Silence Your Bike With These Hardware Store Hacks

Shhhh..you hear that? Yeah there's a lot of noise out there, but your MTB doesn't have to be one of them. Tom Bradshaw helps you save some dollars by making sense of typical items you'd find in a hardware store, and how they can help quiet your rig down!

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0:00 - Intro
01:10 - Grease
02:14 - Internal Cables
03:20 - Bottom Bracket
03:47 - External Cables
04:47 - Chain Slap
06:30 - Outro

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[grahampye]

No cost hack: removing the saddle and cleaning the clamp and rails for certain types of creaking at the saddle. I've also seen cases of creaking between derailleur hanger and frame that is fixed by removing, cleaning, reinstalling.

[justinh]

I started to use small/short velcro straps for my cable management. The velcro is easier to remove than a zip tie, the zip tie also tends to chafe or cut into the cables.

[tank]

One of my favorite hacks is applying grease to my rotors it really quiets them up

[samueldeckert]

Commencals chain stay protection is absolutely brilliant. Mad Max style alternative: cut down an old tire and zip tie it to the frame

[griffmtb]

Every time Tom said 'Inchulation" I wanted an enchilada ;)

[jonathanmatthews]

I upgraded my rear hub to an Onyx rear hub. Completely silent.

Which turned out to be rather pointless since I can't hear anything on my bike over the sounds of my wheezing on a climb

[ifacecheck]

No one ever mentions the pivot joints for full suspension bikes. Those are peak sources of creaks.

[markzzzsmith]

I've used road bike handle bar tape for my chainstays. Various thicknesses and colours, seems to be working out fine.

[chrisfontaine]

wrapping the chain stay with a thick shoe lace under the the inner tube wrap help deaden sound really well

[rohanjs.]

I love a silent bike, except for my hubs! Thanks Pinkbike for this handy video, I'm pretty much coved with eveything Tom demonstrated. I'll share this video with my friend who has a more entry level bike, so anything to get it quiter he will appretiate. Amazing content none the less! Cheers Guys!

[arefinlabib]

Loving that META! I own one and it's a SHREDDER!

[reuben]

Also make sure there's no loose spokes
cause these can clink and make noise while riding! 👍

[IPlayVidyaGames]

4th option for the cables/hydraulic hoses at the cockpit (especially your example) cut them shorter than what you have that's crazy long.

[dariens]

The chain slap one really helped me. Thanks!

[croomrider]

My commencal clash has little clips that hold the cables together by the cockpit so they don’t rattle. It’s the little things that make me love commencal!

[chuckiecheese]

Uhhh mastic tape is only 10 bucks here in the US. I actually took small bouncy balls and cut them up to small domes, layed them out out on the chainstay and covered in mastic tape. about 12 bucks all in and I can make probably 4 or 5 for the cost

[sapinva]

Filled my noisy carbon frame with polyurethane foam. Made a huge difference. Best tip, don't ever buy a carbon frame, or even worse, a press fit BB.

[acuhealer]

I had insulation around my internally routed brake hoses. Still made a lot of noise. An easier fix for rattling cables and break hoses in a down tube are home heating vent filters. They are super light weight and come in a package of 12. I just took off my fork and I stuffed 6 of them in through the head tube in to my down tube. Probably added 6 or so grams to my bike. No more rattling. If I ever need to get them out I have a flexible grasping tool that will easily snag it to remove. You could also cut up a furnace filter and do the same thing.

[justinsiever]

If you’ve got an old beat tire cut a bit of that off and glue it on to an existing chain stay protector. Comes off easy when it’s beat and works a dream with an old dhf

[roccostars]

How good! Thanks Tom...super simple fixes!