I know mtn bikers like more engagement points because in some really techy climbs, exact power when you call for it with the slightest push on the cranks can be important.

That said, i think crazy amount of engagements is redundant. Most shimano mtn bike hubs have 16 i believe.

If you've ever ridden a fixie, you'd know why.

Yes. Very helpful for technical trails, but also so nice on a roadie.

http://www.paysonroundup.com/art/app...methmouth2.jpg

;)

No slack, immediate engagement is the name of the game. It just feels good...:D

I sneak past all those noisy hubs on the descent. They don't hear me and my ultra-silent Ultegra hubs.

Time to lay off the meth; uspspro.

Noisy Campy is for Harley hipster wanna be's. Ride softly and carry a big hammer.

You can make Shimano hubs loud by cleaning the grease out of the pawls and using a light oil. You can also make campy hubs quieter by using DA Special Grease.

The DT sound tops them all IMO.

So is this too noisy? although the camera is right next to the bike. (yeah I know chain guard thingy has to go)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-zMqUQpov4
I'll try to take a video as I coast by...someday

On today's ride somebody put an end to my Chris King envy. Supposedly, while more teeth means instant ratchet engagement, it also produces much more friction. Bad on descents. yay.

The campy whirr is to let people know you're stuff is better than theirs.


/Sarcasm

What is the whirring noise that some high-end wheels make at speed (i.e. not coasting?). I've heard some Zipps make the noise, as well as Carbones. Are they the ceramic bearings, or something with the carbon? It sounds almost like the wheel of a train on a track that gets louder as the rider pedals harder.

I can't find anything on Youtube :(

hmm.. i used to ride something noisey, but now i have American Classic 420s and even while coasting i can't even hear them when im on the bike, stealthy

I love them noises. the louder the better :)

It's there to attract dogs on fast decents.......I know........

it's just the sound resonating through the hollow carbon. i had a set of chris king hubs on a kestrel 200sci in '01, and the sound would carry through the frame. pretty sweet.

next to powertap and chris king hubs, spinergy and topolino are the loudest i've heard. campy aren't that loud. the sound is dictated by the size/drop between each tooth in the hub and the material/machining of the freewheel.

-1 on the buzzing bees, whirring campys and the like.

I getting ready to put in the final specs on my IF club racer and am looking for a quiet rear hub, not silent, I'm not sneaking up on perps, sneaking up on the local fauna maybe, but I want a quite hub. Count me as one who does not like drivetrain noise at all and that includes coasting

My search on the forums have not helped much with a definite list of freehubs that fit this category, but I've seen some folks list these as at least on the quite side:

DT swiss 240
American Classics (all models?)
Some Shimano
Some Campys (Centaur & Chorus but not Record?)

I've also heard that most non high end hubs can be quieted with some oil, possibly Phils super-duper oil. Some folks like grease but some think it will kill me dead. I was leaning to DT Swiss, but uit looks like they are not exactly the best choice for light touring with a 195lb. rider.

Anyone want to chime in of a final thought on a definitive quiet (not silent), but decently sturdy hub?

If you want quiet then the DT Swiss 240s might not be for you. They definitely aren't as load as Campy or CK but they have a pretty noticeable ratchet sound when coasting. You can slightly quiet it with grease but it isn't as quiet as Shimano or low-end hubs.

I repacked my Racing1 hubs and now they are dead silent. Campagnolo uses a superlight grease on their pawls (and not much of it). I swapped it out for FinishLine Premium grease and stealthy I am.

mmmmm like chris king hubs. sounds like angry bees coming up on you. my friend's got a couple sets of wheels with CK hubs on them.....i love it when he rides them! bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz i often wondered why some wheels made noise and some didnt. the wheels that came with my trek1600 didnt make a peep. i was delighted when i got my Rolfs for the BlueRC4 and they were noisy. i like the noise. :D

You know now we are really getting picky when we choose our hubs based on noise over performance / durability / weight.

For the record I have the DT Swiss Hugi 240's. Can't really say I've ever taken notice of how loud or quiet they are. But now I'll be listening to everyone's hubs.....THANKS. :D

The louder the better here as well. We ride Record hubs on some a lot of our road wheels. I have Chris King on one set of MTB wheels and Hope Pro II's on another. My wife has two sets with Hope Pro IIs. Those Hopes are the loudest free wheels I've ever heard. They're sweet! :)

My riding partner on my last century thought it sounded like cicadas. She always knew where I was. 6000 riders and I felt like the only one with Campy.

I have since put my Shimano based wheel back on the bike and it is whisper quiet. It shifts mostly fine with Chorus parts. Best of both worlds really.

Are all the campy wheels this noisy? How about the higher end Eurus?

I've got Eurus wheels and, yes indeedy, they're just as noisy as other Campy wheels.

Its to show off. The louder the wirr, the more expensive and exclusive the freehub. Actually I like it, because I can tell when people riding in back of me are sitting up.