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Is it rude to have a noisy hub?

  • This topic has 65 replies, 38 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by Liam Cahill.
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  • May 15, 2019 at 2:46 pm #29650
    tommyraleigh

    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

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  • May 17, 2019 at 11:08 am #942189
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    quiff

    On the “is a noisy hub more /

    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! 

     

     

    May 17, 2019 at 8:39 am #942187
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    hawkinspeter
    OldRidgeback wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    OldRidgeback wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m sure my carbon wheels and frame amplify my hub, but it’s not nearly loud enough.

    Are there any 3rd party add-ons to increase the noise? Something like spokey-dokeys but for the hub.

    There are these:

    Turbospoke, A Fake Exhaust System for Bicycles

    It’d be a hoot if a pack of road riders had bikes kitted out with these.

    Intriguing … do they do one in carbon fibre?

    They’re plastic I think. I’m sure you could get some stick on carbon fibre to make it look the part.

    I’ve found some carbon fibre wrap which should do the job. BRRRRM! BRRRRRRRRRMMMM!

     

    May 17, 2019 at 8:30 am #942185
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    OldRidgeback
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    OldRidgeback wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m sure my carbon wheels and frame amplify my hub, but it’s not nearly loud enough.

    Are there any 3rd party add-ons to increase the noise? Something like spokey-dokeys but for the hub.

    There are these:

    Turbospoke, A Fake Exhaust System for Bicycles

    It’d be a hoot if a pack of road riders had bikes kitted out with these.

    Intriguing … do they do one in carbon fibre?

    They’re plastic I think. I’m sure you could get some stick on carbon fibre to make it look the part.

    May 16, 2019 at 6:50 pm #942183
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    ktache

    Gave the Rohloff build a

    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.

    May 16, 2019 at 6:33 pm #942181
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    Global Nomad

    I have Hunt wheels and the

    I have Hunt wheels and the hub is very noisy when freewheeling,  works very well when commuting in London more useful than a bell, becasue everyone can hear me coming when I need them too. A little more emabarassing when in the countryside or drafting – but just makes me practice getting my cadence right to avoid freewheeling behind someone.  Walking to my office without informing everyone in the building is harder though….

    May 16, 2019 at 4:02 pm #942179
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    hawkinspeter
    OldRidgeback wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m sure my carbon wheels and frame amplify my hub, but it’s not nearly loud enough.

    Are there any 3rd party add-ons to increase the noise? Something like spokey-dokeys but for the hub.

    There are these:

    Turbospoke, A Fake Exhaust System for Bicycles

    It’d be a hoot if a pack of road riders had bikes kitted out with these.

    Intriguing … do they do one in carbon fibre?

    May 16, 2019 at 3:57 pm #942177
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    OldRidgeback
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m sure my carbon wheels and frame amplify my hub, but it’s not nearly loud enough.

    Are there any 3rd party add-ons to increase the noise? Something like spokey-dokeys but for the hub.

    There are these:

    Turbospoke, A Fake Exhaust System for Bicycles

    It’d be a hoot if a pack of road riders had bikes kitted out with these.

     

    May 16, 2019 at 3:06 pm #942175
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    Welsh boy
    SellMatt wrote:
    I startle sheep with my Hunt 4 seasons

    As a Welsh man I can honestly say that I have never heard about that method of “startling sheep” before (or is Hunt 4 seasons a euphemism?)

    May 16, 2019 at 2:06 pm #942173
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    don simon fbpe

    Just like the battle of the

    Just like the battle of the lumens, I’d just get myself a louder hub than yours.

    May 16, 2019 at 1:41 pm #942171
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    BBB

    What I find rude is walking,

    What I find rude is walking, cycling, running, playing with a dog etc… in the middle of a shared cycle path, while being completely oblivious of oher users and the world around.

    People offended by loud freehubs are idiots. 

     

    May 16, 2019 at 1:21 pm #942169
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    kil0ran

    I like my bike to be utterly

    I like my bike to be utterly silent, pretty obsessive about it if I’m honest. My Vision 35s are clicky-clacky, I resolve that by never freewheeling 😀

    When I returned to cycling a few years ago I was out for a quiet pootle when this lycra’ed adonis came flying by on a downhill section. Thought it was a motorbike at first, then assumed he’d fitted spokey-dokeys for some reason.

    Is there are point performance-wise to a loud hub? Is it that they’ve got more/stronger pawls so they engage quicker?

    May 16, 2019 at 12:14 pm #942167
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    hawkinspeter

    I’m sure my carbon wheels and

    I’m sure my carbon wheels and frame amplify my hub, but it’s not nearly loud enough.

    Are there any 3rd party add-ons to increase the noise? Something like spokey-dokeys but for the hub.

    May 16, 2019 at 11:49 am #942165
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    rws
    a4th wrote:
    It just seems silly to have a really loud hub. That’s a lot of energy to waste on making noise every time you aren’t pedalling. 

    Really? https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/sound-power-level-d_58.html Even an air compressor is just 0.01 W sound power. Marginal gains indeed

    May 16, 2019 at 11:35 am #942163
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    domats

    I loves a noisy hub I dos. 

    I loves a noisy hub I dos.  Recently in Holland, going through the dunes on the coast, I thought my Hope was nice and loud, and up comes this Duchy in his Lotto-Jumbo replica kit, overtakes me and coasts for a bit in front of me’s like saying “my CK hub is noisier and more expensive than yours mate”. 

    May 16, 2019 at 11:31 am #942161
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    ktache

    Some hubs are noisy, I

    Some hubs are noisy, I understand that Chris King’s are exceptionally loud, yet everything he makes is proper good.

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