Hub advice needed

[esigall]

Looking to you experts for help building up a new (used) ti frame.

The quietness of the drivetrain, especially the hubs when coasting, is important to me (nothing to do with performance, sort of a "zen" thing when you're out there by yourself and in that zone where everything is working in perfect harmony).

At any rate, which quality hubs offer quiet coasting? The Mavics are quite noisy as are the Dura-Ace. I've heard that the DT's are even noisier. (My old 7 sp. Ultegras are almost silent.) Any experience out there with Phil Wood or White Industries hubs in this regard?

New member of this great forum; thanks to all in advance.

[saab2000]

I use Campagnolo Record. I have pumped them full of grease through the hub hole and the cassette hole. Most people do not recommend this because they say it will foul the pawls, but that has not been a problem for mine. And they are nearly silent. :banana:

[Too Tall]

Actually you hit upon exactly what I was going to suggest. Take any campy or shimano hub and replace the grease with phil wood solid grease and it will be nearly silent and very functional. Phil Wood is the only solid grease I know that reliably performs this way. The reason your old hubs are quiet is due to contamination and lube breakdown...it is not as bad as it sounds many of us have hubs same as yours that trooper on for thousands of miles no worries.

You can also experiment with something conventional and inexpensive...not junk mind you in a DT Swiss Onyx hub. These are NOT the fancy ratchet found in their wonderful road / mtn hubs...rather they are conventional pawls...very nice design I use these for commuting. They are worthy of your project in my estimate.

Good luck

[stevep]

all good but grease can thicken up in the actual cold... making the hub operation intermittent and not adviseable.

[Peter P.]

My Ultegra 9 speed cassette hub is, for all practical purposes, silent.

As far as I'm concerned, my Phil Wood is better constructed than the Ultegra and I prefer it over the Shimano, but it is NOISY. Don't even consider Phil Wood if you want silent.

[rustychisel]

four answers and no-one has suggested 'keep pedalling, that'll make it silent'...?

If a ball is dropped in netspace, does anyone hear it?

[Badgers]

The Velomax hubs found on Easton wheels are also super quiet

[dirtdigger88]

my old ENO hub was very quiet

Jason

[thwart]

My well-used Mavic Heliums are quite quiet... shhhhhhhhh!

See above advice about lots of pedaling... must do something to the pawls/springs... or so I would guess.

Maybe you don't really want a new set of hubs.

[soulspinner]

dt 240

[vaxn8r]

All my Shimano and Campy hubs are perfectly silent. Don't be afraid of a little grease.

[Dude]

Shimano will be quiet. Don't use a grease. Don't use a wax based lube, you have to use a wet lube. The phil wood tenacious oil works really well, but in some cold areas, can be too thick. It's a nice summer time oil. I recommend the finish line wet (green) lube. Thick, but not too thick.

You have two options, ride a shimano brand hub, or oil your pawls once a week.

The reason why is that when grease gets under the pawl, it can stick down and doesn't engage the "ratchet" mechanism. THen, under pressure your freehub body slips out, the same thing as if your chain breaks.

Yeah, maybe my example is a little extreme but it happens. And it sucks when it does.

[Too Tall]

Shimano will be quiet. Don't use a grease. Don't use a wax based lube, you have to use a wet lube. The phil wood tenacious oil works really well, but in some cold areas, can be too thick. It's a nice summer time oil. I recommend the finish line wet (green) lube. Thick, but not too thick.

You have two options, ride a shimano brand hub, or oil your pawls once a week.

The reason why is that when grease gets under the pawl, it can stick down and doesn't engage the "ratchet" mechanism. THen, under pressure your freehub body slips out, the same thing as if your chain breaks.

Yeah, maybe my example is a little extreme but it happens. And it sucks when it does.
Dude - give phil wood grease a try. This is the only grease I can pack into conventional pawl-type hubs with no issues.

[chrisroph]

on the pawls, I usually use just a little dab of phil grease followed by a good dousing (10-15 drops) with whatever mobil 1 i happen to have open.

[PaulE]

-and get a Morningstar Industries Freehub Buddy, Morningstar Freehub Soup and the Morningstar replacement freehub dust cover/seal thingy, which you can install and remove as many times as you like vs. the Shimano stamped steel piece that is trash after you remove it. It will be very quiet coasting. When you coast with the White Industries hub you will think you're on Wheel of Fortune and wondering where Vanna White is. But the White Industries hub is great if you don't mind the noise.

And if you're really concerned with temperature variations, Morningstar makes his Freehub Soup in cold weather and warm weather formulae, although I use the standard for year-round riding in the NYC metro area.

[Ligero]

The grease trick works on White Industries hubs also and will cut the noise in half. So has anyone else noticed how quiet the recent Chris King hubs are? I never thought I would say quiet and Chris King in the same sentence but the recent hubs are much quieter.

[bobscott]

Keith Lewis, of ATB chain lube fame, has also formulated a freehub lube. It quieted down my DA freehub to a sweet, soft, purr.
This, and all his products, have worked well for me.
bobscott

[Dave]

I've owned several sets of Ksyriums and all have freewheeled very quietly. There's only two pawls with very weak springs. My Fulcrum Zero wheels (Campy hubs) are LOUD. I pulled the cassette body partially off and the pawl area was packed with white grease, so I didn't figure there was much room for improvement.

[michael white]

dt 240


I have one a few years old and it's so noisy I get frequent complaints.
cyclist friends refusing to ride behind me, etc.

[ERDR]

i agree with vax. i have injected my campy hubs with grease for more than a decade. there has been absolutely no problems in all weather and temperatures. i believe, the people that say you can't have never done it. you do not have to use a light weight oil. as TT said, something comparable to phil wood grease is fine. i think this topic that you can't use the injector ports is unsubstantiated perpetuated dogma. remember to use both the hub and cassette body sites.
as my bud vax says,don't be afraid of a little grease.
s.