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Is it rude to have a noisy hub?

As the weather is good I've been commuting on my carbon rims recently, which happen to have a very noisy freehub!

Riding home the other day on the cycle path I got some aggro from a cyclist in front of me, who I was perfectly happy to sit well behind until it was safe to pass. She thought I was hassling her because of the angry sounding wheel apparently. I tried briefly to explain that is just what they sound like and there is nothing I could do about it. What do you say to that? Is this person just a bit daft or should I expect some people won't understand why some wheels are noisy? Its not the first time I sensed people feel a bit intimidated by the sound, maybe I should only get them out on the open roads

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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65 comments

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randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
crazy-legs | 4 years ago
7 likes

Sorry, what was that you were saying @randonneur?

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

Oddly 8th gear is the noisy one, I think maybe that the LBS may have put the cables back to front, gear 1 is fastest and 14 for the big hills, makes little difference mind.  I expected a 1000 mile break in, but it's not too noisy.

Avatar
rosscado | 4 years ago
0 likes

The angry bees in my Reynolds hub certainly caught the attention of the commuter ahead of me on a single track section. He jammed on to see what was behind him, nearly sending me into the back of him!

Avatar
Liam Cahill | 4 years ago
1 like

Noisy freehubs block out the haters

Avatar
Helmut D. Bate replied to crazy-legs | 4 years ago
4 likes
crazy-legs wrote:

Sorry, what was that you were saying @randonneur?

I couldn't hear him either above all the wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
randonneur | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes it is.
Many hubs are noisy which indicates inefficiency as noise is wasted energy.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... | 4 years ago
4 likes

In future show sensivity to the easily-harrased and drown out the noise of the freewheel by constantly singing loudly.   Perhaps an acapella rendition of The Flight Of The Valkyries?

Avatar
Captain Beaky | 4 years ago
3 likes

Perhaps that explains this sign I saw recently in North Yorkshire...

Avatar
thelighterthief | 4 years ago
2 likes

I like to refer to my noisy freehub as a “audible laziness indicator”

really though some people get angry anout everything. 

Avatar
quiff | 4 years ago
2 likes

On the "is a noisy hub more / less efficient" question, there's an interesting GCN interview with Chris King which discusses this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgPLJSTWuV4 - starts at 11 mins 25 secs. I'm not particularly mechanically minded, but apparently his hubs were originally intended to be silent, but they were going to have to add grease (and thus drag) to achieve it, and other silent hubs which use a roller clutch similarly have drag 'built in' to achieve silence. 

Surprised that people find Hunt 4 Seasons loud - mine seem positively restrained compared to my Ksyrium Elites! 

 

 

Avatar
The _Kaner replied to quiff | 4 years ago
0 likes

quiff wrote:

Surprised that people find Hunt 4 Seasons loud - mine seem positively restrained compared to my Ksyrium Elites! 

 

 

 

Same here, except I also have the exalith versions...

tick, tick, tick, tick, squeeeeeaaaaaarrrgghhhhh!

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

Gave the Rohloff build a shakedown ride to the Hardwick Veg Shack this afternoon, it's weirdly noisy, different noises in different gears when pedaling, and also different noises in different gears when freewheeling too.  Nothing too loud though, thank goodness.

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