freehub noise

bowlofsalad

bowlofsalad

100 kW
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
1,540
Location
Midwest, USA
Hello http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/83079021.gif,

I have been pondering the many aspects of ebiking. One aspect is that I am likely going to be doing very little pedaling. I imagine the noise of freewheeling at 20mph+ to be a bit much after some time, annoying at least. I would guess some of you have experiences and opinions on this matter.

I've been looking over a few webpages on this matter,
http://felixwong.com/2011/06/how-to-quiet-a-noisy-freehub/
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/silent-freehub-or-almost
and it seems interesting. I did search around here on this forum, but I didn't find much of recent relevance, new conversations are usually different than old anyway. Freewheel noise is irrelevant to you? Silenced by your own efforts? You pedal most of the time? You got a better freehub? And so on.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7czysbdHM1s I should make some toast.
 
bowlofsalad said:
...Freewheel noise is irrelevant to you? Silenced by your own efforts? You pedal most of the time? You got a better freehub? And so on.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7czysbdHM1s I should make some toast.
Click to expand...
I cannot hear my freewheel ratcheting noise after I exceed 20MPH, so it is not a problem for me.

It actually has some benefits. When approaching a jogger on the road, they can hear the freewheel noise prior to me scaring them by my sudden appearance. This unintended benefit has caused joggers not to cross in front of me numerous times.

FA
 
Nyuck nyuck nyuck, interesting point of view and a sincerely appreciable statement, assuming joggers don't have headphones on : P.
 
Yeah, toleable quiet under 20 mph, above 25 mph all I hear is wind in my ear holes.

Some of the cheaper freewheels make a lot of noise, but some are quieter. Or more worn down?

Doesn't take much energy or strength to faux pedal. But it can be too much for some. Myself included nowdays since I got the bad fatigue. I'm a lot more bothered by not being able to pedal much than any freewheel noise.
 
Free*hubs* are typically nearly silent, as most of the parts are inside the wheel's hub. Free*wheels* are often ratchety, as they're often cheaply made and most of the parts are able to vibrate around, not being fixed to anything large and "solid", dampening them.

The former are usually splined and few hubmotors have them, but many modern regular wheel hubs have them.

The latter are threaded, and almost all rear hubmotors have them, as well as a lot of cheap (walmart/wallyworld) bike wheel hubs. Sometimes packing them with good thick grease will quiet them.


But realistically, except when you are riding past a line of parked cars or a wall or something, you probably wont' even hear the clicking of either type, over wind and road noise, even at lower speeds on just a regular bicycle.
 
My older Shimano 13T is barely audible anymore. It used to be more noticeable but after 6,000+ miles keeping up with 20-30 MPH eBike things have a way of wearing-in and minimizing ratchet noise.
 
When my freewheel became noticeably noisy while coasting I figured that it needed service. Took it apart,and sure enough the original oil was dirty,and sparse. I cleaned it,and put wheel bearing grease in the bearing races,then reassembled. It is quiet now while coasting, but I like to pedal while I am riding.
 
Or you could do it Juarez style. lay it on it's side, pour motor oil through it till it starts coming out cleaner. Old bikes in this town always have the freewheel packed with sand.
 
You can buy a single freewheel from 7.99 $, or as much as 200 $
The best freewheel mechanism are noisy because they have many more internal parts, cheap ones are more silent. Yet any freewheel is dead silent at high speed, from the point where its noise is covered by tire friction and wind noise. Best freewheels are not a good investment if you ride winter salted streets, for they will not last any longer. They are able to stand high pressure and engage very quickly, but we don't pedal that hard on our ebikes. They are a must for a mid drive setup to stand better torque on the drive train but even then, a bicycle chain can't really stand high torque very long.
 
I injected automotive grease into mine. Still silent and working perfect after thousands of miles.
 
ez-Ebike said:
I injected automotive grease into mine. Still silent and working perfect after thousands of miles.
Click to expand...
How is it you inject this automotive grease? Which automotive grease do you use? I hear inject and think syringe, but I doubt you are using a needle : P

I need 40ccs of automotive grease, stat! This freehub isn't going to make it doctor! Damn it Jim, I am a doctor not a bicycle mechanic. :p
 
On a car wheel bearing you can put a plastic bag over your hand, reach in and scoop up some bearing grease (with the bag still over your hand), then pick up the bearing (with the greasy bag over your hand), slowly pull the bag from your arm and turn it inside out. Now the bearing and grease are inside and at the bottom of the plastic bag. start twisting the bag until you have a hard ball at the end (grease and bearing inside the ball). Mush the shit out of it to force the grease into the bearing. Slowly (holding the ball) pull the clean side of the bag back over your arm. Now you can put the bearing back on the car axle and remove the bag off you clean arm and hand.

Too bad you have a cassette. You figure it out.
 
bowlofsalad said:
This freehub isn't going to make it doctor!
Click to expand...
Freehub, or Freewheel? Important difference, especially as regards how you'd get the grease in there. ;)
 
amberwolf said:
bowlofsalad said:
This freehub isn't going to make it doctor!
Click to expand...
Freehub, or Freewheel? Important difference, especially as regards how you'd get the grease in there. ;)
Click to expand...

Amberwolf, sounds like he was referring to the cassette clicking and if he pedaled it goes away. My geared hub has the freewheel inside so you never hear it.
 
I'm just assuming he meant freewheel. If he's got a rear hub, only a screw on freewheel of some kind could be used.

I believe there exists a tool for injecting grease into a freewheel. Because of the inevitable sand inside them where I live, I just flush em with 30w motor oil. It just pours in from one side and out the other, and doesn't require removal. Once a year is plenty. Messy of course.
 
dogman said:
I'm just assuming he meant freewheel. If he's got a rear hub, only a screw on freewheel of some kind could be used.
Click to expand...
Actually, no--there are at least two, perhaps three or four, brands/models of rear hubs using splined freehubs. The Fusin "1000W" unit I tested here:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=39877
and now have on this trike:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22720&start=50
is one such. I think GM has another, and I forget who makes the others I am partially remembering.
 
"Amberwolf, sounds like he was referring to the cassette clicking and if he pedaled it goes away. My geared hub has the freewheel inside so you never hear it."

That sounds like what I am referring to. When you pedal, the sound stops, if the bicycle is at a stop and you pedal backwards, you can hear it. I am not sure what part of the bike is called that causes this, but that seems like an accurate description. I don't know if an ebike has something different than what a non ebike has, at least as far as terminology goes. I imagine they both have some kind of bearing/clutch system.
 
Well, as I noted before, there are two different kinds, and both regular wheels and ebike wheels can have either one.
http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html

http://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html

freewheel-vs-k7sm.jpg
BTW, if there's ever something you don't know about a bicycle, and want to, go to that website first--it probably has a better explanation than most other places. ;)
 
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