You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
These brakes, their promotion, and purchase are a reflection of everything that's wrong with the world nowadays.
(said not entirely in jest)
The only reason I'm on Shimano is because I haven't paid more than 120 quid for F&R and I have XT, SLX and Deore. The Deores were more like 70 or 80 quid.
Can you buy the Lewis levers separately?
Seems to be the way of the world now...plenty folk like the fancy stuff but don't like the prices so China is a good place to go to get pretty similar stuff. If you are riding your bike then people aren't going to see what the exact branding is unless you stop and they get a good look.
MTB is a massive market now - been years and years since it was done by folk who had full respect for the great outdoors, it is now awash with the full range of humans and there are plenty of differing levels of respect amongst us all these days. Plenty will be happy to pay less for kit, plenty will prefer to buy the 'real' stuff...but there are plenty of companies offering something for a lot of people at a price the people are willing to pay.
Our Western Consumerism culture has long been a seriously bad thing...it is now well established in the MTB world as well.
I'd give those brakes a shot just to see how they are, but as I'm quite happy with my current brakes, I wouldn't be looking to buy them as I'm not in the market for new brakes. Many others will be keen on the looks and price.
every single pair I’ve owned has failed eventually.
While obviously everybody's experience is their own, I've never had any problems with any brake I've ever used from Hope, Shimano, or SRAM. They've only ever been of variable braking ability rather than suffer from any sort of quality control issue.
Our Western Consumerism culture has long been a seriously bad thing…it is now well established in the MTB world as well.
The real change has been global outsourcing of manufacture to bring us cheaper stuff (which is not the same as getting more for less). Bikes were going that way, carried by sourcing patterns generally before MTB came along.
Not that long ago a local frame shop was the place to get a nice bike and being all-steel and pretty common standards + specs they'd often see 10-15 years or more of use. The parts were Italian or French. Few are prepared to pay for locally-made goods now though. In the middle ground there are brands who make good stuff in quality factories in Asia, those brands often end up squeezed or unprofitable. At the extreme end we have the lookalike market on alibaba, for cheap versions of anything that was once innovative from a small brand who made their own stuff. Not far off a version of Shein for bike or outdoor kit. But I see both extremes getting attention, there's a great custom and handmade scene for people who have different views on value.
Not that long ago a local frame shop was the place to get a nice bike and being all-steel and pretty common standards + specs they’d often see 10-15 years or more of use
Going a little off-topic maybe, but I'm starting to think like this again now.
Dunno if it's my age, or MTB geometry/standards reaching a point of maturity (or probably both) - but I'm looking at some of my current bikes as lasting me that long.
As "improvements" become more about electronics (no thanks), I'm happy to stick with midrange mechanical drivetrains, good suspension and midrange Shimano brakes. That's probably the hi-lo thing you mentioned in a previous post?
Plenty of prejudice and assumptions about China in this thread. Not a good look, particularly when taking the moral high ground.
I get that the Chinese can manufacture stuff to the same high quality that other countries can, but in my experience cheap biking stuff from there seems to suffer from a lack of quality control. So you might get a perfectly machined pair of brakes from manufacturer X but the next guy might get the braking equivalent of a C reg Ford Fiesta built on a Friday afternoon.
Plenty of prejudice and assumptions about China in this thread. Not a good look, particularly when taking the moral high ground.
Let's just unpick this.
Why do you think they can offer a similar product for less?
I have my own ideas but I'd like to hear yours first.
Let’s just unpick this.
Why do you think they can offer a similar product for less?
I have my own ideas but I’d like to hear yours first.
better or worse than shimano?
i just looked these up on aliexpress. $533 canadian per end. twice the price of formula cura 4, and they haven’t even copied the originals correctly!
Funnily enough a mate who works for a couple of bike companies turned up on his Banshee Prime with a set of these this morning. Lots of car park scrutiny.
Two hours later I asked how they went and he seemed to think they were ok. I commented that they didn’t seem to slow him down much…erm.
Well I took the plunge as I wanted to see for myself what these were like and I can report back that they are exceptionally high quality.
Lever feel is amazing. It runs on 4 bearings.
Let's get this right, they are absolutely nothing like the clarkes brakes. They couldn't be further apart.
So far so good, heaps of power, great lever feel. I haven't tried tricks stuff but these appear to fix some of the niggles they have.
Bite point adjustment.
Better bleed port screw location
They also make a ti version which has a 3rd lever position adjustment and is more powerful.
These brakes shouldn't be dismissed because they are made in China, isn't Shimano made in China, Malaysia and Japan. It would be kind of like saying I'm not buying that bike frame because it's made in Taiwan.
My objection isn’t where they are made, it’s that they are deliberate copies, for whatever reason. You can say that they have innovated, but without the original idea in the first place they would be nowhere. Had they done all the work Trickstuff had in order for them to copy and ‘innovate’, these brakes would be a lot more expensive. I’m not supporting that.
And the fact you spent x£ more to have the truckstuff brakes when you could have superior performance and levers (allegedly) for less 🙈
I suppose the trouble with being an early adopter is that this always happens to a degree and your extravagant purchase suddenly looks less attractive for £/performance.
I agree it's not right but (sh)it happens in many industries.
I just don't get this - if someone has the discretionary spend to be buying ~£300 brakes on what is a likely a hobby why the **** would you buy Chinese rip off tat when you could buy Hope?
The Lewis brakes aren't supporting the people in Yorkshire making them, or the person who services the CNC machine, or anyone else UK based involved in the manufacturing of them, picture your £300 trickling down through various UK people and supply lines Vs sending your money direct to China.
I'm not a Farage/DM reader or a British Leyland trade union representative but the amount of people jizzing themselves over these not exactly cheap brakes annoys me.
And the fact you spent x£ more to have the truckstuff brakes when you could have superior performance and levers (allegedly) for less 🙈
Doesn’t bother me. Tech 4 V4s are on a par with, and in some ways better than, the Trickstuffs for around half the price and not much more than the Lewis’. But aren’t copies.
I’ve had a set of Maximas for almost 5 years now, what was better and cheaper at the time?
I suppose the trouble with being an early adopter is that this always happens to a degree and your extravagant purchase suddenly looks less attractive for £/performance.
Modern sports cars are faster and lots cheaper than old F1 cars, doesn’t make them any less desirable.
Despite them copying the design, it’s still taken them 6/7 years to bring a product to market. As much as I whinged about how long the TS ones took to arrive, it’s not that bad. What Lewis have done is added complexity/adjustment into something with very fine tolerances, be interesting to see how that lasts over time.
RE: RustyNissanPrairie
Absolute nail on the head here. For an extra £100ish over the Lewis brakes you can have U.K. support, guaranteed parts for the next 5 years at least and supporting U.K. jobs innovation and manufacturing.
Except it isn’t even an extra £100, because the residual value of Hopes is so strong that you’ll be able to sell them used in 5 years for £150-200. The Lewis brakes won’t hold their value in anywhere near the same way.
The Lewis brakes aren’t supporting the people in Yorkshire making them
Contentious assertion 😉
Although historically Barnoldswick may have been in the West Riding, making that statement out aloud anywhere near the Hope factory these days is fighting talk. I used to work up the road in Barrowford but lived in Settle at the time and was given a rough time at the border crossing... "comin over ere, nicking our jobs..."
Mind you, I live in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, in Cumbria (now technically Westmorland) and have a Lancaster postcode so these things can be confusing.
Off to eat a butter pie for me breakfast 😋
Can't argue with either side here, but I do find it odd people saying for an extra hundred... people are spending what they want/can... saying for an extra hundred is the issue for me as in a number of cases, that isn't possible...if people are buying whatever, it is because they've decided the want/need/can afford it.
Bike bits are extortionate anyway, but many people seem happy to be paying those prices so bike parts don't get cheaper...time/skill/effort all costs, but the cost to the punter doesn't always stack up.
I'm not supporting ripping off someone else's work, but this seems a standard thing in China and we (western consumers) generally seem ok with it as it is a more affordable price. Doesn't help the local guy, but as we seem to be a massive consumerism market, that doesn't tend to count unfortunately for many people.
If you're happy to spend £250+ / whatever the Lewis brakes cost then your happily paying the mortgage / feeding the kids you might as well spend the extra on Hope at that point
Oh yeah - sorry, Barnoldswick = Lancashire! I was thinking of Orange.
At somewhere like Hope, R&D means Research and Development, not Ripoff and Deny...
Let's be honest, if you want perfectly serviceable brakes there are lots of cheaper options - once you are into the marginal gains territory I personally factor in things like being an actual inventor/developer, and being an excellent UK employer in my choices.
Britain has a history of being hugely inventive and seeing the financial payback going to borderline counterfeiters. The only people who can combat that are the consumers who make choices beyond £££
I have seen products I developed shamelessly ripped off, and the effect that has on jobs -people- in the UK. There's more to our spending decisions than 'want shiny and cheap(er)'. Hope is an example of a company that both develops, designs and makes excellent products - and supports quality UK jobs directly and indirectly. Why would you not support that sort of company if you can afford to? And if you want some blingy brakes for your £5k or more mountain bike, making a choice to support blatant copiers in order to (now) save a few quid - well that doesn't sit right with me. Purchasing decisions have consequences beyond the instant retail gratification from getting something on the cheap. Also, try ringing some far east bling merchants for advice, support or spare parts and see how far you get...
x2 on all above posts. Except BRS. As a small business I'm honestly surprised you would be so cool with folk ripping off other folks work and offshoring it.
fit a lot of the new Hope Tech 4 brakes and unfortunately I’m not a big fan. I don’t like the lever feel at all.
I’ve got loads of shimano brakes and love the saint feel
You cant compare the two. Hopes have modulation, saints have a lever operated on button. Now if you prefer the Shimano feel you'll always hate Hope.
I've pretty much always had hope, except on time when I bought a bike with Saints. Saints have the obvious power, but I skidded a lot on them, and with Hopes I've never had that, even at the last second braking at speed where you really have to stop and starting to pull hard on the levers.
Currently I've T4 V4 on the Ebike and while its got the spongy feel, when it comes down to it the power is certainly there.
Hopes are more about scrubbing off speed rather then instant stopping power that in truth leaves you nowhere to go. So I'd rather have options when braking and the on/off the likes of saints offer.
They have been absolutely fantastic so far.
How long have you had them? You were only asking about them just over a week ago?
Weird going for an unknown such as Lewis while being concerned that a company that have been in the game for so long had a few issues with the Tech4. Which they went on to sort out with their excellent customer service.
Sure it's nice when things just work and don't need any more input from the manufacturer, but it's good to know that Hope will look after it's customers, with relative ease.
How long have you had them? You were only asking about them just over a week ago?
I got them a couple of days after I posted on here. I've been out on the bike most days and they've been great so far. They feel perfect to me.
Amazing lever feel, good combination of modulation and power. Amazing lever adjustment including bite point.
I know it's early days and time will tell how long they last. They do feel very good quality so hopefully they'll last a while.
Weird going for an unknown such as Lewis while being concerned that a company that have been in the game for so long had a few issues with the Tech4. Which they went on to sort out with their excellent customer service.
Sure it’s nice when things just work and don’t need any more input from the manufacturer, but it’s good to know that Hope will look after it’s customers, with relative ease.
Not really weird. I know I don't like the Hopes so why would I buy them?
Trust me, I'd have rather given my money to Hope than anyone but I just can't get on with them.
What is concerning is they've been in the game so long, and brought out the tech 4 with issues. Surely after all these years they should have perfected it, not be releasing products with issues.
I've got about 4 sets of old hopes on other bikes and probably about 10 of their wheels sets so I support Hope good enough, just can't get on with their new brakes.
Yes the lewis were a bit of a gamble. I was only looking for a new set of brakes because my 3 year old sram codes were giving up. I did as much research on these Lewis brakes and found people who had used them at Ard Rock in July, then came across wolfpack adventures on YouTube (Alex, who looks a high standard rider) and he really rates them. He did an urban DH on them. He's hardly going to risk it if they are sh1t.
Im not sure why these brakes are getting so much hate, especially as it looks like they are a great product. I know it's early days, but I'd say they are the best brakes I've ever tried.
If they fall apart in 3 months I'll come back here and report it.
video of Alex's review.
All companies can have issues with products (Shimano with their delaminating cranksets - and they've been in the game longer than Hope).
I really like Hopes, but current bike has Code RSC fitted and they are excellent, so I'm unsure if I'm going to need to buy new brakes.
If so, it'll be Hope, but they'll require time to save the cash for as they aren't cheap...
As for the clarks crs4 which are nothing like the Lewis brakes BTW as those with eyes have clarified ,avoid them .
Bikeradar gave them 4.5 stars which out of ten would of been correct but it was out of 5
The rotors should only be used as coasters they are the same as snail rotors etc and 2 rivets have already come loose making it fir for the bin
The lever on the rear has worn the brass bushing so it rattles until you pull it .
As for the Lewis they look much more refined and for £280 I think they look worth a shout but the ti version for £400 would be my vote but then your then Into hope v4 money and if I was sat on a fence with 400 big ones burning a hole in my pocket I think I'd land on hope rather than hopefully.
Stealth add alert.come on its Christmas
I have a pair of hope tech 4 E4 brand new and boxed
Complete with floating rotors
Finished in silver with blue and red accents .think brittish royal legion colours
Pm me if interested £320 Inc rotors and delivery
Mtb brakes are essentially a machined caliper/lever with a hose for fluid. Yes ok bit of r/d thrown in. But £60 -£1000 a set !! **** Off 🤷♂️
Yeah, you posted that before.
There certainly seems to be a style of language used with all the ‘reviews’ I’ve seen of these.
He seems genuine to me. I'd never heard of him but looks like he's got a big youtube channel. If they are paying him to day that, would you do a dangerous DH race on them if they were no good.
I've done quite a few rides on them now, including some steep nasty DH stuff and I'm exceptionally happy with them.
Some people suggesting I should buy Hope because they are similar money is ludicrous. Why should I have to buy Hope brakes when I don't like them, just to keep someone happy on the Internet because I "Should buy british"
I wish the Hope were the correct brake for me but unfortunately they are not.
I just don’t get this – if someone has the discretionary spend to be buying ~£300 brakes on what is a likely a hobby why the **** would you buy Chinese rip off tat when you could buy Hope?
Your assertion that cost is a factor is, I would suggest, almost certainly incorrect. Once past say a Deore level brake, I'd suggest it all becomes about personal preferences anyway and price becomes largely immaterial...
My preference is for a brake that feels fantastic, both in terms of ergonomics and function, over and above anything else. "Power is nothing without control" as Pirelli used to say back in the 90's... I love what Hope do as a brand, but there's a great many of their products that I wouldn't buy myself, chiefly any of their brakes with a machined lever. The Tech4 is a significant step forward over the Tech3 in many ways, but it doesn't fix the perennial Hope problem IMO... The problem...? Not only do they go to great lengths to make their machining finishes look rougher than they need to be, but also they seem to ignore how important tactility in hand is with those rough finishes extending onto the lever blade too (and holes or dimples where they don't need to be). I quite want a pair of XCR's for my XC bike, but that brake has a moulded carbon fibre lever blade which feels quite nice in hand. If they did that brake with a 4pot option, I'd stick them on my Trail Bike almost certainly.
Trickstuff really got the ergonomics right as far as I'm concerned, and they finished them beautifully as well. The incredible power (arguably too much!) was a nice by product of buying a super expensive set of brakes that at the time, fulfilled my other requirements.
For now, I'd rather just persevere with SRAM Guides and Codes on respective bikes... The lever feel is much better than any other mass manufactured brakes, they have modulation and control, and because most people want on/off Shimano style braking and think a brake that doesn't stop you like a stick in the spokes is defective, you can pick them up cheaply and readily too... Case in point, just picked up some 1 ride old Code RS's for a new build for £100 off Facebook classifieds with really long hoses!
If the Lewis Brakes feel as good as they look, I'd seriously consider buying a pair next time I'm looking for brakes. But I'll stick with my stupidly cheap 2nd hand Codes and ageing Guides for now, especially as I have plenty of SRAM spares and I know how to look after them properly too (which most users don't!)...
Im not sure why these brakes are getting so much hate
Because they’re stolen. Purchasers have bought someone’s stolen intellectual property, justifying it by saying it happens all the time and it’s inevitable. That’s a pretty awful attitude.
If you can’t afford the real deal, work harder or reset your expectations. Don’t facilitate what is essentially state-approved industrial crime.
Wouldn't that apply to Hope et al as well ... lever + caliper + disk. Everything else is aesthetics
https://www.rideformula.com/cat/mountain-bike/
He seems genuine to me. I’d never heard of him but looks like he’s got a big youtube channel. If they are paying him to day that, would you do a dangerous DH race on them if they were no good.
Ask the Tweed Valley locals what they think of him.
Also, I’d argue he’s anything but genuine, after a cursory glance at their instagram page, shall we play guess who is on there doing a ‘like & subscribe’ to win a set of these brakes 😆🙄
Because they’re stolen. Purchasers have bought someone’s stolen intellectual property, justifying it by saying it happens all the time and it’s inevitable. That’s a pretty awful attitude.
If you can’t afford the real deal, work harder or reset your expectations. Don’t facilitate what is essentially state-approved industrial crime.
I wasn't the one which said it happens all the time.
I could afford to buy trick stuff if I wanted, however after watching a lot of reviews on them, the bleed port is in a crap position and there is no bite point so to me the Lewis are better.
For the money I spent on them I was willing to take a risk on them. I was more curious to try them out.
As for company copying brakes, so if they'd made them look different, that would have been OK? I'm sure lots of companies copied other companies tech and just changed it slightly. Whoever brought the first disc brakes out has surely been copied by everyone else.
Ask the Tweed Valley locals what they think of him.
🤣
Ask the Tweed Valley locals what they think of him.
Also, I’d argue he’s anything but genuine, after a cursory glance at their instagram page, shall we play guess who is on there doing a ‘like & subscribe’ to win a set of these brakes 😆🙄
I've absolutely no idea who he is. I only came across his video the other week.
Yes I've seen his insta for the win a set of brakes.
Can someone shed some light on the tweed valley reference? Who is this Alex dude then?
One thing that is pretty much guaranteed, is if that freeloading prick is doing a "review", there's got to be something in it for him.
Wow some incredible hate towards the brakes, the importer and Alex.
Can someone please explain to me why Alex is hated round these parts so bad?
Let's say Lewis brakes could turn out to be one of the best brakes available? Are people on here going to turn their noses up at them because they don't like where they are made and they copied someone else's look, seriously?
Remind me where sram and shimano are made please.
That’s because they’re stolen. Ripped off. Plagiarised. Like an 80’s Hong Kong Rolex, one of Del Boy’s Tags or a Definitely not a Fiat PandaGreat Wall Peri.
Can someone please explain to me why Alex is hated round these parts so bad?
I'd no idea who he was before seeing that video but it's pretty bad form to not declare in the video when you're reviewing kit you've been sent for free.
(no skin in this game at all; genuine curiosity)
I thought that trickstuff's big gains were said to result from manufacturing quality rather than technical innovation - or am I mistaken ? What has this Lewis company actually copied ?
Alex is somewhat special.
Lets just say that in all my years being involved with biking in the Tweed Valley, I have never came across somebody so universally hated/loathed, and that takes some doing in the valley given the number of "personalities" that seem to exist there. But it's not restricted to the valley. Mate got chatting to a random group of bikers from Alex's old turf, and they said it was the same there 🤣
However the major point is he only appears to be interested in his own self promotion, and will not hesitate to use other peoples work for his own benefit, or consider how his behaviour affects others.
Somewhat ironically, the only person he does seem get on with, also has the name of these brakes. But two peas in a pod springs to mind...
Alex is somewhat special.
Lets just say that in all my years being involved with biking in the Tweed Valley, I have never came across somebody so universally hated/loathed, and that takes some doing in the valley given the number of “personalities” that seem to exist there. But it’s not restricted to the valley. Mate got chatting to a random group of bikers from Alex’s old turf, and they said it was the same there 🤣
However the major point is he only appears to be interested in his own self promotion, and will not hesitate to use other peoples work for his own benefit, or consider how his behaviour affects others.
Somewhat ironically, the only person he does seem get on with, also has the name of these brakes. But two peas in a pod springs to mind…
Haven't you just described all youtubers? That's their game.
Lewis is a s*** name for a bike component company.
For that reason I am out.
Haven’t you just described all youtubers? That’s their game.
Decent ones will at least acknowledge other peoples work, and not continue to abuse others work once called out.
They'll also not complain about being bullied, because they think a trail was named "to have a go at them" (the trail in question's name, was selected long before the builder was even aware of Alex, and simply continued the naming theme of the builder's previous trail on the same hill).
My trail on the same hill, however was a more direct dig at influencers, but none of them have ever seemed to have used it, as I don't think the name would go down too well with their followers 🙄
I must say, the uk importer have a truly beautiful premises.
Well, the product is a bit of a gamble eh?
Well, the product is a bit of a gamble eh?
It was as I couldn't find anyone I knew with a set of these brakes due to them being so new.
I'm pleased to say they are a quality item and probably the best brakes I've used
It was as I couldn’t find anyone I knew with a lack of scruples and moral righteousness
set of these brakes due to them being so new.I’m pleased to say they are a quality item and probably the best brakes I’ve used.
Fixed it for you. Please report back in a year.
I know crazy. I've found what arguably is the best brake I've felt and people are going berserk that I've spent my own money on a product. You'd think I've done something illegal.
Lewis haven't done anything different to any other company who use ideas from other products. It's hard to understand peoples hatred. They need to calm down.
Fixed it for you. Please report back in a year.
I can feel your anger.
Why are you so angry about these brakes.
Was it wrong of me to spend my own money buying them? If the Hope brakes were better, I'd have bought those.
Happy to come back in a year and report on them. If they turn out to be crap I'll happily say so. If they are still good in a few months, I'm tempted to buy another set of their ti model.
How long have you had them? You were only asking about them just over a week ago?
To be fair that's long enough for recent hope calipers to start leaking and my OH to kill me if I'd spent Trickstuff ammounts.
Meh, arseholes have been a scene staple for years, I know one top ranking DH rider that had a serious (inherited) attitude problem that went as far as seemingly denying any SDA participation after a run in for poor behaviour.
My trail on the same hill, however was a more direct dig at influencers, but none of them have ever seemed to have used it, as I don’t think the name would go down too well with their followers
There's a decent choice but I'm going with Only Fools Follow? And the other one being in the vicinity?
Why are you so angry about these brakes.
People who've bought Trickstuff will be pissed off because the original versions of these brakes are what? 3 times the price? And here's some-one taking them for mugs. Importing brakes that they hope will sell well simply becasue they look very similar to those brakes, and people will buy them on that basis,. After all, that's why these have been made to look like they have; so that people will confuse/assume they are the same brakes, you'd have to be pretty stupid not to understand that.
Was it wrong of me to spend my own money buying them?
Your money, your morals. But see above, if you want Trickstuff brakes, buy them. This is no better than buying knock off fags or booze from dodgy Del in the Dog and Whistle. Would you buy forks from him that were made by a company you'd never come across before; Livingstone Inc and Just happened to be that shade of orange, and had shiny gold stanchions?
People who’ve bought Trickstuff will be pissed off because the original versions of these brakes are what? 3 times the price? And here’s some-one taking them for mugs. I.................
Your money, your morals. But see above, if you want Trickstuff brakes, buy them. This is no better than buying knock off fags
Visually they're undeniably similar.
But as pointed out on the last page, the engineering seems different (different piston sizes etc).
So either someone's done a really bad copy of Trickstuff and halfassed it with their own piston sizes.
Or someone's done a really good copy, and then R&D'd it further to make even more power.
Or they've developed them from scratch and just nicked Trickstuffs aesthetic.
Either way I'm still struggling to get worked up over it. Did trickstuff nick that little brace/nub thing off Shimano, or did Shimano nick it from Trickstuff?
People who’ve bought Trickstuff will be pissed off because the original versions of these brakes are what? 3 times the price?
Couldn’t give less of a shit. Had these been available 5 years ago, still copying TS, I wouldn’t have bought them.
Did trickstuff nick that little brace/nub thing off Shimano
No.
Nickc no one is confusing them with trick stuff. People getting angry about these brakes is laughable. In fact it probably suggests how good they are.
If they were crap and literally terrible quality and didn't work, but just looked like trickstuff there would be no anger towards them because they'd never take off.
Comparing it to buying dodgy fags is pathetic. I've bought them from the distributor and paid VAT on them. Money is changing hands in this country legitimately and not going direct to China.
I struggle to see what your issue is.
I was willing to check/test these brakes out because I'd heard good things about them and they were a new product I'd not used before.
I don't rate the quality of sram/shimano. Yes they work well but have a cheap feel to them.
Nickc no one is confusing them with trick stuff
Uh huh, that they look completely identical is entirely coincidental, right?
I struggle to see what your issue is.
China's lack of respect of any ones IP. Trickstuff is a teeny company, they employ 3-4 people; something like that, these will effect their bottom line, simple as that, If I started importing steel frames and called them Kotic, at a third of the price, how'd that be? Doing stuff like this forces people out of business, and that's a shitty thing to do
I don’t rate the quality of sram/shimano. Yes they work well but have a cheap feel to them.
They don't even "work well" though.
Sram lever pistons swell, it's been a known issue for over a decade but they've not fixed it.
Shimano calipers leak, or at least did from ~8 years ago to sometime recently. Touch wood my current set are OK.
Hope's recent overhaul of it's lineup resulted in leaky caliper piston seals.
That's what's so bizarre about this outrage, the two biggest OEM's and probably the the most popular aftermarket brake manufacturers all either have in recent history made brakes bad enough for people to swear off them, or in some cases seemingly still do! Quite how they get away with not having to do a safety recall I've no idea.
But then people are saying they wouldn't trust the quality of a different brake? Objectively it'd be hard to gather a worse reputation for reliability.
What rotors are you running with these OP?
How do they compare to say Shimano XT or Saints? Or even Sram Code R's
I'm going to be on the lookout for a new brakeset to replace the Code R on my Levo. The front is fine but the rear is spongy (Despite a bleed) and the pistons are operating at different times. Fed up of having defective kit.
Cheers
Steve
It's getting a bit personal for some reason.
Having bumped into Alex twice at the golfie my brief encounter with him on both occasions was as pleasant as it was meeting anyone else out riding there bike .
I would say that whilst they resemble the appearance of trickstuff they are a well renowned slick highly regarded cnc company who have been trading in the automotive and medical industry for nearly 20 years and there factory is one of envy in China .
They have breached no copyright or patents so whilst morally you could argue a case I honestly think there are for more important things for people to vent such frustration on.
Buy them and be happy your actually buying something made in china that is actually very good
Don't buy them and be none the wiser and stick with what you like
Dont forget sram and shimano now both have factories in Taiwan and mainland China
And there not exactly bulletproof
But remember when your typing your angst your doing it on a iPhone or Samsung made in china .
Would you buy forks from him that were made by a company you’d never come across before; Livingstone Inc and Just happened to be<em style="box-sizing: border-box; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; color: #000000; font-family: Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">thatshade of orange, and had shiny gold stanchions?
I think I raised a similar point on a previous page.
I'm not particularly angry, I'm just baffled why people are buying no-name, knock-off brakes (for more than a good set of Shimano) but apparently not other key lookylikey components from AliExpress.
Must simply be due to the YouTube influencer marketing.
I'm with you buddy 100%
Nickc is actually a really really nice guy but I don't agree with him here
We all are entitled to an opinion but it's got far too silly especially as Christmas is around the corner
Come on folks don't get to upset about such trivia
They don’t even “work well” though.
Sram lever pistons swell, it’s been a known issue for over a decade but they’ve not fixed it.
This is the reason I was on the lookout for some new brakes. My sram made it to about 3.5 years.
Uh huh, that they look completely identical is entirely coincidental, right?
Sorry I think there was a bit of confusion there. You said people will confuse/assume they are the same brake as trick stuff.
I was saying that's not the case here. I knew they were not trick stuff and I think anyone would be naive to get them mixed up. We all know it's a completely different brand.
What rotors are you running with these OP?
How do they compare to say Shimano XT or Saints? Or even Sram Code R’s
I’m going to be on the lookout for a new brakeset to replace the Code R on my Levo. The front is fine but the rear is spongy (Despite a bleed) and the pistons are operating at different times. Fed up of having defective kit.
Cheers
Steve
I'm running galfer shark rotors.
I'm not 100% convinced on the stock pads that came with the Lewis brakes yet so may swap them out for some Galfer purple pads. (They use the same pads as Hope V4)
If you're local, you are welcome to have a try.
Trickstuff is a teeny company, they employ 3-4 people; something like that, these will effect their bottom line, simple as that,
Trickstuff are part of DT Swiss, so not really a teeny company even if the division itself doesn't employ many people.
I’m not 100% convinced on the stock pads that came with the Lewis brakes yet so may swap them out for some Galfer purple pads. (They use the same pads as Hope V4)
I've found hope greens to be a big improvement in feel and noise. It's E4 not V4 pads though.
Nice brakes bro.
Wanna buy some Five Tens?
It’s not necessarily the fact they’re Chinese that’s the issue. It’s the fact they’ve taken an aesthetic, scanned it and generated a cutting path to replicate it. There was no need to do that.
It happens in many industries and I’ve seen the direct impact it has on companies my friends run. One of which has dropped down to a 4 day week as some cockjangler has done exactly this to one of their main product lines. 15 people now on 80% of their salary, right here in the North East.
In another instance I bought an oil cooler take off plate for an engine. I wanted a mocal but they were out of stock, so I bought a forge as they appeared to be identical - even having the mocal badge on the casting. A year later and I needed to replace the base o-ring on it so I phoned mocal, knowing they keep a hope-like spares inventory. It transpired they don’t make anything for forge & forge had simply used one of theirs to make a pattern to cast off. You can see their joke machining over the mocal badge that they failed to remove in the casting process.
Mocal are essentially a couple of boffins in a shed in Twickenham. Forge are a massive motorsports behemoth but are apparently notorious for this. It’s a practice that stinks, with patents and simple copyrights seemingly impossible to enforce without the backing of the likes of Bayer or Sony.
I’ve found hope greens to be a big improvement in feel and noise. It’s E4 not V4 pads though.
That was a typo, I went back to edit and it wouldn't let me.
I've got some red, green and purple galfer as spares ready to go when the stock ones have worn out. Greens are great put wear fast.