In most situations, silence is an ominous thing that signals impending doom. Having never been in any danger myself, I base this largely on my experience watching box-office movies. As a general rule, I use Hollywood as the principal source of information on all subjects as they relate to doom and politics, principally because I’m loath to do any “reading” or “research” of my own; the more thinking an actor or actress can do for me, the better. The more glamorous they look, the more trustworthy they are.
For the Cyclist, however, silence signals efficiency. Noise is loss; every creak, squeak, click, clack, groan, moan, or other emanation of sound from our machine or body is energy escaping the system. Energy that we put into the system through hard-fought application of The V. That includes uncontrolled, dog-like panting or wheezing, and the creaking and clicking of body parts, by the way.
Sound is energy carried on waves of vibrating air. Sound escaping our bicycle or body as a consequence of us applying pressure to the pedals is evidence that some portion of our energy is being expended to produce noise instead of moving us forward. This makes noise intolerable and infuriating in equal measure and in extreme circumstances may precipitate a Rule #65-violating Millarcopter. Drivetrain noise means loss with every link of the chain that passes through the derailleur and over a cog. A click in the bottom bracket or a creaking in the cleat signals energy poured into compression of bearings or plastic, not speed. Wheezing or panting indicates air converted from V-giving breath into the useless rattling of a larynx.
Silence the machine, control your breathing into a steady, muscle-fueling source, and maximum V will follow. The mind fixates on noises and is distracted from The Work; it is only through the Principle of Silence that we may find Rule #6.
But riding a quiet bike is far from riding in the silent vacuum that signals impending danger. On the contrary, a silent bike submits us to the genuine beauty of our Sport: the whisper of the wind in our ear, the song of a bird who encourages us along our way, the crisp click of a perfect shift, the rhythmic patter of rain on our helmet, cap, or the tarmac as we carve our path along La Vie Velominatus.
But the most beautiful sound of Cycling has come to me late in my life as a Velominatus. My reluctance to ride sew-ups has for many years denied me the sublime sound of a handmade tubular rolling along the road. This world opened up to me early last year when I finally built a set of Golden Tickets for my introduction to the Hell of the North. This year, almost by accident, I wound up riding my Café Roubaix Arenbergs for all of Keepers Tour 2013, glued to the best set of tires available – the FMB Partis-Roubaix. The amplifying qualities of the deep-section carbon rim allows the supple hum of the handmade tubular to sing like Merckx’s mighty rollers upon the rock of Mount Velomis.
This sound inspires. It is a reason to get out to ride. It is a reason to be a Cyclist. This sound is a reason to live.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@Bespoke
A true Velominati would not have a problem with such hubs. Since the ratchets can only be heard when freewheeling, any sound is either a sign of Anti-V or an an indication of whether or not Rule 23 is being observed.
@Bespoke
I'm with you on this - my LBS recently replaced gratis, the 29er rear wheel on my Epic, with a Hope 2 hub - I was indebted, as despite the four spokes shearing on the one that came with the wheel, they didn't need to upgrade me
and could have replaced shite with shite
However, the Hope 2 is louder than I ever managed to get my wheels, with a full complement fore and aft if cardboard and peg clackers, as a child - why do they do this with the freehub??
The only good reason is to prevent you freewheeling, which helps your fitness I guess
I fear I am going to have to strip it down and stick a silent hub in instead (one of the spin offs of being able now to lace and true wheels)
What say we that these auditory abominations should be beyond the bounds of the V-Book?
@Chris
Jinx!!
@frank
Cool! I thought I was the only one. Feel much better now that I have a nice support group sag wagon!
I guess that is the key - are you out riding just to ride or are you out to train, push, inspire, test yourself? I forgot to consider this. I guess just like any other sport I've played - I might always love the sport, but individual practices, training sessions, lifting, stretching, rehab - not always fun.
Maybe since I have a lot of work right now the key for me is to use cycling just as an outlet and not put too much energy into training rides. In a few weeks I should have pushed through a lot of the work and then will still have a whole lotta summer to just ride, ride, ride. I know some folks take time off to recharge or must when work gets heavy, I just feel weird and guilty if I'm not riding 4-5 times a week. But in the long run, scaling back for just a few weeks would be good for me in the long run, both with work and cycling.
@Dr C
Great minds think alike...
Pro 2s are great hubs, keep it. I'm pretty sure that the Principle of Silence does not apply to hooning around in the woods and I can't think of anything else you'd be doing on a mountain bike with the exception of racing when you'd be pedalling all the time anyway.
@ChrisO
Anything over 4 hours. I ride solo a lot so there's no tucking in on other people's wheel(s). Also lots of hills and headwinds here in Vancouver. It's not that much, mostly strategically placed in my jersey. It should be noted that I eat Alot.
@Chris
indeed, maybe with MTB hooning, one should be encouraged to make as much noise as possible - certainly couldn't contemplate using one on a road bike
By the way, about to build my THIRD set of wheels - indeed, I cannot stop visiting the hubs and rims shops online - seems I have lost all perspective yet again - class!
Lots of sound advice here. I guess it's my mindset - all rides are different. Some are leg stretchers, some are mind relaxers, some are Meeting the Man with the Hammer.
If I take a break over 5 minutes during a ride my legs take a very long time to get going again. Anyone else encounter this? And have a solution? Sometimes I'm riding in small groups and people want to stop, or sometimes I go out all day and decide to take a rest. The problem is that the second half is usually grueling because I cannot get my legs churning again.
Also, I'd like to try rice cakes. Anyone have a good method? I've seen Lim's online but that seems kinda involved. I like to cook, but not so much for cycling, as I'd rather be riding.
@Dr C They do mellow slightly with age and they're good value for money. I think our glorious leader has a set on a rain bike so they can't be that bad.
@Ron
The local club rides tend to have a tea and cake stop midway round which can be as long as forty minutes. Like you my legs tend to think that they're done for the day if they've had much more than five minutes. It hurts but getting back on the front and working hard is the only solution that has worked for me although it's backfired on more than one occasion when I've then got comfortable, spent a bit too long there and subsequently got dropped.
I quite fancy trying rice cakes as well. I found some sushi rice in the super market the other day so I'm going to give that a go.