The big, hinged clamp brakes with broad drilled levers have a rock-solid feel with no trace of wobble even on my two-year-old sets. (HOPE) Sram Guide brake problems 5 Stan's No Tubes - 2016 Neo Hub Stan's 3.30/3.30Ti hubs XD Driver Freehub Installation Tech Tip Tuesday - Neo Freehub Options. Not ridden Hopes for long enough to form an opinion. The Hope lever is much longer than the Shimano which could be a positive or negative from your point of view. But, Id also consider TRP Spykes, depending on the location; as mentioned, the Shimano B01S type brake pads might be a little more common. Nice enough but just dont feel as good as Avids to me. Free . The cost difference is MASSIVE though. Shimano claim 20% more grunt than a two-piston XT, but it felt like more! Hope vs Shimano brake hose nathanm Apr 30, 2020 nathanm Likes Bikes and Dirt Apr 30, 2020 #1 Looking at making my own sm-bh90-sbm brake hose. I used to use Shimano, but I hated the looks. One stumbling block you might run into when mixing standards is the idea of putting flat bars on a drop-bar bike with flat mount brake mounts. Those brakes you got are an upgrades and cost about $15 more a set. It features 25% more pages with extra stories, bonus art and maps, and much more Issue 09 takes readers on trips through timeone to the early days of bicyclesand offers several reminders to be grateful for supportive friends and family, and strangers we meet along the way For Issue 08, we invited several contributors to return and pick up where earlier trips and ideas left off and also feature a handful of first-timers whose perspectives weve long been eager to share Good brakes are an essential part of any bike, but does it really matter what type of brake you use for bikepacking? Hydros are pretty much out of the question in that situation. IME sintered pads have less bite than organic ones at low speed. Mondraker introduces the 2023 Foxy Carbon the ultimate do it all mountain bike. Nowadays, hydraulic brakes have become a new norm for a lot of bikepackers, as wire brakes get denigrated to the old-tech bin. No matter your riding style and budget, here are the best mountain bike brakes available. We'll always share our unbiased opinions on bikes and gear. He explains the different types of brakes, rotors, and pads, and shares some tips for prepping your brakes for your next bikepacking trip. How they deliver that power is quite different though. The new Hope XCR mountain bike brakes sell for 250 per brake (lever + caliper, front OR rear, rotors & adapters available separately.) On the mountain bike side, all of us here prefer 4-piston calipers as they have much more accurate stopping power and better modulation. The 4-piston Tech3 E4 is Hopes enduro/trail brake that Ive personally been testing for over 1,200 miles now. The Print+ . Most hydraulic brakes can be operated with just one finger, which frees up the others for better handlebar control, resulting in less hand fatigue on long rides. Heres what Cass Gilbert had to say: Its hard to go back to mechanicals after hydros but when I do, its generally Avid BB7s set up with compressionless cable housing. Just like the XT's and Code RSC's, the DH-R EVO's perform exceedingly well if not better in certain aspects. Im generally fine with 180/180, but Cass runs 180 in the back and 203 up front. I run 203/180mm rotors front and rear, which helps for bikepacking too.. Add the lower weight than most other four pots, excellent reliability and blissfully easy end-to-end bleeding and this is my favorite power brake - if you can afford it. Something I couldnt so on the Avids or Hopes. Please, It appears you're using an old version of Internet Explorer which is. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. Very similar to jumping into a racing car compared to a normal road car the initial impression is where are the brakes? as you have to give the pedal quite a shove to get the initial bite but ultimately lots of power and control. Which is better if youre only talking about two. Yes they give an opinion but they give reasons YMMV, 1. Both need a bleed block to hold the pistons in position, and if youre using DOT fluid brakes, youll definitely want rubber gloves, paper towels, and iso-alcohol to clean things up. We used these brakes on our regular trail rides, not in alpine conditions, so wed be lying if we said wed pushed them to their operational limits. Theres a lot of info here based on our experiences and research, but there is still a lot to learn. Gave up on the brakes, but by crikey theyre pretty. Quick Question while were talking about Shimano brakes. Theyve proven to be extremely reliable over the years and are top-performers amongst the competition. Warranty/Service/Technical T // +44 (0) 1282 851400 Option 3 E // service@hopetech.com With that said, for any type of trip around one or two months long or shorter, Id be perfectly happy running hydros. (Image credit: Shimano) There are various differences between the two sets of rotors, the most noticeable of which is that the cooling fins are smaller in size on the XTR rotors and leave. You do get Shimano's Servo Wave technology, filtered down from higher brake tiers, which alters pad movement and increase power. More exotic rotors might also require a matching set of pads. The large finned pads rattle a little in the caliper. Have both, shimano are decent enough and great value for money but the hopes outperform them by a long way ime, but cost roughly twice as much. The Guide lever delivers handy Matchmaker syncing with SRAM shifters and remotes. The modulation and consistency really shine in situations where all hell is breaking loose around you but the finger to trail connection stays weirdly calm. Id recommend them. A mechanical disc brake functions using basic stainless steel cable that connects the lever at the handlebar to a lever arm on the brake caliper. A big group of people you ride with are obviously HOPE Less. I`ve always had Avids, never had a problem with Juicys until recently. Worryingly, theres a massive variety of performance across the spectrum, and as well as character and power, theres also a wide range of weight and cost issues to juggle with when hunting down the best mountain bike brakes for your bike. I cant comment from a back-to-back perspective, but all were very capable, if a wee bit grabby (for me anyway, Im never sure why being able to lock the wheels is high up on the list of priorities for people), which I struggled with from time to time on loose/wet surfaces where I had a habit of losing the front end. Almost all automobiles use DOT fluid, but usually DOT3. A couple of weeks ago I had to take my new Bronson back to Bothy Bikes for them to return the Fox 34 forks to Mojo for a warranty issue. Formula The One My first outing on Formula brakes. Blunt power application definitely needs some adjusting if you want to stay the right side of the bars and modulation is adequate rather than amazing (which is why Guide RE gets our win, not Zee) but this big bike/big hill stalwart is overlooked way too often. Thanks! Mineral oil is the other common brake fluid, which is whats used in Shimano, Magura, and Tektro brakes. An interesting opportunity therefore to directly compare the two brakes on otherwise identical bikes so please excuse the long post. Expensive, corrosive, harmful to the environment, needs more frequent maintenance because it attracts air, effectively a paint stripper. Firstly forget about power. Modulation is what it is about for me as noted i could lock the wheels easily so what i want to be able to do is control it and I like the feel of hopes, 2. Its still two pieces bolted together but its stiffer for a boost-in bite and the existing resin and sintered pad options have been joined by a new resin Power pad. Loose surfaces, weather conditions and endless lines make direct comparison impossible. Whether the few grams saved on the carbon lever of the RSC is worth having is a moot point but they do feel warmer on fingers in winter and the cartridge bearing upgrade you get on the RSC gives a silky smooth, wobble-free feel. However, because the pad adjustment screws arent indexed, they have a tendency to back out and require frequent adjustment thats a little more challenging and requires a long 3mm Allen key to access. The exact same could be said about their hubs but how many hub manufacturers forge their hubs? Own both, would agree with nearly all that. Both need a bleed block to hold the pistons in position, and if you're using DOT fluid brakes, you'll definitely want rubber gloves, paper towels, and iso-alcohol to clean things up. I will state right up front that I love the engineered look of the Hope lever/reservoir units and callipers. Plus, find our latest video on the subject. Thin rotors result in extra modulation. My qualm with hydraulics isnt reliability; Ive used them on several big trips, including the three-week Tian Shan Traverse and the four-week Altravesur. If you want dyno readings, temperature gauges and graphs, go talk to the Germans, they love that stuff. Or family ? Generally speaking, hydraulics continue to improve in both reliability and function. That said, many readers have commented on the review and elsewhere giving them high marks as a reliable solution. Bath You can also get 100% pure mineral oil in most pharmacies, and baby oil is mineral oil-based, but may contain fragrances or other additives. Hope Tech3 E4s are reportedly just as easy. what we liked, and what we didnt! Bleeding can be a faff but I dont find it inconsistent, or the brakes to be temperamental. But for a big six-month tour, Id still choose mechanical disc brakes. If this occurs, the question is whether its possible to execute an emergency brake bleed while on tour. As such, we consider them to be a pretty good long-term investment. Its relatively light for its impressive bite too. You need to be logged in to use these features. And for me, Shimanos win on all three of those metrics. , ime hopes just require a more careful set up, once youve got it right though they are awesome, I remember getting brake fade on my minis in the alps many years ago before I knew how to bleed em proper(they live on my commuter now- 11 years old! There is also very little friction in the system, and all of this results in a powerful braking system that takes little effort to engage. Theres a lot of free stroke and no bite point adjust too so you need to like a lever-on-bars feel. Ill agree with pretty much all that, and some of the posts made in response are also correct and its about choice, of course it is, plenty of folk buy Hope & plenty buy Shimano. Mechanical disc brakes are still a requisite for a lot of folks, for reasons well dig into. They don't fade at all under constant braking like the Codes or XTs did, and didn't have the wandering bite point that has plagued Shimano for years. The hydraulics vs. mechanicals debate aside, brake pads are perhaps the most important factor to consider when planning a bikepacking rig and spares kit. Shimano M8020 XT Four Piston: Brake weight: 294g 203mm rotor weight: 165g Price per end with 203mm rotor: $350 Shimano original XT four piston brakes were so desirable! However, DOT3, DOT4, and DOT 5.1 (NOT DOT5) are glycol-based and fully compatible with one another, and should be able to be used in place of DOT 5.1 without affecting the brakes performance. Then I bought a set of Saint M810s and I wondered why I had bothered running Hope brakes for so long. I like the look of Hope, the machining is nice to look at and feel but ironically, its an inferior option- Hope cant forge parts like that so they cnc them, but it makes for a heavier and (for a given weight) weaker part. This process is automatic. While hydraulic brakes seem much more complicated than mechanical disc brakes, the reality is, theyre really not. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Hope mono M4 hydraulic rear disc brake at the best online prices at eBay! They are awesomely good in wet or dry, massively powerful and progressive with little lever pull needed for confident. Interesting to read your opinion but it is not objective. Theoretically, these can be used if needed, and will work, according to reports. Properly summit to valley floor mountain proof, 'All Conditions' pad option will suit most riders better, Evergreen monster power brake at a great price, Not everyone will need the included rotors, Love/hate brake feel but undoubted max power bargain, Pricey but powerful and communicative comeback brake, Wide adjustment, easy set up and bleeding, Not as subtle or adjustable as pricier SRAM brakes, The best feel and modulation of any brake around, Codes offer significantly more power for a little weight penalty, Unique looks, fantastic support, adequate performance, Great reliability and ridiculously good back up, We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. This is in part due to the dual lever arm that engages two pistons and both pads on either side. Nice one. All of the companies have their downsides, Hope Cons: Price (arguably reliability, but Ive never had a problem), Pros: Feel, Adjustability, Excellent power vs weight vs price on the Race X2 models. The best thing about mechanical disc brakes is the simplicity of the system. 70.00. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. We'll always share our unbiased opinions on bikes and gear. 'SHIMANO()16mgl2!10!!!3! That being said I hate bleeding Avids and my bikes in the shop at the minute as I gave up with trying to do them . Note that this hasnt been tested by any of us. SRAMs already impressive Level family has recently been through a hardcore diet regime to make it even lighter and actually boost control with a stiffer caliper. They really are under $70 for both brakes, plus rotors and relevant brackets and bolts and theyve also upsized the front rotor to 180mm. The main issues are servicing, parts availability and life. I have put an XT on the rear of the hardtail and its nice, loads of power etc but it doesnt have the progression and feel of the Avids. All in all, there arent a ton of options for mechanical disc brakes on the market, and even fewer that rise to the top when it comes to performance. I switch things up a lot, and for that reason, Ive often opted for mechanical brakes on test builds. So, Avid BB7s are generally my default, simply because over the years, theyve proved amply powerful and very reliable, even if theyre a little awkward to set up and can be hard to adjust when they get really cruddy. You'll want to fit the best mountain bike brakes you can, as brakes are arguably the most important control component on your bike. Obviously, if you have an older bike with rim brakes or a beautiful classic that works for you, thats great. Next set of brakes will probably be Formula. The special edition 10th issue of The Bikepacking Journal is one you wont want to miss! If a bigger rotor is needed, the user can install an adapter. Not enough power This website requires Javascript for optimum viewing purposes. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. For Front or Rear. And if youre heading off on a big trip with hydros, its worth bleeding them first. To make sure he rarely sleeps and to fund his custom tandem habit, hes also penned a handful of bike-related books and talks to a GoPro for YouTube, too. You cant ignore BB7s for a long-term travel bike. The British manufacturer has been making brakes for almost as long as proper mountain bikes have been widely available and this their latest model builds on a long line of superb stoppers to be the best brake they've ever made. Initially I struggled with the performance of the Hopes, but after sessions with a Psychotherapist, Ive managed to change my way of thinking and along with slowing down my riding, I now believe they are every bit as powerful as my old Shimanos. We were certainly impressed by them, but havent put in enough mileage in challenging conditions to give them a fair long-term durability test. Klampers come in short or long-pull and in post and flat mount. Theyre bombproof, easy to adjust, and have proved to be reliable over tens of thousands of miles based on my own testing. Took a few rides to stop dragging completely. The adjusters make a real difference (Shimano ones do little to nothing). Not really objective, but interesting never the less. Jun 17, 2019 202 198 Middlesbrough Mar 8, 2020 #1 Need new brakes for my levo as the stock levels are rubbish. OP- do you work for hope or maybe have friends that work there? Metal brake pads (sometimes called metallic or sintered) are made from bonded metallic particles. Ive personally been testing for over 1,200 miles now from bonded metallic particles brakes have become a new norm a! Is whether its possible to execute an emergency brake bleed while on tour brakes the... 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