2021 Hope HB.130 now mullet compatible with standard hub spacing

Hope has updated us with news of the 2021 HB.130 now featuring a standard rear hub spacing and the option to run a 27.5in rear wheel.

Hope insists that it isn’t a bike brand, and yet they have released an enduro bike in the past and have today announced an update to the trail-friendly HB.130.

This month 2 builds of the Hope HB.130 will be released. There will be the standard 2021 HB.130 built with Fox Suspension, Hope parts and SRAM drivetrain, and a limited edition Factory Replica build.

Called the HB.130 FR, this top-spec bike is a 1:1 replica of the Hope Factory racing bikes and comes in a new painted finish with factory decals. Customers choosing the FR will get to ride on the same Ohlins suspension as the Hope team including an M2 fork and TTX Coil Rear shock.

Both versions of the 2021 bike come with a few updates including the ability to run the frame as a mullet with an optional ‘Mullet Kit’ Hope says this improves manoeuvrability on tight and twisty trails while maintaining the same pedal position as a full 29er set-up.

Another significant change is the move from the Hope specific 130 x 17 rear hub to a more conventional 148 x 12 Boost rear end. The idea behind the original narrow hub was to keep the backend of the bike away from rocks and roots in tight trail sections, but it also made getting hold of a replacement wheel more difficult. The standard Boost backed should also make Mullet conversion a breeze.

Each Hope HB.130 is built to order and takes around 4-5 weeks to complete, though FR builds are expected to take slightly longer. Pre-orders are live now and the first bikes should arrive with customers early November.

Find out more over on the Hope website.

Andi Sykes

Andi is a gadget guru and mountain biker who has lived and ridden bikes in China and Spain before settling down in the Peak District to become Singletrack's social media expert. He is definitely more big travel fun than XC sufferer but his bike collection does include some rare hardtails - He's a collector and curator as well as a rider. Theory and practice in perfect balance with his inner chi, or something. As well as living life based on what he last read in a fortune cookie Andi likes nothing better than riding big travel bikes.