Reynolds DV46 Free wheel

[kingfisher]

My racing wheels are Reynolds DV46, with a campy free wheel. I probably have 400 miles on the set. Over the last few months, the free wheel has gotten much louder. When new, the free wheel was quieter than my trainer wheels, and now it is louder. Also, when coasting it buzzes in an alternating pattern--bzzzz--BZZZ-bzzzz--BZZZ, which is causes me to worry something is wrong.

I haven't observed any performance difference in the wheels. They seem to coast as well as before. The local bike shop says every free wheel has its own sound, and this is perfectly normal.

Yet, I'm unhappy with the wheels now, and my confidence in the race day performance of the wheels is failing.

Has anyone encountered an issue like this? Would a new free wheel be a solution?

[mimason]

A dab of grease is your friend.

[cxwrench]

your hubs don't have a 'freewheel'. they have a freehub. your cassette cogs slide onto that. they're held on by a lockring.
your bike shop guy is correct, there are lots of different freehub/drive engagement systems and they make different noises.
the noise is normal. there is nothing wrong w/ your hub. if you want to quiet it down, you can add some lubricant, but stay away from heavy grease or anything sticky as they will cause you to have problems.

[forge55b]

The alternating pattern sound is probably from the rear being unbalanced. Some will say it screws things up blah blah blah, but I've been able to hit 50 mph without issue.

[jmess]

A dab of grease is your friend.

If you have DT-240 hubs, clean and grease the star ratchet. For me it really quieted things down. DT recommends using their "special" grease, most LBS have it. I bought some online and did the clean and lube myself.

[slowdave]

Check out you tube dt swiss 240 hub maintanence, its easier than changing a tube.

[kingfisher]

Check out you tube dt swiss 240 hub maintanence, its easier than changing a tube.

Thanks, guys. This is helpful