[Closed] Hope E4 or something else?

...something else

…something else

Go on......

Love my E4s. We're running them on 4 different bikes and I expect to do so for a long while to come. They are reliable and repairable.

Braided hoses are not worth it unless you like the look or regularly damage hose.

I recommend 200f/180r.

The only other brake I'd consider is Tickstuff, but they are very expensive

I like Hope brakes, if you fancy some E4s why not have them.  They are easy to bleed, work for ages and are very serviceable when they need it many years down the line.  But having said that I have just demoted my E4s from best bike to hardtail because in my opinion they lack instant bite.  If I want to lose some speed I want it to be happening already and I find the Hopes don’t quite match up to some of the alternatives.  Plenty of people are going to argue

I've just gone V4 but specifically in black to keep them as stealth as possible. Plus, I can then transfer them between bikes in the future. So if by 'look' you mean the pretty colours then that's something to consider.

Still look cool in black tho 😉

Is the £280 a generally available deal? Was looking last week and it £440 with rotors which is frankly insane. £280 plus rotors would just about be palatable

They certainly don't bite like Shimano, but if the caliper is centred properly and you've paid some attention to bedding them in, I've never found them a worry.

However, it is easy to set them up badly.

Very interested in this too. Currently have Sram codes on the bike and I'm not that mad about them. Have no idea what I'd upgrade them to? Would definitely want 4 pot but asides from that.... no idea? I like Hope's but they always seem expensive to me.

Is the £280 a generally available deal? Was looking last week and it £440 with rotors which is frankly insane. £280 plus rotors would just about be palatable

Yeah I know a shop that will do them for £280 without rotors.

I’ve just gone V4 but specifically in black to keep them as stealth as possible. Plus, I can then transfer them between bikes in the future. So if by ‘look’ you mean the pretty colours then that’s something to consider.

Still look cool in black tho 😉

I was going black as well

I'd be inclined to say if you want hope then spend the extra few quid on the V4, bigger pistons = more bite.

My last set of Hopes were X2's with whatever the predecessor to the tech lever was so can't comment on the latest brakes but as R_B I didn't like the way they felt. I "upgraded" to Shimano and found they had much more power.

There's "that" test in enduro bike mag where they ran all the current brakes (or at least variations of each, be honest an XT is the same as deore and MT7 is an MT3) but don't read too much into it, unless what you read into it is that

a) a dyno will give you more detail than you can interpret
b) there's a margin for error*
c) pads probably matter more than the brakes

It'd be interesting to see that test re-done in a more real-world scenario with a control pad and rotor. Someone like EBC must have a dyno and be open to doing that sort of test with their own pads in each brake.

*Look at the various Magura offerings, the MT Sport, MT5 and MT7 are basically the same brake, of the 5 and 7 90/99 N/m 10% out, but close enough. 1.7/1.6 s to decelerate, again, 5-10% difference, but fairly close. Then on the big deceleration 5.2s Vs 10.4, that's a big flag that somethings wrong in the test. There are other anomalies like the Zee takes longer to slow from 45kmh than the XT despite beating it elsewhere. Presumably whatever pads came in those Zee's were fading badly.

Really there aren't "losses" in a hydraulic system. What you press on the lever, times whatever the leverage anr hydraulic ratios are is the clamping force on the disk. They can feel spongy or firm, but the pressure is still the same as long as you don't hit the bar before you run out of finger pull. That force x coefficient of friction gives you the initial stopping power, how well the pad material deals with heat (and how well the rotor or finned pad dissipates it) then gives you the deceleration from higher speeds.

There’s “that” test in enduro bike mag

Ha, I thought that was going to help me choose my new brakes.  When I looked at the results they just don’t, as you point out, add up.  There is something very inconsistent in their testing so I pretty much dismissed the numbers and just read the words

First ride on them today, and front brake only right now, but Hope E4s with Trickstuff pads feel like a good thing.

Love my e4s.

I got a good price from Tweeks, and used a cycle to work scheme to make them a little cheaper/monthly installments.

I had shimano zee for 4 years or so and have just bought a set of v4s. Over the moon with them! Not really sure they lack power like some people say. They slow me down in hurry!

Think I'll bite the bullet this week and order some then!

Hope E4's are a thing of beauty for UK riding. Modulation can not be overstated. Why slam into a corner when a bit of a feather of the brakes slows you down in a controlled way. I've never understood the need this instant power you get from a lot of brakes. With generally more wetter and slipper conditions that we get in this country hope brakes and their modulated feel are a definite advantage IMO. But they do have their quirks. Centering them and bedding the pads in properly is key.

I’ve never understood the need this instant power you get from a lot of brakes.

I think it depends on how you prefer the brake to modulate. I like brakes that you pull the lever and hit a stop, how hard you pull against it then dictates the stopping power. Others like the brakes to flex a bit so the power is proportional to the lever travel. Both have just as much modulation, they just offer a different feel.

Hope, purely because you can get them in that nice purple 👌🏻

I've got E4's. If I was buying now I'd get V4's.

I was just thinking today while out riding how much I like my E4’s. Extremely highly recommended.

I’ve got e4s on one bike and v4s on the other. Whilst the v4s are more powerful, I’ve found them to be a pain in terms of maintenance. The pistons regularly stick and requiring re-lubricating. My hypothesis is that the wider slot for a vented rotor means they draw a lot of dirt in when using a standard rotor. The wider slot also has an effect on the lever throw - if you like a short throw it can be hard to achieve.

I’ve found the E4s to be much better with regards to both of the above and have never felt that they lacked power. If I was to buy again I’d buy E4s, unless I planned to run the vented rotor. I’m 97kg on a steel enduro bike, so there is plenty of me to stop.

I’ve run some E4’s for a year now. Braided hoses. 200mm front 180mm- in bike swappable black ; )

They have been great. No problems here, no problems with a week in whistler on the lifts.

One bleed after cutting the hoses. A few Sets of Uber bike pads.

They are very different to the other bikes xt and I can see why people don’t like changing the dell from one two another.

If the xt’s die they will be getting replaced with E4’s

E4's or V4's if you want a bit more outright stopping power.

V4's with 203 and 180mm rotors on my 150mm 29er and zero regrets here.

I got a magura trail SL for that money. It's an mt7 on the front and mt8 on the back.
Not had a chance to run them on steep and interesting stuff yet but have played on some local slopes.
The 4pots are powerful, but then I know that from running mt7s on another bike. But the addition of the 2 pots on the rear does seem to make a difference.
I looked at speccing something similar with hopes but winstanleys had a big enough discount to make the maguras cheaper.

+1 for making sure Hopes are set up correctly.

Take time to center the caliper and ensure the pistons are moving equally.

I'm now on Code RSCs and they have the controlled feel of Hopes but with slightly more bite.

One negative of the Hopes was riding glove less - the dimpled lever seemed to dig into my fingers if i was slamming the anchors on during a fast descent! (looking at you Revolution Bike Park!)

Oh, and if you're ever gonna bleed them yourself i recommend the Hope bleed kit.

The cup that screws onto the lever reservoir makes things much easier and less messy, especially for a clumsy idiot like me.