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looking to upgrade my brakes, anyone use them
Me they're great.
Opinions will vary like anything cycling related, some people don't like Hope at all but I have some tech X2's and find them better in some respects than my Elixir's, while the Elixir brakes do have some decent stopping power, I think they can be a little too 'grabby' at times, the braking with the Tech X2's seems far more subtle by comparison.
The most notable difference for me is how well they modulate, I can brake slowly on very steep terrain in a very smooth deliberate manner, if I was doing this with the Elixir's, I would most probably pull slightly too hard at some point resulting in a possible 'over the bar' incident, or almost.
I like the fact you can make adjustments on the levers and the fact that the Hope levers feel really solid and strong. So personally I like them, they're more than just bling factor IMO.
Got to say, the tech levers are very good. I've found that as the pads wear I can fine tune them so they always feel exactly the same. Same lever travel, bite point etc. I'm a bit of a Hope fanboy, but i've used most other brands and was a big fan of Avid juicy, but no other brake system seems to me to be so user friendly and serviceable.
I've just upgraded (depends on how you see it) from Avid elixir Rs to Tech X2s. I've been an avid Avid fan for a while but im totally converted to Hopes now.
I echo Mickeys comments about the modualtion on the Hopes, though i like the superb stopping power of the Avids they were abit sharp and locked up a little to easily. The hopes took a wee while to get use to, but i think i'll be investing in another set for my hardtail. Oh and the hopes are super easy to allign too, same a Shimano.
Mine sound like a bus when braking in the wet but you know what, I don't care cos theyr'e awesome.