I find doing a big skid is more effective at alerting walkers.
I much prefer the sound of the Hope Pro 2 hub on my trials bike than the near silent Deore hub (with 3 engagement points or fewer) on my commuter/mtb. The Hope is a lot more confidence inspiring, whereas I regret not getting a better hub than the Deore for the commuter.
Good for group road rides, if you're on the front and hear people's free wheels you're not pedalling hard enough!
I find doing a big skid is more effective at alerting walkers.
Possibly tongue in cheek, but I would say that was very anti-social and completely unnecessary.
I once had a customer at Evans who bought a Specialized full sus with Roval wheels who was adamant that the rear hub was faulty because it made a noise. No matter what was said or by who he would not accept that his new freehub was in perfect working order. He eventually left, making a huge fuss that he didn't like what he was being told. He ended up making a formal complaint to HO that we must have sold him a pup and didn't want to do anything about the "obvious fault"
I don't think people necessarily want noisy hubs, I think they just accept that as part of design of the thing. Having said that,I don't think it does any harm to "tune" the noise a hub to make to sound the way people want.
I quite like the sound of my i9 hydra hubs... high pitched buzz...
Just the right amount of annoying!!!
DrP
I don’t think people necessarily want noisy hubs
I do, I like it and specifically choose noisy hubs over quieter ones.
combination of pre-warning to other trail users arguably better than a bell IME, along with probably my perception of quality having been drawn into the Hope freehub noise from my XC hub days (still going strong!).
Quiet freehubs just sound wrong and broken 🙂
When my mate bought a Bronson after having an Orange 5 with a very noisy Hope hub he wasn’t happy, & asked Bike Scene if they could put some extra ‘clicktion’ in the hub that was on. They couldn’t of course but they did replace the bearings after about 8 rides.
I'd love silent hubs but they usually cost a fortune. I'm not sure if I've just got used to them but I don't find the hope hubs I have that loud.
BITD when hubs were pretty much Shimano/Suntour/campag hubs sounded pretty much all the same as far as I remember. Then the more boutique stuff came along like Hope and they tended to sell on quicker engagement, lots of CNC pawls etc which naturally sounded different. Maybe it’s because they have sealed bearings on top of that which makes them sound louder too?
Anyway the sound of a louder hub showed everyone that you were riding with an expensive hub. Nowadays it’s almost a comforting sound of quality to many but I can see why it might be annoying.
I’d like a silent hub on my gravel bike, what are the options?
Depends on the bike. A clicky road bike would drive anyone nuts. Someone in the road club has a set of wide/deep carbon rims that really echo, and a Bontranger hub. It is the most irritating thing ever.
Off-road, I kinda like it. It gives a nice perception of how fast you're going and it's just a noise I associate with bikes and good times.
My commuter messes with my head though. It's got a Halo Clickster with 72PoE which just makes it sound like you're going twice as fast as you are.
BITD when the choice was either a Suntour or Shimano freewheel (BMX) the a quiet roll was a sign that you'd bought the good one. Noisy was bad and I still subscribe to that. Noise just sounds cheap like it's not been very well engineered.
I've had Hope hubs on all my bikes for years but have just switched the Starling to Onyx and it's soo nice. Just the sound of the tyres on the trail and the rattling of the chain - that I need to do something about and fit the VHS tape I bought the other week.
I find doing a big skid is more effective at alerting walkers.
Possibly tongue in cheek, but I would say that was very anti-social and completely unnecessary
Yeah tongue in cheek. But have done it a few times. Usually it's when there's a group (6+) walking side by side taking up the entire width of a shared cycle/pedestrian path. And not a big skid, just a little one, and from several metres back, just to alert them rather than scare them!
I recently bought a set of 26in wheels off a mate for one of my old bikes. It's a Hope Pro2 hub and is noisier than my new-ish Hope Pro4 hub, it makes a right racket. At least the cat knows when I'm home, she's sat by the gate waiting for me!
I used to have one of the silent Shimano ones, I much preferred it tbh.
Because you can roll very, very, very, gently, freewheeling as quietly as possible, on a smooth tarmac path, doing your best to be very, very, very quiet, through a nature reserve and watch an entire film crew and sound team slowly turning to work our what the clicking is and then realising that another take is required. Sorry chaps, but it was a public space and both me and the mrs have hope xc hubs.
I don't like noisy hubs, but I do like a big skid to alert dozy ramblers.
Normally when they don't hear the hub I wake them up with a skid and grin like I'm on day release 🙂
My missus just yells "Bike" at them and they scatter.
Don’t like silent hubs, don’t know why.
I do like the noise my pro4s make and sometimes it can indicate that they might need a bit of a service if the tone of the buzz changes, need grease, need a clean, need a new pawl/spring.
Funnily, I only hear the buzz when I’m coasting on the flat, don’t notice it when I’m flying down a hill.
For my road bike I bought some 105 hubs. I was expecting silence like my other Shimano hubs, they have a very pleasant quiet tick.
My pro2 evos and pro 4 sound nice. The sound doesn't bother me when riding as there are too many other noises to notice.
Like silent hubs, have a silent clutch on my beater as well. If I'm on a downhill trail it doesn't bother me but if I was in the middle of the country scaring all the wildlife away in a two mile radius that would annoy me.
Industry Nine hubs are the work of the devil.
They make Hope hubs sound quite soothing.
Yes Schmiken, my first thought too. The disappearance of that hub from the classifieds has had a negative effect on the balance and harmony of the universe.
I don’t think people necessarily want noisy hubs, I think they just accept that as part of design of the thing.
That’s the thing which had me confused though. I lot of threads that start with “what do you think of XYZ hubs?” and the most prominent response is “it’s not noisy enough” / “they’re nice and noisy”. No mention of performance. I was wondering if there was a technical reason behind this I.e. more noisy = more better, but by the sounds of things it’s just a personal preference, with a healthy pinch of Hopes are both bloody good hubs, and bloody good at letting everyone else know that you bought Hope.
Crackle maps for bikes innit.
I like a noisy hub. Sounds cool.
Love the sound of a hub. Have Hope pro something or other and find it quite relaxing. It’s the noise a bike is supposed to make in my mind and an aural companion on ride.
Industry Nine hubs are the work of the devil.
They make Hope hubs sound quite soothing.
Industry Nine Hydra hubs on my Canyon Lux – 690pts of engagement – it’s so loud I followed Industry Nine suggestions that said you can lube with pro x grease if you wanna reduce the noise – for me it was just too loud.
I was disappointed with how quiet my Hydras were, I replaced the grease with freehub oil to increase the volume.
After hearing some Pro4s on YouTube I thought they were obnoxiously loud and sought to avoid them, but after hearing them for real the noise became an irrelevance; neither a pro or a con. Having used them for a while, the noise is quite useful as a "level 1 warning" to other trail users.
I saw someone pass the other day with completely silent hubs, just the sound of tyres and suspension dampers, it was quite nice and probably something I'll consider in future.
My 2 year old 12 speed xt hub is now totally silent, had the lbs have a look at it and madison said it was normal
Industry Nine hubs are the work of the devil.
Someone in our group nicknamed them Industry Annoying.
I was disappointed with how quiet my Hydras were, I replaced the grease with freehub oil to increase the volume.
did the same, would be happy still if they were a bit louder. i don't think they are any louder than pro 4's just a differant sound.
to assert dominance over the lesser peseants
I ran a pro2 for a couple years, hated it.
I thought I liked noisy hubs until I followed a friend pushing their bike up. I like the noise when riding but after about 10mins of pushing the noise was winding me up.
I’ve just got a new wheel with Bitex hub, it’s a bit noisier than my original wheel but not obnoxious at all - I wouldn’t want any louder out of choice though.
I like them because I have a tiny winkle, and the noise distracts me from thinking about it all the time.
But honestly, it's all about psychoacoustics.
I like a Hope hub because it's what i'm used to. Riding with less engagement just doesn't cut it, and I think i associate the noise with a solid positive engagement.
A good example is the noise a car door makes 'symbolises' the perceived quality, solidity and safety of the vehicle.
Riding with less engagement just doesn’t cut it, and I think i associate the noise with a solid positive engagement.
Perceived it is though, as my Bitex hub is a fair bit quieter but with quicker engagement. 1.5 degrees betterer apparently.
