ConvoKitsTechnical explainer · General
Front hub, rear hub, mid-drive, friction
The drive type changes which part of the bicycle is being asked to cope, not just how the bike feels.
- Author
- ConvoKits editorial
- Reviewer
- Technical review
- Published
- 1 Oct 2026
- Reviewed / next
- 1 Oct 2026 · 1 Apr 2027
A front hub loads the fork. A rear hub loads the rear dropouts and has to agree with the gears and the brake. A mid-drive loads the bottom bracket and uses the bike's gears. A friction drive presses a roller into the tyre.
None of those sentences is a recommendation for your bike. They are the reasons the fit check asks different questions for each type. A kit can pass one question and fail another. Mechanical fit, electrical match, structural suitability and road-use status stay separate.
Steep hills do not make a front hub 'incompatible'. They make that use conditional. A carbon fork with a front hub is a documented conflict in these rules.
Shops are named on the configuration. Specification research is not labelled as a hands-on test.