I have a set of hope mono minis from around 2008 and have never been impressed by their performance.

So this weekend I gave them some TLC and flushed new fluid through, made sure they were bled properly, cleaned the rotors, made sure the calipers were centered, made sure the pistons were pushing equally. I cycled to a big hill to bed the new pads in.. And they still don’t bite! Forget one finger braking… I have to pull as hard as I can to come close to lock up the front wheel (on tarmac).

It is possible to get these brakes working properly, or is this as good as it gets….?

Where is the lever reach set?

What did you clean the discs with?

Mine are much better than that so something must be wrong

I cleaned the rotors with meths.

That could be the issue – contaminated as IIRC meths leaves a residue.

Wash discs with detergent and water, roughen up discs and pads with sandpaper

Nothing special with the lever reach, but they come nowhere near the bars.

I thought white spirit left a residue but meths didn’t.. But certainly the “feel” is as if the pads are contaminated.

Hope Mono Mini’s should are perfectly good brakes when working & setup correctly.

Your description sounds like contamination on the pads and disc.

I’d suggest cleaning the discs with hot soapy water, replace the pads, & re-try.

And if they’ve just been bled, double-check to make absolutely sure all the air’s flushed out of the system.

Nothing special with the lever reach, but they come nowhere near the bars.

Just to make sure, adjust them so that the lever is further out. Your fingers have an ideal position relative to the bite point and getting this wrong can make a huge difference to the brake characteristics.

If the pads are contaminated with anything that would affect performance then there will invariably be some evidence on the rotors, like dark streaks (a mix of contaminant and brake dust) or similar discolouration. The surface of the pads would also usually feel soft and slightly tacky, or have dark patches.

All of this assumes that the brakes are properly bled.

I have 08 ones too, and they are very good – not quite as nice a feel as current xt’s but almost as much power and bite

Just to make sure, adjust them so that the lever is further out. Your fingers have an ideal position relative to the bite point and getting this wrong can make a huge difference to the brake characteristics.

+1. Can feel pretty spongy if you have them adjusted too far in. When you bleed them do you roll the diaphragm on as per the video on the Hope website.

I had Mono Mini’s for a couple of years – plenty of power for all but the longest, steepest descents

I’ve run mono minis for years and even with a uncontaminated pads/rotor and a 200mm rotor they don’t really bite. Plenty of power for even my 14st but they just are not a particularly bitey brake. There are not many situations, if any that you need locked wheels.

I had some mono minis a couple of years ago on my P7 and wasn’t too impressed with them so went back to original minis which felt much better. Very happy with the mono M4’s on my big bike though.

i installed superstar kevlar pads,mine now bite.

Nothing wrong with meths, that is white spirit you’re thinking of. I’d agree they aren’t very bitey,certainly not compared to Shimano, but they are better modulated and work beautifully when ridden rather than in a car park test.

Organic pads help a lot, but last about 4 rides for me.

Might be worth giving them to a shop who does them day in day out if you’re worried? One finger braking is all I need (have a mix of X2 and Mono mini) to come to a stop.

Mine are fine, bite well enough and can lock up both ends when ever I choose.

There was one period when they went of a bit but seem to adjust themselves

still not as good as deores I run on other bikes though

Mine are fine, 160/140mm and I weigh 15stone*!

They are quite progressive though, i.e. you squeese quite hard to get lot of power, or squeeze gently to get a little power. The opposite of something like magura or hayes where you just have to tickle the lever to give yourself whiplash!

*I regulalry boil the fluid though as there’s nowhere for heat to go in that setup!

Nothing wrong with meths

yes there is, its a mixture of alcohols (good for cleaning), dye, bitrex and other stuff, although odly it often has a lower water content than ‘pure’ ethanol which you pay a lot more for depending on how water free you want it.

Whilst I applaud your pedantry, I stand by the fact that there is nothing wrong with it for disk brake cleaning. I don’t know any bike shops using pure ethanol other than in their stills.

Thanks for your responses guys.

I’ve spent a couple of hours tinkering with the front one, and it’s feeling a bit better. It’ll get a trail test on Weds, so I’ll see how that goes.

My hunch is the meths contaminated the rotors/pads.

My hunch is the meths contaminated the rotors/pads.

No amount tinkering will fix them, then. Clean the rotors and replace the pads.

What kind of tinkering did you do that managed to improve the front?

What kind of tinkering did you do that managed to improve the front?

Good question:

I took a blowtorch to the disc (in an attempt to burn off any contamination).

I removed the pads and did the figure of 8 on some wet and dry. Also gave them a blast of the blow torch.

Removed reservoir cover and made sure there was no air (there wasn’t).

I took it out for a ride yesterday and it’s working pretty well now. I’ll give the back one similar treatment.

They also started working better once they’d got a bit of muddy water on them.

I took a blowtorch to the disc (in an attempt to burn off any contamination).

They’re stainless steel, so washing/scrubbing with hot soapy water is fine. Just make sure to rinse with clean hot water. Using flames on a rotor is just not necessary.

I removed the pads and did the figure of 8 on some wet and dry. Also gave them a blast of the blow torch.

Sanding is good as it levels off the compound surface – I’ll come back to this. If there’s oil in the pads, heating is only going to make it soak further in.

Removed reservoir cover and made sure there was no air (there wasn’t).

You’ve looked into the open part of the system. Air bubbles between the lever piston seals and the caliper piston seals is what’ll cause you problems. This is invisible without bleeding.

I took it out for a ride yesterday and it’s working pretty well now. I’ll give the back one similar treatment.

They also started working better once they’d got a bit of muddy water on them.

My own hunch is that the sanding of the pads is what’s made the difference. Although it means that the pads/rotor have to bed in again, it does get rid of any glazing (from dragging) or impressions on the compound from being left against the rotor when very hot.

I appreciate that it feels as though you’re doing something constructive, but setting about your brake parts with a blow torch is a waste of time. Sand the pads; clean the rotors; start again.

When you bleed them do you roll the diaphragm on as per the video on the Hope website.

assuming you did this ? for my mono mini’s an essential

threefish – if its just a bit of surface contamination sanding them can remove it from the pads – successfully done by me having contaminated pads

They also started working better once they’d got a bit of muddy water on them

same effect as sanding them then….

I used to dick around getting good bite etc. Now don’t really worry too much, my x2’s get all sort’s of shit on them overspray from gt85 or what ever lubricant (water dispersant for the pedants) find it makes riding alot quicker until I’ve ridden through some puddles or wet mud then feel comes back! Lack of braking prevents you skidding and keeps you on your toes 🙂

Mine have very distinct bite.

They are useless for two rides after I wash the bike, then bite returns. THB I just dont wash it anymore, let the dirt dry brush it of and ride again. Good brakes all the time.

In the name of science, I’ll just try sanding the pads on the back and washing the rotors, and see how that goes.