Just in the process of waiting for a warranty replacement ( or credit ) of some XT brakes following problems with them locking on.

Should I take this opportunity to upgrade ( change ) to Hope brakes, probably X2 ?

Are they better and more reliable – worth the cost etc ?

Ta

Yes…. They feel slightly different in use(not as grabby initially) but are completely user serviceable if need be. I’ve got xt, zee and Deore brakes on various bikes but my main bike has tech3 V4s and they are the only brakes I’ve never had issues with… Although hopes are a lot more sensitive to correct setup to feel their best.

Hope to Shimano is a downgrade. You were unlucky.

Just converted all of my bikes to Hope. E4’s and V4’s. Love them.

Yes they may need to get set up a bit more spot on but I don’t mind fettling them as they are lovely to handle and I know I can get any bits I need if I mess up. Just gave my older E4’s a clean up and hose shorten this weekend, used a bit of silicone lube on the pistons and re aligned them and they are lovely. I can get enough power to lock up if I want but on my terms.

I suspect youll find hope x2 lacking in power compared to shimano xt, might be better off going for hope e4.

I switched from shimano xt to hope e4.

E4s are lighter,just as powerful and have better modulation, however they (hope e4) are much more tricky to set up and considerably more expensive.

I also hated the standard organic pads that came with my hope e4,they always felt lacking in power compared to xt with sintered pads. now i have switched to sintered in the e4, the braking power feels about the same, maybe a little more powerful with the hopes.

yeah I didn’t even consider the X2’s. At 90kg and having injured both hands in the past leading to reduced power and cramps I went E4’s on the XC and fun bike and V4’s on the Aeris. Overkill maybe but nice big leavers and plenty of modulation and power makes my rides much more enjoyable.

Have XT m8000 on my hardtail, Hope Tech 3 E4 on full sus.

I prefer the hopes, dead easy to service, modulate brilliantly, adjust well and lots of power.

That said the XT are good too, if I had the choice I would pay the extra and get the Hopes, not sure I would take a loss selling XT to get the hopes. If you can get the credit I would.

I too would call it a downgrade.

Still think my hopes are toss after a multitude of pads and bleeds.

XT will be installed shortly.

Hi,

Toying with similar idea, but want to get rid of occasionally leaky BR-M666/675 combo in favor of Hopes.

What you good people mean by “tricky” to set up?

Cheers!
I.

For the e4’s tricky means that the alignment of the caliper to the disc needs to be near perfect,ie parallel and central to the disc.

Also itll take a while to get the adjusters on thr lever set to how you like them, unlike other brakes ive tried the adjusters do make a big difference .

I used to have m785 xt on three bikes.
All were warrantied at approaching 2 years old, due to seal degradation resulting in unpredictable lever pull.
Sold the warranty replacements.
Now have tech3 E4 on all bikes.
Yes, I prefer the feel of Hope sintered pads to the stock organics too.

To be honest, I never had a problem with the feel/power of XT whilst they were new & working well, but all of them ultimately failed.
The decision point came when my front brake pulled to the bars on a particularly steep and narrow set of Calderdale steps!

…and I don’t want to have a week in the Alps or some remote corner of Scotland ruined because of a dodgy brake.

Just moved from XT to Saint on the front of my Stumpjumper (was putting XT’s on another bike, saw the chance for an upgrade!) The saints are superb, still good modulation for a front and will lock the front with one finger if you feel the need. (can’t imagine they would be as good on the back, more like an on/off switch).

Similar to Ecky Thump. I have E2s, which replaced various failed/warrantied M785s. They seem just as powerful as the XTs, and I much prefer the feel.

At some point I’m going to try fixing my XT brakes, probably will try replacing the calipers with Deores.

XT will be installed shortly.

Maybe the new ones are better, but the M785s are problematic.

What is the real world difference between the E4 and V4? I have the E4 on the full sus with the sintered pads and whilst I really like the modulation compared to Shimano they seem to lack a bit of oomph when you really haul on the levers. Benchmark for my favourite brake was some Formula The Ones which had the modulation but also had the power. They were a pain for bleeding and reliability though. The Hopes have been bled so there is no air in the system, it just feels like the pads don’t grab the disc hard enough. Fwiw I’m around 100kg and ride reasonably aggressively with a lack of cornering skills so like to panic brake at the end of straights 😀

…and I don’t want to have a week in the Alps or some remote corner of Scotland ruined because of a dodgy brake.

This 100%. I’ve never had a warranty replacement before – i.e. not hard on kit.

But my wife’s deores failed and were replaced and now my xt 8000 are going same way after very light use. Combined with the backpedal issue in larger sprockets with 11 speed and I’m not exactly pleased that the circa 15 year old hope c2’s and 15 year old 9 speed were more reliable than there replacements! The 9 speed is on my zwift bike and still shifting well and the chain doesn’t fall off if I backpedal!

X2 – E4 – V4 is a bit like going up 20mm in rotor diameter I believe.

Sounds like you may want to try adjusting the caliper or trying different pads. Also set up of the lever is very effective.

I moved from SLX to X2 and haven’t noticed any less power

The very fact that seal kits aren’t available for shimano brakes is enough for me not to buy anymore, I have XT, ZEE shimanos and two versions of the Hope minis.
The Zees are looking like they need new seals and it is utterly wasteful to throw away a brake as their not serviceable that I know of.
In contrast I just rebuilt a 10 year old(ish) hope lever and its good as new.

+1 Hopes.

I’ve had too many weeping Shimano calipers to EVER buy Shimano again!

There’s a good reason that Hope spares are available….

Seriously though, it’s all down to feel. Those of us who like instant braking power with little lever travel will prefer Shimano. Those who like more modulation (I’d regard it as sponginess 🙂 ) prefer Hopes.

There’s a good reason that Hope spares are available

Not IME.

Heck, even my C2s (20yrs old I think…) still work & they are ancient & have had no more work on them than a bleed as & when.

scotroutes – Member
There’s a good reason that Hope spares are available….

Seriously though, it’s all down to feel. Those of us who like instant braking power with little lever travel will prefer Shimano. Those who like more modulation (I’d regard it as sponginess ) prefer Hopes.

Or on the other hand, one product that will last many years and work well or another that will work well then probably be landfill in 2 years, when a seal fails.

When i bought my hope e4’s my shimano m785 xts were 4 years old and still working fine,so i had no issues with reliability of the shimanos.

I just fancied some new brakes.

What is the real world difference between the E4 and V4? I have the E4 on the full sus with the sintered pads and whilst I really like the modulation compared to Shimano they seem to lack a bit of oomph when you really haul on the levers. Benchmark for my favourite brake was some Formula The Ones which had the modulation but also had the power. They were a pain for bleeding and reliability though. The Hopes have been bled so there is no air in the system, it just feels like the pads don’t grab the disc hard enough. Fwiw I’m around 100kg and ride reasonably aggressively with a lack of cornering skills so like to panic brake at the end of straights

V4 has about 20-30 percent more power and more fade resistance – the fade resistance is due to a larger caliper and a larger pad surface area.

The V4, when running non braided hoses is about 30g heavier than an E4 running standard hoses and about 60g heavier when running the braided hoses that come as standard.

I’ll be ordering mine without the braided hose – I don’t see the point of plumbing for the E4 when the weight difference is so little when you factor in the weight of the braided hose. At 100kg I’d definately recommend the V4s, I used to run V2’s and they had loads of power, more instant power than my old mans E4s – the V4’s supposedly have even more.

Personally, I don’t get all these people that say “XT’s with 160mm disks are powerfull enough” etc etc – I’d like a brake with twice as much power as an XT, not because I need to stop quickly – but because I’m a lazy arse that is happiest when I don’t have to work for my fun and would like stopping power with about as much force applied as an Xbox trigger. 😀

The German Trickstuff direttissima brakes are supposedly crazy powerful – literally off the charts in the Enduro mag review – can’t bring myself to spend 600 quid on brakes though.

ulians – Member
For the e4’s tricky means that the alignment of the caliper to the disc needs to be near perfect,ie parallel and central to the disc.

Ahhh… But they are 4 piston aren’t they?

Much too much for my needs.

If ever I will settle down for X2. Organic pads will deffo go, as all my brakes are fitted with sintered.

Cheers!
I.

Swapped my XTR warranty refunds for Hope E4s. Haven’t regretted it.

Currently running Shimano but considering Tech 3 E4s, which doesn’t help the OP

But this Hayes alignment tool might – one of the best bike-specific tools I’ve bought:

Hayes rotor alignment tool

Although out of stock the the moment….

Those who like more modulation (I’d regard it as sponginess ) prefer Hopes.

I can adjust mine to feel like Shimano grabbing if I want

Weird that folk are recommending changing to sintered though, always found the organic bite harder.

Got xt m785 on one bike and SLX On the other, both howl like banshees. Keep meaning to change pads clean rotors etc but more I hear sounds like this is a common shimano issue so now thinking of a swap on one bike.

I do like the XTs so was thinking of trying the m8000 but some reviews I’ve read are not too favourable (and they don’t seem to come in silver). Do the callipers still leak?

What abut sram guide (specifically the ultimates)? Seem to get good reviews from the mags

Hope Tech E4’s on both my bikes. Fabulous.

Shimano ok for a year or two then replace , hope can require some tlc but last ages , I’d rather fix a calliper with few seal than waste the whole thing because it leaked again like Shimano

But Ive not tried the new Xt