Bicycle Mechanics - Hub noise - is this normal?

I have a 2004 Giant OCR1. The rear hub makes a noise when coasting when the pedals are in certain positions. I was told by lbs that i would not be able to feel it when riding, but on a smooth road i can feel the vibration through the bike (chunk...chunk...chunk) if the pedals are in the right place. Its not severe, but for a $1000 bike I'm not crazy about being able to feel this. Is this normal??

Some of the better hubs are noisy when you coast. Examples are Chris King, Hugi and (a bit less) Phil Wood. Shimano LX and XT hubs are fairly silent, but not as silent as many (all?) of their 7-speed hubs. So this [i]may/i] be normal, as it depends on the brand or model of hub you have. Still, the noise should be fairly regular.

On the other hand, when you pedal, things should be smooth as butter.

Regards,

You can expect noise from the rear hub as the pawls go over the ratchet teeth. If you can actually feel vibaration though that does not sound right. I would have the lbs take a look and test ride it. If it's nothing, no harm, no foul. It sounds like this bike is new so they should happily take a look.

Yeah. The quiet smooth ones are the low end stuff!!

The pedal position should have nothing to do with hub noise. If the chain is stopped and the hub is spinning, it is the same no matter where the pedals are. Are you sure?

I wonder if it's something like a case of a wheel being slightly out of true and the brakes being set close, resulting in a mild case of brake rub?