Non-matching Hubs

[kingoffootball]

Can you live with non-matching front and rear hubs? If so, do some things about them have to be the same (e.g. colour, spoke count, rims) ?

I am considering options for a build and there's a front hub I would like to use, but it's from a company who (as far as I am aware) never made rear hubs.

I really don't like non-matching hubs, although I do have two bikes which suffer from this:
- My Karakoram Elite, which has an Alfine rear hub and rather than replacing the front wheel with a black-hubbed one I decided to keep the original silver DX wheel.
- My Richter 8.0, which I wanted to build with as many Tioga parts as I could, so I used a Tioga front hub, but since they didn't make a rear hub I have a Hadley GT silver hub (and non-matching rims )

I also have a Scapin rear hub which I probably won't ever use because I don't have a matching font hub.

Can someone convince me it's alright to have non-matching hubs? And if so, in what situation? Pictures of/links to your bikes that pull off non-matching hubs appreciated.

 

[Takingabreak]

All hubs MUST match. Unless, the rear is a hub gear but then the hubs must both be the same colour and ideally any labelling removed from the front hub.

 

[FluffyChicken]

For me I'm not too bothered.
Especially if it just the front. That was always the upgrade wheel/hub BiTD as rears cost a lot more.

So the standard would be a Shimano or Suntour rear hub, with say a Hope or other front hub.
A common setup. As it was just added ano bling.

But mixing say a hope rear and a pulsar front of different colour would just be odd.

 

[marc two tone]

My marin came from factory with white ind. Front LX rear, so I'm used to it but, in general the whole match thing bothers me not. A build to admire maybe, but I ride my stuff and just look for a good performance and value for money.

 

[Once A Hero]

Hubs must match! I get an eye twitch just thinking about a mismatched set!

 

[FluffyChicken]

Hubs must match! I get an eye twitch just thinking about a mismatched set!

What are you like if the grips are both different

 

[Dr Dremel]

What are you like if the grips are both different

Or socks. The horror!

 

[raidan73]

I'm another for 'must match'. My 26" disc wheels have an XT rear and a Brave front and I have to try hard to not to let it bother me

 

[44Racing]

I think in an ideal scenario hubs and rims have to match, however hub wise this isn't always possible with certain wheels and/or forks with specific hubs, but in my opinion the rims always have to match.

I have a couple of bikes with Disk Drives...one bike has a Disk Drive Compe with XTR M900 rear hub on a Mavic M231 SUP CD hard ano grey rim with Hope suspension front hub on a Mavic M231 SUP CD hard ano grey rim...the other bike has a Disk Drive Pro with XTR M900 rear hub on a Mavic M231 SUP CD hard ano grey rim with Ringle SuperBubba front hub on a Mavic M231 SUP CD hard ano grey rim.

Technically you cant really see the rear hubs on the Disk Drives so is not really an issue for my OCD.

 

[novocaine]

It bothers me when they match. I think I've had 2 maybe 3 bikes in a long history of bikes that actually matched and that was by chance.
in the current stable there are only 2 bikes that do match, the modern (ish) road bike and the 98 GT performer that has GT everything on it.