nolsy freewheel

[cyclop]

I treated myself to some nice Scribe wheels about a year ago but they,re annoyingly loud,i.e. the freewheel.Any ideas for softening the noise?

[Cugel]

I treated myself to some nice Scribe wheels about a year ago but they,re annoyingly loud,i.e. the freewheel.Any ideas for softening the noise?

Well, I leave my hearing aids off when I go out on the bike. On the other hand, wearing them produces lots of wind noise so this too would eliminate the annoying noises a bicycle might make (or the apprehension of them, at least).

Some freewheel mechanisms are inherently noisy due to their design and the nature of the parts involved. It's tempting to add thick grease to a noisy freewheel but this will likely stop it working as such, toot sweet!

One may tutor oneself to ignore some kinds of noise. For example, the Schwalbe studded ice tyres currently on the winter bike sound like an amplified snap, crackle & pop famously given off by rice crispies. This is easy to ignore, despite what the ladywife (my riding companion) alleges. Other bike noises seem to impinge on one more and more, though, as a ride goes on. A rubbing disc brake giving off it's squeak-squeak-squeak is very hard to ignore, as is a clattering misaligned rear mech.

Cugel, selectively deaf to many things.

[cyclop]

Or erhaps those pieces of plastic,pinging against the spokes at a more amenable frequency.My ears need syringing due to loss of hearing,maybe I shouldn,t bother.Wait,I have a better idea,ride on the back roads,alone,well away from animals,herds of buffalo etc.To be honest,it,s noisy but I guess,bearable.How about treating my transmission as if it,s a fixie

[Paulkentuk]

As it isn't a technical issue with the bike, then a set of ear plugs will suffice.
Most motorcyclists use something like these :-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywell-Howa ... 9030&psc=1

[rjb]

Some riders prefer noisy freewheels. It reminds them of how it was in their youth.

[alexnharvey]

Adding slightly thicker grease is likely to dampen the noise a bit but as Cugel points out, go too thick and it'll stop working reliably. What's the nlgi rating of freehub grease, maybe 0 or 00? Whatever it is try one grade higher, 0 or 1.

I ride a fixed gear for the silence.

[gxaustin]

I favour a quiet freewheel so people don't know when I'm on their wheel

On the other hand they do warn pedestrians of one's approach on shared paths,

[pwa]

I'm afraid it is a price you pay for not having a Shimano style freehub arrangement. The noise of other hub designs is the main reason I have stuck with Shimano for so long. I like a quiet bike.

Or go for Cugel's solution of becoming hearing-impaired, so that you just don't notice it.

[tim-b]

Any ideas for softening the noise?

Pedal

[Barrowman]

Have to say I was a bit surprised at how much noisier a Campag Free Hub was than the Shimano offerings.
Mate of mine has another freehub , can't remember the make, and that's a real deafaner.
Don't think there is much to be done to quieten them down.
A properly lined up fixed wheel is supremely quiet .......

[simonineaston]

I've always assumed that since a great many historical products have been much quieter, the habit of making the ratchets in more modern offerings noisy is a deliberate design choice.

[francovendee]

I think noise from expensive freehubs is part of their selling features. Everyone knows without looking that you are riding a 'good' brand.

The OP talks about a freewheel and the noise may be just part of the low quality of this unfashionable system.

I've had freewheels apart and played around with removing shims. This removed excessive play in the hub but it remained quite noisy.

[Carlton green]

I treated myself to some nice Scribe wheels about a year ago but they,re annoyingly loud,i.e. the freewheel.Any ideas for softening the noise?

I’d be inclined to add some engine oil, something viscous might dampen the noise, and see what happens; other than that you’re probably stuck with what you have and either next to no load peddling in high gears or ‘spinning’ the pedals (so that you’re not freewheeling).

Edit. I did find some confusion between a freehub and freewheel. My bikes are old fashioned and use freewheels, they’re arguably inferior to freehubs (plus cassette) but they work and offer good value.

[thirdcrank]

As with so much else, I seem to remember a time when the crisp noise of Campag pawls was quoted as evidence of their superiority quality.

I don't think that reference to the sound of a freewheel is necessarily evidence of ignorance about different hubs. I've yet to hear of anybody freehubbing downhill.

[simonineaston]

I'm thinking too of the way we simple animals learn to associate one thing with another, even when there isn't an essential link. For example, we've learnt to link speed with a throaty roar - think Ferrari - but the time will come when all fast vehicles have no engine noise, save for a whispery whine and we'll look back at "those funny noisy old things" and chuckle.