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I was talking to a friend who was at Fort William at the weekend and he commented on how quite the pros bikes were when going Mach 10 over the rough stuff. I'm envious...
Any top tips for silencing rattling cables and chains?
ride smooth like a pro
have your chain come off on the first turn
narrow range cassette, short cage mech, less loose chain flapping about?
and what djglover said
Velcro on the chainstay rather than neoprene.
Make sure the cables aren't too long and fit silicone protectors to stop them rubbing on the frame.
Filling any voids with foam (prevents mud buildup on linkages too).
rubber O-rings over gear cabling to quieten any rattles.
plumbers tape to wrap your gear cable and brake cable together before they split and go their separate ways to stop any slapping between them.
foam bocks in any hollow sections of the frame (keeps the clag out too)
and refraining from "wahooo-ing" while bombing down the trail helps too
Three or four layers of self-amalgamating tape on the chainstay, clean and lube drivetrain often, grease on stem faceplate and pinch bolts threads, plus the above tips.
keep pedalling!
bikes are far noiser when freewheeling even if you don't have Hope hubs
Clutch mech.
Not having Hope hubs.
Pro roadies used to get some structural foam stuff that was injected into the frames to stiffen them up (back in the days when titanium frames were a competitive option). I wonder if some pro's are using it in carbon frames? Would certainly quieten them down a lot.
Single speed
Yep, single speed, rigid and well maintained. The only noise from my bike is the tyres on the ground (must get some slicks to quiet that down a bit)