Freehubs - how do they sound when coasting?

neonwarhead
neonwarhead Posts: 96
edited June 2009 in Road buying advice
I'm going to be in the market for some new wheels soon, probably in the £200-400 range. Out of the usual suspects, Ksyrium, Fulcrum, Campag, planet-X etc, which have a quiet freehub? I've got a set of old Mavic Cosmics on my current bike which are lovely and silent when freewheeling, and am loath to go over to something noisy like the Hope on my Orange 5.

I hasten to add that noise will not be the primary selection criterion (because that would just be odd), but in the event that all else is equal I'd like to have some idea of how they all perform without necessarily having to spend a weekend trawling bike shops spinning back wheels in an inquisitive manner (because that might be viewed as even odder)!

And yes, I realise that I could just keep pedaling. :D

Comments

  • pabloweaver
    pabloweaver Posts: 444
    not the fulcrum or planet x as i have both ....and they remind me of when i used to stick lollypop sticks in the back wheel of my tomahawk bike ....





    yes im above 21 ! 8)
    http://www.northcheshireclarion.co.uk/

    Great club in and around the Warrington area.
  • jonmack
    jonmack Posts: 522
    Why not just take the cassette body off and pop a bit of extra grease in there, that's what makes it quiet.
  • neonwarhead
    neonwarhead Posts: 96
    jonmack wrote:
    Why not just take the cassette body off and pop a bit of extra grease in there, that's what makes it quiet.

    Really? I'd assumed it was a 'design' feature, (thinking Chris King here). And I believe that shimano freehubs are a non-serviceable item...The plot thickens.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    Shimano are quiet, as are Mavic.

    At the other end, my new Hope Pro3s are very clicky, as expected perhaps. I've not owned any Campag but from riding with mates they are also pretty loud.

    It shouldn't really influence the decision I agree but recently I've just swapped from a Mavic set to the Hopes and it does start to annoy you after a while.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,579
    I recently bought a pair of Campag Eurus wheels and was (pleasantly) surprised at how quiet they were.

    My experience would suggest that you'd want to avoid Chris King, DT Swiss and Tune if you want a quieter existence.
  • agnello
    agnello Posts: 239
    My new Mavic cosmic carbones have a purposeful click.

    My Shimano 7850s are very quiet as are my old Ksyriums

    My old campag's were, I thought, very loud...

    ...until I heard a friend's Hopes.

    Those bad boys are like a biblical swarm of locusts
    Stumpjumper FSR Comp
    Eddy Merckx Strada
    Gios Compact KK
    Raleigh Dynatech Diablo
    Canyon CF CLX / Record
    Charge Plug 3
    Kinesis GF Ti disc - WIP...
  • neonwarhead
    neonwarhead Posts: 96
    What I dislike about the Hope is that it's such a twangy metallic clicking - sounds like expensive stuff is clacking together. Can't fault the function though, and tbh there's usually quite enough noise coming from the Orange 5AM it's attatched to (and the rider) to drown it out!
  • Barrie_G
    Barrie_G Posts: 479
    My Shimano Ultegra's are virtually silent 8)
  • RedJohn
    RedJohn Posts: 272
    Got Campag Record hubs - make quite a noise - took some getting used to - until a bike shop mechanic heard it and said "ah the sound of quailty", which stopped me worrying so much!

    Extra grease etc doesn't help for more than a few minutes until it gets squeezed out of the way.
  • jonmack
    jonmack Posts: 522
    I quite like the buzz of my Chris King, although I can't remember how loud my first one was, my second was whisper quiet, my third has a nice buzz to it.

    I always ride with music on so I don't notice the sound, I love the sound of Hopes, they're so positive sounding, especially the Pro2 Trials, but again they can be quietened with a bit of grease.
  • Takis61
    Takis61 Posts: 239
    Got a new Ribble Sportive with the Campag Khamsin wheels & it was/is SO LOUD I posted on here thinking there was something wrong with the bike !
    Quite like it now, but they are loud !
    My knees hurt !
  • jrduquemin
    jrduquemin Posts: 791
    I've just bought a pair of Ritchey DS Pro wheels and the freehub on the rear wheel is very quiet at the moment. Got them in the Evans warehouse sale for £220, so not too shabby :-)

    Just need a decent set of tyres to go on them now...
    2010 Lynskey R230
    2013 Yeti SB66
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    IME new Record hubs are a lot quieter than the older ones and my Shamals are less noisy than both Mavic Ksyriums and AM Classics. Chris Kings are unusual in that they 'whizz' rather than 'click'. I had to borrow a Mavic Ksyrium Elite off a Mavic neutral service car the other week and what was really noticeable was that it was a 2 or 3 pawl freehub and take-up wasn't instantaneous like some other wheels
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..

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