Hope Tech Brakes - Long Term Review
Nov 9, 2009
On the face of it, brakes are pretty simple things; comprising a couple of pistons pushing some friction material against a disc. But that is to overlook the amount of development work that has gone into getting them from the humble cantilevers being raced in the early nineties to the high power, light weight disc based systems we see today.
Hope was an early innovator of the breed and continues to be in the same position to this day – so here we take a look at their latest offerings.
Hope was an early innovator of the breed and continues to be in the same position to this day – so here we take a look at their latest offerings.
Words: Alasdair MacLennan, Pics: Ian MacLennan & Alasdair MacLennan
With all the hype surrounding the return of the legendary Napalm, it seems fitting to use him as a marker of how things have changed in the thirteen years since he stormed on to the scene with second place at Cairns in ’96 against the great Nico. Back then, it was the all-new V-Brakes from Shimano and the Magura Racelines that shod most bikes but it was soon to change. Back in the late nineties, discs were on all the World Cup bikes and more often than not, they were from Lancashire based Hope; Palmer, GT World Cup Team, Giant World Cup team to name just a few. Simple affairs, they had large, MX inspired levers and large, two piece, two piston calipers. Discs were 165mm or 185mm on the front and 165mm on the back. And then along came the DH4 at a huge £250 per end...and £150 each just for the caliper! But they were worth it, if a little heavy, and the list of top riders lining up to ride them was testament to their performance. Fast forward to 2009 and whilst the monopoly which Hope once had has now been split among many, they still stand at the top of the game with their latest offerings.
Last year, Hope, had a number of brakes on offer, including the V2 with the Moto lever and the M4 with the Mini lever. For 2009, it’s all changed with a new lever called Tech used across the range and, in the case of the M4, a redesigned caliper to make the most of this new lever. So what exactly are these brakes?
First of all we’ll start with the new lever which is a common denominator across the 2009 Hope range. Replacing both the Moto and Mini levers in one fell swoop, the Tech lever is much improved over what has gone before. Lighter than the Moto and only slightly heavier than the Mini it offers easy, on the fly adjustment for both reach and bite point as well as being of a cam design like many of its rivals. This means that the lever isn’t directly connected to the master piston as with older brakes and is instead operated by a sprung cam so that when the inevitable happens and you crash, the lever can get pulled out from the bar and you won’t suffer the age old problem of a now useless lever thanks to the piston having been ripped out. It’s been an increasingly common feature on the brakes released over the last few years and so to see it on the new Hope offering is certainly welcome. The new adjustments are also welcome. Some skepticism must be admitted to when these were first pulled from the box as the small aluminium dials sit rather precariously on the front of the lever and seem very vulnerable to damage. However, over six months on, and many crashes later, whilst grazed, both the threads and adjusters remain in perfect working order.
Also handy with these is their floppable, ambidextrous design which means that, no matter whether you ride with your brakes on the left or right, you will be able to pull these out the box and use them straight away without fuss. None of these features are particularly new, having been seen on other brakes before but they are all neat and slick executions. Feel wise, these levers are right up there, even though it is a very subjective thing. Much more solid than a lot of the competition, even with normal plastic hoses installed instead of the braided offerings, the bite point is firm and definite at the lever. With all that adjustment on offer, it’s easy to get the lever (which has been drilled to give a bit more grip on your gloves) attuned to suit your preferences. The downside to these is that there is still quite a distance from lever tip to bar clamp which means that if you're running narrow bars and like your levers inboard then there isn't much space to play with. It's much improved over the Moto however, and with most bars now surpassing 700mm, it's doubtful that any riders will have real problems getting it all to fit. Also available are replacement lever clamps for those running either the new style X9/X0 shifters or which are along the lines of the Avid matchmaker and allow you to bolt the shifters directly to the split brake lever clamp. A version to suit Shimano 3 bolt shifters such as the Saint, XT & SLX has been recently announced too. Why doesn't every manufacturer use split lever clamps? It's so much easier than faffing with sliding grips off and on when you just need to change you brake quickly before your run.
For many years, all of Hopes brakes have featured monobloc calipers and the current offerings are no different. What this means is that they are machined from a single piece of material rather than two then held together by bolts. The theory behind this is less weight and generally greater stiffness which in turn leads to more power. Some manufacturers still opt through two piece in a belief that they offer a better compromise but Hope's single piece offerings are neat, tidy and well executed with their three offerings catering for three different markets: The V2 for those downhillers seeking the ultimate power, the X2 for those seeking the lowest weight and the M4 sitting somewhere in the middle. Also featured across the range is the option of floating rotors. These feature your normal steel braking surface held to an aluminum carrier via rivets which allow for expansion between the two parts. The reason? Less weight and better heat dissipation whilst also allowing for the braking surface to expand separately to the carrier and help guard against warped discs. We spec’d these on both the test V2’s and M4’s.
The V2 is probably that which is of most interest to the gravity guys, offering as it does the most power. The V stands for vented rotors which are an extra cost option not tested here and the 2, well that‘s for the two pistons. The caliper itself is a carryover from last year’s offering although work is afoot to lighten it up a bit and these are currently undergoing testing with some of their team riders. When we were speaking to the guys at Hope about getting these brakes on test, it was decided to spec them with a 205mm floating rotor on the front and a matching 185mm on the back. Why the 185mm? Having used Codes for the past few years with a similar setup I felt no need for more power and anyway, the bigger rotor’s main benefit on the back is heat dissipation rather than power – just look at Minnaar’s set up with the larger rear rotor for just that reason. So how have they performed? Superbly. Like the rest of the range, they come stock with organic rather than sintered pads and manage plenty of bite without any inherent snatchiness as well as lots of power, certainly up there with the best offerings from the other manufacturers. Throughout the test, from short UK tracks to half hour descents in the French Alps, the brakes performed well, the original pads even lasting the best part of 6 months. And in those six months, no issues of overheating made themselves known, neither at any point did the brakes lack power, despite testing them on the steepest and fastest tracks we could find. Perhaps the indicator of their performance is that in use, you never actually notice them doing their job; you inherently know that you are able to brake later and later, harder and harder, and the brakes will not let you down, no matter what the conditions. If you’re a big rider and find that you cook brakes for a hobby then go for 205mm rotors front and back, otherwise the 185mm on the back will be fine. And whilst we’re on the subject of smaller rotors, I reckon that with these, most riders would actually get away with a 185mm on the front too – perhaps something that, in time, Hope will offer.
That’s the V2’s done, so time now for the M4’s. These were tested on a Cove Stiffee hardtail which gets used for everything that the V10 doesn't. So that means trail centers, long distance XC epics and also downhill trails. A mixed bag of riding then for Hope's all round brake. And, just for good measure, we threw them onto the V10 for some of the same punishing downhill that their bigger counterparts had to put up with, both at Fort William and also in the Alps. Last year, the M4 came with the Mini lever and a 4 piston caliper with two differing sizes of piston to help create a more progressive brake. This year, the M4 comes with the Tech lever which itself is more progressive than the outgoing unit and, as a result, the caliper has been redesigned to help generate more power by matching all the four pistons to the largest size found on the predecessor. This ups the leverage somewhat on the unchanged pads and allow the brakes to remain just as, if not more controllable as the old M4 but with more power to suit bigger bikes and trails.
The pads remain unchanged from the original M4 many years ago and are actually compatible with the old Shimano XT 4-pots so spare pads should be easy to track down when you need them from a variety of aftermarket manufacturers. On the Cove, these brakes in 185mm guise front and back never felt like they were being pushed, despite doing our best to thrash them but they performed well, being progressive enough to keep hard and narrow XC tyres from locking on the loose trails yet had easily enough power to control the sticky downhill tyres on the steeper courses. So fitting them to the V10 seemed a reasonable way to see what they were really capable of when being pushed. Did they struggle? In a word, no, despite Hope suggesting that these are aimed more towards freeride than downhill race. After using matching disc sizes to the V2's, the power was within a hair of the bigger brakes although they had noticeably less initial bite. Again, no issues with heat made themselves known and they were happily raced on several steep and punishing tracks in Europe without anything to suggest that they were struggling. Even some of Hopes team riders such as Joe Barnes from MTBCut and Will Longden from LaPierre choose to run the slightly lighter M4 on their bikes which see use right up to World Cup level.
Overall these rate highly indeed. Many seem to get tired of reading endless positive reviews but, when it comes to spec'ing a bike to race for a season, you generally are only interested in products which you know will more than likely work or, at the very least, have a high chance of being worth the gamble – regardless of any test/reviews intentions. With these, I will be sticking with them for the foreseeable future as their well placed compromise between weight and power suits me perfectly. As for what you should choose if you're looking at these? If you're a downhiller then the V2 is definitely the main one to consider with its blend of power and is certainly my preferred brake for that purpose. However, if you're lighter or ride predominantly shorter, less heavy going courses then there is a lot to be said for the M4 which weighs less and also has the benefit of being marginally lighter on your pocket too.
www.hopetech.com
www.nrgenterprises.com in Canada.
Tech M4 £170
Braided Hose upgrade £10
203mm rotor upgrade £5
($460 CDN - floating rotor, braided line)
Tech V2 £189 including floating rotor and braided hoses
Vented rotor upgrade +£46
($470 CDN - floating $ 580 vented - both w/ braided line)
 |
| The new Tech lever |
With all the hype surrounding the return of the legendary Napalm, it seems fitting to use him as a marker of how things have changed in the thirteen years since he stormed on to the scene with second place at Cairns in ’96 against the great Nico. Back then, it was the all-new V-Brakes from Shimano and the Magura Racelines that shod most bikes but it was soon to change. Back in the late nineties, discs were on all the World Cup bikes and more often than not, they were from Lancashire based Hope; Palmer, GT World Cup Team, Giant World Cup team to name just a few. Simple affairs, they had large, MX inspired levers and large, two piece, two piston calipers. Discs were 165mm or 185mm on the front and 165mm on the back. And then along came the DH4 at a huge £250 per end...and £150 each just for the caliper! But they were worth it, if a little heavy, and the list of top riders lining up to ride them was testament to their performance. Fast forward to 2009 and whilst the monopoly which Hope once had has now been split among many, they still stand at the top of the game with their latest offerings.
 |
| Hope team rider, Tom Braithwaite, in action at Fort William |
Last year, Hope, had a number of brakes on offer, including the V2 with the Moto lever and the M4 with the Mini lever. For 2009, it’s all changed with a new lever called Tech used across the range and, in the case of the M4, a redesigned caliper to make the most of this new lever. So what exactly are these brakes?
 |
First of all we’ll start with the new lever which is a common denominator across the 2009 Hope range. Replacing both the Moto and Mini levers in one fell swoop, the Tech lever is much improved over what has gone before. Lighter than the Moto and only slightly heavier than the Mini it offers easy, on the fly adjustment for both reach and bite point as well as being of a cam design like many of its rivals. This means that the lever isn’t directly connected to the master piston as with older brakes and is instead operated by a sprung cam so that when the inevitable happens and you crash, the lever can get pulled out from the bar and you won’t suffer the age old problem of a now useless lever thanks to the piston having been ripped out. It’s been an increasingly common feature on the brakes released over the last few years and so to see it on the new Hope offering is certainly welcome. The new adjustments are also welcome. Some skepticism must be admitted to when these were first pulled from the box as the small aluminium dials sit rather precariously on the front of the lever and seem very vulnerable to damage. However, over six months on, and many crashes later, whilst grazed, both the threads and adjusters remain in perfect working order.
 |
| V2 Front Caliper with 205mm Floating Rotor |
Also handy with these is their floppable, ambidextrous design which means that, no matter whether you ride with your brakes on the left or right, you will be able to pull these out the box and use them straight away without fuss. None of these features are particularly new, having been seen on other brakes before but they are all neat and slick executions. Feel wise, these levers are right up there, even though it is a very subjective thing. Much more solid than a lot of the competition, even with normal plastic hoses installed instead of the braided offerings, the bite point is firm and definite at the lever. With all that adjustment on offer, it’s easy to get the lever (which has been drilled to give a bit more grip on your gloves) attuned to suit your preferences. The downside to these is that there is still quite a distance from lever tip to bar clamp which means that if you're running narrow bars and like your levers inboard then there isn't much space to play with. It's much improved over the Moto however, and with most bars now surpassing 700mm, it's doubtful that any riders will have real problems getting it all to fit. Also available are replacement lever clamps for those running either the new style X9/X0 shifters or which are along the lines of the Avid matchmaker and allow you to bolt the shifters directly to the split brake lever clamp. A version to suit Shimano 3 bolt shifters such as the Saint, XT & SLX has been recently announced too. Why doesn't every manufacturer use split lever clamps? It's so much easier than faffing with sliding grips off and on when you just need to change you brake quickly before your run.
 |
| Tech lever - Front view |
For many years, all of Hopes brakes have featured monobloc calipers and the current offerings are no different. What this means is that they are machined from a single piece of material rather than two then held together by bolts. The theory behind this is less weight and generally greater stiffness which in turn leads to more power. Some manufacturers still opt through two piece in a belief that they offer a better compromise but Hope's single piece offerings are neat, tidy and well executed with their three offerings catering for three different markets: The V2 for those downhillers seeking the ultimate power, the X2 for those seeking the lowest weight and the M4 sitting somewhere in the middle. Also featured across the range is the option of floating rotors. These feature your normal steel braking surface held to an aluminum carrier via rivets which allow for expansion between the two parts. The reason? Less weight and better heat dissipation whilst also allowing for the braking surface to expand separately to the carrier and help guard against warped discs. We spec’d these on both the test V2’s and M4’s.
 |
| V2 Rear Caliper with 185mm Floating Rotor |
The V2 is probably that which is of most interest to the gravity guys, offering as it does the most power. The V stands for vented rotors which are an extra cost option not tested here and the 2, well that‘s for the two pistons. The caliper itself is a carryover from last year’s offering although work is afoot to lighten it up a bit and these are currently undergoing testing with some of their team riders. When we were speaking to the guys at Hope about getting these brakes on test, it was decided to spec them with a 205mm floating rotor on the front and a matching 185mm on the back. Why the 185mm? Having used Codes for the past few years with a similar setup I felt no need for more power and anyway, the bigger rotor’s main benefit on the back is heat dissipation rather than power – just look at Minnaar’s set up with the larger rear rotor for just that reason. So how have they performed? Superbly. Like the rest of the range, they come stock with organic rather than sintered pads and manage plenty of bite without any inherent snatchiness as well as lots of power, certainly up there with the best offerings from the other manufacturers. Throughout the test, from short UK tracks to half hour descents in the French Alps, the brakes performed well, the original pads even lasting the best part of 6 months. And in those six months, no issues of overheating made themselves known, neither at any point did the brakes lack power, despite testing them on the steepest and fastest tracks we could find. Perhaps the indicator of their performance is that in use, you never actually notice them doing their job; you inherently know that you are able to brake later and later, harder and harder, and the brakes will not let you down, no matter what the conditions. If you’re a big rider and find that you cook brakes for a hobby then go for 205mm rotors front and back, otherwise the 185mm on the back will be fine. And whilst we’re on the subject of smaller rotors, I reckon that with these, most riders would actually get away with a 185mm on the front too – perhaps something that, in time, Hope will offer.
 |
| 2009 M4 Caliper with 185mm Floating Rotor |
That’s the V2’s done, so time now for the M4’s. These were tested on a Cove Stiffee hardtail which gets used for everything that the V10 doesn't. So that means trail centers, long distance XC epics and also downhill trails. A mixed bag of riding then for Hope's all round brake. And, just for good measure, we threw them onto the V10 for some of the same punishing downhill that their bigger counterparts had to put up with, both at Fort William and also in the Alps. Last year, the M4 came with the Mini lever and a 4 piston caliper with two differing sizes of piston to help create a more progressive brake. This year, the M4 comes with the Tech lever which itself is more progressive than the outgoing unit and, as a result, the caliper has been redesigned to help generate more power by matching all the four pistons to the largest size found on the predecessor. This ups the leverage somewhat on the unchanged pads and allow the brakes to remain just as, if not more controllable as the old M4 but with more power to suit bigger bikes and trails.
 |
| 2009 M4 Caliper with 185mm Floating Rotor |
The pads remain unchanged from the original M4 many years ago and are actually compatible with the old Shimano XT 4-pots so spare pads should be easy to track down when you need them from a variety of aftermarket manufacturers. On the Cove, these brakes in 185mm guise front and back never felt like they were being pushed, despite doing our best to thrash them but they performed well, being progressive enough to keep hard and narrow XC tyres from locking on the loose trails yet had easily enough power to control the sticky downhill tyres on the steeper courses. So fitting them to the V10 seemed a reasonable way to see what they were really capable of when being pushed. Did they struggle? In a word, no, despite Hope suggesting that these are aimed more towards freeride than downhill race. After using matching disc sizes to the V2's, the power was within a hair of the bigger brakes although they had noticeably less initial bite. Again, no issues with heat made themselves known and they were happily raced on several steep and punishing tracks in Europe without anything to suggest that they were struggling. Even some of Hopes team riders such as Joe Barnes from MTBCut and Will Longden from LaPierre choose to run the slightly lighter M4 on their bikes which see use right up to World Cup level.
 |
| 2009 M4 Caliper with 185mm Floating Rotor |
Overall these rate highly indeed. Many seem to get tired of reading endless positive reviews but, when it comes to spec'ing a bike to race for a season, you generally are only interested in products which you know will more than likely work or, at the very least, have a high chance of being worth the gamble – regardless of any test/reviews intentions. With these, I will be sticking with them for the foreseeable future as their well placed compromise between weight and power suits me perfectly. As for what you should choose if you're looking at these? If you're a downhiller then the V2 is definitely the main one to consider with its blend of power and is certainly my preferred brake for that purpose. However, if you're lighter or ride predominantly shorter, less heavy going courses then there is a lot to be said for the M4 which weighs less and also has the benefit of being marginally lighter on your pocket too.
www.nrgenterprises.com in Canada.
Tech M4 £170
Braided Hose upgrade £10
203mm rotor upgrade £5
($460 CDN - floating rotor, braided line)
Tech V2 £189 including floating rotor and braided hoses
Vented rotor upgrade +£46
($470 CDN - floating $ 580 vented - both w/ braided line)
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79 Comments
- + 3
biker-guy
(Nov 9, 2009 at 0:16)
they look realy nice
we sell these at the shop i work in and i keep staring at them in the cabinet cant wait to get a set they look sooo nice in the flesh the levers feel amazing and they are really light units well worth the money and support a british company aswell as your local bike shop :-)
They could use that as their slogan, except that my Hopes were the only brakes I ever had that failed...
get them!
[Reply]
WTF man? I've been running Avids for 5 years now and never had a sign of rusting. Only bad thing about them is the hose that makes the brake feel like a gum ball no matter how much you try to bleed them.
kk maybe i just got unlucky with mine.... i personally rate avid brakes just not the rotors
hey but by simply adding adding an O to the name avid becomes AVOID tres clever dontcha think??
hey but by simply adding adding an O to the name avid becomes AVOID tres clever dontcha think??
and anyway i think your telling porkys mate just looked through your pics and the avids your running havnt been around for 5 years!
ive had mine for two. theyve never been bled, are still on the original pads, and STILL feel great. They're awesome.
To a sertain point i agree but to a sertain point i dont. But i do like my Avids. I would have to try a set of these to really be able to judge that.
owned some m4`s an some juicy 5`s theres not much in it power wise but hopes have sooo much more modulation.... im running saints at the mo and they are awesome!
[Reply]
[Reply]
i run The tech v2 brakes. I had them all year and they have been awesome.The adjustability and power of these brakes is second to none. But in certain conditions, for some reason the brake lever will come back to the bar and the brakes feel spongy. This is usually in really wet conditions when the mud is very gritty. i know im not the only person to suffer from this, as my team mates and other friends at races suffered the exact same problem.
Maybee its something for them to work on for the future.
Maybee its something for them to work on for the future.
i never got hope brakes until i stuck 2009 m4,s with floating rotors on my rig . truly beautiful , hard working , maintenance free stoppers . would never go anywhere else for brakes now .
does anyone know if avid or anybody has anything similar to those levers i could buy, they're so dialed
[Reply]
So the review basically states the brakes do everything the competition has done for many years, but looks pretty and costs more without bringing any new technology into biking?
pretty obvious if not for the guys name, but also the grammar that he's british. which means he's A, biased. and B, only rides 2 minute courses.
looks like they still haven't found a good way to make the angle of the brake line coming out of the caliper a universally adjustable unit. always leaving the line all bonered out in the air and easy to knock loose (always a hope problem) or all bent and kinked in against the frame tubes.
plus i'd imagine they still require some bizarre set up of strange sized tubes (due to the huge ancient hayes style bleed fittings) and bottles to get the bleed done. and it still won't be as good and dialed as an avid styled bleed kit.
hope brakes have always been a curse, who cares if they were one of the originators of mountain bike discs. they're off the back now is all that matters.
c'mon. give me a serious intelligent answer to that and we'll have a talk about it
looks like they still haven't found a good way to make the angle of the brake line coming out of the caliper a universally adjustable unit. always leaving the line all bonered out in the air and easy to knock loose (always a hope problem) or all bent and kinked in against the frame tubes.
plus i'd imagine they still require some bizarre set up of strange sized tubes (due to the huge ancient hayes style bleed fittings) and bottles to get the bleed done. and it still won't be as good and dialed as an avid styled bleed kit.
hope brakes have always been a curse, who cares if they were one of the originators of mountain bike discs. they're off the back now is all that matters.
c'mon. give me a serious intelligent answer to that and we'll have a talk about it
Errr... "Again, no issues with heat made themselves known and they were happily raced on several steep and punishing tracks in Europe" and also, i have avid brakes (codes + juicys) and the bleeding kit sucks (may look good but brakes let it down) compared to hope as it is so much harder to bleed avids than hopes, full stop, on that one even my local bike mechanic/shop agrees. tbh i only run avids instead of hopes because I got them on a seriously good deal, other than that there isnt much reason as they are very good brakes.
Yes I am British and who says british companies arent good too....
*cough*empire*cough*orange*cough*
neways... peace
Yes I am British and who says british companies arent good too....
*cough*empire*cough*orange*cough*
neways... peace
yeah, i read that they tested them on other tracks. probably a few times. it doesn't matter where you test them. its where the vast majority of people who run them, and find them acceptable actually ride them that matters. in england, on 2 minute tracks? gimme a break!
besides, its not world cup riders who rarely use their brakes who deserve to decide if a brake works good or not. thats why when peaty ran hopes (before he joined the winning team) he ran the wimpiest lightest xc hopes.
bring those brakes where the real men ride steep long trails and see how they last
its called pemberton. 20 minutes straight down bud!
And it is not harder to bleed avids than hopes. the kit is dialed as long as you tie wire the hose fittings.
the hope bleed method totally fails for making sure all the airs out btw. you have to custom make something like the avid set up to back pressure the system to get all the air out for sure.
But anyway, just keep riding those 2 minute trails and loving your crappy brakes
besides, its not world cup riders who rarely use their brakes who deserve to decide if a brake works good or not. thats why when peaty ran hopes (before he joined the winning team) he ran the wimpiest lightest xc hopes.
bring those brakes where the real men ride steep long trails and see how they last
its called pemberton. 20 minutes straight down bud!
And it is not harder to bleed avids than hopes. the kit is dialed as long as you tie wire the hose fittings.
the hope bleed method totally fails for making sure all the airs out btw. you have to custom make something like the avid set up to back pressure the system to get all the air out for sure.
But anyway, just keep riding those 2 minute trails and loving your crappy brakes
I know that my team m8 Ben rode his Hopes in Whistler for 2 weeks and he races pretty much every weekend. To date he has had no issues with them after more than 2 years riding. He only raced the Garbo, Aid Dh and Canadian open this year at Crankworx, practising and riding from the lift opening until around 2000.
Personally I ride Avids as I like the modulation and feel of the lever better. The hope lever in the picture is a massive improvement and in the wet, the best lever out due to the holes adding extra grip and feel to the lever. Guess being from the UK we ride in the wet :o)
Personally I ride Avids as I like the modulation and feel of the lever better. The hope lever in the picture is a massive improvement and in the wet, the best lever out due to the holes adding extra grip and feel to the lever. Guess being from the UK we ride in the wet :o)
bigtard, not everyone in britain is stuck here all their lives.. i for one am off to whistler for 15 weeks this coming summer, so a lot of us do have an idea of how kit performs on longer courses... neways keep ur biased views, ur points are no longer relevant and i no longer want to be involved in another internet bitching session... peace.
point taken, now i suppose you'll find out why we all run codes or shimano's here
btw, i thought kit was your speed suit, gloves, helmet etc. Its also your bike parts now? that makes no sense.
btw, i thought kit was your speed suit, gloves, helmet etc. Its also your bike parts now? that makes no sense.
lol, to me kit has always been anything I u se for mtb? neways i probs wont find out as I run codes due to the sweet deal i got on them :S
so you already run the best brakes? I think to get in a discussion about how good hopes are you might actually have to run them?
lol, i have used them, i just dont run due to the forementioned deal i got on codes, and codes r a bitch to bleed, new levers cost a bomb due to requiring new bearings too and i bent mine on day 2 and have had it bent for over a year now due to cost and i can go on... its far from perfect, and hopes are nowhere near as bad as you make them out to be in comparison.
Bigtard how about you do your own review for everyone else? Seems to me like your also biased. And being in Scotland I'm pretty sure those brakes saw a large amount of time at Fort William. Judging by your attitude all product reviews must be long-term from the Alps or your Pemberton trails?
yeah, all product reviews should be long term, and like i said. a world cup race course has no relativity as to how a brake is gonna work for the real world. A dh race? where people try to NOT use their brakes. think about it
I'm biased by living in the place where everything thats crap, gets found out.
hopes are the crap, avid codes and shimano's aren't
I'm biased by living in the place where everything thats crap, gets found out.
hopes are the crap, avid codes and shimano's aren't
living in BC, and riding for 15+ years I can say happily I ride Hopes now because of Saints failing... Avid's are good brakes but harder to work on (says the net after a google search, never owned code7's myself)
its true... whats this about saints? are they the new ones? i was thinking bout getting but mite not +go for hopes now...
i have a set of moto 6. FN pimp. don't hate. plus who wants a casting anyway. they use solid billet. that's where the extra cost comes from. plus im pretty sure they are not made in china. as for the hose. if you can coil a garden hose than, well im sure you can sort it.
[Reply]
I've run the Mono M4's for about 6 years. They are very tough, dependable, have great power and an infinitely better lever feel than Hayes Nines (the other brake I use). They are some times a bit spongy in the rear brake. A better hose might help. Bleeding might help -- but bleeding these brakes is a VERY irritating job. (I enjoy wrenching my bike.)
I smashed the rear lever where it meets the hose into a tree hard enough to crush an Easton DH Monkeylite Bar when the bar interface ovaled. Two points here -- first, the M4's are burly enough (good and bad) that I could put them in a vise and hammer them back to shape with a ballpeen hammer, and, second the Easton bar was crushed in through half of its circumference so had to be replaced. I figured I could snap it by putting it against a log and stamping my foot at the break point. WRONG. Woah.
I love these brakes, however, the technology that Formula and Avid are bringing will win me away when I buy new brakes.
I smashed the rear lever where it meets the hose into a tree hard enough to crush an Easton DH Monkeylite Bar when the bar interface ovaled. Two points here -- first, the M4's are burly enough (good and bad) that I could put them in a vise and hammer them back to shape with a ballpeen hammer, and, second the Easton bar was crushed in through half of its circumference so had to be replaced. I figured I could snap it by putting it against a log and stamping my foot at the break point. WRONG. Woah.
I love these brakes, however, the technology that Formula and Avid are bringing will win me away when I buy new brakes.
best brakes in the world!!! period.
love my M4's X4's and soon lightrace X2. the levers are he best feeling in the market. I tried shimano's hayes formula's nothing compares.
BUY HOPE!!!!
love my M4's X4's and soon lightrace X2. the levers are he best feeling in the market. I tried shimano's hayes formula's nothing compares.
BUY HOPE!!!!
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You can bleed a hope brake with a bit of a pipe and a stella bottle. Takes 5 minutes. You have to dick around for about half an hour to bleed any avid the way avid state. Hope are servicable too, no other brake manufacturer make brakes as servicable as hope.
Not true, there a pain in the ass. And the bad part is hope have always had problems with kinks n shit near the rotars. Just take a look, just because they were one of the companies to originate first in MTB brakes dosent mean there king shit. (TBH i dont like them) But all in all they have the best looking lever out there. In my opinion.
If you dont know how to bleed brakes, then stop trying and take them to a bikeshop. Hope is really easy to bleed, It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to bleed, if you know what you're doing, is like bleeding a car brake system. pour fluidin reservoir, pump and hold lever, open end at caliper, close end, release lever; pump and hold lever, open end at caliper, and repeat the steps before... dont forget to look at the fluid level you have to keep it full all the time. and you dont really need special tools or bleed kits.
yeah every one does have opinions on stuff. the difference is that people whom have never even used these brakes should step back, shut up and get some more hours on the hot seat. bunch of wet handers postin on threds they know nuthin bout. bottom line is hope brakes are sick. also my xtrs are sick too. avid and hayes not so much.
the way everyone has described bleeding hopes is the quick hack way. and unfortunately its probably the way hope says to bleed them. like a car. this in no way guarantees that all the bubbles in the caliper are out.
so yeah hopes are easy to bleed. easier to bleed than codes. but its a shitty method. and its worth the extra trouble of bleeding brakes the avid way
so yeah hopes are easy to bleed. easier to bleed than codes. but its a shitty method. and its worth the extra trouble of bleeding brakes the avid way
just open the calipers after you bleed your brakes and check for bubbles dude. I do it all the times with my avid's bra.
what?
how are you gonna see the bubbles that are trapped in there. its not like they're just sitting there at the bleed nipple waiting to be found.
the back pressure syringe works quite well.
that should be part of the hope bleed procedure too
how are you gonna see the bubbles that are trapped in there. its not like they're just sitting there at the bleed nipple waiting to be found.
the back pressure syringe works quite well.
that should be part of the hope bleed procedure too
Correct me if i'm wrong as I often am, but didn't Ali (the author) came third in Experts at Fort William SDA (5 mins course) running Hopes?
Plus he was at the Mega on them!
A bit more than 2minutes there.
Plus 99% of his British races he attended were in Wales or Scotland.
Cheers.
Si..
Plus he was at the Mega on them!
A bit more than 2minutes there.
Plus 99% of his British races he attended were in Wales or Scotland.
Cheers.
Si..
He came 3rd at Fort Bill even with a sore ankle after tripping whilst running for the bus after work in his high heels (hurt his girly ankles) ;o)
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bigtards never ridden the megavalanche so probably doesnt even know what a real test of brakes is, my mono m4s have done it 3 times
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