Hope brakes. An apology.

I've got RX4s on my gravel bike. Head and shoulders above all previous brakes I've used.

Expensive but.

Don't bother with braided, they weigh more and perform worse. Stick to the proper hoses.

PROBABLY down to them being properly bedded in with preboous owner having got heat into pads and onto rotor surface the pad particles no doubt.

For gravel maybe though on mtb they are rather for bling factor and that.

Expense too. I would rather go full hog with Trickstuff IF they would employ more staff to get orders out door.

Though Magura and TRP are the best standard brakes plus mineral oil.

Hopes own testing shows there's no performance benefit to braided. It's normally possible to loosen the connectors and encourage the host to take a different set position to stop it rubbing on anything.

Yes braided is a must on motorcycles though wasted on mtbs unless absolutely no regard for chucking your DH bike down on all surfaces or disregarding qny respect for your bike.

I’ve not used hope brakes since the set of xc4 I had way back which were pretty bad so got sold and replaced with some of the original shimano xt 4 pots and I’ve been mostly using shimano ever since. I bought a 2nd hand BFe last week which came with a set of Hope Tech 3 X2 and although they’re taking some getting used to after using Shimano 4 pot brakes for so long, I’m pretty impressed by the power of these little 2 pot brakes. Plus the orange anodising works well with the frame 😄

My fancy hope carbon mini pro 2 pots were 100% fadey.

Never again.

Though the gunmetal finish was nice to look at ;d

Wait until you try tech4s!

I still remember fondly back to C2's.

I googled for some spare parts the other day and found they had 25mm pistons, no wonder I remember them being so much better than modern brakes!

I liked the C2’s I liked the way you could adjust the dial on the reservoir.

Still got a pair of C2's hanging from my garage roof which I need to get rid of sometime if anyone is that keen on them 😉

I want to like Hope. They do everything right in terms of reliability, build quality, life expectancy, customer service etc. Their products are always a bit meh.

I like the look of the Tech 4 V4 combo. I know they'd last longer and be much easier to live with than my Code RSC but it's a lot of money for something that probably isn't any more powerful.

I like the look of the Tech 4 V4 combo. I know they’d last longer and be much easier to live with than my Code RSC but it’s a lot of money for something that probably isn’t any more powerful.

Probably not worth changing but if you're choosing between them there's not much difference in price. Obviously some people prefer the instant bite of Shimano or the codes but that's just preference.

Obviously some people prefer the instant bite of Shimano or the codes but that’s just preference.

This is what I’ve been struggling with as my brain is now programmed to with Shimano brakes after the best part of 20 years of using them. If I do get my head round it, it’ll be fun when I get back on my other bike with Shimano brakes.

I’ve not used hope brakes since the set of xc4 I had way back which were pretty bad so got sold and replaced with some of the original shimano xt 4 pots

How old were XC4's when the first Shimano brakes came out? I remember the first XT's and the closed systems were old hat even then. This was when the original split piece M4 was kicking about so at least 2 years old by that point (going by them being out at the same time as DH4's which evolved into Enduro 4's and then the M4).

How old were XC4’s when the first Shimano brakes came out?

I’m not certain but feel like I got the xc4s in around 2000 and the shimano 4 pots a year or so later. It was the M755 shimano XT brakes. Still have them in the garage somewhere.

Though Magura and TRP are the best standard brakes plus mineral oil

I would have agreed with you were it not for my wife who is now on her third Magura mt5 lever this year because the keep failing. I don’t know what’s going on but they all have lost fluid within 2 days weeping from the edge of the lever. Getting fed up of having to cut rides short because she has no brake and I’m not prepared to fill them up for every ride

Maybe the clamp screws were tightened too much piercing the plastic sorry carbotecture master cylinder as iirc this is easily doable upon fitting.

Probs best to research on google etc that issue 🙂

Magura are a none starter for me while everything is made of plastic and full of wood screws. Absolute garbage.

All brakes work well just now, wait for a wet spell and respond about them then 😉

My old jump bike (and my bro’s bike has the other one) have an old C2 on the rear. Still going strong.

Edit - My mistake he’s got the C2, I have a Giant MPH which I believe was either a rip off or they licensed the design).
Both ancient but still allow for skids and giggles).

Recently tried a bike with fancy TRPs complete with the thick rotors and wasn’t hugely impressed compared to Codes and Zees.

It's not uncommon on here to have people slating Hope brakes, but you never seem to see the multiple threads that you get on Shimano(they leak) or magura, or Sram or everyone else complaining about bleeding, or the need to bleed weekly, of fading power and the like.

Hope inquiries get pointed towards a you tube vid on bleeding, and thats the last we hear from them.

Shimano ?, we hear near weekly from people whose brakes are leaking. Shimano might have the edge on power over Hope at the higher end, but Hopes dont leak insistently, so it doesnt matter how much more of a percentage your shimano's are power wise ,when its spitting fluid all over the place and you've put 50 quids worth of pads on in the last month.

I've used hope brakes exclusively,with one or two exceptions in their range - the mini's, XC4 and the DH4's, but certainly serviced every brake they've ever made. Fixing or servicing is really easy. Unlike just about everyone else.

I see theres a bit of love for the old C2. To me thats one of the best they ever made, 25mm piston, springs built into the back of the piston so in normal use they always returned and never rubbed, and a lot of power on tap.

There was as much power in a C2 as in a later M4.

The only downside, or claimed downside was the closed system, so when the fluid heated up, and expansion pushed the pads onto the rotors.

I say claimed, because this was only ever a problem for DH settings. Standard XC trails where you're hardly on the brakes were never a problem.

Braided has no advantage over standard hoses when they're new- they just last better. But most quality bike brakes use kevlar braided hoses now anyway.

But most quality bike brakes use kevlar braided hoses now anyway.

Magura use McDonald's drinking straws material.

Standard XC trails where you’re hardly on the brakes were never a problem.

"Standard".
Is that like standards for bottom brackets and headsets?
😉

I've been running Tech3 X2s for 5+ years (along with many Hope brakes in the past) with 203/183 rotors.

All the power I need, lots of modulation, and they just keep on working.

I recently put some older slx brakes onto another frame and nearly killed myself...I'd forgotten how on/off Shimanos are!
And they then suffered from the classic wandering bite point after a couple of rides 😆

Hope have as much (defo enough) power, but you can access it in much more controlled way.

I'll be honest here - I LOVE everything about Hope!

I have had amazing service from them over the years on brakes, lights and other bits and pieces - I have a 10 year old light that they repaired for free last year - their customer service is second to none.

Expensive, maybe, but you get what you pay for......I would choose Hope over anyone else given my experience of them over 20+ years - my recommendation would be, if you have a problem with one of their products, just get in touch with them - they'll listen and they'll help!