Seal kit is 4quid. Winning.

i used hopes for years until my v2’s stopped working. hope servicing them didnt do a thing so i got xt’s. best brake i have used by a mile!

All I know is Hope were really poor at sorting this. This legendary customer service (presumably because so much goes back) was woeful

Indeed. But I’ve got nothing against their customer service, I just get sick and tired of using it:

2 snapped axles (who’s bright idea was alloy axles? At least give us a choice) one of which took the hub with it.
Gouged free hub bodies no matter what cassette used (see alloy axles)
Broken pawl springs, twice IIRC
Umpteen bearings (Modern hope bearings simply not up to the job)
Snapped front hub flange (Mrs PPs very lightly used Kona)
Lip of front hub circlip retainer cracked off
Snapped seat collar
Mono Mini brakes that boiled in Wales and dumped me in a ditch (they couldn’t handle braking twice from 30mph)

Despite that I actually have quite a liking for Hope stuff. I look at it, think “ohh that’s nice” then buy Shimano, Magura and DT Swiss instead, which doesn’t look as nice…… or break as much

PS
Bizarrely, I’m still using a pair of Ti QR skewers from about 2004 which are perfect, despite everyone else saying they are death traps……..

Never had a hope brake go wrong, other than when it was my stupid fault. Still using an original 2002 Mini, a 2007 Mono Mini, and a pair of 2010 Tech M4s. All on original seals etc. Older ones have been bled and obviously pads changed. I really like them…

BUT, and its quite a big but, apart from looks I don’t think Hopes are worth the money any more. They used to have a performance advantage that justified the price, they now don’t. For example, I wouldn’t buy the M4s again, I would buy SLX or XT. I run Deore M596s on my commuter and they impress me every time I use them and remember how much I didn’t pay for them.

Why are people thinking the OP bled the brakes to cure the leak? If you think that you’re kind of missing something! He bled them because they needed bled! *duh* And they started leaking because they are shíte. He didn’t bodge the seals or mess with anything to cause a leak, it’s the brakes at fault.

My hope v4 brakes just been bled are leaking already.

Not been rebuilt properly after bleeding. It’s wise to use a new seal kit etc.

He didn’t bodge the seals or mess with anything to cause a leak, it’s the brakes at fault.

Isn’t that just the price of buying British? I’d happily put up with a bit of minor inconvenience like this to be able to support a long-standing UK-based company that have done more for cycling over the years than Shimano can even dream of.

It’s a bit like buying a TVR. It’s not about reliability but the experience. And equally, while I’d never buy Hope brakes myself – everyone I know who’s used them has had issues at some point – I have a sneaking admiration for those who do.

I think once you stop thinking about Hope in the same terms as other brakes, it starts to make sense.

I think once you stop thinking about Hope in the same terms as other brakes, it starts to make sense.

So we have to make allowances for them being a bit shit just because they’re British?

Phhhhhh. Fekkin havvin a laaarf entcha?

They’re brakes. If they break but don’t brake then they’re a waste of time and money.

And they started leaking because they are shíte. He didn’t bodge the seals or mess with anything to cause a leak, it’s the brakes at fault.

Were they “shite” before he bled them which was coincidentally the point that they started leaking?

You know for sure that he hasn’t damaged a seal? Did he use any silicone grease on the pistons? Did he use a new seal kit? Did he use new washers on the banjo? Did he scratch the pistons? If all the seals are OK where else can they leak?

i think he was being facetious

Brilliant!

ah ok

im guessing you did the old – squeeze the lever , tighten the bolts to fit the caliper am i right ?

oh and ill buy anyones “shite” hopes for 20 quid 😉

as i said before good luck getting spares for your shimanos and dont get me started on avid … siezed piston anyone ? – a life time of fixing the things has given me a hatred of them – at least they are fully rebuildable IF the 3 moons of saturn are aligned , you do a headstand and cross your toes to ensure fishers have the spares

He bled them because they needed bled! *duh* And they started leaking because they are shíte. He didn’t bodge the seals or mess with anything to cause a leak, it’s the brakes at fault.

But why did they need a bleed? Did he shorten the hoses? Or adjust the banjo angle? Either of these could require a bleed if not done right that would not hope’s or the brakes fault. The only 2 leaks I’ve seen from hopes were 1/ a old set that needed a new seal, 2/ I overtightened a bolt on split the calliper, this sealed up when loosened though (with a small damp of silicon).

They really haven’t advanced much in the last 10 year!

What brakes have, none are a complicated design, same applies to car brakes!

Even when they were working they have no power compared to shimanos

People really need to stop confusing bite with power! Casing point from an automotive view (yes I know but its the same idea), our Golfs servo brakes feel really powerful as they bite quickly, however my elise’s non servo brakes are way more powerful but feel pathetic to start with.

oh and ill buy anyones “shite” hopes for 20 quid

Me too

brakes are crap unless carpark endos can be achieved !

So we have to make allowances for them being a bit shit just because they’re British?

Do you think TVR are rubbish as well? Or Ducati? I think sometimes you just accept a bit of quirkiness as part of the user experience and the price for supporting a brand you admire. That’s how I see it anyway. Personally I wouldn’t buy Hope brakes, a TVR, a Ducati, an MG or, for that matter, Fox forks, but I can see why people do. So basically, yes.

Judging from this thread there’s going to be a load going spare, so

nixie – Member

oh and ill buy anyones “shite” hopes for 20 quid

Me too

I will as well.

Do you think TVR are rubbish as well?

I like the cars, but I wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole. Ducati are an entirely different kettle of fish.
I’ve got no problem with buying British, but I’m not stupid, so I don’t buy crap just because its british. Otherwise yeah, I’m in agreement with your stance. That’s by and large a list of stuff I won’t buy 🙂

Me too, m4 caliper would be ideal.

Hope m4 for sale not 20 quid but open to offers 😉

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-hope-m4-brakes-6

i have a set of hope minis now in their 10th year of service, and they work as badly now as the day I got them

I guess we all like different things, I like to feel my brakes working using as little energy from my finger as possible, hence I no longer buy Hope.

No problems with Hope here either. Well – perhaps one. Over time it seems that the pads can become contiaminated every so slightly, taking the edge off the power. They seem to require cleaning. This hasn’t happened on my XTs but they are on my race bike which has had much less use than the other bikes.

Mono Mini brakes that boiled in Wales and dumped me in a ditch (they couldn’t handle braking twice from 30mph)

So – I brake from 30mph and more all the time, obviously, without issue – so what does that tell you?

conversely i had a pair that survived a week of downhilling in the alps despite several of my party and the guide telling me i was mad and they would never last. – 160 F + R

just quit dragging your brakes. then they stand a chance of working when you require them !

So – I brake from 30mph and more all the time, obviously, without issue – so what does that tell you?

So do I. And faster, more often, with no problems at all. Except I now use exclusively Magura brakes, which never, ever even slightly begin to possibly just fade a tinsy insy winsy bit.
(And I weigh more now than I did then, if that’s what you’re getting at)
That tells me that Mono Minis weren’t up to the job.
🙂

Over time it seems that the pads can become contiaminated every so slightly, taking the edge off the power

I’ve had this on the bike I only use a few times a year. I think its might be corrosion on pad surface due to lack of use (bike storage space is a little damp). A few sharp stops and it goes away.

No problems with Hope here either. Well – perhaps one. Over time it seems that the pads can become contiaminated every so slightly, taking the edge off the power

Ahhhh. Thanks for reminding me. I used to get that too. My conclusion was that the pads were too hard and would overheat and glaze rather than wear down. A quick brush with a wire brush used to mostly fix it.

spectabilis – Member

@Dr .
My post wasn’t a direct response to yours.
But fair enough your choice, good luck with your avids have u got a bell fitted yet??
POSTED 10 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Tbh, even avids are a million times better! I have a big circle of friends I ride with who have had nothing but problems with hope brakes. All I can seriously think is that a lot of you defending hope are either working for them, selling there products or just too bloody loyal to admit they’re shite!
My shimano xt’s are in a league of there own in comparison.

I bled the brakes as they had no power in them and felt spongy, apparently this is how a lot of them feel. Xt’s have plenty modulation and have good bite to start with.
Judging by mine and what’s happening to a lot of my friends hope brakes, I think they all have a very slow leak.

im guessing you did the old – squeeze the lever , tighten the bolts to fit the caliper am i right ?

Serious question, how should I be aligning them then?

“My conclusion was that the pads were too hard and would overheat and glaze rather than wear down. “

alot of that wasnt helped by the fact that they used to come with EBC gold in the early days and most folk simply didnt get enough heat into them to get the best out of them. – coupled with folk who simply must have 205 rotors as they believe that gives them more power – at the expense of never letting the pads heat up.

how ever i will agree that no matter the rotor size – take sintered pads to the alps in a hope and your in a world of hurt.

i stick to organic and live with the short life times of a days riding in the alps.

“im guessing you did the old – squeeze the lever , tighten the bolts to fit the caliper am i right ?

Serious question, how should I be aligning them then? “

so that the rotor is central to the gap in the caliper – by eye … new hopes have a line scribed at the center point of the caliper for this purpose.

the pull the brake trick will not do this most of the time.

doing the pull the brake trick with hopes results in a spongy brake. There is a how too on their website …. just the act of simply doing that for some folk ive ridden with has transformed their brakes no end. Yo might find if you have done the pull the brake trick that for the first few downhills your pad rubs as its adapted to the old ways but get a bit of heat in them and the pads will balance out – unless they are siezed and need a strip down and clean.

Hopes are sensitive to this and it can totally ruin the feel.

I’ve got Hopes (Tech X2s) on the commuter and the MTB, and since changing the pads on the commuter (and doing the brake pull trick) they’ve been squealing like a bastard. I’ll break out the allen keys and do it by eye.

On the other hand, I’ve never had a problem with power, and they feel so much nicer than the Juicy 5s that they replaced on the mtb.

old school hope minis on my xc bike, 10 years old still brilliant

newer m4s on my dh bike same as above,about 4 years old cant say ive ever had any problems ever!
– apart from ripping out a hose on the champery wc course but that was rider error!

there is a knack to bleeding and setting them up, but once youve got that its smooth braking all the way

Tbh, even avids are a million times better!

I have six sets of OEM elixirs on new bikes in the shop right now , half of them randomly pull straight to the bar ! complete ****

I do love a Hope (they work) brake thread.

FWIW, i’ve only ever had 2 sets of Hopes (XC4 & original Minis) & both were shocking – the minis remained so even after Hope ‘fixed’ them. I did sell the XC4s as brakes but not the Minis as I was concerned they’d be dangerous & broke them for spares only.

Avids were so-so, Hayes, Magura & Shimano all decent enough.

I did have a chuckle at the TVR/Ducati analogy mind, my 996 was a fantastic machine other than when it wouldn’t start/died mid-ride/lost all drive/developed a mis-fire. A mate also had a Chimera which was great fun when it actually started but only after being rebuilt when it caught fire at less than 7 months old…. 🙂

ah original minis – the brake that used to push its self apart under braking and leak fluid…..due to a lack of boltage holding the two halfs together.

tbh they have been alot less hassle since they went to 1 piece calipers!

spectabilis – Member

@Dr .
My post wasn’t a direct response to yours.
But fair enough your choice, good luck with your avids have u got a bell fitted yet??
POSTED 10 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Tbh, even avids are a million times better! I have a big circle of friends I ride with who have had nothing but problems with hope brakes. All I can seriously think is that a lot of you defending hope are either working for them, selling there products or just too bloody loyal to admit they’re shite!
My shimano xt’s are in a league of there own in comparison.

I bled the brakes as they had no power in them and felt spongy, apparently this is how a lot of them feel.
Judging by mine and what’s happening to a lot of my friends hope brakes, I think they all have a very slow leak.

you talking about these minis?

mine have been ace (phenolic pistons were a great improvement after 1st alps trip) done a couple of megavalanches and years of abuse never popped apart once?!

I bled the brakes as they had no power in them and felt spongy, apparently this is how a lot of them feel.
Judging by mine and what’s happening to a lot of my friends hope brakes,

I had that problem, till i learnt to centre and bleed them properly

they dont pop apart -they just weap … it was just certain caliper numbers IIRC

are you drunk pussywillow – you seem to be repeating your self.