I came back after a long time to post a listing for my TCR SL, and something suddenly crossed my mind, so I wanted to ask for your thoughts.
What do you all think about ratchet noise?
When I first started out, I even tried a 54T and applied as little grease as possible,
so I actually preferred a loud ratchet sound.
But over time, my thinking has changed quite a bit.
These days I ride in stock configuration and apply an appropriate amount of grease, trying to minimize the noise as much as possible.
The advantage of a loud ratchet, as everyone knows, is that pedestrians and people nearby can hear it
and become aware of your presence — stepping aside or realizing that a rider is coming through.
On the other hand, the downsides also seem pretty clear.
- For pedestrians and people nearby, it can simply be noise pollution,
- in a paceline, every time you stop pedaling your teammates are constantly hearing the ratchet sound,
- and even when riding alone in a park or on a bike path, I started to wonder whether I was just being a nuisance to others.
If I'm being a bit dramatic, it reminds me of the feeling you get seeing a delivery motorcycle tuned for a loud exhaust.
The purpose — "announcing your presence and getting people to move out of the way" — seems pretty similar in both cases.
Lately I find myself thinking more and more that it's excessive.
What do the rest of you think about ratchet noise?
