Hi chaps,

Has anyone ridden the XTR Trails and the Tech3 E4?

Ive had Hope Tech X2s and Shimano Deore, SLX and XT new style. I found the Hope to be lacking in power, and really like the Shimanos, but need to run organic pads to reduce the on off feel.

Im looking to buy a new set for my Orange Five29, which generally gets ridden on steep and fast ground around peebles and Inners.

Any experiences?

Cheers

Ricks

I haven’t ridden the Hopes, but the XTRs feel pretty much identical to XTs, if a bit more powerful. Still rather on/off until you get used to them.

I rode some xtrs yesterday and I couldn’t tell the difference to deore. looked prettier though.

Thats kind of the problem, Im down to one bike only, so feel like its not too bad spending money on it to have nice kit on it. But… if theres no improvement in feel, power or modulation then it feels like a waste.

Ive not really used the servowave Shimanos in earnest, ive used the XTR race, which lack that.

Have got recent Deore/SLX/XT on my trail bikes and was looking for some stoppers for my big bike.

The XTR Trails seemed an obvious choice but after having a flick of them in the lbs and going on the incremental differences from Deore-to-XT I started looking elsewhere.

The Hopes are a completely different kind of brake. Whereas Shimano have a precise but light feel, the Hopes have a firm, purposeful feel to them. There is absolutely no up-and-down lever movement and as you release the lever, it eagerly springs back into place there’s no mush at all.

The actual braking experience is similarly phenomenal. I read somewhere that the leading pads on the E4 calipers make contact first and it feels that way out on the trail. Just resting one finger on the lever is enough to do something but it’s such a progessive feel there’s no possibility of grabiness or overbraking. A firmer pull with one finger starts to unleash some real power, power on a level with say XT but requiring less effort. 80% of the time this is all I need but there’s more. A bit more effort (still with one finger) and we are into serious braking territory. Huge, speed-scrubbing power but not in the slightest bit grabby the brakes still modulate progressively. You can feel the tyres scrabbling for grip and just hold it there, getting maximum braking while still in control

All of this power combined with a super-accurate lever feel makes for an outstanding set of stoppers they’re in a different league to Shimano’s latest.

It’s important to position the calipers correctly over the rotors but there are alignment marks on the body and you can see the rotor through the pad hatch. Another nice touch is that the E4s don’t come with miles of hose so you don’t have to cut and bleed them before you can use them. IIRC the rear was 1600mm and the front just short of 900mm, pretty much perfect for a big bike.

E4s are on my shopping list; can you get i-spec A or B adapters?

c

When I built up my bike I was going to try the XT’s but the delivery time was too long. I went for Hope tech M4 and have been very very happy. I like the adjustability and the stopping power and modulation are excellent. Coloured floating rotors look good too !
I have just ordered some XT’s for another bike project as I hear very good things about them (and the Deore 610’s) and there are some good online offers plus extra 10% at the moment.

Shimano shifters bolt straight onto the Hope Tech 3s – A or B spec, I’m not sure

Ive got a set of Hope Tech 3’s V4’s (one up from the E4’s) and they are amazing. Best brakes I’ve had. Ive got XT’s on my other bike, and despite being great value for money they are nowhere near as good as the Hopes.

About to get a Whyte T-130 Works, well when they ship them :-), and the only thing I’m going to change straight away is the SRAM Guide RS brakes for Hope Tech 3 on M4s.

I have a set of X2 with Tech 2 levers and they’ve been fantastic, obviously more XC than DH though.

XT trail brakes are really good. The servo wave pulls the pads really far back away from disc, giving you more mud/bent disc clearance.

They snatch a bit, but once you’re used to them, they are excellent.

Asking same question in my head just now but more Hope vs Zee or Saint brakes!

Shimano anyday

The last 2 summers we’ve had a pro DH team staying in the next door chalet in France. The first year they were on Hope brakes and their mechanic spent hours adjusting and bleeding them. The riders liked them but they needed a lot of TLC to keep them just right. Last year they were on Shimano and I didn’t see any work going on with the brakes. They were as good as the Hopes but were fit and forget. Interestingly they stopped using the ICE discs and cooling fins because they cooled the brakes down too much and changed the feel during runs.
I’m on XT and I think they are great.

I have some Hope X2 Evo brakes for sale in the Classifieds. Just sayin’

Only you can decide how big a deal the on/off feel of shimano is to you!

They are great brakes, and the deore,slx,zee are brilliant value for money

However, if you are looking at XTR level, the value for money is not the issue, as the Hopes are in the same ball park.

So you getting into personal preference for feel, reliability, availability of spares, ease of working on them and looks….

for me, XTR v Tech 3 E4, the hopes win every time.

If your saying slx v Tech 3 E4, I would struggle to justify spending the extra money on the hopes as the shimanos are so good for the money.

Having said that, I did manage to justify it to myself when I ended up with Tech Evo M4’s on the main bike & on the second bike I have SLX’s

to consider…

Avids have much better “feel” imo than shimano, and are supposed to have resolved their reliability issues with the more recent guide range.
I have had avids before, and it will take a lot to make me try them again!

Formulas…(the ones?)
get good write ups, but I would be worried about spares, and haven’t tried them myself

using the tech 3’s E4 on me alpine 160 rs. great control

I find the Shimano brakes stunningly powerful to begin with (more than the Hopes) but the sharpness eases over time. Whether this is due to gradual pad contamination I don’t know, because it’s cured with new pads but symmetrical both ends.

Not the sort of person who casually silicones the bike, either. The Shimanos are great, but if I wasn’t spending my own money I’d go Hope every time.