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I've heard rumours on another forum of a Tech 5 lever with a bleed port screw on the lever rather than taking the reservoir cap off
Has anyone seen, or know anything if them?
I was quite surprised to hear it as Hope normally have quite long product cycles but the Tech 4 still feels quite new
Didn't they/don't they make a bleed cap you can put on in place of the normal cap when bleeding?
Didn't they/don't they make a bleed cap you can put on in place of the normal cap when bleeding?
Yes they did.
I really doubt there’d be leaks about new products from a company that designs, manufactures and markets their products in house in the UK but you never know
They could easily make a new reservoir cap with bleed port that fits in place of the existing reservoir cap.
Then it would be backward compatible.
Didn't they/don't they make a bleed cap you can put on in place of the normal cap when bleeding?
They do but you have to remove that bleed cap and fit the diaphragm and plain cap at the end of the bleed. This can be a little messy and has to be done carefully to avoid leaving air in the resevoir.
They could easily make a new reservoir cap with bleed port that fits in place of the existing reservoir cap
It's not quite that easy as the diaphragm has to be incorporated in the design.
I knew I'd seen it somewhere... 
Yeah, saw this on MTBR. Looks like it's an evolution rather than a revolution. Normally a new version of a hope lever is a very visible change, this seems much more subtle. Just a tweak to the existing design.
Lever blade looks a lot nicer.
I can't see many differences other than cosmetic.
I can't see many differences other than cosmetic.
I can't see many differences other than cosmetic.
There's what looks like a bleeding port behind the master cylinder. Hopefully removing the need to always remove the top cap and diaphragm to bleed it.
The levers do look nicer, I preferred the tech 3 aesthetic.
That torx does look like it could have the potential to be a bleed point.
I hope that bleed port really is coming…
The one brake that probably didn’t need to make bleeding any easier…
But I’ll take it.
A similar bleed port on the caliper so you could do a reverse bleed in less than 5 minutes would be a bonus.
The Hope aren't difficult to bleed but if we're talking about easy bleed brakes, nothing touches the Intend Trinity.😉
I had a look at their video, there’s some nice touches with that Intend brake - particularly the hose fitting (assuming it works long term of course).
The bleed itself looked remarkably similar to the bleed I did on a Shimano levered Hope RX4+ the other week (Hope supplied bleed blocks and all).
Except the Shimano Hope one, the funnel screws in as does the syringe into the caliper.
It wasn’t fast as getting everything aligned so the bleed ports are at the high point takes a little time - but it was painless.
If Hope put the a similar screw in caliper port in the X2, E4 etc callipers and the port on those Tech levers is also a screw in I reckon that’s better.
Even better if we could have a mineral sized bleed port screw and a DoT sized one, folk wouldn’t get their bleed equipment all mixed up.
Ok sorry, standard standards. Never going to happen. I took it too far.
PS - I did like the way the Intend bleed port had a valve too. They’ve clearly had a good think and there wasn’t much to improve - assuming it works in Yorkshire / PdS
Very easy to bleed Hope brakes, but it's still a messier job than doing brakes with a bleed port so this is long overdue, but not worth upgrading for.
(they really should have done this when they upgraded the lever last time)
Am I the only one who thins that bleed ports are a backward step (cost cutting?) on callipers? Changing to a grub screw plugged port on the brake calliper just seems to introduce an opportunity for air to get into the system in a location where it's going to be difficult to shift. I'd rather have a proper nipple, thank you.
I feel like sram have got the idea design with the bleeding edge port - so clean at the caliper end with no leakage
Am I the only one who thins that bleed ports are a backward step (cost cutting?) on callipers? Changing to a grub screw plugged port on the brake calliper just seems to introduce an opportunity for air to get into the system in a location where it's going to be difficult to shift. I'd rather have a proper nipple, thank you.
Absolutely. I’ve changed the screws in my TRP calipers to bleed nipples for that reason. The location also made it impossible to do a quick (emergency /lazy) wheel on bleed
But doesn't the Marshy method of bleeding Shimano brakes include removing the caliper bleed nipple because that's where air can get trapped, this suggests nipples aren't better... TRP bleeding worked fine for me without the nipple as the syringe with correct adapter could screw straight in which I preferred to a hose on a nipple
They look pretty in red.
So I guess this is the Hope Tech 4 Evo lever (new lever shape and bleed port added), and GR4 caliper. Can’t see why you can’t bleed it the usual Hope way too. I wonder if the GR4 is replacing the V4 or if it’s a non-vented clearance downhill caliper?
But doesn't the Marshy method of bleeding Shimano brakes include removing the caliper bleed nipple because that's where air can get trapped, this suggests nipples aren't better... TRP bleeding worked fine for me without the nipple as the syringe with correct adapter could screw straight in which I preferred to a hose on a nipple
Bleed nipples are used in millions of car and bike systems. More likely that it’s MTB engineering that’s the limiting factor e.g. incredibly small system volume
My TRPs love to start spilling out oil as soon as the grub screw or syringe are removed.
Adam Brayton was running them in his latest video and they say EVO on the top caps.
Everything you need to know:
I wonder if the GR4 is replacing the V4 or if it’s a non-vented clearance downhill caliper?
GR4 is not compatible with vented rotors according to the promo
https://www.hopetechhb.com/evo
TR4 - and the others were GR4 - so trail and gravity?
Sign me up for a set of trails
That's my Christmas present to myself sorted then. The current brakes are great and I'm so glad they've finally addressed the sloppy bleed procedure.
I'll be happy to move my E4's to the trail bike and go for maximum power on the the bikepark/uplift bike.
Interesting. Is the "power" lever the same at the tech4 (for comparison).
“GR4 is not compatible with vented rotors according to the promo”
A good prediction! Hardly anyone uses the vented rotors and the extra clearance means the pistons have to come out further for standard discs.
Looks like a nice load of improvements all round!
(Does anyone else read the name on the lever as Evona?)
Wonder if this means less fluid in the system for GR4 over V4 using the same discs?
Wonder if this means less fluid in the system for GR4 over V4 using the same discs?
The blurb talks about the whole form factor being smaller, thinner bore caps, fits into frames more easily, so you're probably right
Bugger, bought a set of the old ones a few months ago! Never mind, they're ace.
Interesting. Is the "power" lever the same at the tech4 (for comparison).
There are 3 levers, and to me it looks like there is a 'standard' lever - which would presumably be the equivalent of the current lever blade.
You then have the option of 2 alternatives, which use different geometry - one is the 'power' blade, think Shimano, instant, sharp power but less feel, the other 'control' is more like the older Tech 3 Hopes - much softer feel, more modulation, without the grab.
You can see this very clearly on the video at 78s (direct link)
and the differences in geometry from where the lever pivots, to where the lever pushes on the master cylinder.
Me too, bought V4s, they're great. Seems these not available to order until August anyway
There are 3 levers, and to me it looks like there is a 'standard' lever - which would presumably be the equivalent of the current lever blade.
You then have the option of 2 alternatives, which use different geometry - one is the 'power' blade, think Shimano, instant, sharp power but less feel, the other 'control' is more like the older Tech 3 Hopes - much softer feel, more modulation, without the grab.
Stockists will be delighted at all the extra combinations
Stockists will be delighted at all the extra combinations
I'm not 100% sure that's Hope's business model - people will keep some stuff in but much of it will be CNC to order.
I take it the new lever blades aren't backwards compatible?
I like the idea of the bleed port, but different size pads to my current tech 4s. I’ve been looking at a set for the FS, I’d rather stick with the Tech4 and have an easier life of two bikes with the same pads. First world problems!
Are these all new pad sizes? Or is it just the TR4 stepping up to same size as GR4/V4? Confused.
There are 3 levers, and to me it looks like there is a 'standard' lever - which would presumably be the equivalent of the current lever blade.
You then have the option of 2 alternatives, which use different geometry - one is the 'power' blade, think Shimano, instant, sharp power but less feel, the other 'control' is more like the older Tech 3 Hopes - much softer feel, more modulation, without the grab.
Stockists will be delighted at all the extra combinations
Not sure they'll be bothered as my LBS says Hope are very good at getting stock to shops very quickly.
Not sure they'll be bothered as my LBS says Hope are very good at getting stock to shops very quickly
Thinking of the bigger shops e.g. Biketart of Merlin. Currently they just have to hold the various colour options, now they could be looking at triple the number of SKUs
Every time I've ordered Hope stuff recently it hasn't been in stock. I've configured it on a web page and the dealer has ordered it then shipped it out. It takes a bit longer makes more sense for shops than holding every option.
It's an all new range, so GR4 replaces V4, TR4 replaces E4
All brakes will ship with the standard lever, if you want Power or Control levers they're an add on.
Lower profile caliper is part of the story, yup.
Order book at Hope opens in August, but we're taking orders for a £50 deposit to get folks as close to the front of the queue as possible -details here!
I'll have a set of GR4 but I can happily until they're slightly reduced somewhere. Not bothered about beating any queues.
The GR4 looks ideal to me. But I'd need a set in early August, and probably spent too much recently anyway. Got to do something about my Codes before going to the Alps. They just don't slow me down sometimes. It's either new brakes or 220 rotors front and rear.
@bitmuddytoday have they been bled and set up recently? That, plus fresh pads can be a big help on DOT fluid brakes in particular.
My thinking is,
I'm going to build my 7year olds next bike soon. (It's currently stored in bits in the garage). If I got some Evo X2 s I could put the levers on my e4s and my tech3 levers on the x2 s on my lads bike.... After all, it's not for me it's for him.
I don’t think the levers are interchangeable/retrofit to older models.
I assume the whole leaver assembly can be moved across.
The lever blades and cams were not cross compatible between tech3 and tech 4 without some modifications.
Looks like all the same fittings
I'd think the blades would be compatible with the Tech4, but the cams look different when you see the underside. There's a track in the MC body for an actual cam, and a pin that fits into the back of the piston rather than a roller
I don't understand why you would want to retrofit the new levers to old callipers. In my experience it's a false economy as the increased sale price of the full brake set comfortably offsets the purchase price of the new set, normally resulting in a smaller final outlay than buying the levers separately.