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not resolvedI'm looking for a pair of cheap winter wheels. I would like to avoid a set with a noisy freewheel. This sort of thing*. Which are the worst offenders? Which ones are super quiet?
* Actually I'd be quite happy with Hope hubs - I'm talking cheap wheels - Fulcrum 7s, RS 10s that sort of thing
Aksiums are quiet if I remember right. Fulcrums are noisy I think
Hope? This must be some use of the word 'cheap' that I wasn't previously aware of.
The Hope Bulb has a 36t ratchet ring that is a bit quieter than the XC and the original Pro 2 that had a 24t ratchet. The new Pro 2 hub uses a 40t ring that is probably quieter again and more buzzy. But Hopes and the like aren't filled with lots of grease - the pawls and the ratchet ring only need a skim of grease, so there's less damping of noise.
In my experience, Shimano freehubs are among the quietest and Chris King and top-end Campag the loudest.
Do you want gears?
No drive connection to give any drag at all if you use a roller clutch or cone clutch drive, and the ultimate in no noise no drag is a BMX freecoaster hub or to go the next stage a freecoaster/coasterbrake hub as made by Perry of Birmingham for the Moulton mini and also available as a Sachs Torpedo model. Aside from the bearings just 2 main moving parts The drive connection (which takes the rear cog and has a 2-start ACME internal thread) and the double ended cone (which floats on the external ACME threaded brake/drive clutch cone carrier).
A huge advantage of the pressure enhanced friction system of drive engagement is that the harder you press on the pedals the harder the cone is forced into the seat, or the rollers up the ramps.
It really is noticeable that the wheel goes almost silent when the drive disengages and you are running almost totally on 2 main wheel bearings. I also feel that the bike holds its momentum, and even catches up with bikes that have whirring ratchets when coasting downhill (my 110Kg weight might be relevant there though).
I've got some Fulcrum 4s (thats a 5 hub laced onto a 3 rim apparently) which are buzzy as you would expect having being made by Campagnolo. The Shimano R501 and Ultegra 6700 wheelsets I also use are quiet.
I took a hope hub apart a few weeks back. Glorious piece of engineering.
Not quiet though.
If I never hear a Hope hub again it'll be too soon.
What I should have said was "I'd be quite happy with Hope hubs *but* I'm talking cheap wheels". And I do want to use gears. Budget is £120.
Thanks for the advice. I stopped by Ace Bikes and heard a Fulcrum 3 that was in for servicing. "Acceptably quiet" according to the mechanic. If the Fulcrum 7s were like that they might be okay. If Aksiums are quieter then they would be fine. I'll probably end up with Shimano because I'm used to working on them.
I've got Hope hubs on 2 of my bikes.
Main advantage is I don't need a bell!
Got pretty cheap shimano on my 3rd bike which is quiet.
I find the newer (40t) Hope to be disappointingly quiet. It's still audible, but it doesn't quite have the clatter that I was hoping for. I still decided to get another one for the new bike so that I could swap the bearings on my MTB and commuter as a batch job. So far so smooth though.
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