My buddy is looking for a new higher end endurance style bike and doesn't want a hub that sounds like a swarm of angry bees. Budget around $5k.

Does this exist?

Check out the DT Swiss Star Ratchet series, 240, 350 types. Silent running when greased, buzzy when dry.

DT Swiss 16t rachets are quiet. 36t and 54t are not.

My newer edition 370 hubs came with 16t.

or get any DT swiss hub and swap to 16t ratchets.

I have a set of Shimano Ultegra C50s that are among the quietest wheels I own. They aren't silent, but definitely not very loud.

they'll likely need to buy a separate set of wheels to go with the new bicycle. Probably another 1200 on top of the new bicycle price tag.

Is it just higher-end bikes that sound like " a swarm of bees" ? I have always thought they are showing off, like rolling coal, bike version. My cheap Norco hybrid 12 speed was almost silent and my Alfine 8 is silent.

For many brands of bike, they make the same frame model with all different components on them to be able to price different versions of them at different levels from entry to best of the best.

So even if I was to tell you my bike came with a quiet free hub, the one you find in the shop may have a different wheelset with a different hub.

Best just to go look and find out what's there that you can buy.

You might realize or get your friend to realize that the better thing will be to get the bike based on the other drivetrain components and other stuff that matters more. Then if the free wheel is too noisy or they can't get use to it, then have a quieter hub laced into the wheel or get a new wheel with quieter hub.

I didn't and still don't like noisy hubs. But my Tarmac's is noisy. I've somewhat gotten use to it. But I don't coast much. And when I'm in a group of riders, mine by far is not the noisiest.

as I understand it it is a function have have a greater number of pawls in the rear hub, so that engagement is faster

certainly some hub makers, like chris king are proud of their "angry B sound"

I used to annoy me as my shimano 6800 hubs were quiet, but now I find the noise usefull when on a mup.....early warning and often enough before a bell ding or an "on your left"

I recall Campy / Fulcrum being pretty quiet.

ANy Bike with a Shimano Wheelset will be about as quiet as they come...

Ride On
Yuri

Fixie, Track Bike?

The noise that the bike makes while coasting depends on the wheels, not the make and model of the bike. Bike models can substitute different wheel sets depending on availability during manufacture.

You know the "bike" has nothing to do with the sound. It's the rear hub that counts. Doesn't matter the bike budget. Do some searches for "quiet freehub" and you'll get the info you're looking for.

BTinNYC have your friend look at the new 3T Strada, which with the SRAM Rival AXS 2x drivetrain has an MSRP of $5.2k.

The Strada falls more on the Race side than the Endurance side of the geometry range, but it’s a comfortable all-‘rounder offering good fit adjustment.

The base wheels are Fulcrum Rapid Red 900, the hub for which is virtually dead silent. The rim is shallow aluminum, and they’re heavy, but do have a healthy 23mm internal width.

Although the Strada Force 2x model, which uses the same wheelset, has an MSRP of $6.9k, I’ve seen good discounts on those, probably because the new Force is here and they’re clearing stock of Stradas equipped with the older Force, so that might be worth your friend having a look at, too.

chaadster , thank you very much for the lead!
Much appreciated.

Build a rear wheel using an old Shimano Nexave 'Silent Clutch' (rollers instead of ratchets) hub. Silent as the grave.

Not showing off at all at least on my front. It is more engagement and more engagement usually will equal a louder hub. I did it on my touring bike because I really liked Paul and Industry Nine and wanted a hub that was well made in America and liked the extra engagement for climbing a hill fully loaded. It wasn't really to "flex" on people but because it had performance benefits that I wanted and was made with good labor practices in the country I live.

Rolling coal is different it is intentional assault on people and further destruction of the earth it is nothing like having a nicer hub. However yes there are some people who want a louder hub to get noticed but most are looking at performance benefits and with a traditional pawl system more performance will mean more noise. Just like a carnival prize wheel.

On mtb's you are generally going slower so I find it less annoying, and the engagement points are useful for trials like moves.
I don't know about new shimano, but old school shimano hubs were very quiet IMO. Aftermarket brands tended to be louder, but you can always grease em to quiet them down.
I find I don't ride my bikes with loud freehubs at night. Swear i can wake the dead they are so loud sometimes.

A thin application of lightweight grease to the freehub pawls really quiets things down. Some will warn about the grease getting too thick in cold weather, but that has not been my experience down into just above freezing.

Tell your friend to buy whatever bike he likes most and fits the best. Then tell him to build a wheelset around Onyx Vesper hubs for complete silence and instant engagement.

You'll have to double check if vesper is available in road bike spacing, Onyx may call it something else.

[MENTION=438566]katsup[/MENTION] - never heard of Onyx hubs, but they come in a road/gravel version. 'Sprag clutch design" = never heard of it, but that's not unusual.

Road & Gravel - Onyx Racing Products (onyxrp.com)

I think it has something to do with the likes of GCN types getting all gooey on camera when they do their "freehub sound check." I've never liked buzzy hubs myself and I cannot for the life of me understand what is so appealing about the noise. Rolling coal, or perhaps the "JDM-tuner-fartcan-exhaust" crowd?😁

Exactly. I commute in the wee hours of the morning and I don't feel the need to announce my presence to sleeping folks a block in advance. I have had good luck with a NOS Shimano 5800 series hub, SUPER quiet for a pawl-based design. On the other hand, I have a Speed Tuned Super 6 2.0 hub that is just about the loudest thing I've ever heard. 6 pawls for lots of engagement, but on a downhill the level of noise is otherworldly.

Again not always just the noise that is appealing but the actual performance of the hub. The whole reason for the noise is a higher engagement hub meaning closer to the time you push the pedals you get moving forward. You don't have as much delay. Like I said above for me on my loaded touring bike being able to engage the gears quickly going up a hill is quite handy. Yes it does make noise and yes GCN does the free hub sound check but for many people it is the performance that is really the case the noise is just an added bit either good or bad. I think good overall because you can more easily know there is a cyclist behind you on a trail. Sometimes people are bad about warning so it gives a touch of advantage. In the end though if you don't want a higher engagement pawl based hub, don't get one and you will be fine.

Rolling coal and loud exhaust is not the same. A louder exhaust I guess could have some performance benefits but rolling coal is just assault plain and simple. The loud exhaust doesn't have to be loud and while it has its place at a race track in a neighborhood it is quite annoying but way way way louder than any hub I have heard.