Don't forget the modern cassette hubs with ratchets that sound like buzzsaws when coasting.
"Er, could you resume pedaling, or else speak a little louder? I can't hear a word you're saying!"
Is this noise supposed to be a desirable feature? Perhaps a way of advertising the brand of hub by the noise it makes, as a trained ear can detect different species of cicadas by the kind of buzzing tone? On the other hand, these hubs may be a good reminder to the lazy rider of Sheldon Brown's teaching that "coasting is a pernicious habit"!
Mordecai Silver
NY, NY