Change the sound of your hub

[@secretagent86]

Hats off for several reasons. 1) a topic not covered elsewhere; 2) thorough detail unlike many videos which skip or assume things are known to viewers; 3) excellent camerawork. While I strongly prefer a quiet bike, my is not so loud that i need to change anything. Hint to have zero clutch noise: never stop pedalling or get a fixie 😅😅

[@ericgelders]

Wanted to say the same thing, particularly 2). Explanation leaves nothing to be desired!

[@crossroads4762]

I think it's an annoying sound but it is a subtle way of alerting pedestrians on bike paths.

[@wazzup105]

When riding solo .. maybe (although I manage to do fine without for the last 50+ years).. but when riding in a pack of 20+ all having that loud obnoxious sounds for hours on end.... please no.

[@zoladkow]

more annoying and less subtle are contaminated disk brakes - annoying but so much satisfying for that purpose 😁🙃

[@joshuabuilds3051]

Learn to whistle? Buy a bell?

[@rangersmith4652]

Until those pedestrians put in their earbuds.

[@benoitbvg2888]

Letting them think they have a swarm of angry bees coming behind them does work quite well, indeed.

[@As2ronaut]

Viscous grease is not recommended at low temperatures; the hub may spin without engaging.

[@AK-oz4ew]

Some industrial greases are rated for very low temps and work better than repackaged overpriced "bike" greases that are nothing more than regular thin grease, often low quality

[@bober1019]

like what -20c?

[@justarandom404]

Great video, thank you. I will only add that cotton swabs leave behind a shocking amount of cotton strands. They probably don't affect these styles of clutch / pawl mechanisms, but it's worth noting that if you care enough to rebuild a hub to change the sound you really should be using a brush, microfiber, something that doesn't leave behind lint.

[@Up2L842moro]

Yes. Wearing a disposable medical glove and using a pinky finger will work too and also keep the lint out.

[@lockie3075]

I find it cheaper and easier to use a playing card and clothes peg...

[@wazzup105]

OMG that's what I use to have 50 years ago :-) Good things never die !!

[@NewEnglandDirtRoadie]

definitely going to do this with an Easton Echo hub. cows stop giving milk when i ride by

[@NewEnglandDirtRoadie]

that worked BRILLILANTLY!!! thanks Oz

[@derekhobbs1102]

I've started using those foil BBQ trays for when I'm servicing hubs or anything with small parts that can fall.

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

good idea

[@marct9942]

There was a time when the better the freewheel, the quieter.

[@saidimon]

Damn!! This video was a hell o a class, Mr. Oz 👏👏👏💪🤓! I prefer a quieter hub and my friends hat-me because of this 😹🙈

[@phillycheesetake]

I'd quite like my hub to be silent. When I can justify one of those sprag clutch hubs I will, but grease is cheaper last time I checked ebay.

[@Tucsky]

by far the best video about hub sound I have ever seen !

[@jasonschubert6828]

I hate how loud modem hubs are, it's like little kids putting a card through their spokes to make a "motorbike" sound! Most of my bikes run late 80s Ultegra and Santé hubs, which are still next to silent almost 40 years later!

[@awdtw]

My road bikes all run very thick grease, keeps it quiet, and my MTB's I run thin for maximum noise to alert others on the track. I realised people don't listen too well in urban environments so the loud ratchet noise didn't help vs a bell.

[@iamcyberpunk68]

I PREFER ZERO NOISE. IT IS OK FOR 15 MINTES OR SO THEN IT BECOMES A PISS OFF.

[@jono1457-qd9ft]

Noise = wasted energy. And it's f'in annoying.

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

@@jono1457-qd9ft It is a balancing act . NL GI one grade grease is worth trying .

[@ΑΣΔΦΓΗΞΚΛ]

IDK, when I was a kid we used to put bits of cardboard on the rear stays dipping into the spokes. It made this great farty sort of sound and we could pretend to have an engine, so we felt BIG. Great if you're say, seven.

[@MsTatakai]

@@ΑΣΔΦΓΗΞΚΛ thats kinda diferent tho... because that sound of an engine it pitch up when you pedal and it gives you dopamine like a car or a motorbike... the faster the higher pitch While the hub with this sound you have to stop pedalling to hear making pretty nothing ... I kinda wanted my hub with zero noise =P

[@ΑΣΔΦΓΗΞΚΛ]

@@MsTatakai if you did both you could make a racket all the time 😁

[@john_john_john]

I've recently bought a bike with a DT Swiss pawl hub, whereas I've had a Mavic ratchet hub before. The points of engagement difference is very noticeable for mountain biking, however the DT Swiss is literally almost silent and, to be honest, I'm willing to sacrifice the points of engagement for the ability to go down a trail and only hear the wind and the tyres.

[@allenjanes5976]

You might like onyx vespers. It's what I use. They are quiet as a church mouse with instant engagement. Only drawback is the price

[@anthonystriglia3533]

With thick enough grease you can make any hub very quiet

[@richardmiddleton7770]

If your freehub body has 4 or 6 pawls, you can shorten 2 or 3 opposing pawls on a grinder by half of the distance between the ratchet teeth. This adjusts the 'phase' that opposing pawls engage. Ali Clarkson has a video on doing this.

Great video, just one thing... Better to use a small brush instead of cotton swab, cause swab leave cotton hairs behind, as seen on 9:00

[@festerofest4374]

For certain. With cotton swabs it's nearly impossible to not transfer some of the fibers (hairs) into the grease and mechanism -- not good.

[@channul4887]

@@festerofest4374only a complete amateur would use a cotton swab aka q tip to apply grease.

[@ラーニャラッセル]

Very good content sir! As a newbie with enthusiasm this gave me a really good amount of information. I would definitely rewatch this when I learned how to fidget with my hubs.

[@ralfmimoun2826]

In some clutch freehubs you can easily add pawls. Sometimes that's the only difference between the cheap and the pricey hub models of that manufacturer. Older Bontrager come to mind.

[@JohnDoe-oe3dg]

I'd add that -if your hub has like 6 or 4 pawls, removing even half of them while keeping balanced spread of pawls on the hub - won't do anything bad, and decreases the sound significantly. -using thick grease should work, but only temporary, until grease layer won't be spreaded by engaging pawls. If it's too thick and stays to prevent spreading, I think there could be risk of not full pawl engagement. Also, sometimes finding the exact thickness value of the grease is major PITA

[@ThisGuyRides]

depends on the hubs, but removing half the pawls in Bontrager hubs would reduce engagement points from 108 to 54.

[@user-uh3lr4bx8g]

Thank you so much. I’ve learned so many things from your videos over the last few years and in this particular one, having Reynolds wheels and struggling to find the pawls and springs at least I know what’s going on. Thank you.

[@erikl1003]

This has been a very helpful overview of how they each work, and that they’re not all the same. Good stuff!

[@imsgoalie1]

Commenting to help this populate in more people's suggested videos feed, since it is outstanding. Great job!

[@mr.bianchirider8126]

I’ve been using Phil’s Tenacious. It keeps it fairly quiet. From your video I need to up the thickness.

[@hughjanus7354]

Good tip on using any grease you want from a range of thickness, rather than sticking with what manufacturers advise based on their long term testing.

[@christopheroliver148]

I wonder how much the loudness of the spring sound boils down to the amount of force in the engagement springs. If the opposing teeth were slightly undercut, I think you wouldn't even need that much engagement to guarantee total engagement on pedaling. In that case, the only click would be from the tips of the opposing teeth passing over each other rather than the teeth hitting their full engagement points.

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

You are referring to the loudness of the engagement "PAWLS" .

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

Pawl tip shape changes harmonics and resonant frequency slightly . I have experimented with this in a machining shop producing pawls on CNC .

[@sorooshusa]

I dont understand why people like that annoying loud sound of the free hub. I wish it was silent. Even when i ride alone, I dont wanna hear a buzzing noise in the background.

[@Adlemtbadv]

I agree. That's super annoying. But some people get a buzz out of producing annoying sounds. Like people who ride Harley's etc.. No shame. Then again, if you ride road, you'd probably want to bring attention to yourself due to the risks presented by third parties. But while I'm out cycling in the peaceful bush, I'd rather listen to bird song and the wind in my helmet.

[@Gledii]

@@Adlemtbadv yeah, for me its like "bell", just stop pedalling to bring awareness that you are coming. some people got more annoyed if you ring a real bell. i think its sounds cool too. however the lifetime of the hub will be compromised with no grease..how bad? i dont know

[@motogp9253]

If you want a silent hub, pedal more.

[@ovedium]

@@motogp9253 savage

[@ace12699]

They called it. Show off or need attention

[@kenhiew2900]

For those who want SILENCE or QUIET , want to modify your free hub with a standard engagement system and say eg 4 pawls, disassemble the free hub. I havent tried on star ratchets. Then, stretch the round "O" spring so that its just slightly less strong on the pawls. In effect you are making the O just very slightly bigger. Put some grease in. This may take some trials so that you get enough engagement on the pawls but also it quiets the sound. If you go too far ( stretch the O spring too big or put too much grease , the pawls will sometimes miss engagement. Just do it till u can get it , few tries ). Ive done it 4 times already on my wheels.

[@fabianmolyneux2308]

Very timely vid as I'm just looking to upgrade my wheel hubs. Another fantastic job on your part with a very clear and well explained approach

[@dperreno]

Just an observation, the thick grease will get dispersed from the star ratchet face over time, so you will need to reapply periodically to keep the noise down. Also, too much grease can also prevent the ratchet from engaging, so don't dump the whole container of grease in there.

[@Jon-Jon53]

Wheel bearing grease or motor assembly grease is best for use in freehubs. It's designed to stay in place and will take much longer to thin out needing more.

[@davidpottage6402]

Are the two star rings interchangeable or do I need to keep track of which is which when I disassemble my hub? Are the two springs different?

[@markrushton1516]

Mapdec featured Corima wheels recently. Completely silent. Beautiful set of wheels as well.

[@Veloasia]

New favorite channel.

[@darrenst441]

Brilliant timimg on your video - i have 2 sets of wheels i am planning on servicing in the next few days and i was wondering how to quieten the set with the DT Swiss hub - then this video comes along ! Thankyou so much 👏👏😆

[@victorrodriguez2806]

A very good informational video. The sound that a person desires should have absolutely no bearing ( no punn intended ) on the final result of proper maintenance.

[@wrussum1]

Great for Mtn. Biking: In 1985 one of my riding buddies pointed out that one can get close to wildlife much easier with a heavily greased hub.

[@kccheng604]

Such a great and informative video especially for the average weekend warrior. Thank you very much!

[@pompeymonkey3271]

I remember stripping down my screw-on freewheels "blocks" in the eighties. This was usually because I'd need to replace a broken pawl and, as a self-funded teenage racing cyclist, the cost of a new block justified the time it took to do the repair! Just don't ask me about tying cotton loops around the pawls to keep them in place for re-assembly... lol :)

[@stevenleffanue]

Yep and loosing those tiny loose ball bearings 😃

[@53glowe]

Great technical video. But here's the elephant in the room...cyclists who want louder rear hubs are no different to motorcycle riders with loud exhausts, particularly Harley riders. It's a hear me, look at me ego driven attitude. They think it's great, but everyone else thinks they're a tosser. So if you want to be a tosser, or heaven forbid a wanker, go loud. If you think it's for safety reasons, you're hiding behind the real reason you want noise 🤔

[@Up2L842moro]

Bro, my Trekalized Tardone SL-XXX with Jealous Whizz deeps sounds like angry bees cause your gonna get stung when I come up on you. Yeahhh, bro, sick AF. Poke that hive an find out! /s

[@sloprun]

Thank you. I thought there was no cure for screaming rear hubs.

[@krissk77]

The noise is nice.. alerts others road or trail users u r coming.... fast... slow riders to give way.😂

[@meibing4912]

Amazing as always! Hate the loud noise myself - but I have it on all my new carbon wheels as it apparently "the thing" when you buy a quality wheel set. 🤣

[@brianboschma]

I have had a bad experience with this technique on DT Swiss hubs. The thicker grease, while quieter, delayed engagement on a few occasions. In particular on several tall climbs, standing up, I had slipping occur. The ratchet slips over each other as the heavier grease slows engagement. I switched back to lighter grease, but within several weeks of riding the slipping ratchet returned and got worse. Upon inspection the ratchet teeth had become rounded at the sharp , top, edge. At this point I have to replace the ratchet set as the wheel is really annoying to ride on.

[@workinprogress1098]

Great video, everything explained very clearly. Thank you, I'm looking forward to quietening my freehub.

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

With a motorcycle mechanic friend , I ground a second set of cavities into a Novatec D042SB freehub at positions one third away , or 30 degrees away from the existing ones on CNC and we doubled the increments from 26 ( unmodified ) to 52 points per revolution as a result . We then added a second set of matched pawls .The conversion was successful and another friend is riding with those hubs in - situ with success . A NL- GI no 1 grade grease was applied before re - assembly at the beginning of this year .The hubs are still going strong today .

[@anthonystriglia3533]

I’ve been wondering if this is possible

[@chrisplatt7391]

Must say @oz cycles, this video is BRILLIANT and answers all my questions about how to service my freehub (and most importantly make it louder!). Top work and many thanks for the great content! 😁👍🏻

[@stephanematis]

Learned so much! Thank you!

[@Matthew-ez4ze]

I did this by accident on my DT Swiss freehub, and now it is so silent and smooth. All from lightly applying high-performance grease after cleaning my cassette.

[@davidhakes5141]

They sound like a fishing reel, with a big bass on the hook, and it's stripping the drag.

[@skottIMtri]

Great info again Steve, a question though. My star ring from Elite only contains one spring but the star ring you showed had two.

[@stevenleffanue]

Just use whatever was in the clutch. If there was only one spring then put back one spring in the same place. Different hubs have different arrangements.

[@venombicycle9105]

This has been the unsolved mystery after I saw a guy using DT Swiss 240EXP hub(which is same as mine) but his hub was completely silent. Thanks, guru!

[@tz1]

I have dt swiss 240's with 54t ratchet. put some ceramicspeed long life grease in and it barely makes any noise now. too quiet. hoping it will get a bit noisier soon.

[@Adonis-qj1nq]

@@tz1 How long did it last and did you ever have issues with engagement/slipping? I’d really like to quiet my hubs but don’t know how it works over time.

[@tz1]

@Adonis-qj1nq starting to get noisy again, but i dont mind. Lasts for quite a while. I only noticed a bit of slipping when I put too much ceramic speed all round grease.

[@Adonis-qj1nq]

@@tz1 thx

[@Doeff8]

Very much bikes make a ridiculous loud noise. Do people like this? It's annoying, I'd say typical asocial behaviour. The story that it warns pedestrians proves this: yhou shoudl watch out for them, not the other way around! My bike is very silent, I really love it, but I seem one of the last bikers who love to be swift, silent, and attentive to my environment.

[@martinmbae2688]

Thank you for the time taken to put all this together

[@thomulcahy]

Good to know that thicker grease will dull the annoying sound.

[@snowcrazed1]

The correct sound is absolute silence. My belt drive alfine 11 commuter is my favorite, it's completely silent when riding and free wheeling. And I don't have to worry about the chain cos there isn't one. I bought a new mountain bike recently and am having nightmares about getting back into chain maintenance but luckily the free wheel sound is relatively quiet😅

[@johnpetrowski6998]

My road bike has the DT Swiss 240 hub and I do not like how loud it is. I lube it with the DT Swiss "special grease" and I note it is much quieter for a few miles but after the grease works in it will be loud again. DT Swiss states that any hub warranty will be void if you do not use their special grease (which has a distinct pink color). I have had the wheel for 2 years so I do not think there is any warranty left, will try the thicker grease next time!

[@AK-oz4ew]

Unfortunately, the sound reduction is nothing but a temporary thing. You can have better success with thin industrial greases, just make sure they are cold weather rated

[@ironray123]

I find this video "a-pawl-ing".

[@dereknovaes4217]

A few years ago I used synthetic spray oil for my BMX hubs! What a beauty that was

[@grn-xx]

I really love the low pitch sound that some freehubs have rather than those high pitch ones. What makes the difference in sound? Id assume its the number of contacts, the less the deeper. Is this true?

[@stevenleffanue]

Combination ...deeper rims and carbon spokes also deepen the sound.

[@grn-xx]

​@@stevenleffanuedidn't think of that, makes sense. Thank you very much!

[@andrewm6192]

DT Swiss always advise to use their red grease but greese is grease at the end of the day. Been using regular grease on my DT Swiss Pawl type hub for a while nice and quiet 😀

[@henrybikeman]

…grease is grease……Hahaha. Funny guy.

[@Mgrant8163]

I'm over the trendy sound of loud hubs. Makes me think of putting playing cards in my spokes held on by a clothes pin as a kid!

[@jornmulder]

Onyx Vesper, how can it be that quiet ? how nevermind they are very expensive

[@dontpanic7940]

thank you! That video helps me a lot.

[@franco992]

Got to be careful with some older freewheels eg Campagnolo. The springs and pawls need to be retained somehow before you can reassemble - they won’t just sit there nicely like they did in this video! I found out the hard way. I bought a magic clip thing off eBay for a lot of money but it was worth it.

[@KP-tf6lf]

I changed mine thanks to playing card and a clothes pin- when i was 7🙄

[@saifulazlin]

very well explained; thumbs up

[@khamposs]

Un gran trabajo, muchas gracias, saludos desde Chile

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

Thicker grease leaves the pawls sticking so for safety purposes I use a lighter one.

[@richardportelance7810]

Oz - thanks again for a great video. Wondering if you have a recommendation for an affordable set of 700c wheels for rim brakes with decent aero profile. Thx!

[@toriushauser7143]

Outstanding content. Thanks a lot

[@KuromoriYo]

Really awesome video, thank you.

[@40mes]

Energy is required to make noise, and this energy is coming from the rotating wheel. Hence all the hub-chatter is slowing down wheel rotation. Maybe not a lot, but some. With all the concern about saving a few Watts here and there (e.g. aerodynamic socks), I don't understand why wheels that make such noise are commonplace.

[@benm9469]

The freewheel with thick grease full, to lubricate is not recommended. It can happen that the pulleys suddenly no longer grip. Then you step forward into the void and if you're lucky, you do not fly on the face.

[@christopheroliver148]

Use a .light grease then. I put RockLube SuperWeb in my early 2000 era Campag freehubs, and the palls work well but with only a very soft clicking. I would find the sound of most of these _modern_ freehub mechs very grating.

[@SlingsAxes]

Are any of those modern hubs made for rim brake wheels?

[@DerFilmgucker]

The freehub systems do not differ between rim and disc brake wheels. These differ by manufacturer & might change over time.

[@gauguin007]

My new wheels are fashionably noisy, with six pawls. When I spin the back wheel on a stand, the friction from these pawls make the pedals turn a bit; so is this slowing me down? By the way, my old are Repco Superlite I was completely silent.

[@SwitchyCrystals]

Louder hub = safer for pedestrians. I commute along the canal and when its windy sometimes my bell doesn't cut through the wind. Winding the pedals in reverse let's them know there's a bike coming

[@kris2435]

Thanks for sharing 😊 Found your channel this weekend. Subbed. Now watched 5-ish vids. You Sir may very well run the best🚴channel out there. Well done.

[@highanddryful]

A fantastic tutorial as always so thanks. Personally I enjoy the loudest clutch as it sure scares the hell out of drifters walking in the middle of a shared path.

[@Raisen1992]

Excellent content!

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

I have a pawl and spring hub with 72 points of engagement. And I really regret buying those wheels, it sounds so loud and obnoxious. I will definitely try taking the hub apart to quiet it down using your method, thanks for this video!

[@m2xtv]

Nice Video! What you say is a good grease for max. Sound like 00 or 000? Which one exactly can you recommend?

[@Up2L842moro]

Has anyone tried putting sound dampening foam cut to fit around the axle inside the freehub body in a way that doesn’t touch the perimeter pawls or hollow of the freehub body? Also, the inside of the hub shell could be filled with spray expansion foam or stuffed with dampening foam too. Both applications would reduce resonance inside the metal cavities and reduce external sound. But it would add a few grams 😢…

[@joshuabuilds3051]

Boy this thumbnail can be hard to look at. I dont think enough was said about drag, and wear. The lighter oil will offer less drag, way more noise, and increased wear on the clutch, when compared to a heavy grease with good anti wearing properties. I think loud hubs became a trend because of younger people entering the sport and perceiving a loud hub to be "high performance" and the louder the more money you can justify spending on it. And then you have a company as old as time like shimano, and they patented a literally silent rear hub. Because cyclists know a quiet bike is a fast bike, no rubs, no squeaks they prioritize quiet and smooth components. I mean even shimano Deore is named that because someone admired the way deer move silently and quickly through thick woods, and thought that was an appropriate name for a mtb groupset.

[@alexandermarrero6689]

For tastes and colors, the Shimano Deore and SLX sound equally strong currently

[@pinoyeh]

ahhh, no need for me to change the internal parts just to get a louder sound. I will still stay with my stock set-up. There will be no performance benefits to my riding should I make any changes.

[@keacoq]

Useful vidéo. Now to look at my freewheel so loud that itend to keep the pedals turning to avoid hearing it.

[@z32o]

Thank you. Very educational

[@jeffs5519]

What a great vid, thanks mate!

[@shahedsaffari365]

Amazing explanation you have my sub sir! i had a Q if anyone knows... If i wanted to have 2 wheelset setup for 1 bike, would i be better to make sure i have the same front and rear hubs? i want to avoid constant alignments of brake calippers.

[@stevenleffanue]

It would be ideal. However, most hubs are very similar in spacings so you simply need to use the same speed cassette.

[@shahedsaffari365]

@@stevenleffanue awesome thanks a lot ye that would be much easier. So just get another copy of my stock casset (Orbea Terra m31 2023) and put in the new wheel (zipp 303 firecrest) ?

[@stevenleffanue]

Yes. Usually Shimano or Sram cassette.

[@shahedsaffari365]

@@stevenleffanue great thanks

[@philippejoseph8604]

There is eventually an other option : Keep on pedaling always ( humour ). It's a joke, I appreciated the very professional video.

[@aurelioramos8463]

After attempting to use Lucas Red'n tacky (NLGI2) I decided to go back to a thinner grease because while it did quiet my star ratchet hunt freehub, it also prevents engagement and adds too much coasting drag. My bike needs to be ridable. If anyone knows of an NLGI2 or 3 grease that actually works (obviously not red'n tacky), I am all ears (eyes)

[@donwinston]

Great video! 👏

[@maddoc68]

silent hubs are dangerous 😬

[@insanegixxerdude486]

Thanks for the video. Can you provide the link for the super team carbon wheels star racket upgrade kit?

[@stevenleffanue]

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! AU$37.19 30%OFF | Bicycle Hub 60T Star Ratchet Bike Hub Service Kit Ratchet For DT Swiss Ratchet System Freehub Repair Tool Bike Parts Accessories a.aliexpress.com/_mOqDU3K

[@timothysinclair8724]

Loud hubs are as annoying as my neighbours barking dog

[@ukaszwrobel8153]

Greta video. Thanks.

[@Alex-bl6oi]

Great video! I've read other places that grease is only a temporary quieting/fix. Is that true? If so, how long does it stay quiet?

[@stevenleffanue]

Should stay quntill you next need to clean and regrease the clutch....usually after winter.

[@dcv9460]

AWESOME! Thank you! 😎👍

[@jameschege5360]

Hi kindly help, I need the loudest hub which is the best and where can I buy.