[Closed] Hope Tech3 E4 or Shimano deore 4 pots ?

The Hopes are such a different feel that it's hard to compare, really. I think the power is there or thereabouts but you won't think that if you haven't tried them before.

The Hopes are such a different feel that it’s hard to compare, really. I think the power is there or thereabouts but you won’t think that if you haven’t tried them before.

Agreed.

Problem is that the hopes are still boxed as new and I don't want to go through the task of fitting them, finding they aren't as powerful and then removing and trying to sell.

I'm still within the time frame to send them back for a refund too.

I've not used the Shimano 4 pots, only the 2 pots.
I've got Hope and prefer them. They require more effort at the lever to get full power than the Shimanos do, but that means I find them easier to modulate. I know some people prefer the more 'on/off' nature of the Shimanos and the ability to get full power very easily.
I changed to Hopes as I didn't like the throw away nature of the Shimanos after getting leaky seals on 2 calipers and the only option was to buy new calipers. Happily, I found I prefer the feel of the Hopes - but I'd be happy to try the 4 pot Shimanos as I'm sure I'd get used to the feel of them pretty quickly.

Ultimate power depends on so many factors though. Rotor size, pad material, were they bedded in well, were they set up well etc.

If you are keeping the Hopes anyway, why not fit them and see how you get on with them?

**EDIT - too slow, I can see why you dont want to just try them now!

Shimanos have a powerful feel partly because they are a bit on off, it feels like you don't have to pull that hard to get maximum power, their modulation window is therefore quite narrow.

Hopes have a wider window of modulation that causes them to feel a bit squishier than shimanos and it feels like you have to pull harder to get a similar stopping power to shimanos.

Which you prefer is totally down to personal preference so no one but yourself can decide what is better. The hope reliability and access to spares is much better than shimanos.

I have both Shimano and Hopes on different bikes, the difference is obvious but I quickly adjust to the bike I am riding.

Agree on the spares/reliability thing, I rebuilt a Hope caliper on a bike I was selling the other day, fitted new pistons, seals, etc. 20 quid of parts and an well used caliper was good as new again. A very satisfying job, that.

I spec'd my new bike with Deore 4 pots but will be swapping my E4s on to it.

Three reasons:

I had an older set of Deore brakes that leaked at the caliper

I like the modulation that comes with Hope brakes

And the Hope brakes look [Borat/]very very niiiccceeee.[Borat]

I'll either sell the Deores on or keep them for a HT build...

If you feel the Shimano 4 pots are lacking power then I don't think the E4 is the brake for you. I had V4s and found them lacking.

Sell the Hopes while they're still BNIB and take your pick from Code/Saint/Magura 4pot/Formula Cura or, my personal favourite, Hayes Dominion.

E4s have a little more modulation to them over the Xt 4 pots . The initial bite of the m8020s is very strong like the Saints you get that just hit a brick wall feel.

The Maguras mt7s are ever more pokey .. each to their own my personal opinion Hopes are superior in feel and build, but xts are easier to work on and i do like that initial grab feel.

As someone riding an e-bike and on the larger side I wouldn’t move from 4pot Shimanos to Hope E4 if I were you.

If you’re going to change for more power I reckon Zee / Saint / Code / Magura 4 pot would be the best brakes to look at.

Everyone knows E4's are shite and underpowered.

Sell them to me.

As above, an ebike is different with brakes, i have XT 4 pots on both my bikes, and the ebike just overpowers them at times, so just a little more time for stopping, as well as this time of year you just don't tend to stop well, the brakes function fine, it's the grip and weight that's causing the issues.

It's another one of those things you learn with an ebike, sometimes you have to dab and brake to slow down, or manoeuvre, failing that try what others say, E4s aren't any better, but V4s will do, send the E4s back and then get a credit to choose something else, maybe even up rotor at the front if you've got 200, go 220, MT7s do a good job at that, just a shame they have the plastic lever that is awful.

Personally I think the Hope brakes are one the best upgrades I've ever done.

As has already been said the Shimano brakes are either on or off with very little modulation, so if you are riding down something long steep and techy and want to kill your speed without the wheel being locked then you're not going to get that with the Shimano's. This is obviously more important if you use the front brake a fair bit and don't that locked out either.

I experienced some of the common problems found in the Shimano's tooo. The spring goes in the lever so it rattles whilst you're riding. The brake doesn't work when you've transported your bike vertically on a trailer.

The Hope brakes have a lot of adjustment so you can have them more bitey if that's what you want and they are a lot more serviceable. You can replace a lever, a spring, a hose or any other part easily where as the Shimano's are disposable, any fault equals new brake. The advantage that gives the Shimano's is that they are a bit more fit and forget whereas you will find yourself tweaking the Hope brakes a lot more.

Fit the Hopes and adapt yourself to them I'd say !

Not really had any of the above, shimano's on both, managed to survive riding enduro trails for a long time, trips to BPW/417/etc, FoD every weekend and so on, it's only on and off if you treat the lever as if it's a hope or sram brake, same with adjustments, you can adjust bite point, lever, etc, i also strip down my shimano's often enough, parts are available from most shimano dealers.

I've been running Shimanos for years, mostly XTs or SLX and I just got to the point where I was fed up of continually trying to make them work. Pad changes usually worked for a bit, bleeding them again sorted them for a bit until I got fed up and took a set into a LBS for them to attempt to bleed. Even they gave up and said it was time for a new brake (they were only 18 months old). Replaced like for like and within 6 months I was into the same routine.

Threw them in the spares box and picked up an old set of Tech E4s for cheap just to keep me going and the difference is night and day. Easy to bleed, masses of power... I'm not a huge fan of Hope parts apart from their hubs which I've run religiously for over 20 years but these battered E4s are brilliant. I'll never go back to Shimano brakes now.

As has already been said the Shimano brakes are either on or off with very little modulation

I wonder if people saying this have used Shimano 4-pot brakes?

They are much less on/off than the 2-pot versions.

Zees are my favourites, and Deore 4pots appear to be very closely related to those.

Shimano aren't on or off once you know where the bite point is, but they do have more available power early in the stroke, so can feel binary if you're not used to them.

Ultimately, the Deore 4pots will feel more powerful, so if that's what you're after, sell the Hopes.

I say this as an owner of 3 sets of Tech 3s and various shimano road hydros (some with servo-wave), but also having had XT4pots, XTR, XT, etc.

I like my deore 4-pots when they work, but they have spent more time with one or other of them back for warranty than as a matching set on the bike, so my next bike is coming with E4's.

Shimano aren’t on or off once you know where the bite point is,

Assuming it's where it was a minute ago.

Got ZEEs, XT and Hope E4.

All good brakes but the Hopes are rebuildable and the bite point tends to stay put. Of the 3 the Hopes are the only ones not to let me down.

There may be better options but I've not used SRAM, Magura or the others

If your Deore 4 pots have the stock brake pads in, they're a little soft, and changing to a higher performance pad makes a big difference. They'll be much closer to a Zee or Saint in performance once you've upgraded the pads.

Hope E4's have class leading modulation and feel, but are ultimately quite underpowered, even for a 90kg rider on a normal trail bike, let alone a 120kg rider on an eBike...

In your position, I'd send the E4's back, get your money back, and buy a couple of sets of eBike rated brake pads for your Deore 4 pots. For £20 or so, you'll get a lot more power and bite, and you'll quickly know whether or not it's enough for you. If it's still not enough, then it's time to step up to some serious power from the likes of Magura MT5/7, Saints or Zee's, or even Formula Cura 4's...

Had a ride on slx 4 pot a few weeks back and they had the power on/off feel, on a 12-13kg hardtail, prefer my hope e4s to Feather the brakes, can’t say I’ve ever crashed because my brakes didn’t work as expected though, usually other reasons for that