I have Vision Metron RS 45s on my road bike. I bought them because they were hooked, 23mm internal rim width and pretty light. I did not realize they would be so loud! I’m considering selling them if I can find something comparable in terms of weight, depth, witdh and quieter. Any suggestions?
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Not sure what pawl system they use, but most hubs can be quieted by using a thicker lube on the pawls/ratchet.
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The Shimano cone and cup hubs, including the new DA 9300 ones should be pretty silent, and only audible on a quiet street, at night. The only ones quieter would be the Onyx ones, albeit a fair bit heavier. The non-EXP DT Swiss hubs with an 18t ratchet are also pretty silent, though still a tad (minimally so) louder than the Shimano ones.
The rule of thumb outside of MTB vs road comparisons, is faster engagement = louder, from the pawls/ratchets rubbing against each other.
And then you have this…
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I hate loud hubs, and generally echo the above. Onyx are fantastic, but heavy.
Shimano (XTR MTB hubs in my use) have a slight buzz, but will go quiet at high speed. Not sure if road has the same drive system?
18T older DT350 are nearly silent with grease. If I start hearing them it’s time for a regrease, which happens maybe once a year.
I’ve been curious about Tairin hubs as well, but you’re unlikely to find that in an already built wheel.
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Loud hubs save lives!
But my new Chris King hubs are surprisingly silent (compared to HUNT and DT240). 
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As Nick said, it’s well worth trying a bit of light grease in the mechanism first, most wheels come fairly dry from the factory because people like the clicky noise and it very slightly reduces drag. If theyre the wheels I think they are, the freehub mechanism is quite interesting, so it could be worth pulling them apart to have a look anyway - its sort of like a reverse of the chris king driver, and the ratchet gets pulled in tighter as the load increases, rather than just relying on spring pressure.
I know some people are quite militant about only using oil in freehubs, and that may well be best for peak performance, but a small amount of light grease shouldn’t hurt unless the manufacturer very specifically says not to (certain shimano freehubs have weird requirements). I’m lazy so all my own stuff just gets motorex 2000 in it if it’s a moving part, freehubs included.
For how much money you would get back from a set of second hand wheels vs the cost of new ones of equivalent quality, I would certainly try this first.
From a quietness perspective, lower engagement hubs are generally quieter, but not always. Star ratchets make a roaring buzz noise, pawls make a clicky tick noise. I find the star ratchet noise infinitely more annoying.
Mmm, I’ve had 240 EXP’s and found them notoriously and for me annoyingly loud. If you search the internet, I’m not the only one.
DT Swiss 350’s are fine sound-wise. (I always use the 36T ratchet, and the new one come standard with that ratchet if I’m not mistaken.)
The nice thing about DT Swiss hubs is that they are easy to maintain and that parts are widely available.
BTW, just found a cool playlist created by R2 Bike with different hub sounds (even though it is not always clear what system and number of poe they have.
Here you have 240 EXP sound:
And 240 EXP 36T followed by 54T (which is louder):
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Dt Swiss plus the Williams Racing Product zero drag kit?
Review: WRP Zero Drag Kit, a silent upgrade for DT Swiss hubs
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That’s a serious extra investment, though. And in the comments on EC when that upgrade was mentioned (review and some shortlist of products), people do not seem satisfied with customer service of the maker.
DT Swiss supplies a light grease in their freehub rebuild kits.
DT Swiss Special Grease - 20g Tube [HXT10032508S]
I’ve also used the Dumonde Tech freehub grease with no issues, and in my hubs it is quieter than oil.
Haven’t tried this one.
Thanks everyone for the great information and guidance! Vision says no tools are needed to disassemble this version of their hub so I will try some grease. The new Shimano wheels are intriguing and I love tinkering with my bike so don’t have a problem with the cup and cone - old school approach. Will see how much more they weigh.
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If a little light grease doesn’t quiet the hubs, I’ve had great luck with Shimano hubs. I know cup and cone have fallen out of vogue but I’ve ridden shimano hubs for years in PNW rain and the grease looked new when I opened them. In my experience they need a load adjustment perhaps once every 5 years if that and basically never need to be relubed. They are quite quiet too. Their hubs are really underrated.
Edit: should clarify I don’t have experience with recent Shimano hubs.
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I’m sorry to inform you that adding DT ratchet grease will not make those hubs quieter. I have had two customers bring those wheels in for setup on their bikes. I noticed the tremendous noise and tried adding some grease right off the bat with no real improvement. Two weeks later, the customer brought another set of wheels in as she (and the entire riding group) found the noise unbearable.
Almost any other wheel will be an improvement in that regard.
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Some interesting comments.
I operate both star ratchets and pawled freehubs and how I service and maintain these varies somewhat depending on objective.
Pawls - pawl pockets always get an NLGI 1 freehub grease. Drive ring freehub oil or a light application of same grease. Sometimes a mix.
Star Ratchets - Light application of freehub grease on the ratchets usually with a light oil for the threaded drive ring ratchet engagement.
Freehub to hub seals - light oil or freehub grease if wet conditions.
There was a comment on using a light grease and using Motorex 2000 (NLGI 2). That is not a light grease, it’s a bearing grease. There are a number of different lubricants that I use depending on several factors. Efficiency, duration, service life and environmental (water/temps).
Generally speaking, for pawl freehubs, I use Classic Dumonde Tech freehub oil and grease (NLGI 1). The PRO X is basically the same, but has low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) formula that meets air-shipping standards. There are many NLGI 1 freehub equivalent lubricants available.
For the DT Swiss Star Ratchets, DT Swiss offers their Special Grease which is Dupont Molykote TP-42 that has been reduced to a NLGI 1 with (as I understand) a 5% mineral oil.
There are a number of comparable equivalent lubricant available if you take the time to do your homework. Lubiplate MAG 1 is another very light comparable grease. I also use a multitude of other lubricants like Phil Wool Tenacious Oil, Dumonde Tech Liquid Grease, Fox Float Fluid along with a number of others.
I use the Radar Labs reusable syringes with Luer Lock for all of my grease and lubricants. They make messy applications a bit easier to deal with.
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To clarify, I wasn’t suggesting that Motorex was light - I was suggesting using something light. I just wanted to make the point that lots of the comments regarding freehub lubrication come from a very performance-oriented perspective, but that doesn’t mean thicker greases won’t work at all, within reason - especially when the goal is noise reduction. I’m lazy so just use the same motorex stuff for every moving part on my personal bikes, and I haven’t died yet or experienced issues with sticking pawls. I just didn’t want OP to be put off trying something like DT freehub grease before splashing the cash on a new set of wheels, although it sounds like another poster has already tried this to no avail.
As you say, different products work well for different performance goals - for me, weather resistance and infrequent servicing are more important than a watt or two of freehub drag,
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That’s a good point to make . You’re seeking low maintenance and longer duration service periods. Think about taking another extended maintenance measure. When thinking extended service on bearings, consider an additional contaminate barrier of adding additional bearing grease to the outside of the bearing seal by preventing contamination from ever reaching the seal.
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The ZM2 SL hubs on mtb 1Zero Hitop SW wheels have reasonable engagement & are very quite like a DT 240/350, likely their road/gravel sets have same or equivalent. Have wondered about Project 321 magnetic & e13 options.
I’m a long time 240/240s/350 user who tried 180 EXPs & switched to the Zipps cuz they were annoyingly loud. I have silent Onyx Vesper but weirded out by no noise after 30+ years riding with a light buzz plus some noise is helpful for hikers & pedestrians. 350’s are a good option unless you are a weight weenie.
Hi, I have the HED Vanquish 45’s. They are not loud and about the same specs.
I’ve used them for 6 months , Conti 5000s tubeless 32 mm, seem fast and quiet.
This is the standard less expensive, not the Pro Vanquish.