[Closed] Hope-less brakes

amedias - Member

Girlfriends SLX decided to pull back to the bar this weekend, think it's sucked some air in due to lever being pulled while wheel out and upside down

So badly bled then? All brakes will do that if you leave air in the reservoir.

So badly bled then? All brakes will do that if you leave air in the reservoir.

Yep, as they came when purchased, I wasn't implying it was a fault with the brake itself, just annoying.

I can never understand the Hope hating

I don't hate it. I just don't buy it any more because it falls apart, and there's better, cheaper kit out there.

The Hope centreing thing sounds like nonsense but it really does work, not sure why they're so sensitive to it when no other brakes are, but it's got to be exactly right or they don't work properly. Not the end of the world, but a weird pain in the bum.

Really? shouldn't ALL systems be centered like in the vid?
It certainly makes a difference to shimano systems i've worked on . Actually set up a pair just now.
Sure you can pull the lever in n nip up the bolts then go pull an endo in the car park . but setting up PROPERLY like in the vid makes a difference.

maybe you don't hate, but there are always fair few people who seem to have a bee in their bonnet and use every opportunity to proclaim that 'product X' is totally Sh1t, and therefore everything that company produces is rubbish, and often it's based on a very limited limited sample set, I'm not digging at you here, It's more of a general observation.

I just wish people would be a bit more open minded to the fact that other people may have had differing experiences, and there could be other factors at play such as local conditions etc, and that just because your experiences don't agree it doesn't mean the other person is lying and/or wrong.

Too often these threads turn into a 'my experience is more valid than yours therefore I am righterer!' style competition, rather than a balanced report, with all the relevant details like lengths of time used, conditions maintenance etc.

For example I honestly struggle to believe that the chap with 20 mates who all have nothing positive to say about hope can actually all have had that many problems between them, ANY company with products that poor would simply not stay in business!

My experiences of Hope kit do not tally with yours*. I find it robust, reliable and repairable, and for that reason I often buy second hand as I know even a poorly looked after set can often be restored to new for peanuts. I do not do this with Shimnano, not because it is any less reliable or robust, but because I know repairs are difficult.

* that doesn't mean either of us are wrong or lying, it just means we've had different experiences.

"Really? shouldn't ALL systems be centered like in the vid?"

Yes yes they should - peterpoddy i hope your paying attention for when you do your next cytech 😉 a bike mechanic that does the pull and tighten trick should be shot.

large418 - Member
Bought some XTs as well this year and they are the same power and feel as my 2002 Hope Minis. As with all things though a few bad components or maintenance can cause lots of issues.

😆

And your reference to all your 20 mates having the same issue - don't you think that if Hope had a genuine issue with reliability they would have fixed it? Spending money on warranty is wasting money. Getting quality right in the first place costs much much less than a warranty replacement.

I never said all of them have the same issue but most have and they're all disappointed with them.
And I totally agree with you about getting quality right in the first place being a lot cheaper.....so why aren't they?

 

genuinely interested here then... so you have ~20mates who all have had problems with Hope.

Have they all had the same problem with the same product?
Different problems with the same product?
Different problems with different products?
Same problem with different products?

Any common factor between them other than brand? all bought from the same place? fitted by the same place? ridden in the same place?

or is it all totally random?

How I miss spring in the 90's.

Out in the woods - the first cuckoo, the first daffodils, the first squealing Hope Mini echoing like a screeching animal trapped in a leg noose across the valleys...

Pfft, you call those old Hope brakes? This is an old Hope disc:

[img] [/img]

😉

I've used a good number of Hope discs on loads of things over the years, never had any problems. Could say the same about Avid and Tektro, though, so don't know what that tells you.

cripes just abt to plonk down for a set of V2's.. yes they are alarmingly expensive but I've a got a set of Avid 3's and they piss me off - stuck pistons, a right pain in the arse to change pads and that annonying bloody squeal... I suppose every brake will have their fans and haters.

But Hope's customer service is impressive which is saying something considering they are a british company 🙂

My V2's are in the classified's........spanking, well almost 🙂

20mates who all have had problems with Hope

1 person whining, 19 pissed off with whining 😀

Last month's Hope brake story.

My X2s were leaking from around the Banjo bolt, so I bought new washers and a bolt from my LBS. Still leaking.

Call Hope to say I thought the caliper was probably cracked, though I couldnt see anything, they asked me to return them. They are 3 years old so I returned on wednesday afternoon without a receipt.

Friday morning I recieve the brake back, with brand new caliper and a new set of pads. No charge. That's customer service.

Yeh, yeh, obviously it would have been better if there hadnt been a fault, but that was my first in 5 years of running various Hopes on 2 bikes. M4s are the best brakes I've used.

You probably couldn't count how many times this thread title has been used in the past.

When Hope are bad they're very bad, but when they're good they're very good and durable.

The bad was a set of XC4. They were sub V brake and actually failed in muddy race conditions to the point of having to pull out.

The good has been a set of Mono M4's which are still my main brakes. They survived 2 weeks downhilling in the Alps with no problems, even running sintered on the back when I'd used up my organics. I haven't changed my pads since I left the UK 7 years ago, we only get mud for maybe 4 weeks tops in Western Australia though, but most of the time the temperature is 20-35 degrees.

I would agree that spending time on set up is critical, both in centring the caliper over the rotor and bleeding. I've spent hours getting it right for the pair before, but then you're good until for several years.

Finally I've got a set of Hope Ti-glide disc compatible hubbed wheels that are over 10 years old, no maintenance whatsoever, and I'm still using the front. The rear is still good too, it's just that I figured I deserved some new wheels so I got a set built on Pro II Evo's. Unfortunately I tacoed the rim of my new front wheel within 2 months at a race.

hope make such fine products.

i will always stay with Hope brakes,never had a problem with any of my mini's.

Maybe I would have been happier with my Hopes over the years if I had watched that vid?! 😳 Oh well, it should make my Shimanos even better.

All I can seriously think is that a lot of you defending hope are either working for them, selling there products or just too bloody loyal to admit they're shite!

Also Quote goes first Quote/ Second

If you don't like 'em then don't buy them. Hope Mini's and now Hope X2's have been faultless for me over the years.

Yeah i've had problems with hope brakes too. Shimano xt all the way!

I'm going to have to sell all my hope stuff before it fails.
So open to offers on
Brakes Pair C2s, pair M4s, pair stealth race Evo X2s
5 sets of wheels:-
2 pairs XC Hubs mavic rims, pair pro2 hubs mavic rims, pair non disc pro 3s open pro rims and a pair Pro 3 sp-xc3 with Stans rims.
Last set of wheels are probably very near point of failure as they have an 85 kilo weight limit and I come in at over 90 kilos. Assorted skewers seat clamps, headsets, lights and BB sets also available. Oh and a seat post.

Good to see that many of the people on the hope side come across as having a fair bit of mechanical knowledge and post detailed information on experiences and solutions to any setup issues .
Whereas the shimano camp ........ 🙄

Come on the whole lot must be worth a few magic beans especially at this time of the year.

😀

spectabilis - Member
Good to see that many of the people on the hope side come across as having a fair bit of mechanical knowledge and post detailed information on experiences and solutions to any setup issues .

Yeah you need to with all the problems they have! 😆

Dales_rider - Member
Come on the whole lot must be worth a few magic beans especially at this time of the year.

i'll give you 2 beans for the lot just to get it all off the trails and safely in a skip. 😉

If only you could have made it 3 😮

It's amazing HOPE don't make more Ducati parts 🙂

"Whereas the shimano camp ........ "

just fit a new caliper and be done.

trail_rat - Member
"Whereas the shimano camp ........ "

just fit a new caliper and be done.

Yeah but the if you buy them you get 5 full kits for the price of a HOPE.

So badly bled then? All brakes will do that if you leave air in the reservoir.

Yep, as they came when purchased, I wasn't implying it was a fault with the brake itself, just annoying.

A lot of people seem to say that Avids are faulty, because of a bad factory bleed.

Again doesn't bother me, I'm quite happy to hoover up cheap "faulty" pairs and bleed them.

Just switched from Elixir 5s to 2nd hand Hope minis. Too soon to comment on overall quality, but certainly the power and modulation of the Hopes feels like a big improvement. Brakes were fitted by a guy I know who spends half the year as a mechanic for one of the world cup downhill teams. He won't touch Shimano / Avid with a bargepole and advocates Hope all the way. I'll happily admit to knowing jack all about most of this, but given his line of work and his experience, his opinion counts a hell of a lot for me.

Good to see that many of the people on the hope side come across as having a fair bit of mechanical knowledge and post detailed information on experiences and solutions to any setup issues .
Whereas the shimano camp ........

not everything is based on price for me. In my day job non servicable parts really do my nut in....

I crashed into a tree a few week back and snapped my shimano xt lever, I was really surprised at how cheap shimano parts are! £35 for the lever unit!! Had that of been hope I bet I'd be lucky to get change from £100!
What I like about shimano is the fact that they're so simple to bleed and maintain yet there performance is outstanding!

Who wants to have brakes that are a hassle to bleed anyway!?

funkrodent - Member
Just switched from Elixir 5s to 2nd hand Hope minis. Too soon to comment on overall quality, but certainly the power and modulation of the Hopes feels like a big improvement. Brakes were fitted by a guy I know who spends half the year as a mechanic for one of the world cup downhill teams. He won't touch Shimano / Avid with a bargepole and advocates Hope all the way. I'll happily admit to knowing jack all about most of this, but given his line of work and his experience, his opinion counts a hell of a lot for me.
Good to see that many of the people on the hope side come across as having a fair bit of mechanical knowledge and post detailed information on experiences and solutions to any setup issues .
Whereas the shimano camp ........

+1 for that. Having trawled through 4 pages of this thread (and being an avowed neutral) I'd say that the Hope advocates are way more credible than the bashers...

So what your saying is that you have to have c-tech qualification as a bike mechanic to look after your hope brakes! 🙄
That's not good is it!

Had a set of hopes mini's for a few years, never had a problem with them, give them a bleed and a service every winter.

The only thing that would put me off them would be the price.

What I like about shimano is the fact that they're so simple to bleed and maintain yet there performance is outstanding!

Who wants to have brakes that are a hassle to bleed anyway!?

Shimano bleed procedure seems far more hassle than hope. I've bled my hopes in 5 mins before a ride.

pussywillow - Member

funkrodent - Member
Just switched from Elixir 5s to 2nd hand Hope minis. Too soon to comment on overall quality, but certainly the power and modulation of the Hopes feels like a big improvement. Brakes were fitted by a guy I know who spends half the year as a mechanic for one of the world cup downhill teams. He won't touch Shimano / Avid with a bargepole and advocates Hope all the way. I'll happily admit to knowing jack all about most of this, but given his line of work and his experience, his opinion counts a hell of a lot for me.
Good to see that many of the people on the hope side come across as having a fair bit of mechanical knowledge and post detailed information on experiences and solutions to any setup issues .
Whereas the shimano camp ........

+1 for that. Having trawled through 4 pages of this thread (and being an avowed neutral) I'd say that the Hope advocates are way more credible than the bashers...

So what your saying is that you have to have c-tech qualification as a bike mechanic to look after your hope brakes!
That's not good is it!

NO just don't blame the product for YOUR ineptitude.

If you can't do it take it to your LBS thats what they're there for..

I can remember all these arguments being made about cars back in the early/mid-eighties. Don't buy any of that foreign stuff stick to Ford/Vauxhall - spares are readily available and they're easy to work on etc

In August '83 my grandad bought a Datsun Sunny, my uncle a Ford Escort. 5 years on, the Escort needed a new engine @ 60k miles having had several big repair bills along the way - the Sunny (similar mileage) hadn't been touched apart from routine servicing & a new exhaust.

Admittedly after 7 years the Sunny was rotten but it had cost less than half what the escort had over the same period.

I crashed into a tree a few week back and snapped my shimano xt lever, I was really surprised at how cheap shimano parts are! £35 for the lever unit!! Had that of been hope I bet I'd be lucky to get change from £100!

Or in most likelyhood they wouldn't have charged you for one.

spectabilis - Member
pussywillow - Member
funkrodent - Member
Just switched from Elixir 5s to 2nd hand Hope minis. Too soon to comment on overall quality, but certainly the power and modulation of the Hopes feels like a big improvement. Brakes were fitted by a guy I know who spends half the year as a mechanic for one of the world cup downhill teams. He won't touch Shimano / Avid with a bargepole and advocates Hope all the way. I'll happily admit to knowing jack all about most of this, but given his line of work and his experience, his opinion counts a hell of a lot for me.
Good to see that many of the people on the hope side come across as having a fair bit of mechanical knowledge and post detailed information on experiences and solutions to any setup issues .
Whereas the shimano camp ........
+1 for that. Having trawled through 4 pages of this thread (and being an avowed neutral) I'd say that the Hope advocates are way more credible than the bashers...
So what your saying is that you have to have c-tech qualification as a bike mechanic to look after your hope brakes!
That's not good is it!
NO just don't blame the product for YOUR ineptitude.
If you can't do it take it to your LBS thats what they're there for..

My ineptitude?? I've had shimano's and hope brakes a long time, different models as well and I find shimano a lot better and easier to bleed.
But your right about people having to take hope brakes to there local bike shop cos they're such hassle to do if you haven't got plenty time, Whereas my xt's take me about 5 mins to bleed.

Shimano all the way.

Blazin-saddles - Member
I crashed into a tree a few week back and snapped my shimano xt lever, I was really surprised at how cheap shimano parts are! £35 for the lever unit!! Had that of been hope I bet I'd be lucky to get change from £100!
Or in most likelyhood they wouldn't have charged you for one.
POSTED 5 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Now your forcing me to bring up there customer service aren't you!
Tbh I'd rather not deal with them, especially on the phone. And I don't believe for one minute that if you rang them up telling them you've crashed into a tree and broke the lever that they'd say " ok don't worry about it, we'll send you another one free of charge cos we look after our customers!" 😆 🙄

Shimano bleed procedure seems far more hassle than hope. I've bled my hopes in 5 mins before a ride.

Well it's not. To be fair they both bleed roughly the same. Except Shimano oil doesn't dissolve your paintwork should you happen to spill some. (Assuming Hope are still on DOT 4)
Magura have come up with a slight improvement that makes them less messy. My Louise Carbons have that.

Actually, scrub that, my older Maguras and all the Shimano brakes we have all bleed IDENTICALLY to my Mono Minis. Theres no difference at all. 🙂

Now your forcing me to bring up there customer service aren't you!
Tbh I'd rather not deal with them, especially on the phone. And I don't believe for one minute that if you rang them up telling them you've crashed into a tree and broke the lever that they'd say " ok don't worry about it, we'll send you another one free of charge cos we look after our customers!"

Why not? have you tried it? They are mostly bike riders at Hope that understand that bike riders crash and break stuff. I like the idea of being able to ring them and talk to the guy that made the product you're (or not in your case) using. Have you tried ringing up Mr Shimano and asking him about the slight issue you may have with his product?