Noisy rear hubs: functionality or fashion?

[londonbikerider]

Hello.

I have noticed that in the last year or two, most new wheels I see on weekend rides, they have a rear hub that's quite loud when coasting. Some of those I dare to say are borderline "antisocial" such is the noise they make. Carbon wheels with deep "aero" profiles seem to be louder, presumably because the hollow space in the rim becomes a resonator?

It is my understanding that louder noise when coasting, is due to a different mechanism that gives a quicker engagement of the freehub. But that happened already in the top range of Shimano hubs, which weren't (in fact, aren't) very loud.
And do we really need a faster engagement of the freehub on road bikes? I'm not sure about, but then we all have a different opinion.

[iandriver]

I've found it fairly useful for commuter wheels. Saves you needing a bell when approaching pedestrians. I'm all for it.

[Cyril Haearn]

A loud dry clicking noise
Sounds cheap, is that the intention?

[francovendee]

Bikes should be almost silent! It's fad and a way of announcing to the world, look I've got and expensive bike.
As a kid I'd stick a cigarette card in the spokes for the noise it made but I grew up.

[Brucey]

plenty of these mechanisms are noisy simply because they are bone-dry inside. This also means that there won't be anything more than the merest smear of grease on the seal, either. IME this means that water ingress is often not far away either.

If you lube such mechanisms with SFG, it makes them run more quietly; when they get noisy again, it means they are ready for a bit more lube.

Although the noise might be useful in alerting pedestrians at times, personally I can't stick it; it is only one step away from dragging fingernails down a blackboard....

cheers

[peetee]

I struggle not to grit my teeth when I ride with club mates and hear the constant tick of a transmission when the indexing needs to be taken up a bit. You prime yourself for what comes when the owner changes gear; either the violent ‘chu-dum’ of the chain dropping too enthusiastically to a smaller cog or the ‘chadda-chadda-chadda’ of it trying to get on a bigger one!

[reohn2]

Hope and DT Swiss hubs are noted for the loud clicking of the pawls in the rear hub,they sound awful IMO,I strive for quiet and smooth bike,and I can hear a bike with CF wheels coming well before I see it,not my idea of fun

[flat tyre]

Hope and DT Swiss hubs are noted for the loud clicking of the pawlsmin the rear hub,they sound awful IMO,I strive for quiet and smooth bike,and I can hear a bike with CF wheels coming well before I see it,not my idea of fun

Don't know where you go this information from; I've got 3 wheelsets with some lovely Hope RS4 hubs, they are whisper quiet, DT Swiss - you might have a point there though, they sound like a football fan rattle.

[reohn2]

Hope and DT Swiss hubs are noted for the loud clicking of the pawlsmin the rear hub,they sound awful IMO,I strive for quiet and smooth bike,and I can hear a bike with CF wheels coming well before I see it,not my idea of fun

Don't know where you go this information from; I've got 3 wheelsets with some lovely Hope RS4 hubs, they are whisper quiet, DT Swiss - you might have a point there though, they sound like a football fan rattle.

There may be better quieter designs from Hope these days but their hubs have been the loudest I've heard along with some Campag.
We had DT Swiss hubs on our Cannondale tandem,the loud clicking was the only thing I didn't like about that bike.

[CliveyT]

A little while ago I needed a new freewheel for the singlespeed. I needed some other stuff as well so I looked online and started reading the user reviews for some. The most highly rated was almost universally approved of because of the great noise it made.

That one didn't make my shopping cart.

[Cyril Haearn]

I struggle not to grit my teeth when I ride with club mates and hear the constant tick of a transmission when the indexing needs to be taken up a bit. You prime yourself for what comes when the owner changes gear; either the violent ‘chu-dum’ of the chain dropping too enthusiastically to a smaller cog or the ‘chadda-chadda-chadda’ of it trying to get on a bigger one!

Sounds like torture, the Chinese water torture
I solved the problem by upgrading to fixed

[MartinC]

Noisy rear hubs are a mechanism to identify morally deficient people - lazy cyclists who aren't pedalling and those with low tolerance thresholds.

[Mick F]

Campag Mirage and Campag Chorus/Record are two different beasts ....... for instance.

The Mirage and the lower groups have fewer teeth on the freewheel ratchet, and they are deeper too.
The high-end groups have more teeth and shallower, so they are almost silent.

Mercian now has a Miche rear hub as the Chorus aluminium cassette carrier was rather delicate. Got through two of them, and have now since given up with Campag rear hubs.

The Miche is ok, but nowhere near as noisy as the Mirage hub on my spare wheels.

[reohn2]

:D Noisy rear hubs are a mechanism to identify morally deficient people - lazy cyclists who aren't pedalling and those with low tolerance thresholds.

[Syd]

The Alfine 8 speed hub on the rear of my Bad Boy One is almost completely silent.

When coming up to peds on cycle paths I tend to free wheel for a second to let them know I’m there but doesn’t work on that bike.

Now I tend to give a gentle ting on the bell some distance before as not sure a polite cough when close would go down well at the moment [emoji57]