I want a noisy free hub, what do you suggest?

Hello, for purely silly reasons (although there is a safety element if people can hear you better) I like the sound of a noisy free hub (is that what the part is called that makes the loud ticking sound when you are coasting and not pedalling?).
What part on my bike do I need to replace to create this sound?
Are there any brands/parts that you can recommend that are more noisy?
What kind of a price range are we talking about here to swap this out?
Thanks for any additional info that can be shared.

The freehub is the actual component responsible for the noise. It consists of pawls and/or ratchet rings that engage and disengage, which leads to the sound.

In most cases, you will need to change at least the wheel hub to get a freehub system with different sound qualities (frequency and amplitude).

Chris King, DT Swiss, Industry Nine and other brands all offer systems with different engagement and noise associated with them.

I’m short on time to go into deeper detail. I will return or others can fill in the blanks.

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Industry nine is the loudest I believe. Chris king and hope are also quite noisy.

You can also replace the grease that comes in some freehubs for freehub oil and that’ll make it louder

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You’d need a new wheel. Or, you’d need to take the grease out of your current freehub - not recommended. A bell will be a lot cheaper. :slight_smile:

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Hope is the first one that springs to mind for me.

Although I have scribe ratchet hubs on my new gravel wheels and they are super noisy

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Be warned, Hope road hubs (RS4) are not very noisy.

It’s completely fine as long as you replace it with freehub oil.

Get the noisy hubs as people have suggested above (chris king, dt swiss with a 24 tooth or more star ratchet, i9 etc) but also think about having that hub be part of a deep or deep-ish section carbon rim. It adds a resonance chamber to help amplify the sound. I have a pair of flo 45s and I have to be pedaling to talk to my wife on rides or else she can’t hear me over the sound of the freehub.

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The Industry 9 torch on my mtb is noisy, I like it. If you search for “freehub sound check” on youtube I’m sure you will get a good sample of whats available

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DT Swiss or Industry 9 with out a doubt

Chris King is noisy but not annoying, actually I really enjoy the sound.

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My original FLO 60 is loud AF. :loud_sound::joy:

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I have DT Swiss 240s hubs which are loud, and always part the pedestrian waves, but I don’t imagine you would consider spending that much just for the sound, although they will probably outlast me as well…
Not sure what Mavic road wheels are like but my Crossmax MTB hub is quite noisy.

A quick YouTube search will yield results…
(Hub noise language is universal)

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The Hunt freehubs are pretty loud. I have DT Swiss and whilst louder than most I don’t them too annoying. Chris King hubs have more of a buzz to them.
Which then begs the question of pitch as well as noise.

DT Swiss is very dependent on which ratchet you use, 18T, 36T, or 54T, as well as the grease in the ratchet. The higher the tooth count, the buzzier and louder it gets. The more grease you use (within reason, don’t overpack it), the quieter it gets. I have DT Swiss 350 hubs (18T) that are very quiet with DT Swiss’ red grease.

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I bought the Industry Nine Hydra hubs primarily for the fact that they’re reputed to be LOUD and can report that they did NOT disappoint :sunglasses:

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Or just do what I did as a kid with my Raleigh Grifter and fix a lolly stick to the seat stay :laughing:

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Thank you everyone for your comments.
So if I want to go ahead with this and I am ok with the rest of my equipment, I will need to buy a new hub and some internal /additional parts and then have it swapped out for my current hub in my wheel?
Sounds like it may be cost prohibitive just for a different sound.
I will ask my lbs what this would look like next time I need to pop by.

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I like the sound of that I9 Hydra hub

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