1993 Brodie Catalyst

[JoniSteiner]

@rigidftw I loved reading this thread (only just found it) - thanks for sharing the stories and the great photos.
Couple of questions - why not get Paul to realign the stem and send it back to you? IMHO it looked great, apart from the paint! (Might it also have looked better in black? Really like your all-black controls).
Secondly - and this might be a stupid question but it is genuine - why do folks prefer a louder wheel / hub? Am I missing something?!

 

[narcotitlan]

+1 for liking this thread - all the riding and fine tuning. What’s the silver front brake booster?

 

[PanoIgano]

@rigidftw I loved reading this thread (only just found it) - thanks for sharing the stories and the great photos.
Couple of questions - why not get Paul to realign the stem and send it back to you? IMHO it looked great, apart from the paint! (Might it also have looked better in black? Really like your all-black controls).
Secondly - and this might be a stupid question but it is genuine - why do folks prefer a louder wheel / hub? Am I missing something?!

The thing I like most about noisy hubs is that people on the trail or dogs will notice you before you get too close to them. So you slow down and they also know that you are approaching.

Same goes for the riders you are with. They will know how close behind you are in relation to them and they can break without risking you crashing on them.

I know not the most usual reasons riders would associate with noisy hubs but to me these are the two most important. If I had the whole forest to myself I would rather have a silent rear hub.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

why do folks prefer a louder wheel / hub? Am I missing something?!

Conspicuous consumption. People must know that you spend the money

 

[JoniSteiner]

Interesting.. I do kind of get it re: hearing other riders.
For dog walkers / hikers I find other ways to let them know.

Generally over here on the mean streets of Hackney (and around Epping Forest) I hear roadies with their insanely loud freewheels before I see them in their head-to-toe Rapha gear. They are really surprisingly intrusive - and the freewheels aren't half annoying too

My humble opinion is the quieter the better (road bake, mountain bike, motorbike - whatever). I like to glide along in as close to silence as possbile and feel that bit closer to nature...

 

[PanoIgano]

I just remembered the old bikepro.com resource;

http://www.bikepro.com/arch_products/stems/a_ird.html

Can’t say I remember the Ricky Racer…

Generally over here on the mean streets of Hackney (and around Epping Forest) I hear roadies with their insanely loud freewheels before I see them in their head-to-toe Rapha gear. They are really surprisingly intrusive - and the freewheels aren't half annoying too

Oh wait! New freewheel noice is nowhere close to the early and mid 90 DT Swiss one. Each hub brand nowadays makes it a clear marketing point to have their own distinct noise on their freewheel.

There are many YouTube clips comparing the different noises.

There is only so much you can improve on a wheel or it’s bearings so now we are sold the reinvention of the wheel.

I recall being on an mtb event in Italy recently with hundreds of participants. As we left the start and cruised around the city before entering the off-road sections I could hardly talk to riders next to me. The noise of freewheels was deafening. I can see how this could have an effect on the peloton politics but why should we forced that too?