Are you happy with your ebike’s noise levels? E-motor, tires, shifting, etc.

[Dallant]

Are you happy with your ebike’s noise levels? E-motor, tires, shifting, etc.
My Allant +7 Performance Line CX is a bit louder than I prefer but I certainly can’t complain about the power. I find the shifting is a bit clunkier than I think it should be (mostly going uphill) even though I am backing off the pedals while shifting. Tires and everything else is fine.

 

[indianajo]

Yes, it is fine. I can hear birds sing when I am on the level. Going up a hill with 60 lb supplies the motor hums like an old trolley car, but it is not very loud. Not as loud as a real trolley car in museums I've ridden. I wear earplugs for the zero turn mowers, leaf blowers, and ambulances I pass, not my own noise.
Shifting is only a single clunk. I do have to shift before the hill, the derailleur doesn't move when it is under heavy torque.
The knobby tires do hum a bit on pavement, but not changing tubes on the road 3 times a year makes that worth it. Most tires I wear out without ever changing the tube.

 

[Bigal1463]

Very happy with my Aventon Pace 500. Powerful, comfortable and not noisy at all.

 

[Rastamana]

I’m pleasantly surprised by how quiet my new Stromer ST1x is. The motor has a bit of a hum, but it’s usually drowned out by my huffing and puffing.

The biggest noise issue is braking going down hill. There are some pretty steep hills (and terrible drivers) in my neighborhood, so the brakes get a bit of a workout.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

My BH Atom Diamond Wave Pro with its Brose motor and internally geared hub is very quiet. I love it!

 

[Sierratim]

The motors in our Vado 5s are very quiet, even at full power. The OEM Trigger Sport tires are equally quiet with their low profile design. The one irritating noise is when I shift without letting up on the pedal pressure. The gears get unhappy...

 

[rich c]

With a Performance line, sooner or latter the wind noise in the helmet covers the motor sound. I'm a huge Bosch fan.

 

[CdnShaun]

So far I have 4 Bionx conversion bikes. Bionx motors were famous for silent operation even under full power/climbing/etc. With a tail wind offsetting my speed the only noise I hear is the tires rolling on the pavement - love it.

I'm hopeful the new builds/motors I'm working on right now, using the sine wave PhaseRunners's from Grin, are nearly as quiet - I know I have been spoiled with my Bionx motors to date.

 

[ronr]

When I first rode my Como 3.0 I was concerned that the tires were going to be too wide; I had images of guys riding fat tire bikes and working way too hard. All it took was one ride and I realized that wasn’t going to be a problem! I was also a little concerned about increased motor noise until I realized it was because I was pushing the bike (and myself) harder than I was when I first got it.

 

[GBX77]

Original Bosch CX Drive Noise is not an issue

 

[Dallant]

Original Bosch CX Drive Noise is not an issue

You sayin it’s silent or that you don’t mind the noise?
My CX is certainly far from silent! IMHO, people who say their motors are “silent” have either just gotten used to it or are ignoring it! Same with tire noise.

 

[trainman]

Our Rad Mini's are what I would call very quiet, that is the noise level is really never noticed when riding, isn't that what you want.

trainman

 

[Dallant]

Of course, climbing big hills is where my CX excels and is the noisiest. I can still hear birds, wind, and cars coming from behind, so it’s not so loud as to drown out other stuff I want to hear.

 

[6zfshdb]

The rear hub motor on my Pedego emits a barely audible hum at full power but is virtually silent most of the time. Most of the noise the bike does make is generated by the tires. The bike is fairly stealthy and only a few people I pass recognize it as an e-bike.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Brose motors are almost dead silent in any situation. So are direct hub motors. The noisiest ebikes are fat bikes, you can hear the tires from quite a distance. It’s the quiet that I really appreciate when riding an ebike.

 

[AHicks]

Tire noise is easy to deal with. If you don't like yours when on pavement, find some replacements with a pavement strip in the middle of the tread. A pavement strip puts the tire in constant contact with the road, and ELIMINATES tire noise. Regarding the 4" tires, yes they are available in that size as well. Look for "slicks". Most often, slicks do have tread by the way.

Very picky about noise here. Squeaks, rattles, hums, and weird noises in general make me nuts, and are dealt with quickly.

 

[Dallant]

Tire noise is easy to deal with. If you don't like yours when on pavement, find some replacements with a pavement strip in the middle of the tread. A pavement strip puts the tire in constant contact with the road, and ELIMINATES tire noise. Regarding the 4" tires, yes they are available in that size as well. Look for "slicks". Most often, slicks do have tread by the way.

Very picky about noise here. Squeaks, rattles, hums, and weird noises in general make me nuts, and are dealt with quickly.

I’m not about to change tires because of a little noise, which I’m used to at this point. Tread is key to riding enjoyment (especially at higher speeds) and that includes more than just pavement. I’m totally with you about other squeaks and rattles.

 

[GBX77]

My intro to electric bikes were renting bikes with a brose motor and yes a brose motor is very quiet . On the forums people always post about the noise from motors
After riding a Bosch Bike I did not find the noise/sound offense and my personal feeling is this should not weigh into a decision of choosing a Brose motor over Bosch .
I purchased a Bosch powered bike when i hear the motor I appreciate the assistance ,The only time I feel self conscious of the sound is when I am passing someone at speed so I may momentarily pause my pedal stroke as if to hide I am riding an electric bike .

 

[Dallant]

My intro to electric bikes were renting bikes with a brose motor and yes a brose motor is very quiet . On the forums people always post about the noise from motors
After riding a Bosch Bike I did not find the noise/sound offense and my personal feeling is this should not weigh into a decision of choosing a Brose motor over Bosch .
I purchased a Bosch powered bike when i hear the motor I appreciate the assistance ,The only time I feel self conscious of the sound is when I am passing someone at speed so I may momentarily pause my pedal stroke as if to hide I am riding an electric bike .

I’m betting that’s a fairly universal reaction to meeting oncoming traffic but if I’m passing I am fine with them hearing it...as long as I’m not passing them too fast!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My 3 e-bikes:

1. Vado 5.0: The motor is silent. I had a chance to listen to the motor when own wind was cancelled by the downwind. The Specialized 1.2s motor (Brose TF) produces almost inaudible whirr only when the bike is ridden in Turbo mode uphill, when I happen to pedal very hard (so the motor yields the full 520 W of its power). Electrak 2.0 are slick tyres and they hum a little at higher speeds.
2. Lovelec Diadem, the hub-drive e-bike. The delicate motor noise can only be heard when the motor is spinning up from the cold start. In silent ride condition, the motor produces very subtle noise, which is inaudible at normal riding conditions. Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus appear to be the most silent tyres I use.
3. Giant Trance E+ 2 Pro. During riding on-road, the Maxxis knobby tyres just roar, and that's why I avoid riding the e-MTB on paved surfaces. The tyre noise on-road prevails over the motor noise very much. When the bike gets off-road, the tyres become silent and the motor noise becomes clearly audible. The motor is whining in the rhythm of pedalling. I'm not happy with that but I know all e-MTB motors are noisy and just got used to it.

P.S. I have to add that the remaining parts of my e-bikes, specifically their drive-train are completely silent, except a delicate noise of the cassette freewheel on my Vado when not pedalling. The noise on shifting only happens when I forget to easy up pedalling (or stop pedalling) while shifting.