Hope Tech 11-Speed Cassette - Review
You're looking at 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28, 32, 38 and 44t sprocket array with a smaller 10-40t option also available.
The 1x drivetrain market has exploded in recent years with an increasing number of brands offering everything from aftermarket add-ons to complete transmissions. While SRAM defined the 1x marketplace with their XX1 group back in 2012, Hope Technology have been playing with cassette designs since 2010. Granted, they started with 9-speed, then smaller 7-speed clusters for downhill and so on, but for a brand so entrenched in the hub, brake and lights market, offering their own cassette was no mean feat and something they weren't prepared to rush into.
And here we are, in the golden age of the 1x drivetrain, and Hope has entered the market with their very own extended range cassette.
And here we are, in the golden age of the 1x drivetrain, and Hope has entered the market with their very own extended range cassette.
Hope 11-Speed Cassette Details:
• Ranges available: 10-40t and 10-44t
• Large four sprockets machined from single aluminum billet
• Smaller seven sprockets machined from single billet of steel
• 11-speed spacing
• Requires Hope hub and proprietary freehub
• Maximum 20% ratio changes
• Weight: 274 grams (10-44)
• Cassette MSRP: £175 GBP / $270 USD / €240 EU
• Freehub MSRP: £67 GBP / $100 USD / €92 EU
• hopetech.com
• Ranges available: 10-40t and 10-44t
• Large four sprockets machined from single aluminum billet
• Smaller seven sprockets machined from single billet of steel
• 11-speed spacing
• Requires Hope hub and proprietary freehub
• Maximum 20% ratio changes
• Weight: 274 grams (10-44)
• Cassette MSRP: £175 GBP / $270 USD / €240 EU
• Freehub MSRP: £67 GBP / $100 USD / €92 EU
• hopetech.com
You'll need either Hope's Pro 2 or Pro 4 hub and a new freehub to run their 11-speed cassette.The Hope cassette in the 10-44 spread weighs 274 grams and costs $270 USD. For comparison's sake, e*thirteen's new 11-speed, 9-44 TRS+ cassette weighs 333 grams and costs $309 USD, while SRAM's XX1 cassette comes in at 268 grams and costs a whopping $416 USD. Don't forget to also factor in freehub prices if you need one, with the proprietary Hope freehub that's required costing $100 USD and only being compatible with either their older Pro 2 model or the newer Pro 4 hub.
 | There are other extended range cassettes on the market now, but there are no other aftermarket companies who have made a hub, freehub, and cassette combination and done so from the ground up. All the other manufacturers adapt their cassettes to fit other brands freehubs. - Alan Weatherill, Hope Technology. |
Installation
To run Hope's new cassette, you will need one of their hubs, either the older Pro 2 model or the newer Pro 4. On top of that, you will also need their shorter freehub body ($100 USD) which has been designed specifically for this new cassette. The freehub has been shortened slightly since the 10-tooth sprocket has to hang over the end of the freehub. Considering the popularity of their hubs, most notably their Pro 2 model which has been out for a number of years now, making the switch, should you wish to run Hope's new cassette, shouldn't be too hard to justify, especially if your old freehub and cassette have seen better days.
Don't own a Pro 2 or Pro 4 hub? Well, then the switch to the Hope cassette is going to cost you more, but the same can be said of the move for any upgrade to an 11-speed drivetrain.
With the black anodised alloy cluster on, the large cylindrical spacer follows.Installing the new freehub body, or any Hope freehub for that matter, onto a Hope Pro 2 hub is like child's play. Firstly, remove the dropout spacer, which should come off without any tools. With that off and put to one side, grab the old freehub and with a swift tug, pull it off. Slip the new one over the axle and with a nice rotary motion - in the direction of the pawls to ensure they slip in nicely - push the new freehub into the hub body and it's done. The new Pro 4 hub has some improvements over the Pro 2, most notably a new weather seal which needs to be carefully removed. Once out of the way, the process is the same as the Pro 2; just make sure that the new seal is carefully back in its recess against the hub body.
If you're not confident with tools and such, get a mechanic to do it for you and remember to clean and re-lube where necessary. With everything in place and clicking like a cricket on steroids, it's time to fit the cassette.
Hope's new cassette bears all the hallmarks of precision engineering, and the two sprocket clusters clip together tightly.With the new freehub installed, the next step is to add the longer dropout spacer which simply pushes on. Now, with the freehub body and alloy cassette cluster before you, line them up as you would a regular cassette and slide it on to the freehub body. Then, slide on the large cylindrical spacer. Once they're on, line up the markings between the alloy cluster and the smaller steel cluster and push them together on the freehub. They should 'clip' into place, but check to ensure that the two parts are correctly engaged all the way around.
All that's left is to install the lockring, which is also specific to the new freehub, and tighten it up using a run-of-the-mill cassette tool. The whole procedure will take someone familiar with installing cassettes about 5-10 minutes, and you won't need any new or special tools, either.
Performance
To get the best results possible and to remove any unwanted variables that could upset testing, I decided to pair Hope's new cassette to a brand new SRAM GX 11-speed rear derailleur - one of the most common 'original equipment' 11-speed derailleurs out there - with both fresh inner and outer cables. A new SRAM PC X-1 chain was also fitted. With a SRAM X01 11-speed shifter at the helm, the initial set up was as trouble-free in the work stand as a full SRAM system, with everything blending seamlessly together to deliver smooth and precise shifting from the outset.
A slight tweak to the cable tension and b-tension screw and that was that. Time to hit the trails...
I convinced myself prior to riding this new cassette that out on the trail the shifting would be good, but perhaps a touch clunkier and slower than a full SRAM setup. And having another bike to refer to, with a full X01 system in place, I did some back-to-back testing. While the variables can start to spiral here, I actually came away rather impressed with the Hope cassette's performance. It works, well of course it does, that much didn't surprise me, but it's how smooth and efficient it was next to a comparable system made by a company who have been manufacturing drivetrain components for decades - one I've chosen to spec on my own bikes for a long time too.
My initial convictions were thankfully quashed, and rather quickly, but was it as slick as the full SRAM system? I'd say it was pretty damn close if not on a par, shift for shift and up and down the block in a variety of scenarios. With shifting performance decidedly up there, it was merely a case of putting the miles in over the months that followed to see if time spent on the trails could upset things.
Mud, dust, and since I'm in the UK, more mud, and things have remained both accurate and precise, with nothing untoward or concerning. The black anodizing on the alloy cluster has taken a beating and is starting to show signs of wear, perhaps sooner than that of an X01 cassette, but hardly an issue considering I deliberately avoided lubing the chain for a while to see what difference it would make. But the biggest difference is, of course, the numbers, and with the 44-tooth sprocket to help get you up those hills, the Hope cassette has one up on SRAM's 10-42t 11-speed ratio and Shimano's 11-42t 11-speed options. Certainly, SRAM's Eagle may have something to say about this, but let's stay focussed on 11-speeds for now... And it does make a difference, especially jumping between my long-term ride, with the Hope cassette and a 32-tooth chainring fitted and a similar set-up on another bike with a regular 10-42 cassette.
Having that extended range adds to a ride rather than detracting from it, and thankfully mountain biking lacks the machismo of the road scene with their huge chainrings and tiny cassettes. Mountain biking isn't about suffering; it's about having fun. Unlike other aftermarket cassettes, like e*thirteen's TRS offering, for example, Hope didn't go as far as to offer a 9-tooth sprocket, instead opting for 10-teeth, much like SRAM. They did, however, experiment with a 9-tooth design, instead deciding to drop it from the production models as their engineers found that it caused issues with unwanted wear and loading. The level of engineering has to be acknowledged here, too; after all, Hope's founders were Rolls-Royce engineers, and that expertise and attention to detail doesn't wane, it just gets better.
Pinkbike's Take
| With six years of prototyping and testing behind it, some of which witnessed weekly changes to the teeth profile, Hope's arrival on the cassette market is thankfully a good one with a product that does exactly what it says on the tin. Hope's decision to develop their own freehub body specifically for this cassette, rather than an off-the-shelf option (such as an XD Driver which they already offer) to boost compatibility, may frustrate some, but doing so allowed them to shed weight and ultimately deliver their own take on a cassette and driver, which will no doubt appeal to many more. And at only 3g heavier than a SRAM X01 cassette which also costs nearly $100 more and has a smaller range, the numbers soon add up. With comparable shifting performance and a sprocket range that supersedes many others, and considering the depth of Hope Pro 2 and Pro 4 hub ownership out there, this could be a serious option for many riders faced with having to replace a worn cassette. - Olly Forster |
MENTIONS: @hopetech
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@ccolagio: So is it expensive? - Yes. But the difference is big.
Does it worth it's money? - It's for everyone's personal decision...
The price of a product isn't directly related to it's cost of manufacturing. Manufacturing is just one, relatively small, part of it.
"a cassette is a cassette" ABSOLUTELY not. cheap cassettes (heavy) are stamped from sheet metal. high end (light) cassette are CNCed from a hunk of material. WAY different process. WAY different cost. don't kid yourself for one second - hope put A LOT of engineering and thought into this cassette/system. i just personally never have been nor will i ever be a fan of proprietary design from a consumer standpoint. from a business standpoint, yes...it makes a lot of sense.
That is 0.1688% of the bike and rider combination. That is going to make absolutely no difference to your riding or times.
Mountain bikers fall for every fad out there...
I'll still stick with the cheaper XT cassette though.....
First:
157 gram ON ONE Part.
Second:
Weight of the whole system Rider+Bike is used in another calculations such as speed races and we are talking about MTB. In MTB weight of the bike is considering separately from the weight of the system because you need to jump in MTB.
Third:
If you save 157 gram on every part of the bike you'll have 1-3 kilograms (2,2...6,6 lbs). So lets see what bike do we want to buy more the one which weight is 15 kilos (33 lbs) or the one which weight is 12 kilos (26,5 lbs). Go and ask your friends!)))))
After all if we calculate the difference like you did we all will ride bikes 26 kilos (57 lbs) and we all will say: "1kilogram on cassette is not a big difference! Are we mountain bikers really that gullible")))))
And also don't forget that in my post I wrote that safety is more important than light weight of bike.
I ride some "light" endure and some "light" street trial on the same bike with endure hardtail frame and I feel difference in 500 grams on my bike. If you don't - so don't buy light parts at all)))
@bogdanc : cassette doesn't really belong in the rotating mass category, the circle it revolves around is too small to make a difference. Rotating mass is an important subject with rims, tubes and tyres, but not with hubs and cassettes because there's no length/leverage to create the extra force.
@ccolagio : since when is an XT cassette a low quality cassette? The only price difference between this Hope and an XT cassette is most probably the one piece design on the smaller half of the cogs on the Hope hub. This does nothing more or less than saving weight by not needing a spider for every single ring.
@ivankvkharkiv : I agree on first and third, but second really depends on what type of riding you do. For a street bike (BMX style riding) I totally agree, because when you bunnyhop, a lighter bike is comparable to deadlifting less weight in the gym. But when you ride XC and both your wheels stay on the ground the whole time, than it actually is about the total weight of you and your bike that you have to pedal up the hill.
My personal opinion about this cassette is that it's an amazing piece of artwork. It kind of sucks that you need to buy a new body too (since nobody rides these Hope bodies) and that it won't fit on an XD driver for example. Even though the price at the moment is still too high for most people who are not serious racers, their new cassette design is a step forwards in cassettes and thereby a step forwards for our bikes. Just like with wide range cassettes and Di2 shifting, I expect that one day this design will be used in the medium segment as well, making everyone's bike lighter
Sadly it is out of my price range, but I hope many people will buy this and other product from Hope, because companies who push the possibilities of our bikes forward as Hope deserve our support and we should be thankful to them!
Also rotating mass at the hub makes much less difference than rotating mass at the wheel rim.
At the end of the day,mountain bikers on 10 years ago were not going that much slower on bikes that were heavier by as much as 10kg. It's a massive placebo effect and I think mountain bikers are particularly susceptible to being duped into buying the latest and greatest.
If you can afford it then please yourself, but there is an amount of people spending top dollar who will get absolutely spanked by guys riding much heavier outdated bikes. We have all seen Richie rude and Jared graves bike checks and noticed that that they go for reliability and strength over light weight. I just see it as throwing away money. Light components generally = weaker components unless it's made of carbon. Remove mass and you remove strength.
But anyway thanks for understanding that in my case (street biking) weight is perceptible.)))
I disagree. And if anything, xc is a place where (visible if you look at the photo epics, bike checks, or local racers bikes) less weight is extremely important. It's a race of constantly sprinting to speed, and then slamming on the breaks. The sprinting out of corners wears you down. If I can save weight, I don't have to work as hard.
What I said is that on an xc bike a 1kg weight drop will be less noticeable than on a street bike where you have to do all your tricks out of bunny hops. Just saying that on an xc bike you have to calculate both your own weight as well as the weight of your bike and everything you carry (clothes, helmet, water, bag).
Imagine that your bike weighs 10kg and you and your stuff weigh 90kg (so 100 total). Than a weight saving of 1kg will not make it 10% easier to go up the hill (as in 10% weight drop off your bike), but it will make it 1% easier to go up the hill (1% of your total weight). Assuming your only resistance would be the weight, so in reality it is only roughly the half of that 1% on climbs.
That said, to jump on the train here, Shimano XT is an outrageously good modern drivetrain, at a vintage price, without needing to swap out any pieces of your old hub. I have been running it for a year; have never (never!) dropped a chain. The clutch is still tight, the shifting is super super crisp, and the ergonomics on the lever are fantastic. And I did the full upgrade for less than $600, including a $70 lightweight chain and a Race Face Turbine that cost at least a hundred bucks more than the Shimano crank would have.
PS XT ftw. My cassette doesn't rotate when it matters anyway...think I saw something about rotational mass just before I glazed over.
Myself, I'm dumb enough to spend the extra cash on X.01 due to the many much more blackness of the cassette compared to the XT version. Fortunately SunRace has a cassette of near comparable blackness out.
I am surprised no one has mentioned that this is unsprung weight. The difference between this and weight on the frame adds up as far as suspension performance, small bump sensitivity, etc of the rear suspension. You want everything along the pivot end of that rear triangle (derailleur, axle, tire, rim, hub, cassette) to be as light as you can.
I'll be getting one when my X01 cassette finally gives up... though its still going strong after 2.5 years!
This hope cassette is a solid, reasonably priced, light alternative to replacing your existing 11 speed cassette if it's worn.
An affoardable way to keep the weight of your rear end down which will improve suspension performance. (over X01 or XX1)
If you don't have hope hubs, or 11 speed, why are you complaining about this? It's not a product aimed at you.
I'm looking at the alu cogs on this (and ther E13) and seeing no reason to stray away from SRAM. Using an XX1 right now, but have a GX on the hardtail and that's wehere the value is, I think - lighter than XT for about the same price, and with thr 10-42 range.
As someone who has tried a variety of 11s cassette options, the Hope looks like one of the better offerings - I don't care about it being expensive, I am interested in low weight, wide range WITH a 10t and no creaking pinned cog interfaces like you get with all Shimano and most of the SRAM versions. Looks like this might be worth a try.
Also, you can just replace the aluminum cog on your X01 cassette from One Up can.oneupcomponents.com/collections/all-products/products/x-cog
Also: no it's not affordable. You have to have Hope hubs.
I'm totally sold on them. Paired with a Saint shifter and a slx derr w/ goatlink it works like a charm.
And is cheaper than the standard XT+expander sprocket.
Faultless braking time after time.
However, moving the chainline that low may throw suspension out of whack. You'll have to do some research.
Another option: Since you are running the 9t e*thirteen, you have an XD driver. here's an option that will allow you to keep that driver rather than having to buy a new one that will only work with one cassette, & get 10-44: www.oneupcomponents.com/collections/all-products/products/x-cog-44t-sprocket
Point taken regarding the 28 - my main point is that 30/44 is low enough - I just never use the 9 - also the 9 feels a little weird when I pedal. A tighter 10/44 would be better for me.
@dldewar I get the reason for keeping a 30 tooth. I have the 34 on there because it makes the bike to the trails easier so I'm not spinning out as much and in my races it helps keep the power going. I think I'd like a 44-9 at some point though. How does a 9 feel weird? Skips some?
The fantastic news here is that there are options for everyone -the spinners, the grinders, the oval crowd, the round crowd. Its pretty clear that there is no one perfect gear set based on fitness, pedaling style, terrain and budget, but there are so many options almost everyone can be happy. Compare this to 15 years ago........
After being burned on two separate Hope Pro 2 Evo hubs, I was hesitant to try another Hope product, but I was excited about the light weight of this hub, it's wide range, and compatibility with my existing (but crap) Pro 2 Evo hubs.
The new freehub design seems great - it doesn't get the splines eaten into like with a typical 10 speed design, and it _appears_ to be engineered better than the typical hope freehubs, and appears to have better longevity. I'm still skeptical though.
The problem however is with the actual cassette - I've heard reports about poor longevity from others, but went ahead and bought it anyway. Now after 4 or so months of riding - most of it in perfectly dry summer conditions - it's worn down so bad no chain will work on it. The chain itself isn't even 3/4 worn yet, but the soft alloy they use just deformed and wore away so fast, it's now a $300 paper weight.
The machining is nice (as usual), it's light, but it doesn't matter because it's made of such soft metal.
In my opinion, if hub and cassette makers accept this new hub standard, it would be cheaper to make cassettes with a 10t small sprocket.
It's a bit of hit and miss with Hope. They did a good job with going with 10-44 making it better with a lower gear compared with SRAM. A miss because any converts are stuck with Hope when they need to replace their worn out cassettes. I assume that the Hope cassette will wear out faster because the 3 big sprockets are aluminum. Although the cassette is cheaper compared with SRAM, it will seem more practical to stick with the more durable SRAM.
This exclusivity is just getting silly now, don't get me wrong, I like Hope and I like what they do but come on!
Just use a 44t expander on XT 11 speed cassette, they're stupid cheap right now.
Different products, same purpose, but for different people - Just because me and you wont buy one and you think it is a joke doesnt mean they wont sell plenty and that other people wont think it is a great product.
Options are good!
It's like 'A won't work with B unless you buy X and Y'
It just feels like, a 'decent' drivetrain has to be 1000 pound and to use it you have only use their particular components.
Idk, maybe I'm just poor and jealous...
The one up only works with 142 axles though unfortunatley..
I have one wheel with a Pro 2 Evo hub, and ideally I would like to be able to build a new wheel with a Pro 4 hub and be able to swap the cassette + freehub between my XC and freeride wheels. Unfortunately, if I go this route I will have to get 2 separate freehub bodies. If I get the Hope XD driver freehub, it is actually compatible with both the Pro 2 Evo and the Pro 4, plus I can use the cassette on my DT Swiss wheels, too. Why Hope couldn't make one proprietary freehub when the XD driver is the same is beyond me.
Speaking of DT Swiss, OneUp now has an adapter and lockring that provide a 10t small cog for Shimano cassettes on DT Swiss star ratchet hubs. This is supposedly compatible with Hope and Stan's hubs as well, but I haven't found details about using this with a Hope hub yet. www.oneupcomponents.com/products/shark-10t-cluster-1x11
Cassettes just don't do it for me though, as long as they shift and don't weigh a tonne then I'm happy with the cheapest going. (Sub £40)
xx1 / xo1: too expensive
GX: cassette too heavy
Eagle: too expensive, and cassette way too heavy
XT: Cassette too heavy, and range not quite there
Lightweight, cheap, drag free gearboxes - readily available, but only for Unicorn specific applications
unbeaten
Cheers Shimano
Hope is like jewelry, beautiful. pricey and not really needed unless you want to look rich.
Running the pro trials on my 4X rig with a 6speed at the mo
mtbholic.com/%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%97%D7%9F-%D7%9C%D7%A7%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%94-sunrace-%D7%93%D7%92%D7%9D-10-%D7%95%D7%93%D7%92%D7%9D-11-%D7%94%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%9D
I like lots of close ratio gears and can't see the need for anything less than a 1:1, I never get close to it, I try not to go less than 2:1. I used to be a single speeder before I got bored of spinning out.
Just curious why I would need more. 'I' is the key word in that sentence but Im not exactly a fit rider at the mo. Even riding at Glentress and Innerlethiven recently I was on the 36 more.
Also I dont ride down fire roads so dropping down to 10 teeth at the bottom seems a bit redundent though I realise Sram have been doing 9 for a while.
This is hugely expensive and if it is anything like the cheese that Hope makes its freehubs and bearings (and yes I have had a few pairs of Hope hubs) from then I cant see any longevity to it.
Not convinced but each to their own.
Having said all that I'm still riding the same stuff i did with like a 11-32 X 34t, that was fine back then and itd be fine now, 1x didn't start with SRAM or 10/ 11/ 12 speed it started when people realised that having gears at the front was unnecessary. For everyone where I ride that was a long time ago.
I don't think that more gears is a bad thing, it helps keep our sport accessible and for me it has improved my ride quality (though I'd really like a 10speed option with larger gaps, maybe even 9 but 10s a nice number).
@SwintOrSlude what's the point in having the "correct" saddle position based on some half arsed sports physics if you have to move forward on the saddle to pedal dude?
I'm on 11-36 at the back and I know that the 34-36 is perfect for the hardest (technical) climbs. Smaller ratio would create other problems.
Saddle tilt : totally agree. I tried everything and settled on an important forward tilt, because I want to optimize its position for when I need it the most : hard climbs.
Many people who see it are shocked, but have never tried. Everyone who has tried is convinced...
I use an oval too, sounds like we ride in a similar way.
Sorry, come again? Have you seriously come to the conclusion that Hope hubs are the above?
Please feel free to be corrected by a plethora of those who will disagree with you. And one juicy quote from a PB article for you.
www.pinkbike.com/news/hope-tech-enduro-wheelset-review-2014.html
...and I quote
"the heart of these wheels, the hubs, are more or less a masterpiece and it's hard to rationalize buying a more expensive hub, especially in the UK where they have always been several hundred pounds cheaper than their high-end competition. Easily serviceable and reliable as a clock, we know many riders who take Hope hubs through multiple bikes and rims, so if you decide you want a higher-end rim down the line you have a solid, adaptable base to build from."
My PRO 2s are bullet proof and still going strong after years of abuse. The most reliable part of my biking components.