I have a set of Ritchey DS Pros on my road bike, and when I coast, the freewheel pawls are very quiet, almost slient. I’ve noticed that on other wheels that the free wheels are of different volumes… some are quiet, some are really loud. I have a set of Spinergy Stealths, for example, that are quite loud and some bikes that I pass on the road are very loud.
Does the volume indicate some sort of efficiency, like louder = less efficient or something?
Ok, yes, I’m bored today…
There is no sweeping generalization about this. Some hubs are designed to be much more quiet (Easton Circuits, for example, are so quiet that you can’t hear them unless you’re coasting above 30mph with the wind at your back), whereas others, lightness comes first. Some of Zipp’s older hubs and FlashPoint’s current hubs make me want to cry every time someone stops pedaling (first, because they’re not pedaling, and second, because of the racket). It’s all about the design of the hub. Basically, there is enough mass in motion that the freehub probably won’t make a difference in terms of efficiency.
I find it ironic that the Stealths are the noisy ones of the pair.
Ha! Hadn’t thought of that… just have to not stop pedaling, I suppose…
Ha! Hadn’t thought of that… just have to not stop pedaling, I suppose…
I doubt efficiency of the freehub pawl is a design criteria because in a race you should never be coasting without a desire to slow down. When you want to rest, it’s best for your legs to keep spinning without applying power.
like louder = less efficient or something?
Louder is always better, especially if it’s “one louder”. Oh, wait, that’s for Nigel 
My race wheels have a really loud freehub. I kinda like it since it reminds me that I’m coasting and should get pedalling again