Why the (campy) whirrr?
 

Just curious here...

My new baby, a magnificent, adorable, comfortable Merlin CR 3/25, comes with elegant Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels, which certainly look fast with those neat red hubs, and seem to perform just fine for the 200+ miles I've done so far. But they have that clicky Campy whirr when you freewheel, which you don't get on Shimano wheels at all.

But why is it there? Does the friction of the whirr slow the wheel down at all? Is it a message to me that I should be pedalling all the time? Or is it just because?

Sounds normal, this is the pawls on your freewheel mechanism. Some are noisy, some sound like a gang of angry cicadas.

Its the wheels telling you to stop coasting and start pedalling.

i got the 2007 Khamsin, and they also have a super loud freewheel. just takes getting used to if you're used to riding a quieter bike.

That is the sound of quality.

During my last century ride I was in a pack of Shimano riders (I was the only Campy)...when my buddies girlfriends mom says "your bicycle is so noisy" (refering to the pawl of the freewheel) to which I responded "That's Campagnolo!" much louder than I planned. She said "SooRRy!?" in that sarcastic way...nice uncomfortable moment. My buddy loved it.

Khamsin here too!

I agree what the other guys are saying, it's basically telling you to stop freewheeling:D

My wife's campy bike is easily twice as loud as my Shimano when we're freewheeling.

It is normal. Everyone who rides Campy knows it well. I like it. I live in NYc and it makes pedestrians take note. It also reminds me to get back on the hammer unless the wind is rushing in my ears so loudly that I can't hear it.

Powerglide, I can't imagine why anyone would make a big deal about it, to be frank. It's just a clicking noise. I think she needs to get her anxiety disorder checked out.

:lol: Damn Campy freewheel! Makes it hard to sneak up on somebody. :(

:lol::roflmao::lol:

campy are quiet next to some chris kings.

My White Industries freewheel buzzes with 72 engagement points. :D

+50

I packed my centaur hub with grease and it was dead quiet for about a hundred miles.

Not really. Unnecessary noise is a sign of mechanical inefficiency.

I test rode a bike with all Campy components including the freehub. The clicking bugged the crap out of me.

You think campy hubs are bad? Listen to these.

^^^ sounds like the wheel of fortune wheel

^^^ but on the road it sounds like a swarm of bees coming up behind you...:D

holy crap! that sounds like a remote control plane.

how about the one guy's comment, "thats hella gay you ride bmx with tires wide enough to be on car and those hubs are gay"

how articulate. :rolleyes:

K thx.

Whatever do you mean? http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1771556

Hey everyone! It's Bill Nye!

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...od/billnye.jpg

Shimano sneaked an engineer into the Campy factory several years back. The freewheel noise is so that Shimano riders can keep track of Campy riders in the pack. The loud CLUNK shifting sound is so that Campy riders can't surprise Shimano riders with sudden breaks. You hear the CLUNK, you know they're about to accelerate.

hmmmm. i rode my Khamsins about 80 miles this weekend and they felt pretty efficient to me. :p