Hope brakes - some advice please
Discussion
On the off-chance that I found myself needing to write a Christmas list for my dearly beloved, can anyone tell me the difference in Hope braking systems please? Their website doesn't have a comparison table.
I've always liked 4-pot car brakes, even on lightweight cars (Caterham). Why wouldn't you go for the Hope M4s?
I've always liked 4-pot car brakes, even on lightweight cars (Caterham). Why wouldn't you go for the Hope M4s?
X2 race - lightweight XC racer stuff.
Tech X2 - XC brakes.
Tech M4 - All Mountain / Freeride etc
Tech V2 - Downhill.
Apart from the 'race' ones all the levers are the same, they're super chunky so it can be a bit hard to get them sat with the shifters where you want everything, but other wise they're amazing!
Bes lever feel on the market, most adjustability on the market, probably toughest too.
My V2's are insanely powerful, but easy to control, ran them everyday for a week in Whistler and never had to touch them once.
Tech X2 - XC brakes.
Tech M4 - All Mountain / Freeride etc
Tech V2 - Downhill.
Apart from the 'race' ones all the levers are the same, they're super chunky so it can be a bit hard to get them sat with the shifters where you want everything, but other wise they're amazing!
Bes lever feel on the market, most adjustability on the market, probably toughest too.
My V2's are insanely powerful, but easy to control, ran them everyday for a week in Whistler and never had to touch them once.
The only downside I can think of apart from weight would be the increased chance of a piston sticking. That happened to me a few times with the older M4 from about 2008 - I now have whatever the more recent Tech equivalent is.
Two-pots are popular on the rear with four on the front. I have four on both.
Either way, you can't really go wrong with Hope brakes. Well recommended.
Two-pots are popular on the rear with four on the front. I have four on both.
Either way, you can't really go wrong with Hope brakes. Well recommended.
P-Jay said:
X2 race - lightweight XC racer stuff.
Tech X2 - XC brakes.
Tech M4 - All Mountain / Freeride etc
Tech V2 - Downhill.
Apart from the 'race' ones all the levers are the same, they're super chunky so it can be a bit hard to get them sat with the shifters where you want everything, but other wise they're amazing!
Bes lever feel on the market, most adjustability on the market, probably toughest too.
My V2's are insanely powerful, but easy to control, ran them everyday for a week in Whistler and never had to touch them once.
Thanks for that but can you explain why you wouldn't just opt for the most powerful ones? Is it really a weight scarfice, and are we talking about significant amounts?Tech X2 - XC brakes.
Tech M4 - All Mountain / Freeride etc
Tech V2 - Downhill.
Apart from the 'race' ones all the levers are the same, they're super chunky so it can be a bit hard to get them sat with the shifters where you want everything, but other wise they're amazing!
Bes lever feel on the market, most adjustability on the market, probably toughest too.
My V2's are insanely powerful, but easy to control, ran them everyday for a week in Whistler and never had to touch them once.
Price maybe?
I have X2's and the only thing i will change is to get a bigger front rotor. As i toasted the front's when in the quantocks a few weeks back. They are plently strong enough to haul a fat bloke on an orange to a standstill...
Re the levers/resevoir, as has been said, it is chunky... so make sure it all 'fits together' on yer bars, as you want.
I have X2's and the only thing i will change is to get a bigger front rotor. As i toasted the front's when in the quantocks a few weeks back. They are plently strong enough to haul a fat bloke on an orange to a standstill...
Re the levers/resevoir, as has been said, it is chunky... so make sure it all 'fits together' on yer bars, as you want.
Mars said:
P-Jay said:
X2 race - lightweight XC racer stuff.
Tech X2 - XC brakes.
Tech M4 - All Mountain / Freeride etc
Tech V2 - Downhill.
Apart from the 'race' ones all the levers are the same, they're super chunky so it can be a bit hard to get them sat with the shifters where you want everything, but other wise they're amazing!
Bes lever feel on the market, most adjustability on the market, probably toughest too.
My V2's are insanely powerful, but easy to control, ran them everyday for a week in Whistler and never had to touch them once.
Thanks for that but can you explain why you wouldn't just opt for the most powerful ones? Is it really a weight scarfice, and are we talking about significant amounts?Tech X2 - XC brakes.
Tech M4 - All Mountain / Freeride etc
Tech V2 - Downhill.
Apart from the 'race' ones all the levers are the same, they're super chunky so it can be a bit hard to get them sat with the shifters where you want everything, but other wise they're amazing!
Bes lever feel on the market, most adjustability on the market, probably toughest too.
My V2's are insanely powerful, but easy to control, ran them everyday for a week in Whistler and never had to touch them once.
That's an extreme example of course, and they do cross boundries well, M4 on a DH bike, no problem, X2's on a 6"er no problem, but they work best as Hope intended.
My V2's are for sale actually.... used once (for a whole week in Whistler) but otherwise unused.
I think I've spotted two types of levers - the Tech ones, with a traditional type of fixing, and their Evo type - and I can't work out how they attach.
Needless to say, the Evo ones look the dog's but I doubt there's a matchmaker for them, and I need to be careful how they'd integrate with my SRAM X5 shifters.
As overkill as they might be at the moment, it might be my last opportunity to buy the best, so I might ask for the M4s with the Evo levers. They do them in black with green inserts. I'm not really hung up on the aeroquip-type hoses - I think black would suit by bike better anyway.
Any obvious holes in my plan?
Needless to say, the Evo ones look the dog's but I doubt there's a matchmaker for them, and I need to be careful how they'd integrate with my SRAM X5 shifters.
As overkill as they might be at the moment, it might be my last opportunity to buy the best, so I might ask for the M4s with the Evo levers. They do them in black with green inserts. I'm not really hung up on the aeroquip-type hoses - I think black would suit by bike better anyway.
Any obvious holes in my plan?
P-Jay said:
There will be a slight weight penalty as you go up the range, but not so you'd notice 'on the trail' a lot of it will be down to usability my V2 are HUGELY powerfull, and on a heavy 20kg DH bike with 2.5 supertackie tyres, they produce HUGE stopping power, and it's controlled at that, but if you say fitted to them to a lightweight carbon 4" or hardtail running 1.9 fastrolling tyres I would guess they'd just lock everywhere and be totally uncontrolable, and if you were foolish enough to run them with the 200mm discs they're specced with you could even put too much presure on forks and frame.
That's an extreme example of course, and they do cross boundries well, M4 on a DH bike, no problem, X2's on a 6"er no problem, but they work best as Hope intended.
My V2's are for sale actually.... used once (for a whole week in Whistler) but otherwise unused.
I've run the M4s on my 12kg MTB with, at the time, 1.25 slick tyres and they were fine. That's an extreme example of course, and they do cross boundries well, M4 on a DH bike, no problem, X2's on a 6"er no problem, but they work best as Hope intended.
My V2's are for sale actually.... used once (for a whole week in Whistler) but otherwise unused.
This is on a hardtail (~100mm front travel) that I mostly ride on the road these days, and 183mm and 160mm rotors F&R respectively. I've had them for maybe four years and 20,000 miles and I really like them. I brake with the appropriate force for the conditions, so at least I don't feel they're too powerful. They have issues on low friction surfaces like snow, ice and wet metal but what brake doesn't?
Edited by trashbat on Friday 18th November 21:07
Edited by trashbat on Friday 18th November 21:08
This is wayyyyy back in the day but i found M4s too powerful for a hardtail jump bike, not so much at the front but on the back the choice was basically on or off...not so much modulation.
TBH shimano brakes (i've just got the latest SLX brakes) are better quality and generally nicer than the hope stuff but some people are willing to pay the extra for hope stuff so fair play.
M4s would be fine on a nice 6" trail bike (as above) but would be a bit silly on a bog standard XC HT as Mars' has.
TBH shimano brakes (i've just got the latest SLX brakes) are better quality and generally nicer than the hope stuff but some people are willing to pay the extra for hope stuff so fair play.
M4s would be fine on a nice 6" trail bike (as above) but would be a bit silly on a bog standard XC HT as Mars' has.
When I saw this, I did remember this discussion;
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
But then I do understand that views change with greater experience...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
But then I do understand that views change with greater experience...
I've got some M4's on mine. 183disk on front and rear. Hardtail. 140mm travel. Heavy frame.
I've never had a problem with them being too powerful or on/off etc. They provide very good feel and it's all in the finger pressure. Generally bullet proof and I haven't had to replace anything bar pads in the 4 years I have had them.
Only gripe with mine is that they have an operating temperature. A long Scottish winter ascent in minus temperatures will lead to them squealing like a b
h for the first 30s or so until you get some heat into them. Never happens in summer.
I've never had a problem with them being too powerful or on/off etc. They provide very good feel and it's all in the finger pressure. Generally bullet proof and I haven't had to replace anything bar pads in the 4 years I have had them.
Only gripe with mine is that they have an operating temperature. A long Scottish winter ascent in minus temperatures will lead to them squealing like a b
h for the first 30s or so until you get some heat into them. Never happens in summer.You can run small brakes in the UK. So any of the Hope range will work, just chose your budget.
There aren't any real descents in the UK where you need the stopping power or need to release large amount of heat, you can use small brakes and small rotor sizes.
If you are riding in the Alps only the Tech V2 203mm size rotor will really do, the smaller brakes/Rotors don't dissipate enough heat and will cook, leading to serious brake fade or death.
In the Alps in the summer I saw kevlar pads vaporise a 180mm rotor, only the carrier was left.
I may be slightly bias, of my 4 bikes 3 have Hope tech V2s and I've been using Hope since the days of the C2.
There aren't any real descents in the UK where you need the stopping power or need to release large amount of heat, you can use small brakes and small rotor sizes.
If you are riding in the Alps only the Tech V2 203mm size rotor will really do, the smaller brakes/Rotors don't dissipate enough heat and will cook, leading to serious brake fade or death.
In the Alps in the summer I saw kevlar pads vaporise a 180mm rotor, only the carrier was left.
I may be slightly bias, of my 4 bikes 3 have Hope tech V2s and I've been using Hope since the days of the C2.
Mandog said:
P-Jay, why are you selling if so good?
Sold the DH bike, well the frame so far, the rest will be advertised when I find the time. it was hardly getting used. I don't enjoy racing DH - I like to de-stress after the working week by riding, not pile on more which racing does to me so that rules out 90% of the DH events near me, I've got Cwmcarn 30 mins from home, but I can ride that on my Trail bike. I found that my mates on 6" AM style bikes were as quick, or even quicker than me on the full DH bike in Whistler this (very smooth trails in fairness) in all but the stupidest of situations and because of some permanent injuries I can’t bring myself to go as mental as I used too, and hustling around the big bike at less than decent pace was pretty painful with my ruined arms.
I've got a wedding to pay for and just bought a new trail bike for nearly £3k so something had to give. I was a bit gutted to let it go really; due to a really bad crash in '09 I hardly touched it in 2 years. I had considered putting some Tech M4’s on my Spicy, but the OE Forumlas are really very good.
We're riding 'Passports' next summer so that another trail bike job.
I'll get something bigger in about 12 months, but only maybe a SX Trail or Demo 7, Cove STD ready for when the new bike park at Gethin opens and Whistler or Apli in 2013.
There you go, a response at least 4 times longer than you probably wanted or needed ha ha.
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