The quietest hubs
 

So are there any options for quiet DISC hubs? I know Onyx are silent and may be my options but wanted to know if there are any others. Currently, I am using the DT240 EXPs and they are annoying the hell out of me on those amazing mountain pass downhills. Those are the most fun and these DTs sounds incredibly annoying and far louder than Chris Kings, louder than the older DT 240s and 350s, and louder than even the cheap Specialized pawl hubs. So before I replace that DT240 EXP, I was wondering what my choices were for quiet hubs.

No, grease does not help except for ONE ride. Then it is back to annoying. I do not have much experience with Onyx road hubs and they are likely 150 grams heavier than most read hubs but quiet is the key.

i’m with you, but thoroughly cleaning and re-greasing (with the SPECIAL GREASE) quiets mine amazingly for around 500 miles. but I only have the wherewithal to do it every 1,000.

Shimano

Which grease? I used Dumonde Tech Freehub Grease (off white color) and after one ride, it is as loud as ever.

Not sure Shimano makes a Disc 24h XDR hub. Looking for Shimano road hubs is not easy.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...567257f65.jpeg

Oh, that's funny. I thought you were being a bit funny when you mentioned "special grease" :)

I'm pretty sure the loud hubs are supposed to be annoying, they expose you if you coast. I cannot for the life of me think of another reason for them to be so loud.

Loud hubs emulate the i’m ready to mate call of the female squirrel.

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Usually I don't mind them and don't find them to be too loud. I have currently or have used the Older DT 240s, the DT350s, Chris King R45, and the Specialized cheaper pawl ones. They are all okay. On the MYTBs, I have Chris King and even the borderline obnoxious Industry Nine Hydra (which can actually be quietened down with the Dumonde Tech grease). These new DT 240EXPs prob have some sound pitch that is really annoying and they are really loud too. We don't coast that much here. My rides are pretty much all up and all down, so coming down any of the. mountain passes, I am usually not pedaling much or I'd be going past what I prefer nowadays and many are twisty and steep too. Near me there is an 8-mile downhill and I have scattered all the birds and squirrels away from that area, I think. I really don't like going past 435-0MPH on many of these twisty passes. I sounds like a chainsaw flying down, I am sure, but it just ruins the vibe for me. There are no pedestrians in these areas.

I'll see if Shimano makes a disc XDR 24h rear hub. I don't want to go cheap and have to rebuild them again. If Shimano does not, I'll see if Onyx is a good bet. The Vespers have a weight limit of 180 lbs and I'm a little under that at 175 but the weight limit may be for MTB. I do have a set of the Classic Onyx on a fatbike and it is dead silent, and amazing since I ride that on snow only. The silence of the hub is beautiful when coming down the mountain. Tairin Wheels (Canada) makes a really silent hub too but only in 28h and 32h. My Firecrest rims are 24h.

I find that the noise just reminds me I should be pedaling instead of coasting.

Or are you saying your hub is noisy even when you pedal?

It is noisy only when coasting. It is often not possible to pedal when going down a 8%-10% grade that is twisty. That can be several miles. So for 10-20 mins, all I hear is this chainsaw. This hub is definitely coming off. I just need to find the quiet hub I need. It is looking like Onyx may be it.

I was use to fairly quiet Shimano freehubs. Then my new and current bike came with a Specialized hub that I think is made by DTswiss. It's freehub seems to be as noisy as one could ever possibly be. However I have gotten somewhat use to it. But if and when I ever look for wheels, a quiet free hub will be part of the things I look for.

I don't know how interchangeable free hubs are anymore between different brands of hubs if they ever were. So at minimum you might be looking at having to change the entire hub. And that might mean new spokes if the flange diameter is different.

Lubes you might have mixed results. DTswiss I think is one company that prides itself on the somewhat unique buzzing pattern and loudness of their FH. Quite a few people seem to like the noise. And there have been many threads started by those people wondering why the FH on their new bike isn't making noise. And if that means something is wrong. Over the years, I think the thread count for noisy vs too quiet a FH or FW is about split evenly between those wanting a noisy and those wanting a quiet one.

All my Shimano FH's and FW's were quiet enough. Though some say that others are quieter still. But I've never had them or at least never noticed if I did have them.

Shimano hubs the quietest by far. I hate loud hubs and Dtswiss are noise makers. I love the Shimano Ultegra Hubs but I don't think they make them any more. Standard 32 hole Ultegra was about a good and reliable as they come. Certainly, there are lighter hubs and more configurations but for my money they work fine and no noise. I just detest the racking sound.

Aside from Onyx, Shimano would be the next affordable option.

I don't think Shimano makes a hub I can use- Ultegra or DA in disc/24h/XDR. Onyx it will have to be.

I find it saves having to use a bell or shout to let others know you are approaching.

It replaces my ring bell.

Like I always say to my friends: if you hear your freehub too often, it means that you're not pushing enough. Andale andale!

Good thing about loud hubs is that you can quiet them down pretty easily by adding extra grease inside the freehub body and on the gears. Some people do try to do the opposite though and I have concerns with not following the manufacturer's instructions since it can become a safety hazard.

I have the new DT Swiss 240 hubs and love the buzz. I know that Chris King brags about the "angry bees" sound, but sadly they don't make rim brake compatible hubs anymore.

Ohio has lots of steep downhills, but no 15 mile mountain passes. So the buzzing is just a warning for another climb coming soon.

Update: Matte black Onyx hub ordered in 28h. I forgot that my ZIPP 303 Firecrests were 28h, so good thing I counted. CX Ray spokes ordered with a few extras. Darn oval washers are hard to find but I could reuse mine if needed. I will be so excited when it is close to being ready!! It already makes me want to do Loveland Pass and Vail Pass again.

post back when you have results! I’ll be jealous, as I re-grease my ratchet EXP hubs…

I sure will. It may take a week or two. I have used Onyx hubs on my fatbike which I only ride on snow packed trails. While snow is louder than dirt, the first coasting experience was quite astonishing. I could hear the tires on the snow, the birds chirping, the chipmunks going crazy and alerting other chipmunks, and then when the snow started to fall, it was so incredibly silent. I have never had such a positive cool experience from an auditory standpoint. I am very tempted to take off the I9 Hydras on my main mountain bike and replace that with an Onyx Vesper too. The Chris Kings on the other one are very bearable and a much quieter and lower-pitched buzz. I can hardly wait to coast the 8-10 miles of Loveland Pass or even the Idaho Springs to Mt. Evans since the downhill back is almost 25 miles and almost all steepish downhill. This will be amazing. Anyone want a DT240 EXP Straight Pull 28h XDR in like-new shape, do reach out. :)

I have Mavic Cosmic 571 hubs on my Cosmic Expert, Cosmic Pro and Cosmic Carbone wheels they are among the quietest and the smoothest hubs I have , more or less the same with Zipp 88 and 188 hubs on the zipp 404 and zipp 60 wheels

Had you only known, maybe worked a swap want more noise :lol:

a hub that is disc brake compatible can also be built with a rim that is rim brake compatible. I’ve got wheelsets for our tandem that can run both rim and disc brakes.

No reason you can’t use a hub that can take a disc, with a rim with with a brake track.

Well, I will list this DT 240 EXP soon enough. In the meantimes, I may see if I can time the coasting from a certain speed and see how long this rolls vs. the Onyx. It may be too much work but if I find time, I'll do it.