Be careful if you get too thick on the grease, you can get stuck pawls and end up damaging the hub. Maybe ask i9 what they recommend.

 

Yeah, listen to Cary. I would caution you against using anything heavier than NLGI0. I use Lubriplate 105 in all my hubs. Even though it's NLGI0, you should still apply it somewhat sparingly. Hubs always start off silent, but slowly grow louder over the space of the first few rides.

 

Ya that is something I’m concerned with. I’ll contact I9 and see what they recommend

 

Molykote TP42 paste (i believe is the same as DT Swiss special grease but lots cheaper) makes my DT Swiss ratchet super quiet, but does get louder after a few rides :S

 

I use Sram Butter in my DT Swiss ratchet, it keeps it pretty quiet.

 

I’ll try that out too, I have Slick Honey. How long does it last in the ratchet?

 

I use phil tenacious oil. But I like em loud.

 

As above - I9 just recommend the Dumonde stuff and say it makes the hub quiet, but my gut feel has always been that that the grease will always 'walk' away from the ratchet surface over time and the hub will end up being loud (backed up by experiences above).

I've got some of the Molykote TP42 to try in mine. It is waaayy thick and sticky out of the tub (imagine semi-frozen toothpaste), but mix a pea sized amount with a couple of drops (literally drops, as if you'd dunked a spoke into the bottle and then let it 'drip' off) of mineral oil (eg. Magura Royal Blood, Reverb oil, Shimano brake fluid, etc) and it thins out quite nicely to something close to Dumonde thickness.

If this latest grease concoction does the same as before and gets loud after a ride, I'll try some neat TP42 on the ratchet. In terms of gumming up the hub enough to make the pawls stick and the hub skip, I think it will have to be pretty sticky grease in the pawl seats.

The TP42 has a nice characteristic of being quite 'sticky' in tension but quite 'slippery' in shear - ideal for the DT ratchets, and perhaps this will translate to pawl type hubs too.

 

As above - I9 just recommend the Dumonde stuff and say it makes the hub quiet, but my gut feel has always been that that the grease will always 'walk' away from the ratchet surface over time and the hub will end up being loud (backed up by experiences above).

I use Dumonde Tech Pro-X grease. I've found that if you inject it with a hobby syringe into the paw springs as well as on the ratchet surface, it keeps the hubs quiet for longer.

 

I9 got back to me, he said "I suggest you use a combination of the dumonde tech freehub oil and a more liberal application of the pro x freehub grease to quiet that hub down. Using a tackier grease could risk an increase in drag on the hub." SO I ordered a small cup of Pro X. I have also heard Phil Wood Tenacious oil might work well? Or heavy gear oil used for vehicles? I have some 85-120 in the garage...

 

I have also heard Phil Wood Tenacious oil might work well? Or heavy gear oil used for vehicles? I have some 85-120 in the garage...

I use Phil Tenacious (which smells like gear oil to me - stinks) on the White Industries CLD on my road bike and have no issues. The CLD is basically a pawl and ring gear hub like the Hydra. Really, the only reason I used it was I didn't have any light grease and they say Phil Tenacious is fine. You don't need much since it will just run out and drip of the floor (don't ask me how I know).

That being said, I spec'd my new mtn bike wheels with Hydra hubs so I broke down and bought a small tub of Pro-X grease for it along with a hobby syringe. My road bike is due to be cleaned and lubed so I'll probably use the Pro-X since the stuff in insanely expensive for what it is and I might as well use it.

 

Well, I thought I’d try a small experiment tonight since I had to install a new XT cassette anyway. I took all the old Dumonde freehub grease out and put 3 drops of 85w-140 gear oil (automotive) in the hub and it actually made the hub nearly silent. Now, gear oil, similar to motor oil, gets thicker the hotter it gets (85 weight when cold, 140 weight when at operating temp). I can’t imagine a freehub gets hot enough to affect the gear oil to the point it reaches the 140wt so I’m not concerned about it at this point. Will give it a thorough test on Saturday and see how it does, I did some quick sprints in front of the house and had zero skipping. Worst case if I see more drag the further I get into the ride, I’ll know the temp in there is getting warmer and may step down to 80w-90 gear oil or lower. So far so GOOD!

 

Well, I thought I’d try a small experiment tonight since I had to install a new XT cassette anyway. I took all the old Dumonde freehub grease out and put 3 drops of 85w-140 gear oil (automotive) in the hub and it actually made the hub nearly silent.

It will be interesting to hear how this pans out. Where exactly did you put the 3 drops of oil? On the paws, on the ratchet, or a little bit of both?

Also, just 3 drops of oil seems like a very small amount for the whole hub. When I've used the Pro-X grease, I inject a dab of grease behind every paw and smear a thin layer of grease on the ratchet. That's the equivalent of a lot more than 3 drops of oil.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the gear oil. Used to work well in King hubs too.

My Hydra is almost silent so far with the TP42 / mineral oil combo, but its not had a long ride yet...

 

I've had good luck with Pedro's synthetic grease in my hope hubs. Stay quiet quite a while.

Similar spring/pawl design. No idea if they are stronger or weaker than the springs in your hubs, but I've never had any issues.

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