[AdrenalineImage]

I can't explain why, but I have had a serious problem with animal/me collisions on the trail over the past couple years. You probably wouldn't believe the list if I gave it, but let's just say that PETA would have me one their 'most wanted' list if they knew how many innocent creatures I've taken down with my bike in the past couple years. From small mammals to deer (three, yes...THREE!) I have had some real bad luck with coming out of fast turns only to see a spooked creature staring blankly at me on the trail and I have no where to go except straight at them. The deer survived relatively unscathed but many others have met their fate at the hands of my knobbies.

I think that my silent rear hub could be replaced with some obnoxiously loud rear hub and these creatures could have a fighting chance at living their lives without being taken down by a mountain biker.

My question is this: what's the loudest, rudest, most obnoxious rear hub on the market? I can't afford a King right now and I am thinking that a Hope Pro II might be the next loudest rear hub. Am I right?

I am riding a Transition Bottle Rocket and I ride mostly aggressive XC and moderate FR features with this bike. Help me out here, guys. Think of the animals!

 

[V-Dub GTI]

I9 is the loudest ive heard!

 

[Evil4bc]

I9 is the loudest ive heard!

Beat me too it I9 FTW

 

[basikbiker]

but dont i9 hubs require the spokes to go with em? pricey if you ask me. ringle hubs are loud, and so are woodman's in my experience, possibly chris king?

 

[V-Dub GTI]

but dont i9 hubs require the spokes to go with em? pricey if you ask me. ringle hubs are loud, and so are woodman's in my experience, possibly chris king?

Not the new ones, they make tem with the regular flange. They look really awesome.

Edit: Link http://www.industrynine.net/official/hubs.html

 

[FrontRangeDH]

Aren't I9s about the same price as a King? Hadleys are loud, Ringles are loud too but both are pricey

 

[OrthoPT]

Hugi?

 

[deadatbirth]

Aren't I9s about the same price as a King? Hadleys are loud, Ringles are loud too but both are pricey

Hadleys arent that loud compared to a Kind or I9. ive been using Hadleys on all my bikes for years...its a nice alternative to the pricey Kings

 

[Mike B.]

Hope Pro II, certainly louder than King or I9

 

[disasterarea]

a 180 turn around to the OP but is there a way to make a hub quieter? I'll be getting a new hub - a pro II to be exact to replace my current xt and any way to make it less noisy be appreciated.

 

[deadatbirth]

a 180 turn around to the OP but is there a way to make a hub quieter? I'll be getting a new hub - a pro II to be exact to replace my current xt and any way to make it less noisy be appreciated.

put baseball cards in the spokes so you wont hear the hub.

 

[Mike B.]

a 180 turn around to the OP but is there a way to make a hub quieter? I'll be getting a new hub - a pro II to be exact to replace my current xt and any way to make it less noisy be appreciated.

Pull the freehub body and add some grease to the pawls. If you live/ride in cold climates, maybe not such a good idea but it will quiet things down.

 

[w00dy]

profile and phil wood are making some nice loud hubs.

 

[gonefirefightin]

hope are the loudest followed by a hadley then the I9

 

[ultraNoob]

Aren't I9s about the same price as a King? Hadleys are loud, Ringles are loud too but both are pricey

My ringle's stupidly loud. I scare my neighbors when I roll down the street towards the local college for some Urban stuff.

 

[Zaskar Rider]

my buddy has a ringle on his bike, took the pawls out and bent the springs a little to make it even louder. When I'm remotely close to him either in front or behind on the trail that's all I can hear. Apparently you can use the same trick on the phil woods and they get stupid loud too.

 

[skatetokil]

Just get a bell. . . its good multi use etiquette anyway.

 

[disasterarea]

Pull the freehub body and add some grease to the pawls. If you live/ride in cold climates, maybe not such a good idea but it will quiet things down.

Mike B, thanks, will try that after hearing how loud it is.

put baseball cards in the spokes so you wont hear the hub.

deadatbirth, baseball cards don't last. Twigs/branches from the trail, that's another story. Thanks anyway.

 

[WODIE]

You say baseball cards dont last, i can one up that. Cut a couple of rectangles out of an antifreeze jug about 3x6" and clamp them on with some jumper cable clamps. My dad's a mechanic and my brother and i used to do that to our bikes when we were little. Loud as heck..

but seriously, i've got some ringle hubs on my eight tracks and they're pretty dang loud. when i'm riding around campus sometimes i like to pedal until i get right up behind someone and just drop pedalling.. soo loud.

 

[nelsonjm]

The atom lab hub on my trailpimp rear wheel is pretty loud.. or at least loud enough that others I ride with have commented on it. I have not heard the I9's, etc however so I cannot compare them.

 

[zahgurim]

Many hubs are loud... It's just a matter of how thin a lube you use on the pawls, and how strong the springs are.

The same hub can be stealthy quiet, or like a can full of marbles bouncing down cement steps. Just depends on how well you maintain it, and the weight of lube you use.

 

[HenryTheHammer]

Get yourself a sun ringle.

Sounds like an angry pack of bees chasing you down the trail.

 

[HAB]

Hope Pro II is way louder than an I9. I have a Pro II on one bike. I ride with a guy with an I9. No contest. Hope has Hadley beat too, but not by as much. I'm not to sure about Ringle.

 

[$tinkle]

Hugi?

same here.
after a long ride my ears would ring & chocolate tasted like foil gum wrappers.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

Take apart your hub, clean it out, use a lube with high fluidity (low viscosity) and stretch the springs a bit. That should make any hub louder.

 

[r464]

My Rohloff is rather loud... but that would be a bit of a pricey change

 

[Horror Business]

My Ringle Abbah is pretty loud, loudest I have ever heard.

 

[fonseca]

My Hope Pro II is so much louder than my Ringle Abbah. The Ringle is a pleasant buzz, while the Hope is flat out obnoxious.

 

[ctrailfreak]

Shawn you've heard my Ringle hubs before! I have the older Hope Bulb hubs on my other bike, and the Ringle hub is quite a bit louder. I haven't got a chance to check out the new Pro II's yet.

But if I remember correctly, the New Pro II has a 24 point engagement and the Ringle hubs have a 36 point engagement.
I'd go for the higher point engagement if I were you.

 

[ctrailfreak]

Another thing Shawn... These stupid deer around here are so used to seeing us, that they don't even move till your 5 foot from them anyway! I sat at Landahl looking at one so close I could reach out and touch it, and she didn't even move. She just sat on the trail and looked back at me till she felt like moving on.

 

[fonseca]

But if I remember correctly, the New Pro II has a 24 point engagement and the Ringle hubs have a 36 point engagement.
I'd go for the higher point engagement if I were you.

That's true, however the Pro IIs are much higher quality, not just bearings and seals, but the pawls and engagement ring. I've been on the Abbahs for years now, and they've been good hubs overall, although they have failed a few times resulting in some very long hikes back to my car. But the Hopes are superior in every aspect except engagement speed. If you open them up side by side the difference in quality is obvious. And considering I originally paid 2x for the Abbah what the Pro II cost, I'm not sure I'd do it over again. Although with Jenson selling it for more than half off, it's still a good option and a great buy.

I'm on my third set of pawls on the Ringle rear, and after months of trying to get one I finally have a new axle on the way to replace my broken one. Hope's customer service is excellent, and you can deal with them directly if needed instead of going through a dealer. It's also a cinch to find replacement parts.

I am still on the original bearings in the Abbah front hub. It's never had an issue. But front hubs rarely do.

 

[ctrailfreak]

I've had great luck with my Ringle hubs. I did have a issue with the front when new, but I contacted Ringle directly and they sent me out a brand new axle/bearing assembly for it at no cost, and no questions asked. I got the parts in 3 days,and was sent to my work.They even told me they would recover the cost to have the bike shop do the repair, but I decided to do it myself, and save them and myself the time and trouble.

I've had both of my wheelsets apart. Both Hope and Ringle. I don't see flaws in either one. The Ringle is a higher maintenance hub for sure. If you lube them once a month, they will last a long time! Mine are over two years old, and still ride like new.

I'm sure most Ringle hub owners don't oil the pawls like they should. "Once a month in hard use" is imperative to keep them rolling for many years. They use oil instead of grease to keep the pawls clicking quick and smooth, but in return.. it requires more maintenance. The oil breaks down much faster than grease.

My Hope Bulb hubs get a tear down once a season, and still work just like they should. I'm just saying that if he takes care of the Ringle hubs, they will last also! And the engagement of a 36 is going to be a noticeable difference over the 24 point engagement.

I can't bag either company, but I wish Hope had kept the 36 point engagement hub around. I'm glad my Bulbs are still going strong!