Am I wrong to want to build bikes with matching group sets and colour coordinated hubs and spoke nipples?

What’s your dirty little secret bike fetish?

Yes, that’s wrong. I have a frame with green bits yet I have an American Classic back wheel with red hub and a Hope front wheel. It is loathed; I love it.

I have, on all 3 of my bikes:

Fully matching Groupsets.
Black rims, spokes and nipples.
Matching hub colours (black or gold).
Matching tyres.
Grips match saddle colour.

Mismatching components/colours make me want to burn stuff.

tomhoward.

You are on the right lines. The Rules are there for a reason. Not those roadie rules, the real ones. The roadie ones are just wrong on so many levels.

Contact points must colour match.
Stem and seat post.
Forks and bars.
All anodised parts. One colour only.
Brake hoses and cable outers.
Cable ties must match frame colour.
Etc.

I recently replaced some perfectly good carbon steerer spacers with cosmetically different carbon steerer spacers. That in itself would be pretty tragic even if I hadn’t weighed both sets side by side. And that weighing bit would have still been almost unforgivable even if I wasn’t fitting them to a 32lb bike. But the fact that it was all for cosmetic reasons, on a bike that was ugly when it was new and is now ugly and ruined-looking, pretty much seals the deal.

But it does have nice spacers.

nipples should be silver. If they’re any other colour it means they’re not brass, and are wrong

I recently replaced some perfectly good carbon steerer spacers with cosmetically different carbon steerer spacers. That in itself would be pretty tragic even if I hadn’t weighed both sets side by side. And that weighing bit would have still been almost unforgivable even if I wasn’t fitting them to a 32lb bike. But the fact that it was all for cosmetic reasons, on a bike that was ugly when it was new and is now ugly and ruined-looking, pretty much seals the deal.

But it does have nice spacers.

Dear oh dear 🙂 hee hee
I have a standard Mongoose Crossway, 6 years old and its dirty. I like it that way so I save the water I would have used for cleaning!

I always find my self fitting at least one purple part to my bike

Just Finnished some new wheels for my enduro with purple nipples
But I do always tend to have wheels in matched pairs
Apart from my commuter bike the other are all proper pairs

Purple?
Noooooooooo.
Leave the nineties alone.

I got told off for my colour coordinated black and red Soul build. Still love it though! Red ano stem, bashguard, stinger jockey wheel, hubs, skewers, seatclamp,bottom bracket, grip locks, saddle logo and gear outers. Oh, and cable ends.

I have different brake levers, mismatched hubs, green bars, red grips, orange bike, gold jockey wheels (oh and up to recently a cheapo pink rear sram cassette)
rat bike looks rule, colour co-ordinated bikes look a bit wrong or you are trying too hard IMO

I’m in the middle of a build where the frame is green. So far, the saddle has green flashes and the grips are brown, which I think subtly compliments the frame without ruining it. Black for everything else though.

” nods to tomhoward “

He knows stuff.

And there was me worrying about having crabon bars with an Alu seatpost.

That in itself would be pretty tragic even if I hadn’t weighed both sets side by side. And that weighing bit would have still been almost unforgivable even if I wasn’t fitting them to a 32lb bik

That made me chuckle!!

Someone better prepare a wicker man – mine are parts bin specials, I’ll be amazed if anything matches

Expensive woman tend to be colour coordinated so why not your expensive bike?

nipples should be silver. If they’re any other colour it means they’re not brass, and are wrong

Unless you use black brass ones, obviously.

^^ this too ^^

Though she does get ridden hard.

When I’m out riding a bike I’m too busy enjoying myself to care what bits do or don’t match,which is just as well as most of them don’t….

Expensive women tend to be colour coordinated? Black or silver nipples? 🙄

Everything must be black, white or grey.

Though she does get ridden hard.

As a good bike should…….

I wouldn’t worry about it your little bike Fetish as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. You know things have gone too far when you start matching your clothing to your bikes colour scheme.

Personally I haven’t been riding for months as I’ve simply nothing to wear!!!!!!!!

I have the urge to put white Continentals on my fixed.

I’m a bit of a sucker for this. Things now even match from one bike to another. Saddles, stems, groups. Until recently I had matching cross and mountain bikes. Now my cross and road bikes are so similar looking my wife can’t tell which is which. Mind you, she is studiously disinterested.

jmason – Member
And there was me worrying about having crabon bars with an Alu seatpost.

Are they both black?

I’ve got a white saddle on a black and celeste (bianchi) road bike with black bar tape.

I am a pariah

nipples should be silver. If they’re any other colour it means they’re not brass, and are wrong

Or prolock, they’re brass & black 😉

I am a pariah

No you’re not, you’re a very naughty boy… 🙂

The ugly side of modern cycling

I was expecting more of this sort of thing;

WTF is that????

This, although it’s not very secret

Also, I own FOUR singlespeeds.

Matching tyres.

You realise they do quite different things right? This is only acceptable if one of the tyres is reversed.

Admission: I have mis-matched rims and it pains me.

Pink grips….

Be they lock ons on my full suss and 69er frankenbike SS

Or bar tape on my oh so trying to hard to be a hipster fixie and roadbike, also means I akwas know which bike us mine when in a crowd

stevied – Member
Expensive women tend to be colour coordinated? Black or silver nipples?

Expensive matching French lace bra and knickers was what I had in mind. 😕

Wow, I couldn’t even tell you what matches without going to check..

must try harder, fair play to all those with the dedication, can I have your old non matching (screws up face) bits please…

I am unable to upgrade my cranks to XTR, because the XT ones come in a colour/finish that better matches my bike………….. 😉

I like things to match, I’ve been running mismatched wheels for a while on the MTB and it bothers me. I’ve rebuilt the front one, but the decals are now different on the rim, so they’re still mismatched.

Because I use a PowerTap I nearly always have mismatched wheels on the road bike, and that bothers me too!

I like tyres to be from the same brand, but can live with different models. I know of one elite racer of this parish who struggles with that and has to use matching pairs!

I put white striped Ultremos on my road bike. Then matched them with a white and black striped Arione saddle. Bought some green Ultremos very cheap and am contemplating what colour scheme this won’t match.

I try to blend bike, its sub-schemes, through to my cycling clothing. God forbid anyone who might mix, say, assos with gore for example.

It’s all about looking good, forget performance! Have you been living in a cave?

😛