After owning a few different sets of mountain bike wheels, with varying degrees of quality and of course sound, I’ve begun to wonder if a quieter hub can be just as good as a loud one. After digging in, here’s what I have come to learn.
So, are quiet hubs just as good as loud hubs for mountain biking? Yes! In recent years, quite a few hub manufacturers have introduced quieter, or even in some cases silent hubs, onto the market. With quality brands like Shimano and Onyx on the forefront of silent hubs, the volume of sound a hub produces is no longer a direct indication of quality.
For years the mountain bike community has been of the opinion that the more noise a hub produced when freewheeling, the better built and engineered it was. And with good reason. Up until recently the basic design of a freehub was relatively the same; a toothed drive ring surrounds a set of pawls (how many depends on manufacturer) that engage into the drive ring. The constant action of interlocking then releasing numerous times per wheel revolution, is what produces that infamous clicking we’ve all heard while coasting. The more pawls and teeth in a hub (known as ‘engagement points’), the louder it will usually tend to be. It was for these reasons it was assumed that ‘louder was better’.
With advancements in brake technology, improvements to internal cable routing, as well as the proliferation of 1x drivetrains, mountain bikes have gotten to be more and more quiet. Perhaps one reason loud hubs have been so popular is that infernal clicking drowned out all the chain slap, cables clanging and suspension creaks that were so prominent in the past.
In 2015 Onyx made a big noise (pun intended) in the mountain bike world by producing a hub that used a ‘sprag clutch’ and is said to be dead silent. Then in 2018, Shimano announced the release of its new XTR ‘
Here is some more information that I was able to uncover about hubs.
Do Louder Hubs Create More Drag?
Yes. When a hub is freewheeling the springs inside the mechanism still create an outward force on the engagement pawls, which creates a constant drag regardless of them not being interlocked into the drive ring. Though it may not seem like much when you think about it, as a general rule, the louder the hub is, the more drag it will create while riding.
Do Quiet Hubs Engage Quickly?
Yes. Some of the fastest engaging hubs on the market today engage, and are ready to have full power put down in with just 3°-12° of crank rotation. Industry Nine’s new Hydra hub claims 0.52° is all that is needed. Whiles Shimano’s Scylence hub notices a 7.6° rotation and Onyx promises “instant engagement” once power is put to the cranks.
Can Loud Hubs Be Made Quieter?
Yes, but not completely silent. Many mechanics have been successful at quieting down their Chris King, DT Swiss or other ratchet style hubs by adding extra grease to the engagement and drag points within the freehub mechanism. This, unfortunately, doesn’t last long, as the grease tends to migrate out during use. Which then requires a regreasing in order to quiet it down once again. A great ‘quick fix’ if you’re not in the market for a $300-$400 rear hub, just for a little peace and quiet.
What are the Pros and Cons of Quiet Hubs?
Pro’s –
- hear other creaks and squeaks from the rest of the bike (pivots points, cables, frame, etc.) sooner, signaling a need for maintenance
- easier to have a conversation with your riding partners
- can hear your tires lose traction sooner, allowing you to react
quicker before losing control - great for YouTubers looking to highlight there narration or trail noise, rather than an incessant buzzy during their videos
- less drag
Cons’ –
- hard for oncoming traffic (hikers, equestrian, other riders) to know you’re coming around that blind corner
- hear other creaks and squeaks from your bike
- don’t look err, sound, quite as cool at the bike park
- expensive right now
Related Questions
Do quiet hubs need to be serviced more often? Both the Onyx and Shimano Hubs claim to require the same service interval as a standard ratchet style hub. Though I have yet to service one personally, from the videos I watched on their mechanisms and disassembly, they look quite simple to repair as well.
Are quiet hubs more expensive? No. The DT Swiss 350 hub can usually be found for just under $200 and can be quieted down nicely by adding extra grease to the star ratchet system. 350’s are known in the mountain bike world as one of the best ‘bang for your buck’ hubs out there. They’re a solid contender, at a very reasonable price.
In what situations should I use either? If you want to connect more with the bike and the trail, or plan on making any POV style videos, go with a silent hub. If you ride a lot of shared-use trails or prefer a time tested, tried and trued system, go with a pawl hub.