I'm going to treat the bike to a new set of brakes for Christmas. Veering towards Hope tech X2's which I reckon I can get for about £260-70 with braided hoses. Would probably have gone with Xt's when they counld be had with a 180 rotor up front and a 160 out back for something a round the £160 mark, but that's long gone. Saw the new Formula Rx's on a bike at the LBS but christ they are plasticky in looks and feel. Never owned or ridden with Hope brakes before…have heard some horror stories and spoken with people who'd never use anything else. Any opinions before the wallet comes out?

I'm one of those 'only use hope' type people. I recently got an x2 for the front of my Pitch (I run Mono Minis on my hardtail and V2s on the downhill bike).

Pros: Running a 203 rotor, the x2s have loads of power. The tech levers are excellent and give great mechanical leverage. The brakes also look great. Hope after sales service is very good. Majority of good bike shops have pads and spares.

Cons: Hope brakes are a bit of a faff to bleed. If you run older sram shifters or Shimano ones with those window thingys, there may be compatibility issues. If not setup right, they can squeal like a pig on its honeymoon.

I forgot the compatibility issue with shifters…was led to belive that it was only Sram that was a problem. I've got Deore shifters with windows, is that going to be a problem?

I'm one of those 'only use hope' type people.

Me too. I have the older M4s and tech M4s, the weight penalty over X2s is minimal. When you want to stop, you properly stop.
Had a problem once; phoned Hope and got it fixed in less than 2 minutes. There is tangible value in good CS. I will never buy avids again FWIW.
EDIT; Just get rid of the windows.

Bikeoutlet had them for relatively cheap I think.

I have been looking at getting some new hope's too, and am waiting for the new X2 Races, according to hope they have a different lever and won't have issues with certain shifter.

Plus also i can get them for £305, which i think is good for light weight disk brakes with braided hoses and floating rotors 🙂

I've had a pair most of this year .I'm loving 'em ! As for squealing mine are as quiet as a church mouse .Also have reach and bite point adjusters as well .Top banana !

£260 from Bikeoutlet..not bad. I'll ditch the shifter windows if needs be. Sort of had my head turned by the Hayes Stroker trails for £140 (all in) from Rutland, but that just seems too cheap for what were quite pricey brakes when they came out. Just wonder why they have become so cheap all of a sudden. Think its gonna be the Hopes.

Hayes have always been cheap. Not when they first come out, but soon after.

Hopes are always good; you can't go wrong with a set. CRC just had the 10% weekend, you could have got a bargin then!

I'm looking at getting some X2's as well as an upgrade for my Mono Mini's.

Interesting that AdeC is running 203 rotors. I emailed Hope about weights and they say they don't do a 203 option for the X2 because they class them as XC brakes. I guess if you have a 203 adaptor for MM's an X2 will bolt straight on?

Completely disagree about being a faff to bleed. Couldn't be easier, and I've heard horror stories about Shimano bleeding.

There was another thread about X2's about a week ago, so search for that as well

Saw the new Formula Rx's on a bike at the LBS but christ they are plasticky in looks and feel

Really disappointed with this as I had my heart set on some RXs 🙁

Why did they feel rubbish? Flexy or just cheap looking?

i'm thinking of going back to Hope as well. Whenever i've emailed them i've had a quick helpful response, and they seem to be one of the few companies selling all the individual spare parts for their brakes.

vid seem to insist you buy a 'rebuild kit', and it doesn't take much for the brakes to be uneconomical to repair.

re: the lever compatibility theres some pics on their website and it looks fine – its only the indicator window that causes problems.

Bought an X4/X2 set up for my Soda a couple of months back, after getting completely pissed off with my Oros. So far so good. They did 2 weeks in the Pyrenees with no issues straight out the box, and they've had one filthy ride so far and I finished with pad material still left, which is something of a revelation at the mo.

I'm with holding full judgement until I've done some more really wet shitty rides, as thats where I tend to have issues – pads lasting less than 10miles kinda thing.

Currently running with XO shifters, and it's OK, but I'm probably going to lash out on a set of rooster mountes for them.

18bikes have a whole load of setup videos on youtube which are well worth watching if you do decide to go the Hope route.

+1 for Hope. Tech X2's on my 5 and love them. I've ridden Hayes Strokers and they're pretty average, wouldn't recommend.

I've got Deore LX 8-speed shifters with my X2's and it kinda works.

The problem is that the X2 levers have a lot of gubbins on the inside curve, where your forefinger goes and when butted up to the shifters, it partly masks the up-shifter. However, it's just something that you get used to. I now also use my middle finger and thumb to up-shift.

That having been said, it's a quality product and Hope seem to be good for spares, although I've only had mine for a short while. I'm using 183mm / 160mm with floating rotors but standard hoses.

Summary – I'm pleased with them.

I have some and love em. They make some combined clamps for later XT/SLX/Saint shifters so you could always keep your eyes open for some second hand shifters if it becomes a major issue.

Didn't find them a faff to bleed at all and there is lots of very easy to follow videos on the Hope site.

The backup and support really is second to none, so I don't know why I'd ever want to try anything else.

RicB, I didn't ride the bike (a Cube Hardtail) but they just looked and felt really insubstantial. Don't let my brief encounter put you off, just slide on down the local Cube dealer and take something with Rx's for a test ride. Its the only way to be sure.

Anyone compared the power of X2s to Formula Oros for the same rotor size? Bit worried the X2 will be less powerful than my K24s, and X4s seem quite heavy

ive got tech x2 fitted to my bike, great set of brakes, had no problems so far, really comfy to use i trust them alot more now 🙂 oh did i mension they look the bizz ;p especially with a braided hose 🙂

Hi CaptainM

I guess if you have a 203 adaptor for MM's an X2 will bolt straight on?

yup, and it works a treat.

In 4 words… Hope for the best.

I've got Tech x2 brakes on my bike. Been working well since I got them in March. Using the Hope pads, as some of the alternatives don't come with the pad springs. These seem to work well, although if you're riding in properly soaking gritty conditions you'll only get a few rides out of any set of pads.

Robespierre – Member

I've got Deore shifters with windows, is that going to be a problem?

Yes. I tried mine on a bike with Deore shitfers, they were terrible. coping with them at the moment next to SRAM trigger shifters – will eventually get some shimano shifters with removable windows and sort them properly

just to clear up any doubts about bleeding. Hopes do involve a bit of faffing. The proper Hope bleed kit includes a big plastic bottle, several tubes, and a variety of top cap adapters and seals (the rubber kind – not the clubbing kind).
Its a very clever bleed kit that uses the pressure in your tyre to move the new fluid throught the system. Get it right and its very good, get it wrong and you'll spray brake fluid all over your trousers.

The shimano kit in comparison is very simple. 1 small bottle of shimano brake fluid, a small tube and a plastic bag. Pumping the lever moves the fluid through the system. It only takes a couple of mins to bleed a shimano brake and the fluid isnt toxic (although I would not advise drinking it).

I bled my X2s in about 5 minutes each with no bleed kit – just a torx bit and a spanner. Didn't even have any hose to hand so took the pads out and put piece of wood between the pistons.