Have been a long time Shimano user and gave up on unreliable and fiddly Hopes about 10 years ago. However I have been offered some Hope Tech E4s for an irresistible price so considering moving back. I have not suffered the leaks or variable bite of Shimano’s here in the UK after fitting goodridge hoses and bleeding carefully but a recent trip abroad with an average of 7000’ per day descending showed up some issues. The bite point varied very slightly but not much but my main gripe is I find it almost impossible to setup the brake levers close to the bar but still have instant bite and for that bite to remain consistent all day.

So Hope people is it possible to set the E4s up with a really close lever to the bar but still have the brakes engage the disk immediately but still modulate ie not just lock the wheel up?

Also how reliable are Hopes these days? In the past I remember cracked cylinders, leaky brakes, sticky uneven pistons etc. I have always liked the serviceability of Hopes but I do not want to be working on them every 2 mins.

Not too concerned about power as I will be running 203mm rotors.

So Hope people is it possible to set the E4s up with a really close lever to the bar but still have the brakes engage the disk immediately but still modulate ie not just lock the wheel up?

Hope modulation is miles better than Shimano’s… Maybe not quite as good as SRAM’s but yes, you’ll be impressed with their modulation.

Also how reliable are Hopes these days? In the past I remember cracked cylinders, leaky brakes, sticky uneven pistons etc. I have always liked the serviceability of Hopes but I do not want to be working on them every 2 mins.

I had experiences with Hope similar to yours back in the early noughties, put me off their brakes for over a decade. I’d happily run modern Hopes, they are way more reliable and consistent, they’re just a lot more expensive than some other equally good brakes.

Cheers mboy. Reliability and longevity are high on my agenda.

as per you i had issues with O2s C2s E4s constantly needing attention/being cooked seals etc .

once i moved to the M ranged – the black and gold ones all those issues stopped.

now have 4 sets of minis in the house varying from old black and gold through to modern tech 3 levered silver ones. We have a set of x2 races and a set of M4s

none of which need regular attention at all.

infact my hope brake issues of hte last ten years seems to ammount to 1 floating rotor coming loose from its carrier.

I’ve been running a set for about 4 years and their still working fine. I give them a bleed every 6 months and have never had any bother. Only just now thinking about a seal service but will probably just give them a bleed and do the seals next year.

My E4s can be a pain for rotor rub but compared to the Zees I had on my bike, way better.
In my experience Shimano’s are great until pushed hard. For alpine riding my E4s are way more consistent and I get the same lever travel until the pads are gone, whereas the Zees would be inconsistent with heat build up and pad thickness.

The hope tech 3 lever has reach adjust and bite point adjust , and both these adjusters actually change what they say they change,so it should be possible to set them up how you want,but youd need to try a set really to see if theyre good enough for you.

With regards to power,theyre about the same as xt’s.

With regards to resistance to heat,theyre as good as the best,but i did manage to glaze the pads on the rear in finale earlier this year, the fluid was fine, no boiling going on,and the lever travel didnt change at all, just a lot less power from the pads. Taking pads out and sanding out the glaze fixed the problem.

Theyre especially picky about being aligned perfectly to the disc and as a result they dont tolerate much warping in the rotor before they rub too much (especially if you have the bite point control all the way in like i do).

Theyre a decent brake,but id like more power, thinking about changing to the v4 calipers,or going up a rotor size onthe rear,but 203mm on the rear seems like overkill -maybe i just need to learn to ride faster

E4’s here with 203mm on the front and 180’s on the rear. I’ve been delighted with them since the day I bought them. Can’t imagine wanting or needing more ‘power’ and i’m heavy chap – maybe the 203’s up front make the difference. They leave me not wanting for anything. The bite and reach adjustments are really good and compared to the shimano brakes on a Hightower I test rode earlier in the year they’ve in a different league. I was surprised at how crap the shaman’s were in comparison – noisy, numb feeling, horrible bite point, just felt like a retrograde step. Not sure what model they were but it was a high spec. bike. I guess alot is that i’m used the the Hopes now, but I had Formula’s before that were also very good and Avid’s before that, which were good too. The Hopes are every bit as good as anything i’ve ridden, been 100% reliable for me over the last 2 years being ridden in all seasons (only 1 MTB) and I never wash the bike – just poke off the mud once it’s dried. Never had any rotor rub issues, or squeal unless on the rare occasion I have washed the bike and the first few brake applications squeal post wash but then quieten down.

Interesting. I found the rear brake on massive descents is the main problem as I tend to use that more than front ie feather the rear on wild sections as a result heat builds up more on the back. I have always thought putting a bigger rotor on the front is the wrong way around (apparently Greg Minnaar agrees too!).

Sounds like it may be time to give Hope tech 3 E4s a go but go 203mm as loads of my descents are very long.

Love my E4s. Moved them onto my Hightower before I even rode it. They’ve been totally reliable for a year now. Feel great. Less grabby than my XTs which were also less reliable – leaked twice before they were replaced under warranty.

Mine are from 2014 and have been on three bikes, lengthened/shortened several times no issues at all.

Tend to use them for short, stabby braking where the firm lever pull is an advantage. They’re no more powerful than my Zees though and the Zees have a much lighter feel which you may prefer on long descents.