A tale of two Chris King R45 hubs...

[ravdg316]

I have two CK Hed Belgium wheelsets: one with silver Chris King hubs and narrow tires, another one with black hubs and wide Compass tires.

The black hubs are LOUD and fast. Silver ones are almost silent (like Dura Ace hubs) and feel slower. The silver hubs are paired with my fast skinny tires too. What would make one pair of hubs quieter than the other?

[AngryScientist]

What would make one pair of hubs quieter than the other?

lubricant viscosity.

depending on the weight of the lube i put in the ringdrive of my CK hubs (and how much lube is left in there), they can range from really loud to really subdued and quiet.

[weisan]

What about what makes it "feels slower".

[ravdg316]

What about what makes it "feels slower".

Hard to explain. It feels sort of laggy like I’m slogging through mud, although I
Don’t think I’m actually slower. It’s just the feel. I think the hubs might be newer and the bearings may be breaking in?

[cribbit]

Hard to explain. It feels sort of laggy like I’m slogging through mud, although I
Don’t think I’m actually slower. It’s just the feel. I think the hubs might be newer and the bearings may be breaking in?

That has way more to do with the spokes (and a little bit the rim) than the hub. If the wheel isn't stiff enough you're not getting sufficient power transfer. Kind of like riding on a suspension bike.

When you put the wheels on a stand and spin them with similar initial speed they should both slow down at the same rate. Also, unless they stop within a rotation, they're not putting out enough drag to actually matter relative to the momentum you carry.

[Black Dog]

Hard to explain. It feels sort of laggy like I’m slogging through mud, although I
Don’t think I’m actually slower. It’s just the feel. I think the hubs might be newer and the bearings may be breaking in?

Switch the tires on the wheels and keep the tires matched to the bikes they were originally with. It is not the hubs. You will see it is the tires and bike that feels different. Hub drag is too small to be perceived by humans.

[11.4]

It's the clicking. The clicking sound is transferred through the hub to the spokes and to the rims. There it causes acoustic deformation of the chain stay which in turn delays passage of the rim through the chain stays. It also leads to premature failure of the rims. What you need to do is a counter-click noise cancellation system affixed to the center of your hubs. Note that it will also dramatically improve your comfort on the bike, because it will do away with all sense of vibration in your butt caused by the same acoustic effects from the hub.

Lest you think ill of R45 hubs, do be aware that the click was intentionally designed into the hub. The acoustic effect disseminates the air pressure buildup against the hub axle when riding at high speed, which in turn improves speed and eliminates high speed wobble. Brilliant engineering on King's part.

[steelbikerider]

The above is why I ride DA hubs on all of my wheels. Shimano hubs aren't loud enough to need the acoustic balancer. The next generation Xylence hubs will reduce the harmonic effect even more.

[Tony]

I have two CK Hed Belgium wheelsets: one with silver Chris King hubs and narrow tires, another one with black hubs and wide Compass tires.

The black hubs are LOUD and fast. Silver ones are almost silent (like Dura Ace hubs) and feel slower. The silver hubs are paired with my fast skinny tires too. What would make one pair of hubs quieter than the other?

The type of grease used in the freehub makes a huge difference.

[Louis]

It's the clicking. The clicking sound is transferred through the hub to the spokes and to the rims. There it causes acoustic deformation of the chain stay which in turn delays passage of the rim through the chain stays. It also leads to premature failure of the rims. What you need to do is a counter-click noise cancellation system affixed to the center of your hubs. Note that it will also dramatically improve your comfort on the bike, because it will do away with all sense of vibration in your butt caused by the same acoustic effects from the hub.

Lest you think ill of R45 hubs, do be aware that the click was intentionally designed into the hub. The acoustic effect disseminates the air pressure buildup against the hub axle when riding at high speed, which in turn improves speed and eliminates high speed wobble. Brilliant engineering on King's part.

Tell us again the one about your preferred method to shave down tire nubs...

https://static.biketiresdirect.com/productimages/images650/couo12-1.jpg

[colker]

Tell us again the one about your preferred method to shave down tire nubs...

https://static.biketiresdirect.com/productimages/images650/couo12-1.jpg


Eddy would eat tire nubs at breakfast before training in the Belgian Alps! That was his secret. True story.

[berserk87]

King hubs can get gunked up. You didn't mention how old the hubs were, and how many hours (roughly) they have been ridden. I'm not sure if it's a breakdown in the lubricant or dirt that managed to infiltrate the seals, but I've seen cases where the ring drive can get messy. Perhaps this is the case here, and one hub has more wear or is closer to needing service than the other?

On the older King hubs, there was also a pre-load adjustment. I've had R45's also but can't recall if they have the same thing. If so, it could be that the preload is tighter in one than the other.

[11.4]

Tell us again the one about your preferred method to shave down tire nubs...


Good memory. You'd have to find the link.

[Louis]

Good memory. You'd have to find the link.

Post #6 in this https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=34932 thread.

Twelve years ago - how time flies.

[jemdet]

It's the clicking. The clicking sound is transferred through the hub to the spokes and to the rims. There it causes acoustic deformation of the chain stay which in turn delays passage of the rim through the chain stays. It also leads to premature failure of the rims. What you need to do is a counter-click noise cancellation system affixed to the center of your hubs. Note that it will also dramatically improve your comfort on the bike, because it will do away with all sense of vibration in your butt caused by the same acoustic effects from the hub.

Lest you think ill of R45 hubs, do be aware that the click was intentionally designed into the hub. The acoustic effect disseminates the air pressure buildup against the hub axle when riding at high speed, which in turn improves speed and eliminates high speed wobble. Brilliant engineering on King's part.

Tune hubs are notoriously loud, similar pursuit. That's why Wiggo used a mag 150 at the Dauphine in 2012. The mag 150 uses carbon flanges, which dampen vibrations and reduce the vibratory effect when compared to aluminum flanges. The reduced weight still comes out ahead on climbing stages.