without ratchet pawls, probably moist commonly found in single-speed coaster-brake bikes, but not always. I once had a Raleigh Technium touring bike with that. One day I was out riding with a friend and all at once he said, "Hey, your bike don't make no noise." I like things quiet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freewheel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freewheel
Likes For rollagain:
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,892
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4792 Post(s)
Liked 3,918 Times
in
2,548 Posts
+1 Why give that away! Making a really good and silent freewheel mechanism isn't hard. The new noisy ones aren't better, just a whole lot louder. Racing is a chess game as much as it is a test of strength. Why start the game without your knights?
#19
Full Member
In short no. But usually over time the pawls wear the edges down and become a little quieter. There are designs in which the clearance between the pawl and the hub is very narrow and the angle of the hub locks so sharp that the hub is so quiet it is effectively soundless. I really like these but the Chinese hubs most commonly available these days for a reasonable price are so loud that freewheeling a quarter mile aware from some jogger on a path makes them leap off as if they're about to be run over.
Likes For RiceAWay:
#20
Full Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Foothills of West Central Maine
Posts: 410
Bikes: 2007 Motobecane Fantom Cross Expert, 2020 Motobecane Omni Strada Pro Disc (700c gravel bike), 2021 Motobecane Elite Adventure with Bafang 500W rear hub drive
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 174 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 143 Times
in
94 Posts
Got new wheels recently and the new rear hub is very loud compared to the old one. Was very annoying, almost sounded like a deisel truck behind me whenever i'd start coasting. Thankfully it's getting quieter with use. After 400 miles or so, it is still a bit loud but not nearly as loud as it was. So maybe they get quieter after break- in period.
Likes For Chuckles1:
Likes For krecik:
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Kips Bay, NY
Posts: 2,212
Bikes: Ritchey Swiss Cross | Teesdale Kona Hot | Haro Extreme | Specialized Stumpjumper Comp | Cannondale F1000 | Shogun 1000 | Cannondale M500 | Norco Charger | Marin Muirwoods 29er | Shogun Kaze | Breezer Lightning
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 576 Post(s)
Liked 1,001 Times
in
488 Posts
I do like the silent hubs better; but my loud hubs have quicker engagement, which I really like. I'd like to think that the extra noise was from the extra pawls or similar, as opposed to marketing driven sound engineering, but I am probably fooling myself.
Likes For DorkDisk:
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 5,585
Bikes: 2017 Colnago C-RS, 2012 Colnago Ace, 2010 Giant Cypress hybrid
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 408 Post(s)
Liked 122 Times
in
85 Posts
I used to dislike my bikes/wheels with the louder hubs. But, I now view louder hubs as a "safety feature"!
When I am approaching pedestrians, and other cyclists, if I pause my peddling, the hub noise alerts the pedestrians & cyclist that someone is approaching.
Try it, I think you will find it is quite effective, at least in my experience it is, they will turn and look, but it doesn't seem to startle them, works especially on MUPs and other locations when the ambient noise is not too high.
When I am approaching pedestrians, and other cyclists, if I pause my peddling, the hub noise alerts the pedestrians & cyclist that someone is approaching.
Try it, I think you will find it is quite effective, at least in my experience it is, they will turn and look, but it doesn't seem to startle them, works especially on MUPs and other locations when the ambient noise is not too high.
__________________
HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
Likes For John_V:
#25
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
Sorry, but if I had to listen to that stupid buzz the whole time during a long ride, I'd want to kill someone.
It's really got a "fingernails on chalkboard" effect on me for some reason.
It's really got a "fingernails on chalkboard" effect on me for some reason.