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My personal favourite Hope E4 has come out on top, Hope took to twitter to celebrate, congrats guys, but how come the previous few year's mbuk grouptests never rated it so highly, what's changed their minds this year, the brake hasn't changed for years apart from a slightly different mc cap.
Well if mbuk are anything like they used to be there was probably a back hand payment from Hope
Maybe in light of issues with reliability/consistency from SRAM and Shimano, they've just had to pick something reliable.
I've not read mbuk since the pace rc35 won out over the Marzocchi bomber somewhere around '98.
Have they changed?
Or has the competition got worse?
The only thing I miss from my MBUK buying days is Minty.😟
Maybe the judges are new? Maybe hope are just getting bigger and their kit is starting to appear on new bikes?
Or maybe hope sent mbuk 10 shiny new bikes draped in hope bling for them to do longterm tests on and said you don't have to return them.?
I gave up on magazine reviews years ago. The only opinions that matter to me are fellow normal riders on singletrack. Yes, there are disagreements but in general there's some really good advice on here.
I just never bothered cancelling my subscription, it's barely worth reading these days, you're not missing anything, maybe next month I'll call it a day.
Maybe in light of issues with reliability/consistency from SRAM and Shimano, they’ve just had to pick something reliable.
They've pretty much admitted that on the BikeRadar FB page. There's been a change of direction in their reviews apparently to reflect reliability more as people were complaining about the test winners being hit-or-miss for a lot of customers. Have to say though I agree with the E4's being very good, mine are 3 years old now and bar an annual bleed and a quick piston seal lube at the same time they've just worked consistently in all that time. My Shimano brakes in the same time on another bike have had a failed lever and wandering bite point, plus once the initial bite is done there's not much more power.
If anyone should have won it, it should have been TRP for a solid range & solid performance & quality
Hope- pah
Not to mention that Hope will sell you any part your require should you need them.
Personally I love the modulation you get with Hope E4's, I use 200mm rotors front and rear, they're good for everything but full on DH, something a bit more grabby is needed. Although I remember Steve Peat raced with mono minis on his Orange back in the day.
There's no definitive best so 2 different testers could easily like different things. Which obviously undermines the whole review thing no end but it explains this.
What it doesn't explain is things like when the same person reviewed the same stem twice with different brands lasered on it and gave the more expensive version the higher score. Or that time one of them literally poured all of the insides of the fork out and replaced it and then complimented the bike's suspension. Or any of that shit.
I gave up many years ago when they did an article at The Popeye Village where they said they had to get a helicopter from Malta to the nearby island of Gozo and then drove there . The Popeye Village is actually on Malta not Gozo . I have occasionally picked a copy up and have to say I find it no worse than any of the other MTB mags and usually find something of interest in there to read .
Could just be pads?
At the end of the day braking force = finger force x hydraulic+lever ratio x coefficient of friction.
Enduro admit in the test that changing pads made 20% difference. Which with a couple of exceptions would make the difference between worst and the top third.
Things are looking up at MBUK they have some proper bike packing riders in the latest issue!
I gave up on magazine reviews years ago. The only opinions that matter to me are fellow normal riders on singletrack.
Hope Tech E4s are the best disc brakes available, all things considered.
Hope this helps!
Not to mention that Hope will sell you any part your require should you need them.
Fir many years to come. Just replaced the seals in 2 of the 4 sets of mono miniz we have.
2 that were done are dated 05 by the stampings.
I had 3 sets of Shimano in the same time that have all died (irreparably) and been replaced with hopes. The e4s in the orange as reviewed taking pride of place on the big bike....and althiuvh most of the bike is dated ....the brakes are tip top.
Hope Tech V4s are the best disc brakes available, all things considered.
Hope this helps!
FTFY.
Depends what else was in thr group test, but if there were a set of sram codes in there and the hopes came above those, then there's some funny business going on
Lol at codes.
I got Hope Tech 3 E4 for my Spitfire in 2014, they moved onto another Spitfire in 2018 and then onto my Zero AM hardtail last year after the Spitfire turned out to be surplus once I had my Levo. (The Levo got a set of Tech 3 V4 because I wasn’t expecting N-1!)
I sent them to Hope for a refurb before putting them on the Zero (which is very good value considering you get fresh pads with them). Amazing to think they’re over six years old. Great modulation, amazing lever adjustment, and if I needed more power then I’d go up to 203mm discs (183mm now). I’m not light and I brake too much when it’s steep so I’m probably quite demanding on them!
Depends what else was in thr group test, but if there were a set of sram codes in there and the hopes came above those, then there’s some funny business going on
Reliability should be a key part of any review, espicially on brakes, they are a safety critical component. Too many reviews are based on too short a test time and are blinded by the "Its new and shiney", or the cash being shoved their way.
I've had two sets of E4's, both racked up 5000 miles each, not a single issue from each in that time. They had a piston and lever rebuild as I felt sorry for them, but didn't need it.
Fancied a change and went for Fomula Cura's, more power than the Hope's, similar modulation and a better lever shape (I hate shimano levers and like the sram levers...).
Everyone who told me hope brakes lack power were wrong! First ride on my v4s today and they are amazing! It will take a little getting used to the feathery lightness as the pads contact the rotor but not in a bad way. I can see why they may not be everyone’s cup of tea but really aren’t bad brakes
I was going to criticise Hope, but then remembered my last pair of hope brakes were about 8 years ago so perhaps that's outdated.
Then I remembered that the XT's that replaced them are still going strong so it's even harder to make the argument about reliability/rebuildability.
I got Hope Tech 3 E4 for my Spitfire in 2014, they moved onto another Spitfire in 2018 and then onto my Zero AM hardtail last year after the Spitfire turned out to be surplus once I had my Levo. (The Levo got a set of Tech 3 V4 because I wasn’t expecting N-1!)
I sent them to Hope for a refurb before putting them on the Zero (which is very good value considering you get fresh pads with them). Amazing to think they’re over six years old. Great modulation, amazing lever adjustment, and if I needed more power then I’d go up to 203mm discs (183mm now). I’m not light and I brake too much when it’s steep so I’m probably quite demanding on them!
I think that's the best argument for Hope. It's a £400 set of brakes, but they should still be working in 10 years time.
But...... When you can get a set of Shimano Deore for <£50 you really have to question how many sets of deore brakes will you really get through in 10 years! And based on my experience there's every chance they will be.
“But…… When you can get a set of Shimano Deore for <£50 you really have to question how many sets of deore brakes will you really get through in 10 years!”
Indeed but then it comes down to questions over the price we’re paying vs the price to the planet. I hate stuff not lasting, I hate throwing stuff away. You can’t guarantee that Hope parts will outlast other brands but you do know that it’ll be possible to service them and keep them running after years of use.
And with their four pot brakes, the control is so good. I don’t have big hills here but I do have very challenging dirt that is either wet and greasy or dry and loose, with only a few days of grippy hero dirt in between, so you’re forever on the edge of grip on the steeper trails.
Everyone who told me hope brakes lack power were wrong! First ride on my v4s today and they are amazing! It will take a little getting used to the feathery lightness as the pads contact the rotor but not in a bad way. I can see why they may not be everyone’s cup of tea but really aren’t bad brakes
Love my V4's, the only critism is that they're a bit noisy, they have the Hope 'high pitched screech'.
Love the modulation - you can just feather the brakes for cornering speed control, or on loose, steep trails, but on grippy surfaces a good firm tug basically rips your face (and tyre knobs) off.
I have E4’s, think they’re ace so concur with MBUK.
I’ve not read mbuk since the pace rc35 won out over the Marzocchi bomber somewhere around ’98.
Wouldn’t they have been RC36?
E3s are great for me in the UK
The reliability & brakes for life aspect are great for me
A lot of equipment works very well at first but after a while becomes crap (SRAM nx Im talking about you) long term reviews are always very useful
Wouldn’t they have been RC36?
Quite possibly. But the fact remains that there is no way it was better than the Z1
Unsure...you had to hit the Z1 to get it moving more than the Pace. The Z1 was stiffer though.
Probably the lawsuit for RSI resulting from bleeding Shimano brakes on a daily basis!
postierich
Member
Things are looking up at MBUK they have some proper bike packing riders in the latest issue!
No one else took the bait. Nice photo of Nan Bield though.
As for Hope, mine are 5 years old and all I need. On my daughter's bike I am having to replace a Deore caliper. The caliper was less than £13. I've spent more on brake pads for Hope before!
But this highlights the disposable society we live in. Having long lasting repairable components is great and far more rare than it should be.