[Closed] Hope mini has finally died

return it to hope for a service. Cheaper than another brake, years more service from it

I'd send it to Hope for a service

They're pretty good with replacing bits etc. in with the cost

What does a service cost?

IIRC £48 including new pads and all parts - but that may be only the calliper

So deffo cheaper to do both the calliper and lever myself then.

What about new? What is worth getting around the £50 mark?

I think by the time you have bought a set of pads, as well its as cheap to send 'em back to hope.

It was £37 for both rebuild kits (lever and calliper), the two new pistons and a set of pads. If hope are £48 for calliper alone, I'm better off doing it myself. I just want to know if it's worth it for an old, mediocre disc brake. What is worth getting for that sort of cash?

I have only rebuilt the levers on mine ( piston replacement )tis realy easy

The calipers should be just as easy.

DIY I definatly would

I've done both before when I bought them second hand about 7yrs ago. Both were easy and I rather enjoyed tinkering with them. I'm confident that doing a full refurb will work well, but am just questioning the economics of it. Is the money better spent on a new cheap front brake, or a secondhand less new but better brake, or are minis not that bad after all?

I sent mine back last week, got a call today to say they were ready. £47 (may be £48 as posted, didn't pay too much attention)total for everything inc. sintered pads. Worth sending them back imo.

will a cheap brake be as good or last as long?

PhilChap, was that including refurbing the lever?

TJ, dunno, but the mini is fairly mediocre in terms of braking - barely better than a v-brake. I was wondering whether a modern cheap brake would be as good as a 7+yr old mini.

i have same dillema with my old is mount ones i have as my back up pair that might go on a commuter

mini should be fine - mines a single finger lock of the wheel with a 160 disc. i sold cheap shimanos to replace with old minis - no significant difference in power

Hmmm, will prob refurb the lot then. Easy and quick to do.

Looked at this the other year. Think it was £40 (couple of years ago) and it was BOTH lever and caliper. New pads included and even new hose (i think). I was replacing hose and they didn't do the bigger old hose, only the new smaller diameter. I only needed one set of hose adaptors so wasn't worth it for me but hope dealer said it would be in with a service.

Give them a bell, well worth it when you think about it.

If you're happy then re-build them, there's no reason you cannot have another 7 years from them. Much more 'green' too!

minis on my commute bike, blissfully neglected year after year. still as sharp as ever.

Yes the price is for the complete brake set, send the lot including hose and they will return it all refurbed. Form for service is on their website.

I'm a fettler and always rebuild my Hopes, since the days of C2s

A few years ago I had Hope rebuild an 'unsettled' second hand Mono M4 that just didn't feel right - great service.

I still do all my own, and my commuter has my Minis. They've been used and abused so got treated to phenolic pistons, seals and new hoses. Sure I could've got something else second hand for a similar price, but I'd probably have to rebuild those soon too!!

Have fun knowing that you know your bike inside and out : )

I bought some 2nd SLX for £80 for the pair for my SS and they feel really sharp compared with my mono mini's.

But they don't stop me any quicker than the mono mini's on my HT.

And the M4's on my FS are now 6 yrs old and still perfect. Bet those SLX don't last as long...

Send them back to Hope for a refurb. Hope are an excellent company and they will come back like new.

More importantly, throwing bike parts away because they're tired goes against the whole philosophy of cycling; there's nothing on a bicycle that can't be serviced or refurbished and there's a certain elegance about well-used old parts still giving good service.

I've sent a m4 back to Hope and it came back good as new. For the cost above buying the bits (at the time it was less) the serivce is certainly worth it.

interesting thread. I have some mini's where the pistons seized solid a few years ago. Might send them back and see if hope can do anything with them...

another vote for sending it back to hope, they did levers and calipers when I sent mine back.

+1 for hope customer service,

7 years? That's good going.

How I miss those days, out in the woods in April, listening for the first Hope Mini of spring squealing in the distance... 😉

Another vote for refurb, I think mine must be older than 7 years even, have been on 3 bikes and been refurbd twice.

Take the opportunity to replace the hoses for a braided one if you've not already