silent hub & dt swiss replica compatibility

[poor_yorick]

I strongly prefer silent hubs, but I’m having trouble finding any that are reasonably priced and compatible with more modern rim/spoke setups, such as 24 or fewer straight-pull spokes.

The main alternative I’ve found is the Williams Racing Products DT Swiss Zero Drag kit:
https://www.williamsracingproducts.com/shop/p/zero-drag-dt-swiss-internals

Does anyone know whether the non-EXP version is likely to be compatible with Chinese wheel brands that use in-house hubs modeled after the previous-generation DT Swiss star ratchet design?

Is there any way to tell compatibility in advance? Has anyone tried one of these kits with an in-house hub from a Chinese wheel brand, or with AliExpress hubs like Ryet, Goldix, etc.?

[poor_yorick]

Thanks, that's a helpful reminder!

I should have added that I have done this, and it did significantly reduce the noise from my current star-ratchet dt swiss clone hub. But unfortunately it didn't remain quiet as long as I hoped. Ideally I'd prefer to reduce the maintenance required to achieve my aim.

[CycOps]

Don't get me wrong, but IMHO if you want a quiet free wheel mechanism, don't choose ratchet systems. Stick with good ol' pawls. I've never understood what the benefits of DT Swiss' ratchet system should've been, despite being annoyingly loud.

[crazyravr]

Simple. Pack the ratchet with grease and problem solved. I actually made my DT350 silent but then decided that I like to purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[VanDungLe]

Hi OP. I just wanna chime in and say i personally love silent bike hub too haha. I usually ride at 5 A.M so i love listening to everything surrouding me, including tire sounds.
That's why my wishlist wheels would be Onyx hubs with Berd spokes and some good rims (probably from LightCarbon).

Any how, to answer your question, there's only like 1 brand that i know that makes silent hub but also straightpull spokes and that is Foss. Here's the link https://www.foss.com.tw/hub-frs-21.html
I have NO idea about its quality nor how to buy it, but hey, it's a choice.

[CycOps]

Thanks for the link to foss, I didn't know them. Probably the only company which makes silent ratchet free wheel hubs. Of the task now is to find a quiet straight pull hub, check German manufacturer ACROS. They're a bearings company and make top notch hubs and parts as a side product.

[poor_yorick]

Any how, to answer your question, there's only like 1 brand that i know that makes silent hub but also straightpull spokes and that is Foss. Here's the link https://www.foss.com.tw/hub-frs-21.html
I have NO idea about its quality nor how to buy it, but hey, it's a choice.

Interesting! I have not heard of Foss or Acros, so thanks I'll take a look!

I'm somewhat tempted by Onyx, but they're quite pricey, a bit hefty, and don't seem to play well with emerging spoke (count and shape) standards.

[Sebastian]

I‘d use the grease trick if I were you. With the now ubiquitous DT ratchet style hubs, the maintenance factor is a non issue. Since you can literally just pull the freehub with the cassette installed with no tools required, all it takes is to take the wheel out every once in a while. It’s a 5 minute job max.

[brembilla]

Just get lower teeth ratchets and pack with grease. You can find legit 18t dt swiss ratchets for cheap because they're old and undesirable.

[jksu]

shimano hubs are pretty quiet. i have a grx carbon wheelset that's not super light, but bombproof and quiet on the trail. 

i have a lightcarbon frame and wheelset on order, and plan to swap out the star ratchet (36 or 52 star, i forget) with some 16s i have leftover from an older dt swiss rim brake wheelset to help the new wheelset be quieter.