joshnc

I have Bianchi running a sram red group with new Boyd 50mm carbon wheels. spinning is noisy. coasting is super noisy. Before I sell my bike, any suggestions to quiet the bike down?

fietsbob

re lubricate the freehub..

Airburst

Hell, re-lubricate the chain!

What maintenance have you been doing?

joshnc

I just cleaned and re lube the chain. Sunday was my second ride on the new wheels. Are Boyd carbon wheels just noisy?

2manybikes

They can be. Even a different size cassette can change the sound. Try the old wheel set again.

pierce

is there a trend towards noisy freehubs on higher end bikes? my bikes have always had just the softest tickticktick when coasting, including my new 3x8 speed low end hybrid (some kinda shimano hub, I think), but a number of the fancy carbon roadracing bikes I've been passed by lately have had really loud coasters. like TICK!TICK!TICK!

hueyhoolihan

if it's not the drivetrain (and it most likely is) it may be the carbon wheels. i've noticed when passing or being passed by bikes with carbon wheels, that they seem to be making more noise than most. if they have a carbon frame it is worse. i know my carbon framed bike transmits noise that would be absorbed by my other bikes.

fietsbob

hollow carbon fiber stuff may well be. ( Boyd brand is unknown, to me.. )

have you ever heard a CF disc rear wheel rolling ?

maybe you overbought, and need to dial back, to a conventional aluminum rim wheel..

maybe get a police spec, bike hub. there are some that freewheel more quietly
to sneak up on Suspect Perps ..

FBinNY 

Yes, but it's not intentional. First of all, the reduced diameter of the ratchet mechanism vs. that of freewheels means higher torque loads, so heavier pawls which bang that much harder with each click. Some hubs also use a different design for the ratchet system, and some of these are very noisy.

Red is also noisier than many other groups because of the one piece "powerdome" design which acts like a bell resonating and amplifying normal drive train noise. A heavier chain oil like Chain-L (sorry for the self promotion) or Phil's Tenacious will quiet the chain/sprocket noise and help it run smoother when pedaling.

Then there' the effect of a carbon frame, which does a better job transmitting low frequency sound and can act as a sound board for the drive train noise.

SO, IMO, the combination of Red, a carbon frame and certain dry chain lubes is the perfect way to make a drivetrain noisy. About the only way to make it louder would be to ride along a wall, or better yet a line of glass storefronts.

2manybikes

Low spoke count, high spoke tension wheels make more noise too. More like the head of a drum. Add a hollow carbon chamber (the rim) and you have a good sound amplifier.

cafzali

I seriously doubt it is the drivetrain. For some reason, higher-end hubs just make quite a bit more noise. I have a great set of custom wheels that use White Industries hubs and when I first started running them, I had the same reaction as the original poster. But if you ride a lot and observe different types of bikes and wheel combos, you'll quickly see that's the norm now among higher-end wheelsets. Not sure who started the trend, but personally I wouldn't ditch good wheels because of it.

FBinNY 

The chain lube makes a big difference. Heavy oil lubes like Chain-L (consider the source, I make it) or Phil Tenacious dampen the tiny impacts of chain drive and make chains much quieter than dry lubes.

In many cases cleaning out the factory lube and replacing it with light or dry lubes makes it much worse.

FBinNY 

Remember that these hubs are only noisier when coasting. The ratchet doesn't move when pedaling.

Maybe high end stuff is noisier as a way of alerting your riding buddies that you're dogging it.

fietsbob

turning the B screw a bit so there is not the direct cog-chain-pulley connection, with the roller basically,
sitting against the low gear cog.
seemed to help, but that may be more a big 32, 34t cog situaton, than small ones..